Camp Life

  Stacy brought the van to a halt beside a plain-looking log building. Drew saw a number of small cabins scattered on the grassy slope running down from the hard-packed dirt parking area. He slowly stepped out of the van, stretching his cramped legs, and walked around back to help with the bags. The chatter from Caroline and Dara had wound down during the last half hour, and they were both looking a little uncertain as they surveyed the camp.

  “You can leave your luggage on the front porch here,” Stacy said. “I’ll take you inside first and show you around, and we’ll find out which cabins are yours.”

  They stepped onto a short boardwalk that ran beneath a wisteria-covered arbor to the front door. As soon as they were through the door, they were greeted by a tall redhead, model-thin and with the bluest eyes Dara had ever seen.

  She smiled, encompassing all of them. “Welcome! I’m Noreen. You’ve come at the perfect time. The weather has been great and we are lucky to have Ron back with us this month; you don’t know him yet, but he’s another of the counselors, and a terrific person.”

  Stacy added that Noreen was also one of the counselors and an excellent person to go to with any questions or problems. She introduced Dara, Caroline, and Drew, and led them off to take a tour of the lodge.

  The first room they came to looked like an old hunting lodge, with peeling log walls and a humongous open fireplace. The grate was empty, which made sense since it was about 85 degrees outside, Caroline thought. There were stuffed animals on the walls, and Caroline did a double take, noticing that they really were stuffed animals, toys, not actual animals that someone had shot and stuck parts on the wall. There was a trout made of some shiny rainbow material with sequins for scales, a large moose head with calico antlers, and a fleecy bear that appeared to be smiling.

  No one else was in the room, and Dara wondered where all the other kids were. As soon as she had that thought, she heard a burst of laughter from another room. Stacy walked through an archway into the room beyond, which was about three times the size of the previous room and had a couple rows of long plank tables and benches, and at the far end, some cushy chairs and two old-fashioned sofas arranged around a big screen television set.

  There were kids on one of the sofas and more in the chairs. They looked up appraisingly as Stacy, Drew, Caroline, and Dara entered.

  Stacy strode up to them and nodded at everyone. “Hi, I’m Stacy. I take care of the cabins here, play chauffeur, sometimes cook, and various other things. This is Drew and Caroline, from Idaho, and this is Dara, from California.”

  A girl with long, ruler straight black hair and dark eyes stood up and said her name was KiKi. In response to Stacy’s question, she said she lived in New York.

  Stacy turned to the other three and just looked at them; after a pause, they each introduced themselves. There were twin brothers from Utah, Sean and Patrick, whose faces looked identical, although one had short brown hair and the other wore his in a scruffy shag that hung over his collar and into his eyes. They eyed the newcomers with friendly curiosity, slight smiles drawing up the corners of their mouths.

  “Hi, I’m Corinne!” the second girl practically shouted. She looked a year or two older than Caroline, maybe close to Dara’s age, with frizzy blonde hair that stood out in a halo around her head and purple-framed cat-eye glasses. A black net bolero jacket over a t-shirt of eye-popping hot pink and orange topped a pair of plaid pajama bottoms and zebra striped fuzzy slippers. Bouncing off the couch and rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, Corinne spoke in a loud, rapid-fire voice. Words running together, she told them that she was from a nearby town in Texas, then shot question after question at them, seldom waiting for answers.

  Dara had never met anyone like her and listened in a kind of fascinated trance.

  Caroline was staring at her, head cocked to one side, as if Corinne was a particularly interesting specimen in her science lab.

  It was left to Drew to try to answer her questions, which ranged from “What’s it like in Idaho/California?” to “Have you ever been to a camp before?” right on through to “How many people are in your families, what are their names, and do you have any dogs?” Drew did his best to be polite, but privately wondered if she was on drugs. It was exhausting just listening to her.

  Stacy told them all they would be sitting down to dinner in another hour. She asked if the others had already been given a tour, and when Corinne answered that they had, Stacy led the newcomers over to the far wall, where a tall bookcase held row upon row of DVDs. She said they were free to watch anytime except during meals or if the room was being used for some other activity.

  Drew glimpsed a boxed set of all six Star Wars movies, and was cheered.

  Caroline saw Freaky Friday, the Lindsey Lohan version, Flubber with Robin Williams, one of her all-time favorites, and The Shaggy Dog, and she was happy.

  Dara looked in vain for Lord of the Rings, but didn’t see it anywhere and was disappointed. Oh well, she thought, I can always watch that Napoleon Dynamite they were talking about.

  They trooped out through a side door, past a cement patio with a big barbecue grill, and down the hill. About halfway down, there were more kids playing volleyball on a sand court. Stacy didn’t stop, just waved and kept walking. Dara caught the sparkle of sun on water up ahead, and her interest picked up. A little further on, and she could see more of the pool through an open gate. As they walked through the gate, all three of them made sounds of pleasure as they took in the size (nearly Olympic), diving boards (one low spring board, one 10 meter board), and slide (double-spiral). Caroline stooped to test the temperature and smiled when she felt the warm water. Dara thought it was beautiful and especially liked the slide. She was surprised to notice another feeling, almost like she wished the pool had been just a tiny thing so she couldn’t really do laps in it, but she quickly shoved the thought away. It didn’t make sense anyway; she was lucky to have a pool like this to practice in, and she had to keep practicing if she wanted to get to the Olympics, she reminded herself.

  Jake and Ron rattled to a stop by the lodge. Jake took out his earbuds and stuffed his IPod in his pocket. They got out of the truck, and Ron lifted the bag from the truck bed and handed it to Jake, who took it with a mumbled thanks. Ron squeezed his shoulder briefly, and motioned him to follow.

  As they headed toward the front of the building, a black Lexus with Oklahoma plates swung in next to the old beater Ford. Ron turned back and walked to the Lexus, saying to Jake as he did so, “Looks like some more newcomers. Let’s go see.”

  Jake didn’t want to go see and he didn’t care about any other kids showing up, but he followed Ron, stopping 10 feet away from the car.

  Three doors opened simultaneously. A wiry, genial-looking man of about 40 stepped from the driver’s seat, stretching his arms above his head and looking around curiously. A small woman with black hair and smiling eyes got out, and from the back door came a boy clutching a Game Boy Advance. Dark hair framed his narrow face and blue eyes looked at Jake keenly.

  Toby smiled tentatively, and Jake stared stonily back, arms folded. The boy’s smile disappeared and he quickly turned to Ron, who held out his hand.

  Toby looked down at the hand, then stuck out his own, and they shook.

  “Welcome!” Ron said, a wide grin on his face. He turned to shake hands with Mrs. Parker, and then Mr. Parker, who had come around the front of the car to stand next to his wife and son. Ron glanced at Jake and introduced him, as well.

  Jake moved a couple of feet closer and nodded his head. It was so boring and phony, he thought, Ron and these people making nice to each other, talking about the drive here... like anybody cared! So the kid was some Okie with an expensive car, big deal. He waited impatiently for the chitchat to end, and then trailed along after them as they entered the lodge.

  When they came through the doorway, a red-haired lady greeted them and everything started all over again. Jake sighed audibly. This caused
the redhead, Noreen was her name, to turn his way.

  She looked into Jake’s eyes and told him she was glad he was there. Jake’s gaze shifted away and he shrugged a shoulder. She continued to watch him calmly, and when he looked back at her, she looked around the lodge entry and smiled, asking him if the place reminded him of anything.

  Jake didn’t intend to answer, but suddenly, a picture came to his mind; his eyes strayed to the side as he thought about a place he hadn’t remembered in years, somewhere his mother and father had taken him in the mountains of New Mexico. It was one of the few times they ever went on a family vacation, and they stayed at this place that was a ski lodge in winter, only it was summer when they were there. Jake remembered the smell of the tall pines and the crispness of the air, and going fishing with his dad. His dad had beer with lunch and drinks with dinner, but he didn’t ever get drunk on that trip. Jake was horrified to find his eyes tearing up, in front of all these strangers! What was wrong with him? He felt like running out the door.

  “Did you just think of something, Jake?” Noreen asked gently.

  Jake intended to deny that anything had come to mind, but was surprised to find himself telling Noreen about the time in the mountains. He fought hard to swallow the lump in his throat, and described the ski lodge where they had stayed and that he’d caught a 14" cutthroat trout and his dad got so excited he grabbed Jake and lifted him off his feet and they both fell on the grassy bank, laughing.

  Jake smiled at the memory, his face losing its sullenness and becoming more animated as he spoke.

  Mrs. Parker was privately shocked to witness the sudden transformation from scowling teen to handsome boy.

  Noreen laughed at the story, and told Jake that if he was lucky, he might catch a polywog in the nearby pond, but that was about it.

  “What’s a polywog?” asked Toby, his intense gaze focused on Noreen.

  “Well, it’s what I called tadpoles when I was growing up,” she explained. As she said this, she began to lead them through the next doorway. “If you’ll come with me, I’ll show you around.”

  Mr. and Mrs. Parker, Toby, and Ron walked after her. Jake waited a few moments before following. He was still puzzling over what had caused him to run off at the mouth like that. His memories weren’t any of their business. All he wanted to do was get something to eat, then get away from all these losers and sack out in his cabin.

  Chapter 8

  Dinner

  Jake eventually found himself assigned to Cabin 4, with 3 other guys. One of them was that geeky Okie, Toby, and the other two were twins from Utah. Utah was worse than New Mexico, he thought, with no particular idea why.

  When Jake arrived at the cabin, the other three were already there, talking about some lame movie they all liked. Jake had seen it, but that was only because there hadn’t been anything else to watch on TV. He threw his stuff on one of the bunks. They said hello to him and he nodded back. When it was apparent he wasn’t going to say anything else, one of the twins, the one with short hair, asked him what it was like in New Mexico.

  Jake straightened up. “Look,” he said with exaggerated patience, “I’m here because my mom made me come. I’m not here to make friends, be one with nature, or learn some love your neighbor crap or whatever else they have planned for me. So do yourselves a favor and just leave me alone, OK?” He turned his back on them when he finished speaking and busied himself emptying his bag.

  Sean looked at the other two and shrugged. “OK, man, have it your way,” he said.

  “Let’s go eat!” Patrick said. Toby jumped up eagerly, and the three of them left Jake standing beside his bunk.

  Dara and Caroline were thrilled to find themselves in the same cabin. They were not so happy to be placed with the exhausting Corinne. There were only the three of them, so far.

  Corinne bounced out of the bathroom, talking rapidly as she went to her suitcase and started pulling clothes out and tossing them on her bunk. “What are you wearing to dinner?” she asked. Without waiting for an answer, she hurried on. “I’m thinking wild, I’m thinking bright...How ‘bout this?” She twirled around, holding up a blouse with large geometric shapes in shades of lime green and fuchsia.

  Dara blinked and opened her mouth, but before she could respond, Corinne threw the blouse back on the bed and grabbed a spandex bustier in chemical-spill orange. “A-hah! What d’ye think?”

  Caroline swallowed and said carefully, “I don’t think orange is the best color for you.”

  Corinne wrinkled her nose and stared at the bustier. “Hmmm, maybe not. But it’s really hot on...you think maybe it’s too much for the first real meal at camp? I mean, you know, meeting everyone, first impressions, all that...”

  Dara nodded emphatically. She walked over to Corinne’s bunk, selected a periwinkle blue tank with a row of black satin bows down the side. She held it up to Corinne’s face. “Caroline,” she demanded, “doesn’t this color look great against Corinne’s blonde hair?”

  Thus prompted, Caroline said “Corinne, that color is perfect for you. It...it makes your eyes look almost purple instead of blue. You know, like they say Elizabeth Taylor’s were. Or maybe that’s violet...”

  “Who’s Elizabeth Taylor?” Corinne and Dara echoed.

  Caroline looked shocked. “Elizabeth Taylor? She’s an actress. You know, National Velvet, Cleopatra. She looked from Corinne’s uncomprehending face to Dara’s puzzled one. “Well, I like old movies a lot,” she explained. “Singing In The Rain, Philadelphia Story, Some Like It Hot...?” she trailed off.

  Corinne and Dara stared at each other and shrugged. “What’s your all-time favorite movie then, Caroline?” Dara asked.

  Caroline hesitated, finally saying softly “It’s not a real old one, but I still love it. It’s a kid’s movie, Flubber. I really like science and there’s something about that movie that makes me feel good. Even though it’s not real science,” she added quickly.

  “I liked Flubber,” Corinne said, surprising both of the other girls. “But my favorite is Legally Blonde.” Dara and Caroline nodded their approval.

  Caroline and Corinne turned to Dara. “What about you?” asked Caroline.

  “Lord Of The Rings,” she blurted.

  Caroline and Corinne both wrinkled their noses at that. “What, all those gooey dripping monsters and stuff?” demanded Caroline.

  “Swordfights and everybody getting holes poked in them?” added Corinne.

  Dara drew herself up, her willowy form taking a rigid stance. “I didn’t make fun of your favorites,” she spoke with exaggerated dignity. “Everyone’s entitled to make their own choices.” Something tickled her mind as she said this, but she couldn’t think exactly what it was.

  Dara and Corinne both jumped in, stumbling over their apologies. “Besides,” Corinne said with an impish smirk, “I do agree that Aragorn guy is hot!”

  “Aragorn!” exclaimed Caroline. “What about Legolas? Now, he is”...she was staring at Dara and stopped speaking for a moment. “You know,” she continued, “you kind of look like him. I don’t mean Orlando Bloom, but like an elf, a lady elf.”

  “Yeah,” agreed Corinne, staring at her, too. “If we put some Spock ears on you, you could pass for an elf.”

  Dara smiled at this, a great, big, beautiful smile that shone from the inside out, and momentarily silenced even Corinne.

  Caroline and Corinne found themselves smiling in return, before Corinne said, “Hey, let’s quit standing around, get our party clothes on, and get some food.”

  There was a sudden flurry of activity, and in a remarkably short space of time for three tween/teen girls, they marched out of their cabin and up to the lodge.

  The dining room was noisy with kids and adults milling around, circling the tables like sharks, but no food had appeared yet. Toby and the twins walked in and were immediately swallowed by a group of boys gathered around a radio-controlled dune buggy that was going nowhere fast. Suggestio
ns for repair were being shouted out, a screwdriver produced, attention fixed on the boy holding the remote.

  Dara, Caroline, and Corinne entered on their heels, but Corinne led them over to the kitchen passthrough window, where KiKi and another girl were waiting for platters and bowls to be pushed through from the kitchen side.

  “What is this?” challenged Corinne. “The womenfolk do kitchen duty?”

  One corner of Kiki’s mouth quirked up. She flipped a strand of glossy black hair off her shoulder. “We got a hot tip from one of the counselors. If you take the food to the table, you get to sit down and serve yourself some before the male population has a chance to devour everything. Do you guys have brothers?”

  She answered her own question, looking at Caroline. “Well, you’re here with your brother, aren’t you? My brother’s a couple of years older than me and I watched him eat an entire large pizza by himself once, AND a quart of milk.”

  The other girl nodded knowingly. “Yup, mine’s the same way. My mom tells him he’s got a hollow leg. All I know is that if I don’t sit down right when the food gets put on the table, it’s just gone!”

  Steaming platters and bowls appeared in the passthrough and conversation stopped. Each girl picked up what she could, and they made their way to the tables, trailed by several boys.

  A cowbell sounded and Dara spotted Noreen standing in front of the tables. She smiled at everyone and in a clear voice called out “Welcome, everyone!”

  The chatter died down quickly. “You’re probably all pretty hungry by this time, so we’ll wait until after dinner to make announcements. When you’ve finished eating, bring your plates and utensils to the passthrough here, then have a seat again. Y’all can just dig in and enjoy the food!”

  No one needed urging. Forks clattered on plates, bowls were passed up and down tables, gallons of water and lemonade disappeared down thirsty throats. Dara looked over at Caroline’s plate and laughed. It was heaped with barbecued chicken, beans, salad, and cornbread, and Caroline was making short work of a drumstick, obviously very intent on picking it clean.