Christy slipped out without her girls noticing and followed Jaeson. As soon as the door to the meeting hall closed behind them, he took Christy's hand and said, “Time for your canoe lesson.”
“Now?”
Jaeson, still holding her hand, pulled her along with him as he jogged toward the lake. “Now's the best time. Right after sunset. The water is smooth, and its nice and quiet.”
“But are you sure this is okay?” Christy puffed. She couldn't help but feel they were sneaking off, leaving their campers behind. They would get in trouble for this, she just knew it.
“We'll be back before the movie is over. It won't be a problem. Trust me.”
Jaeson kept a firm hold on her hand as they wound through the woods. They arrived at the boat shack winded. He had the wild look of an adventurer in his eyes when he handed Christy her life jacket and paddle. She still felt they were doing something wrong and would get caught.
“Are you sure this is okay, Jaeson?”
“You want to learn to canoe, don't you? Now's your golden opportunity. Just look at the lake. Isn't it beautiful?”
She had to admit that Jaeson was right. The lake looked like the polished floor of a ballet studio, with the fading golden lights of the summer evening dancing across it.
“Get in,” Jaeson ordered when he had positioned the canoe halfway into the water.
Christy carefully balanced her way to the front bench and held on, trying to keep the canoe steady. Jaeson dropped his full weight on the back bench and used his paddle to push off from shore.
Suddenly it was quiet. The only sounds were the calm water rippling up against the canoe's side and the evening chorus of bullfrogs and crickets along the shore.
“Jaeson,” Christy whispered, “are you sure we should be out here?”
“Relax, will you? I've done this a bunch of times.” Then Jaeson's voice became softer, “Isn't it beautiful out here? I love this. Come on. Relax, Christy. I promise tonight will be the highlight of your whole week.”
Christy's fingers clutched the paddle in her lap. Her eyes darted back and forth across the darkening waters as they headed for the middle of the lake.
Relax, huh?
of the lake, Jaeson said, “Now, the first thing you need to know is how to hold the paddle. I noticed you were holding it like this today.”
He showed Christy in the dim light that he had both hands on the neck of the paddle. “You need to put one hand on the top like this and the other right about here.”
Christy held up her paddle and followed his instructions.
“Good. I knew you would be a fast learner. When you're in the canoe alone, you have to paddle from the back if you want to control which way it goes. You were trying to steer it from the front this afternoon. Watch.”
Jaeson dipped his paddle in the water on the right side, and as he gave a mighty stroke, the canoe lunged forward. Another stroke on the left side, and the canoe charged again. Jaeson kept the canoe going straight from his control point at the back.
“You try it,” Jaeson said. “Turn around and face me, and your end will become the back of the canoe.”
Christy lifted one long leg and tried to swing it over to the other side without tipping the canoe. It felt terribly awkward. She managed to get both legs over and sat facing Jaeson. It was too dark to see his expression clearly, but she thought he was smiling at her.
Does he think I'm a klutz or what? I can't tell if he's smiling at me or laughing at me.
“Are you right-handed?” Jaeson asked.
“Yes, why?”
“I have a theory that you'll have more strength paddling on your left side, because your right hand will be on top of the paddle, and that's your strongest. So start your paddle on the left side. Remember to put your hand on top.”
Christy followed his instructions.
“Good. Always start with a strong stroke, and then switch to the other side and give it another strong stroke.”
Christy did, and Jaeson praised her. “See how different it feels when you're at the back of the canoe? You have much more control.”
'You're right,” Christy said. “Thanks for the lesson.”
Jaeson started to scan the treetops on the other side of the lake. “It won't be here for another ten minutes,” he said. “Good thing I brought provisions for us.”
“What won't be here?”
“You'll see. Thirsty?” Jaeson reached for a bundle on the floor in the center of the canoe.
Christy had noticed it when she had climbed in but thought it was just a blanket. He undid the bundle and revealed a variety of “provisions.”
“What's that?” Christy asked.
“Our moonlight picnic,” he said, placing a lantern onto the center seat. He lit the wick inside. Jaeson pulled out a glass and scooped up some lake water and placed it next to the lantern. He picked up a dozen squashed wild-flowers from the bundle and dunked them in the vase.
Christy laughed at his creativity. “This is charming, aeson.
“Charming?” he repeated. “It's been called many things, but I think I like charming the best so far.”
Christy took it from his comment that during his years as a camp counselor, he had taken more than one girl out for a moonlight picnic. She wondered if tonight was any different for him. Was she special to him? Or was she just another girl counselor he could flirt with for the week? She wanted to be his favorite, the only girl he had ever done this with. She wanted it to be romantic and as wonderful for him as it was for her.
Jaeson handed Christy an opened bottle of mineral water and a napkin.
“Thank you, kind sir,” she said, playing along with the fun.
“And now for the best part,” Jaeson announced. “Peanut butter cookies saved from Sunday night!”
He handed Christy a cookie that was about seventy-five percent there.
“That's the biggest one,” he said. “They get a little crumbly after the second day.”
Christy laughed. “This is great, Jaeson! How fun. Thanks for bringing me out here.”
She bit into the cookie and listened to the sound of the lake gently lapping at the side of the canoe.
“Oh, I almost forgot.” Jaeson rummaged through the bundle and came up with a portable CD player. He popped in a CD, cranked the volume all the way up, and balanced it on the middle seat with the earphones pointed in Christy's direction. The music came out soft, just loud enough.
“Alittle music,” he said.
Christy felt like giggling; this was all so fun. A breeze blew over them, bringing with it the cool, pungent smell of moss, with just a hint of coconut tanning lotion.
“So,” Jaeson leaned back slightly and took a bite out of his cookie, “tell me your dreams.”
“What?”
“What do you wish? What are your dreams for the future?”
Christy was caught off guard. Whenever she dreamed of the future, the dreams included Todd. She couldn't tell that to Jaeson. Not here with the music and lantern light and everything.
“I don't know if I really have any dreams or wishes for the future,” she answered.
“Sure you do. You have to. Everyone has to have a dream. Do you Want to hear mine?”
“Sure,” Christy said.
“I want to be a pilot. I want to fly my own plane. Not those big commercial airplanes or military jets. I want a little plane. I'd even be happy as a crop duster. That's my wish.”
“Have you taken any flying lessons?” Christy asked.
“No, but I have some information on them. I'm saving up my money because they're not cheap. Maybe by this fall I'll start lessons.”
“That's a good dream.” Christy took a sip from her bottle. “I bet you'll make a great pilot.”
“Your turn,” Jaeson said. “What's your dream?”
“Well, I only thought of one thing. I've never told anyone this before, I don't think.”
“You can tell me. All secrets shared on moonlight
picnics are safe with me.” Jaeson reached for another cookie and listened intently, waiting for her answer.
“I'd like to go to England. To Europe, actually. I've always wanted to visit a real castle and go for a ride in a gondola in Venice. That's my dream,” Christy said, feeling brave.
“That's a jolly good dream,” Jaeson said with a British accent. “You do have a bit of a Mary Poppins look about you. I'm sure your wish will come true.”
Just then he spotted something over the top of Christy's head. It was easier to see his expression now, and Christy noticed his face lighting up with delight.
“Here he comes,” Jaeson said. “Look!”
Christy turned around and saw what Jaeson was so excited about. The moon, a big, fat, buttery ball, had just popped over the treetops and was dripping its golden light onto the lake.
“Right on time.” Jaeson gently paddled the canoe around so Christy wouldn't have to look over her shoulder.
“It's so beautiful!” Christy whispered as they watched the moon rise over the lake and shine on them like a searchlight. Everything around them took on a hazy, amber glow, and for some reason it felt warmer.
They sat in silence, enjoying the night show and listening to the muted melodies floating from the CD player. Christy knew Jaeson had been right when he said this would be the highlight of her week. Still, as wonderful and romantic and peaceful as everything was, thoughts of Todd crept into the fantasy evening.
There's nothing wrong with me being here with Jaeson and enjoying this, romantic moment with him. It doesn't change anything between Todd and me.
Just then Jaeson leaned toward Christy, his hand reaching for her face.
Is he going to kiss me? What should I do?
Jaeson's hand brushed against her cheek. “There. You had some cookie crumbs on your cheek.”
“Oh,” Christy's hand flew to her cheek and brushed away a few tiny crumbs Jaeson's hand had missed. Her skin felt hot to her touch, and she hoped Jaeson couldn't see her blushing in the moonlight.
“When do we need to leave to get back before we're missed?” She tried not to sound as nervous as she felt.
“Oh, about now. Are you sure you want to go? This is the most peace and quiet you'll have for the rest of the week.”
Christy wanted to stay. She wanted to float on the quiet lake for hours and stare at the moon and share her secret dreams with Jaeson. She wanted the fantasy to go on and on. But inwardly the struggle was growing. Should she be here, alone withjaeson? Would they get in trouble for leaving the meeting? Would she do or say anything with Jaeson that she would later regret?
“I guess we should go back,” Christy said with a sigh. “This has been wonderful, Jaeson. The music, the flowers, the moonlight. I love it. I loved being here with you.”
“Thanks. I'm glad you liked it.” He extinguished the lantern light. “I'll take you back. Remember, though, it was your choice, not mine.”
He lifted the bunch of flowers from the vase and handed them to Christy. “To remember me by.”
She took them and said, “I'll keep them, Jaeson, and I know I'll never forget you or tonight.”
She could see his smile in the moonlight and felt content and a little relieved that things had gone just as far as they had and no farther.
Dipping her paddle into the water, she asked, “You want me to practice paddling us back to shore?”
“Good idea. Remember to start on your left side.”
Christy tried to remember all of Jaeson's pointers as she plunged the paddle deep into the water and headed them for shore. It was a lot easier than her afternoon experience had been, and in no time, Jaeson's end of the canoe scraped up onto the gravel.
“Excellent.” Jaeson hoped out and pulled them up on shore. “I'll put the gear away if you want to head on back. Or you can wait for me if you want.”
The thought of wandering through the dark woods by herself didn't thrill Christy, so she helped Jaeson put the stuff back where it belonged. He stuffed the picnic bundle into a corner in the boat shack. Christy couldn't help but wonder if it would sit there until next week, when Jaeson would take another girl counselor out on the lake.
He took her by the hand again, and they hurried back to the meeting hall where the campers were just beginning to stream out the open doors and run for their snacks.
“See?” Jaeson let go of her hand and joined the throng headed for the mess hall. “No problem.”
Christy almost believed everything was okay until devotions in her cabin that night when she was supposed to discuss the movie with her girls. As they all started to jabber about it, Christy had no idea what they were talking about. Quickly taking another direction, she asked the girls to be quiet and listen so she could tell them her testimony.
“Why do they call it a testimony, Teach?” Amy asked.
“Well, I guess because you're telling something that happened to you and you're letting people know that what you're saying is true,” Christy explained. Then she went on to tell the girls how she had grown up in a Christian home.
“How can a house be a Christian?” Sara popped off.
The other girls laughed, and Christy calmed them down, saying, “Of course a house can't be a Christian. What I meant is both of my parents are Christians, so I grew up going to church.”
“Me too,” Ruthie said, and several other girls chimed in that their parents were Christians too.
“It wasn't enough for me to just know about God,” Christy said. “I had to invite Him into my life. I did that when I was fifteen. I prayed and asked God to forgive all my sins and to come into my life. He did, and since that time I've slowly been changing and becoming more the person God wants me to be.”
“How can there be a Christian school?” Sara asked. “The people who go there could be Christians, but the school can't become a Christian.”
The other girls joined in with their opinions on the difference between a school of Christians and a Christian school. Christy felt certain none of them had heard her testimony, and even if some of them had, it didn't seem to matter much to them.
“Okay, girls. That's enough. I'm going to turn out the lights, and everyone needs to be in her sleeping bag.” She snapped off the light and climbed into bed.
“Now I'm going to pray, and if any of you wants to pray, you can. We'll all be silent for a little bit so anyone who wants to can pray, and then after a while I'll close, okay? Let's pray.”
It was silent for about two seconds, and then one of the girls gave a loud snort, which prompted lots of muffled giggles. Then someone else did her best to manufacture a belch. Jocelyn whispered, “Stop kicking my bed, Sara.”
“Girls,” Christy said firmly, “we are praying.”
It became silent. Completely silent. None of the girls prayed, so Christy jumped in after two minutes of silence. She prayed specifically for each of the girls, the way they did in the counselors meetings. Then she prayed for the other campers, the counselors, the camp staff, and the campers - who would be coming next week. Her prayer lasted more than five minutes, and when she finished, not one girl was still awake.
Well, she thought, that's one way to get them to sleep at night!
Christy fell asleep immediately and had wonderful dreams about being in a rowboat on a placid lake with swans swimming around her. Behind her was a huge storybook castle. She held a lacy parasol and twirled it with her white -gloved fingers. Across from her sat a man dressed in a tuxedo who was pouring tea into a china cup. When he asked if she would like one lump of sugar or two, he looked up, and she saw that it was Todd.
When she woke up with the alarm at six the next morning, she felt rested. Bouncing out of bed, she headed to the restroom for a brisk morning shower. Jessica was already there, and Christy told her about her new devotional tactic for praying the girls to sleep.
“The only bad part was they didn't pay attention when I gave my testimony, and none of them prayed. I don't think any of my girls are in
terested in spiritual things.”
Jessica wrapped a towel around her wet hair, and pouring some astringent on a cotton ball, she began her facial-cleansing routine. “I think the next step is for you to spend time with each of them one-on-one and find out where they are.”
“How can I do that? It's Thursday already. That's not much time. Besides, what do I say? 'Let's have some quality time. We've got three minutes. So tell me if you're saved or not, and if you want to be or not.'”
Jessica laughed. “Not like that, Christy. Just sit down with each of them individually, tell them you care about them, and ask if there's anything they want to talk about. We don't know which ones are ready to give their hearts to the Lord and which ones aren't. God knows. All we need to do is give them an opportunity to talk about it and offer to answer their questions.”
Christy combed through her wet hair. “You're right. I'll figure out a way to get together with each of them. I hope you know that if you weren't here giving me all this good advice, I'd be completely lost.”
“I'm sure you would do fine,” Jessica said. “I'm glad we're here together though. I want to be sure to get your address so we can stay in contact after camp.”
“Me too. My friend Katie is never going to believe I said this, but I'm glad I came. It's been a great week.”
“It's not over yet! We still have to live through the counselor hunt tomorrow.”
The hunt was the first thing they discussed at the meeting that morning.
“I suggest,” Dean Ferrill said, “that you each take a hike over to the other side of the lake sometime today and scope out a hiding place. This will help save a lot of time tomorrow when you get over there.”
Since Christy had promised the girls she would pitch at their softball game after lunch, she wasn't sure when she would have a chance to hunt for a spot. Fortunately it was hotter than usual that afternoon, and after three innings, both teams were ready to quit and find a cooler sport. The minute one of them suggested volleyball in the pool, they all disappeared, leaving Jaeson and Christy alone to put away the equipment.
“You coming over to the pool?” Jaeson asked.