T h i r t e e n 💃 September 14th
"Ready to hike?" Ben asked as he parked the car in a mediocre parking lot surrounded by the forest. I could instantly hear the waterfalls when I got out of the stuffy car and grinned at the sound of them.
"Hiking?" I shook my head at Ben. "We didn't bring any stuff for hiking."
Ben rolled his eyes at me and lent down, hitting a button on his car door. The trunk popped. "Says you," Ben retorted, and then winked at me as he shut his door. With a raised eyebrow, I shut my door after him and we both walked to the trunk.
Sure enough, there was hiking gear inside the trunk. The "hiking gear" came in the form of a large blue backpack. Ben grabbed the backpack and swung it over his shoulder, wrapping it around himself. "We've got water and snacks in this baby," Ben said proudly, patting the bottom of the pack.
I nodded. "I see," I said. Ben shut the trunk and we began to walk to the opening of the trail. "Have you ever been?" I asked, nodding forward to the falls. We couldn't actually see them, but based on the noise that they were making, we knew the general direction of where they were.
Ben shook his head with a shrug. "No. I've never really been in Michigan, but I have been in Wisconsin, which is basically the same thing."
I snorted at that and rolled my eyes. "Hardly," I shot back, shaking my head. "Michigan is way better than Wisconsin. Don't kid yourself." I said, and flipped my hair over my shoulder to add sass to my comment. Ben chuckled deeply.
"Need I remind you that us Wisconsin people practically invented cheese?" he said, raising an eyebrow at me as if I couldn't beat that.
But I could, and I did.
"Need I remind you that us Michigan people practically invented cars?" Ben cocked his head to the side and nodded, giving me that one. "And, besides," I told him, "you guys talk weirdly."
Ben laughed. "We talk weirdly?" He shook his head. "What do we say that's so weird?"
"Say 'dragon'."
Ben shot me a look, cleared his throat, and said, "Dr-AY-gon." I laughed instantly, expecting him to say it this way. Thomas also pronounced the word "dragon" like this, putting too much emphasis on the "a". He also pronounced "bag" and "wagon" weirdly.
"I'll give you that one," Ben nodded, "but not before you tell me what sort of coloring utensils kids use to draw in their coloring books with."
I frowned. We were now stepping onto the trail's front. "Eh," I said, thinking out loud, "cranz?"
Ben laughed. "It's 'cray-ons'. Not cranz." He told me, making fun of the way I pronounced the word.
I shook my head. "I'm betting you say the same thing when you're not thinking about it." I countered. Ben cocked his eyebrow up at me, grinning from ear to ear.
"Wanna bet on it?" he offered, stopping in his tracks to hold out his hand. I looked at it and then nodded, shaking it.
"You're on." I agreed.
We made small chat as we made our way through the hald mile trail until finally we had reached the Lower Falls. I sighed at the sight of them and Ben instantly stopped talking to take them in. Because it was Wednesday and September, there weren't many people around, which just brought out the beauty of it all even more.
"Wow," I gasped softly. Ben followed me to the railings that had been set up surrounding the river and the falls. "It's so gorgeous." I smiled. Ben nodded in agreement, not saying anything.
On the boardwalk-like structure there was a man sitting on a stool with a canvas propped up in front of him. He seemed to be oil painting, and so far I could only make out green and blue and yellow blobs. I was certain it would be beautiful when finished.
Without talking, we looked at the falls again. They were positively gorgeous. The lower Tahquamenon Falls were made up of about two main waterfalls with beautiful green-blue water. The rocks that held up these waterfalls were black and dark brown from being wet. The water that the falls emptied into looked black from where Ben and I were standing with beautiful green leaves floating in it and few ducks off to the side. The forest surrounding it all made it look peaceful and beautiful and elegant.
I could stare at them all day long.
Sadly, though, Ben was the antsy type, not wanting to sit and stare at the same thing for too long, so we left on the trail that would guide us up to the Upper Falls. The trail was about six miles long (Ben groaned when he learned this) and including the way back, it was in all twelve miles.
"Don't you own a camp?" I asked Ben while he groaned and moped.
Ben wrinkled up his nose. "Well, yes, but it's not like I hike very often. It's a dance camp, not a camp camp." He answered. I had been meaning to ask him about his dance camp, but I hadn't ever gotten around to doing so. Now seemed like the perfect time.
"Tell me about it," I said in interest.
Ben nodded. "Okay..."he trailed off in thought, probably where he ought to begin. "Well, as you know, it's in California. I bought some land when I was twenty-two and after winning a few dance competitions and going to college for a degree in business and dance, I built my own dance studio in the middle of the woods. It's a nice cabin-like structure. I got a few people coming each year, but it didn't really hit off until I was about 25 and I had gotten that article about me being one of America's top male dancers.
"Then I worked harder and gained money and spent it all on some more small cabins for dorms and I made renovations to the studio to make it larger and fitter for what I use it for now. And now it's a pretty popular dance camp for all ages, I guess. It's still in the process of being made better, but I think it's pretty good."
I didn't know why he was being so modest about his success. Not only was he voted to be one of America's top male dancers, his camp was voted in third place as America's top dance camps and studios according to a Google search on Jason's laptop. He had accomplished so many things in such a short amount of time. It was truly extraordinary.
"Wow," I finally got out. "You're really something, huh?" I joked, and knocked my shoulder into his.
Ben smiled warmly and shrugged. "I try to be something." He answered, and I rolled my eyes at him. Ben laughed. "No, but...I don't know. I like it in the woods, too. I just don't go on twelve mile long hikes in the woods. I just enjoy it."
"Hiking is enjoying it," I disagreed. "When you hike, you go deeper into the woods and see its life and creatures. How does that not equal up to enjoying it?"
Ben shrugged. "I'll take your word for it, then."
I shook my head, not having it. "Don't just take my word. Look around you." Suddenly, I felt a lot like Pocahontas, so I forced myself not to go on.
Ben didn't seem to mind though and followed my advice, looking all around the forest. "I suppose you're right," he finally said, nodding with a small smile.
I was gonna say something sassy back, like "you better believe it", but then I noticed that Ben was going to trip over a root, so I started telling him this, but it was too late. Down Ben went into the ground. I couldn't refrain myself from laughing.
Ben sat up, wiped the dirt off of himself, and glared playfully up at me. "Laughing at people that fall is just rude," he said, but he also had a tilt of laughter in his voice, so he wasn't much of one to talk.
I reached out a hand to help him, but Ben tugged me down with him to the ground. I laughed, my body sprawled back-forward out on the dirt and Ben leaned over me, looking down at me. He opened his mouth to say something, but I was uncomfortable with him situated like this, so I interrupted him instead.
"So," I blurted, "how's Claire?" Ben looked confused, and I questioned myself instantly. That was his fiancée's name, right? Because that'd just be embarrassing if it wasn't her name.
Ben stood up, tugging me up with him. "Claire's fine," he nodded, smiling and dusting himself off. I wiped the dirt from my shirt and jeans while I half-heartedly listened to him. "She called me this morning, actually and told me how the camp was going."
"Oh?" I asked. We began walking again. "Is she your dance partner?"
Ben laughed, shaking his head. "No, no. Claire can't dance worth a damn. I just asked her to watch over the camp while I was gone." He explained to me. I nodded slowly, my cheeks turning red.
"Sorry," I apologized. "I just assumed that because you were lovers, you were also dance partners."
"Were you and my brother lovers?" Ben asked with a raised eyebrow to prove his point. I shook my head. "Not ever?" I shook my head again, and Ben nodded.
"So, then, where did you two meet?" I said to keep the conversation going. I definitely didn't want to have to hike for twelve miles in awkward silence, that was for sure.
Ben shrugged. "Mutual friends. Nothing special. We met, I took her out on a couple dates and then I popped the question."
"Do you two live with each other?" I probed.
Ben laughed. "No. Claire's a city girl and my house is right next to the studio in the woods, so it's isolated. She wouldn't stand living there." He said to me, and laughed again at the idea of it.
I nodded in understanding. "But you two are getting married. You'll have to compromise."
Ben shrugged. "Like I said before, marriage isn't even in the picture right now. Too much stuff is going on."
"Then why'd you 'pop the question', as you so eloquently put it?" I prodded. Ben was quiet for a moment, his smile dropping, and I instantly regretted my words. Obviously, I had gone too far with my questions. Somehow, I had broken Ben.
But, after a few long moments of stillness, Ben spoke. It wasn't about what I'd asked him, but he still spoke nonetheless and we talked absentmindedly about random, insignificant things.
Within time, the question I'd been waiting to hear since he found me at Rizzo's came up. "Will you speak to me in Italian?" Ben asked me excitedly.
Normally, I would be annoyed by this, but I was relaxed right now and surrounded by the peacefulness that came with nature, so I nodded. "What would you like to hear?"
Ben shrugged. "I don't know." He said, thinking about it for a moment. He scratched his scruff while he did so before snapping his fingers. "Tell me a pickup line," he told me, and winked. I rolled my eyes at him but nodded and thought about what I should say to him.
"Ti va di ballare con me?" I asked him. Ben raised an eyebrow. "I just said, 'would you like to dance with me'."
Ben scoffed. "That's not a pickup line. That's something you say after your pickup line works."
"Oh really?" I laughed. "So you're master at pickup lines, then?"
He nodded with a smug smile.
"Then go on. Tell me one." I nodded, and stopped, crossing my arms over my chest with my hip jutted out. Ben sighed loudly, stopped walking and turned to face me.
He held up a finger to say "one moment", turned and looked at the ground, dropped the finger, and then turned back at me with a smoldering look on his face and cheesy smile. "How you doin'?" he mimicked Joey Tribianni from the TV show "Friends".
I shook my head, but laughed. Ben laughed as well, saying, "Now that's an Italian pickup line."
"Whatever," I told him, and we started walking again.
After a little while and some more thought on what we had been talking about, I turned to look at Ben and said, "Ho perso il mio numero di telefono. Potrebble prestarmi il suo?"
Ben frowned as he walked. "What does that one mean?"
"It means, 'I've lost my telephone number. Could I borrow yours?'"
Ben grinned at me. "Now that's a pickup line."
I just stuck my tongue out at him. Ben rolled his eyes. "Real mature, Ladybug. Real mature." I just shrugged, not caring, because who was he to talk? He was probably the most immature 28 year old I knew! Not that I knew very many 28 year olds, but still.
That reminded me..."Happy belated birthday."
Ben smiled at me. "Thanks, but no need. I had some of that tequila you got Thom. Great taste, by the way. That was some very smooth alcohol." But of course he drank some of his twin's birthday present from me. Why would I expect anything less?
"Did Thom at least get to try it before you did?" I asked, sighing.
Ben looked at me like I was insane. "What are you, crazy?" he laughed. "He can't be drinking alcohol while he's in the hospital! He asked me to take it back to his place. Mentioned it was from you for his birthday. So I figured since we had the same birthday and all, it could be for me too." Ben smiled dashingly innocently at me.
Whatever, I thought to myself.
"Hey," Ben offered, grinning at me like the Cheshire Cat. "At least you don't have to buy me a birthday present anymore."
I just shook my head at him in disbelief. I would never understand Ben. Never.
Ben went on to ask me about Italian swear words and to teach them to him. I taught him some of the more common swear words used in the United States of America, and then I taught him to say "poo" because in Italian, I had told him, that meant "bitch". Ben was a very gullible man to my enjoyment.
It took us a good hour or less, - Ben kept on tripping and walking slowly – but we did make it to the Upper Falls. Although the lower and upper falls were very similar in appearance, the Upper Falls looked to be just one main waterfall that stretched along the entire width of the river.
It was exquisite.
Even Ben, who had been so anxious before to get a move on, leaned against the railing and watched the water as it moved. The Upper Falls seemed to be a lot louder than the Lower Falls, so I couldn't really hear anything other than the water falling.
"Ladybug!" Ben was trying to get my attention obviously, and I looked over at him briefly.
"What?" I asked, a bit annoyed that he had pulled me away from my thoughts.
"I asked if you wanted to take a tram back instead of walking," Ben told me in exasperation as he nodded toward a sign to our left. I looked at the sign, read it over, and shook my head.
"Why can't we just walk?" I asked, and batted my eyelashes for the puppy dog effect.
This apparently did not work on Ben. He shook his head. "Why can't we just take a tram back?" he countered me, but I shook my head and crossed my arms over my chest in defiance.
"What if I said walking might raise up my trust in you?" I offered. Ben rolled his eyes, calling me out on my bluff. I sighed, my arms dropping to my sides. "Aw, c'mon, please? It's just another six miles. Then I'll buy you ice cream, I swear." I tried bribing him.
Ben sighed, and I smiled in victory, but he quickly held up a hand to stop me. "I will only walk if you promise that when we get back you'll practice the lift with me." He raised an eyebrow at me, as if asking me to try and counter that.
I nodded. I was going to try the lift, anyways, so it wasn't that big of a deal. "Fine, fine," I said in surrender. "But right when we get home? Cuz that'll be at, what? Six? Seven? I have to go to work at Rizzo's."
Ben thinned his lips in a frown. "Okay. Tomorrow morning, then."
"I have work tomorrow morning." I knew that I was being a pain in the butt, but it wasn't like I was free all the time to do whatever. I had two jobs, after all.
Ben ran a hand through his hair, just like what Thomas did when Thom was stressed. "I don't think you realize yet how far you need to be willing to go to win this thing." Ben finally told me with a steady look in his eyes. There were no more twinkles anymore, just seriousness.
I frowned at him. "What's that supposed to mean? I know what I have to do." I fought back.
Ben shook his head with a mocking laugh. "I don't think you do yet, Ladybug. This competition isn't for the faint of heart. It's not just fun and games. There are people out there who have practically given up their lives to win this."
I frowned back at him. "What's your point?" I demanded sourly.
Ben sighed, collecting himself before he got too angry. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He took in a deep breath, released it, dropped his hand, and then looked me in the eyes. "I'm saying that you need to bend your schedule to fit the dance in. We can't just do it whenever we have time. We have to make time. If we went about it like you're suggesting, we're never going to get past the part we're at and we're never going to try that stupid lift."
I was quiet as I soaked in his words. I knew he was right. He sounded just like Noni now. This competition wasn't for the faint of heart. It wasn't just to win. I knew all of this already, of course. And I knew that if I didn't step out of my boundaries, there was no chance of me winning. I had to give some things up.
So, I nodded silently and Ben breathed a sigh of relief.
We watched the Upper Falls for a few minutes more we both decided silently to head back down to the Lower Falls. We were both quiet as we made the trek. I wouldn't look at Ben and Ben was busy staring down at his feet.
This gave me time to think.
When I was younger, winning the National Fine Dance Competition had been everything to me and it still sort of was. Back then, I would practice hard day and night with Noni always by my side, watching every move I made and took.
As I got older, I became a bit of a rebellious teenager. I would sneak out of the house late at night and drink and party with my friends, something Noni didn't exactly approve of. But, because it wasn't affecting my dancing, she let it go and turned her head.
And then I did something irrational and stupid and I broke my leg. And things never went back to the way they were.
Noni did forgive me a few years ago and we made up, but she still wasn't the same as what she had once been to me. During the time she ostracized me, we had grown apart. She didn't know me through all those years and I didn't know her, which was why it was so difficult for us to stay together now.
Especially now that she was once again shunning me.
It hurt just as much as it had before, but now I was older. I didn't depend on her any longer. I wasn't some homesick rebellious teenager any longer, although that was probably how Noni still saw me.
I gave a long sigh, forgetting completely that Ben was right beside me. He gave me a strange look, his eyebrows furrowed together. "What's the matter?" he asked carefully, obviously worried he might upset me further than what I already was.
I smiled reassuringly at him. "I'm fine." I lied. Ben didn't look convinced, but he just nodded, gave me one lingering gaze, and then looked back at the trail before him.
We took a break a couple of minutes later to have some of the snack bars Ben had packed and drink some water so we wouldn't get dehydrated. Usually, there would be tons of people passing us, but not a single person walked by during our break. It was like it was just us out in the woods together.
After our short break we started walking again. Ben was groaning by the end of it. I just rolled my eyes at him. "You're a dancer," I said, "you have to work out in some way. I know Thomas runs. What do you do?" Personally, whenever I had the chance, I would go to the gym. I usually went on Wednesdays and Mondays because I didn't have any classes those days, but I hadn't gotten around to it lately due to all that had been going on lately.
Ben shrugged. "I don't know. I go to the gym a lot, and work on everything that I can for as long as I can. I run, but it's usually on a treadmill. Hiking is much different than a treadmill. Most of the time I'm working on upper body strength, though." He answered, and then shot me a look while saying, "And I play football with the guys once a month."
I raised an eyebrow. "'The guys'?"
Ben nodded, looking back ahead of us now. "Yeah, you know. The guys. The dudes. My friends in California. Sometimes we even get Thomas to join, but he's more into soccer, I think." I could definitely see Ben as a jock for some reason.
Then a visual of him in ballet tights came to mind and I laughed at the prospect. "What is it?" Ben asked, a light smile on his face. He was always smiling I learned.
I just shook my head. "Nothing," I told him. "It's nothing."
Ben let it go with a nod. "Well, anyhow, yeah. What do you do?"
I told him about the gym in town and how I hadn't been able to go to it lately. Ben nodded in understanding and then grinned. "We can run together in the mornings. Keep up our strength for the big day," Ben winked at me.
I shrugged. "Yeah, sure," I agreed. "But it would have to be super early because of Rizzo's."
Ben made a face. "I thought you had decided to cut down on that?" he asked. "You should just take night shifts. That way we can work on the dance all morning and noon."
I sighed, nodding. "Fine, fine," I told him. "I'll talk to Mr. Rizzo tonight."
Ben grinned triumphantly.
We had finally made it back to the Lower Falls, and we were both now extremely tired out. We didn't even bother to stop and look at the falls one last time. We had a silent agreement that we would just go straight to Ben's car with no distractions.
I sighed the second I was sitting down in the leather seat of Ben's car. I didn't even begin to put on my seatbelt. I just closed my eyes and relaxed. Ben took care of our supplies and then got in the driver's seat. Although I couldn't see him, I could hear him sigh deeply. He was quiet for a moment, and then he started the car's ignition.
I sat up, opening up my eyes and put on my seatbelt while he pulled out of the parking space. "So," Ben said, giving me a tired smile. "Wasn't that fun?"
I nodded, truly meaning it. "Yeah, it was," I said honestly. "Thank you for taking me here. It meant a lot." Ben just nodded and smiled, pulling out of the forest-surrounded parking lot.
His plan did have some effect on me. I definitely felt closer to him, now knowing things about him I hadn't known before. But I wasn't sure if I trusted him enough to do the scary lift. I would have to find out tomorrow morning when we practiced it.
I rested for a while and Ben, being the gentleman that he was, noticed this and kept his singing down to a minimum. I didn't mind the singing, though. His voice was nice to listen to, even if he wasn't one of America's top male singers.
Halfway back to Sault Sainte Marie, we stopped at a Dairy Queen, and I stayed true to my word. I bought him his choice Blizzard (he chose cookies 'n' cream), and then I bought myself a small cookie dough Blizzard and we were back on the road.
Finally, we were pulling into the parking lot behind my apartment building. I sighed and stretched after we had parked and turned to smile at Ben. "Thank you," I told him for a second time. "This was really great." Ben nodded and smiled.
As I unbuckled and opened my door, Ben yelled out, "Remember to get up early! You owe me a run!"
I groaned, rolled my eyes, but nodded as I shut his door and waved him goodbye.
I had to run and I had to try out a super difficult lift tomorrow.
Fun.