We were already on the road at two o'clock. Readying for the trip wasn't really time consuming than I originally thought. Before we leave, we called mom and told her what had happened today. She was a bit furious at me, but dad managed to cool her down. We also informed her of our plan to take advantage of this situation to unwind in a camping trip. She wasn't against it, but instead commented that it would be good for my dad since he was overworking himself and she wasn't able to take care of us due to her being away for a community service, which would be for about three months.
Dad put on country music on the radio, which wasn't really my liking, but I don't mind jamming into it once in a while. He was singing along sometimes, but in a really low voice, just enough for me to admire his baritone voice. I looked up at him. He was wearing a simple brown shirt and cargo shorts, showing his big biceps and trained legs. He also put on sunglasses, which somehow suck because that prevented me from seeing his beautiful eyes.
"Something wrong on my face?" he quietly said.
Heat rose on my cheeks after realizing that I had been staring at him for some time. "There's none. Sorry." I turned my head on the road and watched as the buildings became fewer and fewer. I still have no clue where dad would take me, but I trust him anyway. He began singing along again when a country ballad hit the radio, which made me sigh since he brushed off the fact that I was staring a him a while ago.
I rested my head onto the seat and crossed my legs to ease up the soreness. We have been on the road for about two hours now, and in an hour, the sun would probably start to set by then. I peered outside and searched for any signs of a camping site nearby.
"Don't worry son. We're near." My dad grinned. He must have notice a bit of my worry. I just nodded as a response.
A few minutes passed by, we were entering a forest. The road was not cemented, and I had to hold myself steady to avoid bumping myself. "Hold on, tight. This will be quick," dad warned. It went on for a couple more minutes until we finally hit the part of the road where it was smooth. The air became more moist as we neared the destination, which gave me hint of where we would camp.
Before I knew it, a lake came into view, the air brushing my hair as my dad glanced at me, smiling and feeling proud of himself for surprising me here. "Do you like it?" he asked.
I almost jumped with joy. "Dad, this is amazing!" I fist bumped his shoulder, which made him chuckle, but I soon returned my sight on the lake. It was blue and smelled refreshing. After dad parked in an area, I began to hear the chirping of the birds around us. Dad got off first, then I immediately hopped off too. I followed a path to the lake and admired the scenery, my heart beating with both excitement and happiness. We would definitely make most of our time here. To be honest, I wouldn't even mind living here for all my life.
The sound of the trunk of the car opening had me look back. Dad was already gathering our things, his muscles flexing as he carried the bags on his back. I walked toward him and offered my help, but he only instructed me to carry my things and leave the heavy lifting to him. After picking up my bag, I also picked up a popsicle in the portable fridge he installed to keep our food for the week. He waited for me as I closed the door of the car and proceeded to the lake.
"I'll set up our tent so you can just sit and relax," he said.
"Dad, how did you find this place?" I wandered my eyes around. "Everything about this is just great!"
He chuckled again, and when we finally reached the side of the lake where we would camp, he brought down the bags and began preparing the tent. "I was adventurous during my high school days. We just stumbled upon this place after an old lady showed us the way." He picked up the tent and pulled both of its side, pushing the metals into the ground. "I actually brought your mom here in our first date. I think you were two years old by then." He smirked at me for about a second before proceeding with the tent, a smirk that got my insides tingling.