3. Jamie
three
Jamie
The scenery changed the farther from the city we drove.
I knew it would, but seeing everything turn from bulky gray concrete to untamed verdant green was more stunning than I’d imagined.
Newly orange and yellowing maples scattered throughout the city became interlocked evergreen trees that framed glimpses of Mount Hood as we drove farther into the wilderness.
Windows down and elbows out, we soaked in the mountainous fresh air and possibility.
Driving a world away from the heart of the city in one bold decision for more adventure.
Seattle was all I’d known since moving back home after college.
It wasn’t idealistic, but it was bursting with life, industrial buildings, art galleries, and some of the best food anywhere.
Downtown was a rich mix of tourists in a hurry or Washingtonians having a relaxing lunch in the grass of parks within view of the Space Needle.
City life also had its downsides—traffic, noise, and light pollution.
I was fond of Seattle, sure, but the thought of driving four and a half hours to set up in the wilderness was invigorating, especially since this time on a Friday I’d still be working.
I’d always thought about driving out past the city but never had much reason to.
Now the trees alone were worth the view as they grew larger and darker green.
Glimpses of the mountain beckoned us closer to our destination as we listened to the road trip mix Ren had curated for just this occasion.
Driving his car was a new experience. The clutch slipped a little in third gear, and there was a concerning noise I’d hear every now and again that Ren assured me was “just her purring.” Control balanced the car-sickness that overwhelmed me when I was in the passenger seat.
Being at the wheel helped my mind settle, and I realized I missed driving.
Having a destination in mind made me appreciate the journey.
Living close to the office had its benefits, so owning a car had never made practical sense.
Ren grabbed his backpack and unzipped it in his lap.
“What’s all this?” I glanced inside his bag. There must have been three different types of chips and several other baggies of food.
He opened one and began eating with an unholy amount of enthusiasm. “Road trip food,” he spouted around a mouthful of M&M’s.
Fine with me. It was his car. “And this?” I gestured to the only water bottle.
“Emergency water.”
“There’s one bottle.”
He shrugged. “In the event of an emergency, I guess we’d have to fight to the death.”
“Peachy.”
He stuffed the remaining bags into his backpack and dropped it between his feet.
“Tell me more about this summer camp for adults.” I flexed my fingers around the steering wheel. It was time for a little more information. We were already in the car. There was no turning back. “How did you find this?”
“Well, first, I was thinking of signing up for a singles safari, but I don’t think they’d let you drive the rover, and we both know that would be a problem.”
I nodded, before the explanation fully caught up to me. “Wait, what the hell is a singles safari?”
“I don’t actually know,” Ren admitted honestly. “This was my backup backup plan. Originally, I wanted us to go on The Amazing Race , but those producers wouldn’t know talent if it tap-danced right in front of them. Plus, this way, we get our own cabins.”
Something told me Ren had been rejected from the TV show, but I didn’t want to ask. “We don’t share a cabin?”
“Hell no.” He vehemently shook his bag of M&M’s at me. “I’m not hooking up in the same sleeping quarters as my boss.”
“Oh, so now I’m your boss?” The man was a world of contradictions.
“You are when you’re hearing me go balls-deep—”
“I get it.”
“ — into a buttered-down piece of man meat.”
Buttered down?
“I get it, Ren,” I cut him off. Oh, how I wished I’d cut him off sooner. “So what you’re saying is we’re going singles camping?”
“Not exactly. This isn’t just for singles, and there’s a lot more to it. Just you wait.” Ren pulled out the next surprise from his Mary Poppins bag of wonder, a colorful trifold travel brochure. “Apparently, the owners met at a summer camp when they were kids.”
“That’s cute.”
“Damn right it is. Now listen: located in the heart of the Oregon wilderness on scenic Mount Hood, Camp Starlight has been decades in the making.” He paused for dramatic effect. “But this was what sold me on it.” Ren got comfortable and began reading testimonials in different voices:
“‘I came to Starlight in desperate need of a break from my loudmouthed family.’” He mimicked a southern drawl.
“‘What I found was dozens of loudmouthed adults and a community I was welcomed into. Camp was the vacation I didn’t know I needed. I try to come back every year…’ Or listen to this one.
” Now he spoke in a Valley girl-like voice.
“‘I thought we were only going to tell ghost stories, little did I know I learned more ghost stories about exes…’” He burst out laughing, thankfully back to his regular voice. “Scary indeed, am I right?”
Ren’s excitement was palpable. He needed this trip, and as he’d made clear over a mojito-infused forty-five-minute video message last night, he needed something refreshing after his divorce.
I didn’t have much in the way of exes to speak of—like I told Marley last night, dating was Future Jamie’s problem—but I could see the allure of a fresh start.
“Oh, here’s a part I think you’ll love. The rules.”
He couldn’t see my eye roll, but it was there all the same. “Ha ha.”
“No, really, check it out. First off, ‘This is a vacation. You will not be splitting chores or cooking in the mess. Do this for you.’ ‘Safety is of the utmost importance.’ Blah blah blah. There’s an open bar, bonfire, crafts.
‘Enjoy time connecting with nature, new friends, and yourself here at Camp Starlight.’”
My lips had curled into a smile at Ren’s dramatized reading of the brochure. Now I knew a little more of what to expect. This was so far from my normal, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“Oh, they have sunrise yoga,” he continued. “You love being up before sunrise. So do I, if going to bed after midnight constitutes ‘before sunrise.’”
Marley’s words echoed through my chest, and I knew she was right. This was going to be good. A real vacation.
The highway opened up the farther we pulled away from the noise of the city and into the solace of Mount Hood.
A wave of peace settled over me. Hillsides that had playfully dipped soon became a dramatic cliffside.
The road weaved and curved, showing views of valleys below, dotted with clusters of wildflowers.
Lupines and trilliums I could pick out, but there were so many others I’d never seen before.
Ren put the brochure back into his backpack and turned up the music.
Together we belted out 2000s pop song after song with all the passion we had.
Time passed easily on the highway, and my dependence on the GPS allowed me time to converse and goof off.
It was only after we exited and drove down country roads that nerves crept back in. Soon, friendly signs guided us as well.
This way to Camp Starlight.
I had no idea what I was getting into.
The parking lot was a madhouse. When we finally found a spot, Ren directed me to go check us in, and he would grab the bags.
“Hi. You’re James, right?” A cheery-faced brunette in a blue jumpsuit approached me next to a welcome sign, where people were posing for photos.
Her hair was in a ponytail, and her mirrored aviator sunglasses were shiny enough to reflect me and everything around me in their glare.
She reminded me of a short pilot straight out of a fashionable flight school.
“If you’re wondering how I know that, I’m psychic.
” Her eyes were narrowed, and no trace of a smile could be detected.
“That’s… Great.” I tried to sound enthused.
“She knows you don’t mean that.” A tall man with square glasses and messy hair sticking up in every direction grinned over his contribution, which was said with false seriousness. Who were these people?
“Because she’s psychic?” I asked, omitting as much dryness from my tone as I could manage.
“You are? Since when?” He smiled at her with a slight twinkle in his eye.
“She just knows all. There’s a difference.
” He extended his hand, and we shook. “I’m Leo, this is Hazel, and you are…
James, right?” How did everyone know my damn name?
“We saw your profile packet,” he answered without my asking.
“You know, the questionnaire you answered to be here? Yours was pretty memorable. You gave us a photo of you mid-crescendo belting into a microphone, if I remember correctly.”
Now things were lining up.
Of course he’d picked that damn photo, the only embarrassing image of me that he could have given them. Was I ever going to live down last year’s holiday party?
“I didn’t actually submit anything. My friend Ren did. He’s here now if you want to rip into him about consent forms.” I looked for him behind me, but surprise, he was nowhere to be found.
“That’s why we have a lake. We’ll throw him in first chance we get,” Hazel deadpanned. “We should get you to sign your own forms before we take you to your cabin though. Then the lake.”
“Come with me.” Leo jubilantly offered his elbow. “We’ll take care of everything. NDA, DNA, DNR—”
“I swear, if Ren signed another do not resuscitate order for me,” I joked.
Leo smiled a mile wide. He gave off no signs of annoyance over this issue, though the pessimistic side of me wondered if this discrepancy could lead to me getting kicked out of the camp at the start.
Maybe Ren was right if this was where my mind went to at the first sign of trouble. I really did need a vacation.