What's Andrew Eating Volume 1 Episode 7

The Camping Trip

The hot, humid days of summer had arrived to the small township of Oakville after what seemed to be a record setting spring of continuous rain and overcast skies.  The one’s that had braved the soaring temperatures took what little refuge they could in the shelter of the weeds that now had to be pulled before they overtook the rows of lovingly planted vegetables and herbs.  By noon most of those brave souls could take no more and withdrew into the relative safety of their air conditioned homes.  Andrew was one of those ardent gardeners and one of the few that doggedly remained in the center of his small oasis pulling weeds with one hand and wiping sweat from his brow with the other.  He was determined to finish no matter what and he was well on his way when the phone rang.  Andrew removed his gloves as he walked towards the patio and reached over the glass pitcher of lemonade on the table. He curled his fingers around the handset lifting it up to his ear, “Hello?”

It was Malcolm’s mom; “Yes, hello Andrew?” she began.  She was speaking much too fast and almost out of breath. Andrew had an idea that something was wrong immediately.

3 days earlier

Malcolm had convinced his parents during the final few weeks of school to let him borrow his mother’s car so that he could head up to Algonquin Park with Sarah for a few days. It would be after the Canada day long weekend, right after his Dad had left to the Airport so he played on the “Alone time” theme that he believed his mother needed.  Harder to convince was Sarah’s parents but after some assurances regarding sleeping accommodations, they reluctantly agreed.  They had all been together on the evening of the 1^st and even though they had stayed up late watching the fireworks by the lake Malcolm was still determined that they were going to leave early the next day. Malcolm had spent the previous weekend organizing pots, sleeping bags, clothes, food, matches, first aid and on down the list packing and repacking into his backpack.  The only thing missing was the tent, well at least one that would fold down to a decent size and weighed a bit less. Saturday afternoon he picked up Sarah and they spent the day at the Mountain Equipment Co-op or MEC as it was more affectionately known.  They found a small 2 man tent shaped like a segment of watermelon. Of course no one actually asked about one tent or two but Malcolm understood how parents thought and brought the other tent with him when he came to pick up Sarah the next day.  He also made sure it sat high on the pile supplies, obvious but not too obvious.  Craig Johnson leaned in the open window and kissed Sarah on the temple, “Be good! He commanded looking up at Malcolm as he did and then casually scanned the back of the car.  “Do you have everything?”  He asked, sunscreen, rope for hanging your food, sleeping bags..?”  He trailed off.  That was when Malcolm noticed the look of concern lift from his face and he knew he had spotted the second tent.  “Ah, good then, well we’ll let you get off then, you are a bit behind I think?   Sarah’s mom leaned in and gave her a quick hug whispering something into Sarah’s ear and tucking something into the palm of her hand.

On the Road

Sometimes a little procrastination is a good thing, Algonquin Park being about a 3 1/2 hour drive from Oakville would have been more like a 4 or 5 hour drive with commuter traffic. Leaving late in the day meant that it was all the time they needed.  “Four o’clock!” said Malcolm as he pulled up to the gate to check into the park. “Three Fifty seven,” corrected Sarah smiling as she reached into her wallet.  “My mom gave us some money for the park fees.”

 “Excellent!” exclaimed Malcolm wearing a huge grin.

They were at the trail head 20 minutes later and into the wilderness.  The canopy of Oaks and Maple cut the sunlight into a patchwork quilt across the trail in front of them.  The carpet of deadfall softened their footsteps and a noticeable quiet pressed in around them than made you feel like you were underwater.  They walked hand in hand until the trail narrowed then took turns leading.  It didn’t take long to notice the weight of the packs, the extra heat they created and now capturing the beads of sweat trickling and pooling in the curves of their lower backs.  After a long steady climb the path began to blend into the rest of the forest floor as the light softened.   Sarah stopped dead at the crest and Malcolm walked straight into her nearly knocking her off her feet.  When he saw the drop off the rocky cliff below he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.  “Holy crap!” he breathed looking around and finding his footing.  “I’m so sorry,” he began but stopped and stared off over her right shoulder.  They were standing on a ridge where the trees quickly disappeared below them and ended at the edge of a crystal clear lake. Reds and oranges filled the westerning sky and a light fog was drifting around the edge of the water as the heat of the day fell off.  Sarah followed his gaze and gasped, “We are camping here no matter what.” 

Once they were at the bottom of the hill they quickly dropped the packs on the ground and grabbed some snacks that Andrew had made for them. Granola clusters made with oats, nuts honey and dark cherries that was simply delicious.  After the tent was set up, and the meal complete Malcolm was tying off the food cache in a neighboring tree when he heard a splash.  He followed the sound, laughing to himself thinking Sarah had fallen in when he came across a boot, a sock then the other boot with the sock stuffed into it.  He looked up and saw a trail of clothing that led to a gap in the bushes where a small white piece of clothing rested flag like at the end of a dead branch. Seconds later a second splash broke the silence.

Sarah slept restlessly on the top of the sleeping bag when she heard a click outside the tent.  Then scraping sound on material.  She leaned over and pushed Malcolm, “Wake up, wake up!  There’s something out there with the food. 
“What-huh?”  He mumbled then promptly fell back to sleep.  
Pushing a little harder and leaning into Malcolm’s ear she whispered, “Wake up!” but with a bit more urgency. “There’s something out there” she said again drawing out the words. 
Malcolm was exhausted from the long day and tried comforting Sarah, "It's probably just a squirrel or something" and fell back to sleep in minutes but was awake once again by the sound of the sleeping bag rustling.  "Sarah, please just relax I'm sure it is nothing to worry about." He closed his eyes again and rolled over trying to escape but he could feel Sarah staring at him. He flicked awake at the sound of her whimpering and bolted upright inside the small tent. The combination of late nights, walking with a heavy pack for hours in 30° heat was clearly the reason for his hasty reaction. He couldn't have been thinking reasonable as he grabbed the flashlight and raced out of the tent into the moonlight. 
“Malcolm, what are you doing?” Sarah yelled. “It could be a bear!”  

There was no need for the flashlight, the moon provided all the light he needed to see that it was just a raccoon sitting on top of the food bag pulling smaller bags of food out and dropping them on the ground.  Sarah didn’t need a flashlight to see Malcolm either. He was standing below the raccoon in nothing but his boxers lobbing small rocks and twigs up into the tree. He was a lousy shot and didn’t hit the animal once but it retreated all the same and disappeared into the forest.  He smiled at Sarah, content with his accomplishment, oblivious.

The next day was just as hot as the last and started earlier as the moisture from the lake seemed to feed the humidity in the air 10 times over.  After breakfast of some fruit and eggs in a bag they set out once more.  The packs were still damp and cold from the afternoon before, Sarah let out a gasp as she lifted it up onto her shoulders.  Malcolm screeched and lunged forward as if he was trying to out run his.  About half way through the day they reached a point in the trail where you could either stay on the shorter loop or break off and travel a larger loop that brought you around the full length of the large lake and boggy marsh.  A bridge that crossed the river acted as the intersection for the two loops.  There was a single sign with grooves cut into it that looked as if it was created by a 5^th grade woodshop class.  The marker that said (you are here) could have been anywhere on the path.  Malcolm wasn’t even sure which line was supposed to be the river and which one was supposed to be the trail.  They both stared at it for several minutes when Malcolm blurted out, “The Bridge!”  It came out like a statement but without a lot of the conviction.  Bridges lead away, over the river and around, right?  I’m pretty sure we need to stay on this side of the river he said at last.  Who could argue with that logic?  That is the trouble with logic, is sounds so…logical.  Unfortunately you could also reason that there might be another bridge just before the parking lot where the Volkswagen was parked.  Malcolm and Sarah were heading into the wilderness and it would be nightfall before they realized they would be spending and extra night.

“Four and a half hours in the wrong direction Malcolm!” Sarah cried.  “And it has got to be what, 3 hours easy back to the second camp site on the first trail.”

“Four” muttered Malcolm.

“What was that?” asked Sarah. 

“Nothing, forget it. Come on, it was an easy mistake.  ”Let’s just eat something and set up the tent.  A good night’s sleep and we’ll move out early tomorrow morning.”   The knowledge of the extra walking that had to be done weighed heavily on Sarah.  It wasn’t so much the walk that worried her; it was the huge blister almost the full length of her heel.  She winced as she pulled off her boot pressing her teeth together to stifle a cry.  She didn’t want Malcolm to know and crawled into the tent to get the first aid cream.  “I’m going to bed!” she said and disappeared inside.  Malcolm looked up at the stars that were coming into view on the eastern horizon and wondered if it wouldn’t be better for him to sleep outside.  He decided to just watch the sun set and let the night fill in the shadows before he slipped into the tent.

Sarah was up, dressed, packed and ready to go before Malcolm was even out of the tent.  Her heel looked terrible and felt worse but she never said a word.  Malcolm was ready to go without eating when Sarah pulled out a dish of berries she had collected that morning. “Thank you.” He said sheepishly. “I’m sorry about everything, and then his spirit lifted, “if we can keep up a good pace we can probably make it out tonight.” He smiled as he lifted the pack up onto his shoulders.  Sarah smiled back but without the same faith and they set off.  Sarah began to limp about half way back to the bridge and started slowing down.  By the time they got the bridge it was already early afternoon and the pain was setting in.  She pulled off the trail and sat at the edge of the river, “I have to rest for a bit” she said and slowly took off her boots.  She wasn’t sure it was a good idea but she had to risk it.  She dipped her feet into the cool water and began sobbing and explained everything to Malcolm.  It was a relief at first to find out she wasn’t mad with him but he nearly passed out at the sight of her blister.  Another hour passed and Sarah pulled her feet out of the water.  Her heel looked more like it had been burned, the redness and raw skin stood in stark contrast against the pale white skin on top her foot.  “Malcolm, can you hand me the first aid kit please?”  She asked without looking up.  Malcolm who had been staring at disbelief jumped at the sound of her voice as if he’d been kicked and quickly ran over to the pack. “There’s no way you can walk out with that.” He said. “We need to start thinking of an alternate plan.  It’s probably another 3 hours regular walking to the next camp site, then another 3, maybe 4 to the car.  I’ll set up the tent for you to stay here.  I’m going to run back to the car and then call for help, maybe there is some coverage somewhere along the road.  Worst case I’ll use the landline at the park office and get help from one of the rangers.  Sarah began to argue but couldn’t even touch the wound with a towel to dry it.  She agreed reluctantly and Malcolm cleared an area for the tent.

Within 20 minutes he had set up a nice camp and a place for a fire.  Malcolm took only the essentials, water, a couple granola bars then he was off.  He leaned over and kissed Sarah, “I love you” he breathed.  Sarah pulled back and stared at Malcolm.

“I’m sorry, it just slipped out, I wasn’t thinking.” He said as he stood up quickly and turned to go in a single motion.  He didn’t wait for any kind of answer instead he began running to ease the embarrassment, the rush of cool air felt good against his red cheeks. 

Sarah sat and thought about what had just happened and watched Malcolm disappear around the corner. They had grown up together, shared ghost stories and slurpies, summer camp and snow forts. They hadn’t seen each other much in the first few years of high school but she always hoped.  Sarah sat in the warmth of the sun, closed her eyes and smiled.

Present day

Andrew got off the phone and packed some food into a cooler, just some sushi he had been experimenting with and rushed out to the car. 

His unexpected friendship with Malcolm came with a surprise.  He had his own circle of friends of course but somehow he had also been drawn into Malcolm’s which included his family which wasn’t a bad thing at all as far as he was concerned.  He was sure that it was simple parental protection that spurred the first meeting but they had all bonded.  Malcolm’s father was off on business and his mother was worried. It was reasonable to think they could just be late, a flat tire perhaps, or stopped for something to eat after taking longer to get off the trail but her intuition said differently.  She had called Andrew just to be sure that Malcolm hadn’t  simply stopped off to give him something, a fresh fish perhaps or wild berries for one of his recipes. It was the call from Sarah’s mom that got her on the phone to Andrew.

It was well after midnight by the time Andrew and Rebecca McTavish passed through the gates of Algonquin Park.  They met one of the park wardens and they drove together to the parking lot of the trail where Rebecca’s car sat silent and empty. “On the bright side, Mrs. McTavish,” began Constable Turner, who had been waiting by the car. “On the bright side, there is no sign of a struggle and the car is locked up tight with a number of personal belongings, meaning this is how they left it and by all accounts they are meaning to come back to it.”  She wanted to shout at him, “So why aren’t they here then. Where the fuck are they?” but she simply nodded politely and quelled all the new possibilities and tragedies that were swirling around her head. “So what do we do?” she asked. The officer explained that the trail could be taken in two directions and that although it was a continuous loop it was attached to.. blah blah blah.  Rebecca had tuned out and began walking towards the start of the trail. The moon was still providing an incredible amount of light so that even in these very early hours of morning you could see everything quite well.  She was just about to ask when they were going to leave when a thumping could be heard. “Shhh, did anyone hear that?” It was a distance off but it was there, a constant thump thump, then it stopped.  “Could be nothing mam, there are a lot of things out here that could be making that noise. Deer, Moose, even a chipmunk can sound like a large animal within the trees.” 

“That is no damn chipmunk” she snapped.  “My son is out there with a beautiful young girl and I’m going in to find them!”

“Mom?” whispered a very tired voice behind her.  Rebecca McTavish turned to see Malcolm standing there; pale, dirty where he had been sweating and began sobbing with relief until she realized he was alone.  “Where is Sarah?” she asked. “She’s okay, sort of” began Malcolm and then he explained about getting lost and the blister.  

As Malcolm was explaining, the park warden was making calls to various people including an EMTs. The officer had two quads on a trailer that he was pulling down and pulled out an extra helmet.  The ambulance was there in 10 min and immediately got Malcolm in and began checking his vital signs and gave him an IV to replace all the fluids he had lost.  He had asked to go back to get Sarah but the paramedic took one look at Malcolm’s face and shook her head. “We don’t need you passing out on the back of a quad” she said.

In didn’t take long for them to find Sarah, she could see the lights coming through the trees long before the noise of the engines announced the arrival of safety.  She was already up and packing the tent when the officer and paramedic arrived.  After checking Sarah they loaded up the gear and turned the quads around.  They were back to the parking lot in no time and they helped her into the ambulance.  Malcolm began to sit up but was pushed back down again, “You rest!” commanded the paramedic and finished her checkup of Sarah.

The sun created a sliver of light across the horizon when Andrew pulled out of the parking lot. Rebecca drove with Malcolm and Sarah leaning close to each other holding hands but with eyes closed.  Sarah’s parents were waiting in the driveway when pulled in. Andrew stopped off and pulled the backpacks out for them. He was just about to leave when Rebecca stopped him.  “Thank you so much Andrew, I don’t know if I could have managed myself. Please stay and have some breakfast with us, I think we’re all curious about how the camping trip went. Besides, I think you know this one. It was amazing strawberry shortcake with Creme de Cassis that Rebecca had pulled of Andrews’ recipe blog. I knew I had to make this when I saw it she said.

Andrew made some espresso and they savored the moment together and listened to the tale of the somewhat abridged version of their camping trip.

What's Andrew eating Volume 1 Episode 6

Canada Day

Fireworks exploded overhead and a chorus of ooo’s and ahhh’s was sung out by the eager crowd. The multi coloured lights and sparkles danced across the night sky and the silhouette shimmered across the water of the harbour. Kids ran up and down the beach with sparklers in hand carving out crimson and ochre letters into the darkness, their happy screams in harmony with some of the rockets. In the flashes of light you could see trails of smoke floating and weaving in and around the crowd. The scent of spent gunpowder was strong but the dying charcoal embers kept the fragrant memory of the evenings savory meals that were served to anxious mouths. Malcolm could still taste the Piments d'Esplette rubbed pan seared Chilean Sea Bass (sustainable!) with Iranian Saffron infused Jasmine rice and oven roasted heirloom cherry tomatoes. 

Sarah shifted closer to Malcolm as they sat on the old blue and red checkered wool blanket. She leaned in and started to whisper something in French when an explosive boom shattered the silence and made her scream impulsively. Malcolm yelled and jumped up nearly banged heads as he did. They both laughed as he massaged his ringing ear and fell onto his back. Sarah fell over top of him, her hair falling over his face. They stayed that way for only a minute but it was timeless.

It was Andrew sitting down beside them and the hiss of carbon escaping from the tin of coke that brought them back. “Ah, Malcolm, you are under there, brilliant. So did I ever tell you about the time I took the train down to Toronto when I was 10?”

Malcolm and Sarah sat up together and turned towards Andrew. “What do you mean, like a class trip or something” asked Sarah. “No, by myself” declared Andrew straightening up in a gesture of pride and pretended to straight a pretend tie. “My parents had no idea; it was a school day that I just didn’t go to school on. I told them I had band practice after school, you know, just in case I didn’t make it back in time. It was near the end of the year so the teachers didn’t ask and my parents fortunately never thought to question about a band practice.

“What did you do all day? Asked Malcolm. 

“I actually went to the Science Center, it was amazing. I practically ran through the entire place picking up anything that would move. It was amazing, best day ever! They had a Chinese exhibit going on and there was a huge singing bowl in the main gallery. It was filled with water and I actually got it to work so well that the water was rippling and dancing from the vibration. There was water spraying all over the floor and I guess I got a bit carried away laughing…that was when the security guard started walking towards me so I bailed and ran into the next hall.”
“I love it!” proclaimed Sarah, “I could never do something like that.” I spent most of my weekends wasting time on the phone.”

“Talking about boys no doubt” laughed Andrew.

 “Or complaining about them.” came a voice from behind them.

Malcolm turned to find his friend Scott standing beside them and lifted his hand up exposing his palm. Scott replied with a smack as he sat down cross legged as a new burst of colour filled the sky. Mozart was being played and was synced to add harmony to the visual display. It was a little American but no one seemed to mind. It was a sign that the end was coming to an end.

“I love this place” said Scott but I think my home is somewhere else.” It was a bit of a shock to hear but they all understood what he meant and no words were needed, friends and family together on a warm summer night, what could be more perfect than that.

“You know, I think that was around the same time I went to T.O. for some Kiss tickets” said Malcolm. “My sister started out with me on the Go train early in the morning but she got sick and asked if I’d be okay to go?” Obviously I said yes, and made my way to Sam the Record Man but after waiting in line for about an hour some guy came out and said they were out of tickets. But that the Eaton’s Center had a bunch. I ran down Younge Street as fast as I could and up the escalators to the sixth floor. I remember there being this huge line up all the way around the wall but Graham and Jamie were standing by a table holding tickets they already bought. I have to admit being a little naive about the concept of how line ups worked. I asked them were to buy the tickets and they laughed and pointed to the ticket counter. I just walked up going through the end of the line and stood looking at the board, someone asked how many tickets I wanted and that was it. I walked away in less than 10 min. The look of shock on their faces was priceless. Of course it wasn’t until days later I realized exactly what I did.”

 Andre choked on his drink and began coughing. “Somehow that doesn’t surprise me,” he laughed.

“We’re a good pair buddy, couple of real boy scouts. Remind me to tell you about the baseball tournament I was in last year.”

The music was getting louder and the fireworks more intense, boom, phhsssst, crack, bang. One after the other exploding over the water and in a heartbeat everything was black and quiet. Then spontaneous applause and the usual rush of excitement as everyone got up and headed for their cars or started walking home.

“Assuming you’re not sick of my cooking what would you say to coming over this weekend to try something new I’m working on? Asked Andrew. “You’re invited too Scot if you like?” I have a bunch of people from my cooking class coming over and we’re going to do a massive spread with all of our recipes.”

What's Andrew Eating. Volume 1 Episode 3

Summer Storm

     Summer was in full swing and nothing was moving. There was not a breath of air, and even though it was only mid July the grass already resembled a field of wheat ready to harvest. Malcolm was out with William who led them both down to the waterfront, at the very least the coolness of the water gave some kind of relief. Clear blue skies stretched across the horizon as far as you could see, at least as far as you could see in that particular direction. The harbour was jammed up with the Sail boats being used only for those that had them to sleep on at night or the occasional party. But not right now. Right now it was mid afternoon on a Saturday and all the sensible people were tucked under a nice willow with a glass of lemonade or their own preferred beverage.

William ran straight into the water and paddled back and forth along the shore line for 55 minutes straight. Malcolm had abandoned his sneakers and socks and waded in as far as he could without getting his shorts wet. The maples that lined the lakeshore were all virgin growth and made a formidable wall against the skyline to the north. So it was a complete surprise to both Malcolm and William when a crack of thunder broke the silence of the afternoon. It was such a loud and unexpected announcement of the arrival of the first summer storm that Malcolm practically fell into the water. He did actually fall in the water when William made a B line for him and tried jumping into his arms.  William didn’t like thunder, or fireworks or anyone mimicking fireworks, or car horns and he didn’t like the noise he just heard.  Malcolm was practically held under water by the weight of the collie and was frantically trying to get his head above the water line. Another loud boom followed by a flash of light high up in the clouds now looming over the line of maples probably saved Malcolm. William thought the picnic table over in the park was a much safer place and raced away. Coughing and spitting out clumps of algae Malcolm oriented him and crawled to his feet out of the water.

In an instant the wind picked up, as if someone opened a door which was followed by consecutive flashes of light and thunder. It was going to be a storm to remember but not one that you would really want to be out in. Malcolm knew he needed shelter and immediately thought of Andrew’s place. From the look on Williams face he would have sworn the dog was thinking the same thing. He was sure of it when he darted out from under the table and ran straight towards the house. Malcolm chased behind and just made it through the back gate when the first drops of rain began to fall.

     Andrew had a beautiful covered patio and laughed at the sight of Malcolm soaked to the skin. “How is it you are so wet and it is only starting to rain?”  William was scratching madly at the patio door. Andrew reached over and slides the glass panel. 

“But he’s soaked, protested Malcolm. 

“Just a little water, it will dry.” Replied Andrew calmly. “Anyway, you’re just in time, I was experimenting this afternoon and it seems I got a little carried away. Why don’t you grab a towel and dry yourself and I’ll finish up here. Then we can sit and watch the rain. I love a good storm, don’t you? 

“They’re the best” said Malcolm as he disappeared into the house.

Andrew called in and asked Malcolm to bring out a couple plates with him along with the bottle of Shiraz that was sitting on the counter.

Malcolm set the table and Andrew served. “Fresh Buratta and heirloom tomato salad with fresh basil and balsamic vinaigrette” he announced.

They ate and Malcolm told Andrew all about the afternoon and practically drowning. They laughed together and counted the lightning and thunder strike listened to the rain and let the coolness of the fresh storm air wash over them. Malcolm even tried a little wine; it was a perfect summer day.