Camping with Uncle Ryker

 

 

 

“Gettin’ hot there?” Uncle Ryker smiled.
 

“No, I’m fine.” Teddy stumbled out the RV body slamming against the door. He was sweating up a storm and putting on a brave face. He thought camping was going to be fun: Sleeping under the stars, starting a campfire, fishing, hiking. What he hadn't expected was how much damn work it was to get to the fun parts. His parents had wanted to go on a family cruise, but no, Teddy wanted to be difficult. Told them he couldn't imagine being stuck in one place for two weeks before getting to traverse islands for the other two weeks.
 

Teddy’s father, wanting to help, was sure his older brother, Ryker, was the solution. Ryker was a big outdoorsy guy. Practically a self-made lumberjack, living out in the woods during most of the year. During the summer Ryker would travel around, sending postcards to his brother from different areas. 

 

Ryker wasn't pleased to hear his nephew wasn’t appreciative of his parents' offer, but he didn’t let that show over the phone. When he came to pick Teddy up for the summer, a firm grip on the boy’s shoulder and a promise to “make a man out of him that won’t complain about free trips,” was all done in a humorous way as Teddy’s parents departed. The moment they were out of sight, Ryker crossed his arms to stare down his nephew.
 

“What’s wrong with a trip to Hawaii? Do young people not like fun anymore?” The man shook his head.  “You’d really rather spend it kickin’ it with me?  I would have killed to go on a cruise growing up.” He paused, clearing his throat, “Now I don’t do glamping, we’re doing real camping. The RVs for the worse conditions, but other than that we’ll be sleeping in the ground on the dirt.”
 

Teddy nodded his head eagerly. 
 

How naive he had been. 
 

His parents had packed his suitcase, with the appropriate camping clothing, Ryker had suggested. The first day was easy, mostly a drive to a state park. Day two the hike started. Not too many rocks, a straight path, clear trail with only a slight incline. Uncle Ryker took a lot of breaks carrying most of the supplies, while Teddy had the tent. Tall trees protected them from the sun's rays, and a cool breeze kept the sweat off of them. They arrived at the first camping ground. 
 

Uncle Ryker had the tent set up within minutes and dinner started in a pot. The two sat around the campfire as a blue hue dyed everything; dusk had set in. 
 

“So, enjoying camping so far?”
 

Teddy nodded vigorously, chewing on a granola bar his uncle had given him to snack on.
 

“Well, don’t get too comfortable. This was the easy part. Tomorrow things are going to get hard.”
Uncle Ryker wasn’t lying, the next day, everything about their hike was worse. The trail was steeper, less trees as they kept heading up, which meant more sun. Uncle Ryker even made Teddy carry the supplies for a while he took the tent. The boy kept falling behind but Uncle Ryker would just go a few feet ahead and wait, encouraging his nephew to continue. 
 

Following that, the days started to blend together. Teddy could only remember the stress of carrying supplies on his back, the sun frying him, and the smell of his clothes damp from his own sweat. Each camping area they found was just a little reprieve, before they were on move the next morning. They’d eventually end up circling back to the RV and be on the road to the next destination. The air conditioner up front worked the best, but so often Teddy was passing out on the bed. The days in the woods got shorter but only because their hikes were getting longer. 
 

Teddy was finding it harder to slip his feet back into his boots, with every trek on a trail. They looked bigger, larger, swollen almost, though his uncle said he was fine. His footsteps practically thudded into the dirt when he moved, no more soft patter. Then it was Teddy’s clothes fitting tighter every day and that’s because he was growing. Uncle Ryker said it must have been a random growth spurt, but Teddy had to eat a lot to keep his energy up. It wasn’t all downsides though the hikes weren't as hard to complete and the stronger muscles allowed him to carry the supplies with ease. 
 

The night he had to set up a tent alone was tough, it took him over an hour, but he did it. Uncle Ryker praised him, and Teddy felt his chest physically swell from it. 
 

“Hey, why does everyone still call you Teddy? “Uncle Ryker asked marshmallow over the fire, “Since your full name is Theodore, don’t you think it’s time to go by Theo.” he chuckled “I mean look at you, you don’t look like a Teddy at all.”
 

Looking down at himself, and seeing a body that modeled Uncle Ryker’s, large biceps, heavy thighs, Teddy was inclined to agree. Theo was a much more suitable name for someone of his size, if that’s what his uncle wanted to use, he wouldn’t fight him on it. That night when they went to bed the large tent felt so much smaller with two huge bodies taking up space. 
 

On the trek back to the RV, Theo scratched at his face, his cheeks were itching at random intervals. It wasn't long before his fingers dug into stubble poking back at him. The peach fuzz grew denser with every minute passed in the woods. The sun continued to beat down on them. The back of Uncle Ryker’s shirt caked in sweat. They came to a clearing with a river. Theo launched ahead, tossing off the bag and splashing his face. Relief. He sat kneeled at the edge. Staring down, catching his breath, he spotted his reflection. His hands slowly came up to examine the elongated and chiseled visage he was looking at. It was Teddy’s face but matured…aged…into someone who was undoubtedly a Theo.
 

He sprawled back from the water and ran to his uncle. Uncle Ryker was placing down the tent carefully when Theo approached him, blubbering about how he looked. A smug grin and a pat on the shoulder,  Uncle Ryker said, “That’s the beautiful power of camping, brings out that inner man.” He continued with what he was doing unbothered. Only then did Theo pick up on the fact Uncle Ryker knew what was happening, had always known but didn’t care. 
 

By the time they got back to the RV, Theo’s boots ripped apart as his feet pushed out of them perfectly timed. Uncle Ryker had another pair waiting for him that he tossed down. The sun, the heat, the change, was all inescapable as the summer with his uncle went on.
 

On the last day before his parents were due back, Theo came out of the RV around sunset. His body was doused in sweat whether it was from the heat or his body changing he didn't know any more. A beard had fully claimed his lower jaw and none of his clothes fit any more. His torso was too long for his shirts, and his ass was too big for his shorts. He was a half-dressed sweaty mess. Only the tiniest resemblance remained between Theo and the boy who had joined Uncle Ryker over a month ago.
 

“Gettin’ hot there?”
 

“No, I’m fine.” Theo leaned on the R.V. door, breathing heavily.

Uncle Ryker smirked crouched over the dinner pot cooking, “I’m curious, Next year you gonna be appreciative and join your parents, or will you kick it with me.?”