Some Fresh Air

My name is Trent Bowen. A husband, father and avid outdoorsman. To be exact, I've been married for about 10 years and have had my beautiful daughter, Sophie for 19 years as of now.

I was from Virginia, grew up in a small community in the wilderness of the hinterlands. Lush forests and rocky plains were practically my childhood. It's been a while since I've seen it though. One day, one that I should consider a happy one, one gorgeous city girl stole my heart. Cheyenne, my young, and even now still beautiful wife.

We spent many, many happy years with each other. She showed me the big city, the suburbs and the metropolises of the state. Richmond was a personal favorite of hers, being the place she was born in, and we live there even today.

The city shaped her. She always stressed the importance of being studious, hard working and strict with yourself. I admired her for her dedication to her job and to her personal schedules, but it left little time for actually living. The few moments we had for each other were sweet and I'd never knock them, sparse as they may have been. In fact it was those moments that brought Sophie into our world.

We didn't get married immediately after finding out that Cheyenne was pregnant like most couples did, but rather we grew closer as we raised Sophie together and decided to tie the knot. Sophie was the light of my life and I spent every living moment since her birth marveling over how a backwater hick like myself could have put something this beautiful and cherished into this world.

Even as a child, she had those cute, dark red locks and a set of freckles underneath her hazel brown eyes. My heart melted every time I looked at her. Her smile was infectious.

She turned out to be a rambunctious little girl, climbing furniture, digging holes big enough for her to crawl through in the garden, trying to catch fish with her hands in the small, nearby river and nearly crying when one slipped through her fingers. Heh, I had to hug her several minutes before she recovered from me telling her that she can't have a baby bear as a pet.

Cheyenne never got her mindset or her fascination for nature. But I did. I encouraged her to explore, to experiment and to try and understand the things she discovered. While her mom was more disgusted and scared of the bugs she found in the grass, I went and helped her collect them.

It was crazy to think about it... but she was just like me when I was young. I saw so many parallels between us, that you could confuse her with someone who had grown up in the backwaters.

It only made me realize all the more how much I missed the wild. The fresh air, that visceral feeling of freedom. Something that you just can't find in a city.

"DAHAAAD! Stop daydreaming and help me unload! The fishing stuff won't carry itself!"

"Huh? Oh, right, sorry Pumpkin. Coming right up."

I climbed the ladder of our camper. Tents, fire starting equipment and sleeping bags were already taken down, all that was left was the fishing and foraging equipment.

With Sophie on one side and me on the other, we grabbed the edges of the large duffle bag and threw it down onto the rest of the pile.

Jumping down from the not all too high camper, me and Sophie wiped the sweat from our foreheads and let out a happy sigh of relief. "Heeehhh, seems like that's all. You really are working your old man too hard though. You're so impatient."

With a smug smirk, Sophie chuckled and nudged my side. "C'mon, 40 years ain't that old, dad. Besides, you were the one who came up with the camping trip, now bear it like a man. Or are you chickening out now?"

I jokingly crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow. "Well that sounds a whole lot like a challenge there, young lady. I got quite a lotta fight left in me and a simple weekend trip ain't gonna best me by a long shot."

"Then maybe you should stop whining about it."

"Oh please, I was just trying to make you feel better about yourself. Look at you, sweatin' that much already. So young and so out of shape."

"You're one to talk about out of shape." She said provocatively as she poked my chest.

My lip curled into a disbelieving smirk. "Well, I'll be, sassin your own father. Come here ya little..."

"AHHAHAHA STOP! DAD! HAHAHAA, S-STOHOP!" Sophie cried out laughing as I picked her up and tickled her sides.

I spun her around before I slowly set her down again. Her laughter slowly grew relaxed as I stopped poking her and it slowly died down, turning into just a simple hug. Sophie shortly nuzzled my chest as the last chuckle escaped her lips before she reluctantly parted from me. She stretched her slender, only slightly curvy body and took in as much air as her lungs could hold.

She never really dressed girlishly, even right now it was just a simple red, plain t-shirt with an emerald green, open vest, light blue, tight jeans and calve high, brown boots. Her dark red hair was just long enough to be tied up in a short ponytail and a few simple hair clips kept her bangs from falling over her freckled face. She's always been somewhat of a tomboy, her breasts and even her butt barely made themselves noticeable, especially in clothes that didn't draw attention to them. But to me, she was the most beautiful girl any guy could ever have the luck of dating.

"Aahhhh, gotta say though, ya sure know how to pick 'em. Man it's pretty here. Nice and shadowy, lots of room... why would mom ever wanna miss out on this?"

As I threw on a few of our bags, I reminded her. "Your mother just isn't much of an outdoors person. You know that already. You don't need to ride around on it."

She threw her head back in annoyance and sighed. "She never gets it! She always just wants to stay inside, check her E-mails and watch TV. She doesn't even go into our garden anymore because the Wifi won't reach there!"

I scowled, partly because I wanted to scold her for criticizing her mother... but also because I kind of got how she felt. "Listen, your mother... she's just very busy with her job. It requires a lot of her time and attention."

She put her hands into her pockets and rocked from side to side. "Heeeehhh... I know. But that's the only thing she pays attention to. I haven't seen you kiss her once lately. Do you two even still... hmm?" She shrieked up a little as I came closer to her and pulled her into a hug. I rubbed the back of her head and tussled her hair a little.

She slowly calmed down and wrapped her arms around my sides, just as she always used to do. "You don't need to worry about us. Your mom might be a little busy sometimes but I'm still happy with her. I love her, she loves me and we both love you, pumpkin."

A strong blush came across her face after I told her that and she only glanced at me from then on. "Maybe she does... but at least I KNOW that you do." She smiled and put her hand on top of mine as I held her cheek.

I smiled to myself. "I'm just lucky to have a daughter that takes so much after her stupid old man."

"You're not stupid, dad."

"Hehe, glad at least one of us thinks so. Now let's make the most of this weekend so we can get all powered out until we get home. Who knows, maybe you'll like relaxing inside a little more then."

She hissed in a suppressed laugh. "Tsss, good joke, dad. We both know that's not gonna happen. Just a one time thing is not gonna keep me from doing what I love doing."

In that moment, I felt a deep pride stir inside my heart. Yep, that was my girl alright. Proud and stubborn to the end. "Fine then, let's set up camp down by the river. You got this?" I asked as I handed her a couple of our bags.

She happily grabbed them and threw them over her shoulder. "Wouldn't be the full experience if I didn't work for it, would it?" We both chuckled a little as we equally tested each other. I buckled up and made sure we didn't leave anything behind.

And so, we trudged down a slope, away from the streets, away from the commotion and into the brush.

Some time later we were all ready to set up camp. At a spot close to a shallow, calm riverbed, I began plugging the edges of our 2 man tent into the ground and fastened it with some tent pegs. Sophie was in charge of storing our food and prepping the area for cooking. A small electric cooker for soups and porridge and a small campfire for grilling and roasting. With the pre chopped wood, it was quickly set up and after a couple of folded stools were set up, the camp was all ready.

The area we settled in immediately overwhelmed me with its peacefulness. No cars, no road work... nothing but the gentle rushing of the river and the sound of some woodland critters hiding in the deeper forest. Finally, after all this time, I could finally have some room to breathe. I inhaled deeply through my nose as I sat down on one of the stools and closed my eyes. It smelled of resin, grass and the remnants of the rain that must've fallen earlier.

I felt the weight of the world drop from my shoulders and leaned back. "HaaaaahhhhHHA!" At the end of an equally as long exhale, I gasped a little, with Sophie suddenly right up close to my face.

Even though the shock moment had already passed, she still felt the need to voice a little, joking. "Boo!"

I relaxed and laughed a little. "So that's why you wanted to go to the forest with me. Wanted to give me a heart attack and quietly get rid of me, huh?"

With surprising shock, she weakly punched my shoulder. "Don't say stuff like that! I would NEVER do that!"

"Eheh, I know, I was just joking, pumpkin. You can relax a little now if you want. Dinner's still a bit off so you can do what you wanna do until then."

She put a finger to her chin. "Huhh... What do YOU wanna do?"

"Well you were lucky enough to sleep the whole time during the ride here. If you don't mind, I'm gonna relax a little, but don't feel like you need to stay with me. I know you're as springy as a grasshopper so feel free to explore a bit. I just... yawn... need to shut my eyes a little."

"Aww, sorry dad, you know I could've driven some of the way if you were tired."

"You were so cute when you were sleeping. I couldn't just disturb that."

A rush of heat grew on her cheeks. "Sh...Shut up! I'm NOT cute!"

"Aww, own up to it, you were practically blowing snot bubbles and clinging to your seat belt as if it was a plushie. Of course you're cute."

With a playful smack to my head and a playfully pissed smirk, she got up and turned away from me. "Hehehe, go get some sleep, dad. You're getting delirious."

And with those parting words, she shot me a shy smile before headed for somewhere else. Slowly, my vision faded. My eyes grew heavy and my mind turned into a haze. My head slowly sunk to the fell to the side and I got in a few minutes of shut-eye.

When I opened my eyes in what felt like only a few moments later, I felt a few droplets of water on my cheek. I rubbed my face to get rid of the grogginess before I stretched my arms out. To my surprise, the sky was already starting to turn a slight orange, signaling the incoming dusk and on top of that, I was wrapped in a woolly blanket.

I smiled to myself because I knew who put it there and turned my head to see the source of the splashing water, because it certainly wasn't raining.

For a second I froze as I stared towards the flowing river. Clad in her underwear, a set of striped cream and orange panties and a similarly colored bra, Sophie walked through the shallow waters, carefully scanning it with her eyes. A serious expression on her face, she regularly knelt down into the cool water and dug through the riverbed.

I chuckled, getting her attention. "Heh, what the hell are you doing, pumpkin?"

After a short moment of surprise from the sudden noise, she smiled brightly in return, got back on her feet and rubbed the dirt off her hands. "Hey Dad, just checking if I can't find some gold around here. I heard before that a lot of people found some in the Shenandoah, maybe this place is so isolated that nobody's searched for it here yet."

"You know that's unlikely, right? The gold deposits are way further up north."

She pointed at me with determination. "Now those are the words of a quitter! Ehehehe, did you sleep well?" "Sure did, I assume I have to thank you for me not freezing then?"

She shrugged adorably and cocked her head. "Well, I didn't know how much longer you were gonna be out. Would suck if you got a cold and cut our trip off early. You said we want to make the most of it, so don't be so careless."

"Says the girl standing in cold spring water in her underwear, digging through dirt."

"Hey, you always have to take a little risk when you're searching for treasure. It's a sacrifice I am willing to give." She said with a swelled chest.

I rolled my eyes and laughed as I got up. "Fine, let's at least share in that sacrifice then. Not gonna let my daughter get rich on her own." Rolling up the legs of my pants I stepped into the old familiar waters.

As I moved next to her and began searching the ground, Sophie nudged my arm and sheepishly rubbed her own while only throwing glances at me. "C'mon, you know I'd share it with you, dad."

"And your mother."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, with mom too. Although she isn't a fellow treasure hunter." She grumbled under her breath.

I sternly looked at her for a second which she quickly brushed off.

As she leaned in closer to the water, I took a look at my daughter, noticing once again how she had grown. Although not the curviest girl, she still grew into a beautiful one. Her breast were only on the upper B-cup side and her butt wasn't all that big either. But in this position right now, with her leaning forward, both of those features now caught my eye in a new way. Her cleavage was in full view and her round, well shaped butt stretched outwards, making its curves even more noticeable.

My little girl... growing into a full blown woman. It was hard to even register for me.

One day, I would have to send her off with someone. I didn't want to think about it. I was going to treasure every moment I had with her.

"Dad? Why do you look so sad? It's not that bad if we don't find any gold."

I smiled through the slight pain in my chest. "Nothing, pumpkin. Nothing at all. Your old man is just getting a bit soft. I'm proud of you, Sophie, you know that, right?"

She perked up for a second before a red tinge formed on her cheeks. "W...why are you saying that now?"

I chuckled. "Just seeing you throughout the years, staying true to who you are, finding your own passions and paths and you want to head down. I don't know... makes a dad proud to see his daughter grow into such a wonderful, unique young lady."

I reached out to her and met her in a firm, loving hug. When I parted from her a little, I held her cheek and admired her. "One day, whenever that may be, there's going to be a man who's going to be the luckiest SOB the world's ever seen. And god have mercy if I catch him hurting you."

Her face took on a myriad of emotions. Mostly happiness but there was something that irked her behind that. Still, she warmly smiled up at me. "You should stop that already, I'm gonna get an ego if you start praising me that much. I'm not interested in any boys right now and I don't think I'll be anytime soon, so you can relax on that front." She laughed with a gorgeous, sheepish smile. Just as infectious as it always was.

The grip of her fingers tightened on my front. I could tell that there was something on her mind that she desperately wanted to let out but she held back.

"Sophie? What's wrong?"

She bit down on her lower lip and averted her eyes. After a short moment of gathering her resolve though, she looked back up at me with a determined look. "Dad, I need to say something that's been on my mind for a while. But I'm kind of scared."

"Scared? What would you be scared of, pumpkin?"

"That you might hate me."

I was taken aback a bit by her hesitation. Normally she had a hard time keeping quiet about the things that were on her mind, not the other way around. Why would she get shy about something like this now? "You know that I could never hate you for anything you say. Did you get in trouble with something?"

"No, nothing like that, dad. I... phew... I lo... AHHHH!" Suddenly, Sophie shrieked, followed by her stumbling towards me.

"SOPHIE!" I called out in a moment of shock as I caught her. The rocks she'd been standing on loosened and she slipped on them. Thankfully it was nothing serious, but her foot was obviously hurt from it. "Baby, are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, just... hssss... I think I cut myself on something." She lifted her foot a little, not daring to step on it.

"That's no good, we need to get you out of the water before it gets infected. Come here, pumpkin." I ordered her, putting on arm around her back and one around the back of her knees. I lifted her up carefully, holding her in a bridal style as I carried her to the shore. The whole time, she was embarrassed and didn't even look at me. But despite not saying anything, she at least showed me that she was alright by wrapping her arms around my neck and resting her head on my chest.

Arriving at our camp again, I had her sit down on one of the stools while pulling the other one up next to it. "Okay, pumpkin, nice and slow. Lift your leg up and put it on my lap so I can take a look at your foot."

With clenched teeth, she nodded and followed my directions. I took out the first aid kit and checked for wounds. Right in the middle of the bend of her sole there was a long, vertical cut. There must've been a shard of glass or something in the water, it got you good. Okay, hold still, I'll disinfect it a little and then we'll wrap it up. Just take a deep breath, okay. I'm here for you." I promised her. Sophie reached for my hand and held it tight as I padded her wound down with an alcohol-soaked handkerchief. She hissed every now and then, but she soon adapted to the slight sting.

As she slowly relaxed, I tried to talk to her again to distract her from her pain. "Are you feeling alright, pumpkin? Light headed or anything?"

She shook her head solemnly. "Yea... I mean... no it doesn't hurt that much anymore. Thanks, dad."

I smiled in relief. "Good... good..."

Sophie clenched my hand tighter and smiled back at me with a soft, reassuring smile of her own.

"So, you wanted to tell me something before?"

She looked away and sighed. "It wasn't anything important. Just forget that I said anything."

"Hey..." I gently put my finger under her chin and lifted it up. "...a sad face like that doesn't suit you. Look, I will always, always love you, no matter what. There is no way on this whole earth that that would ever change. I am and always will be your father, pumpkin."

With surprising force, Sophie wrapped her arms around my neck and buried her face in my shoulder. I hugged her, rubbed her back and ruffled her hair. "Okay, pumpkin. I'm sure you have your reasons, I won't bother you about it anymore. Just... if it really starts to be a problem, you can always count on me."

She chuckled to herself "Don't worry, I'm feeling much better already. And I promise I will tell you at some point."

"Not the best moment right now with a bleeding foot, huh?"

"Hehehe, yeah. Kinda ruins the atmosphere, doesn't it?"

With a somber, heartfelt moment, the first day of our trip, came to an end. The sun slowly set on the horizon and the skies got darker. The mood was a lot lighter afterwards. We had dinner, talked a lot more and watched as the stars subtly became visible.

Sadly though, we didn't get too much out of it. Clouds rolled in and a rush of rain rushed over the landscape.

With that, we were forced to go into the tent earlier than expected, but we didn't mind. We laid down on a soft, warm spread out blanket and settled down next to each other.