Chapter 64 Junie
Junie
After Georgia came home from Cece’s, she showered, and Junie sensed it was the start of things getting better. And to think,
of all the members of this crew, Cece was the one to soothe Georgia’s wounds.
A few days have passed since, and it’s Saturday morning with zero percent chance of rain in the forecast. A perfect day to
cover the high school practice fields in bouncy castles and bouncy slides and bouncy corrals.
Junie busted her behind to help the Silvers put together today’s Bounce Party, and despite persistent pain, she’s determined to enjoy the day.
She’ll manage with ibuprofen and Twizzlers.
Truly, it feels good to help, and she’s the leader of the Snack Squad, the volunteer team selling snacks from under the pop-up tent.
She always imagined that letting folks in to help would be like stepping back and putting her hands up, like showing them all of her failings, all of her shortcomings, so they could fix them.
But instead, it’s truly been a hand up. No one has let her off the hook, and no one is treating her with kid gloves because of her illness.
Sure, they ask what she’s physically and mentally up for doing, and they encourage her to rest as needed, but not one person involved thus far has made her feel inept.
Maybe it’s been her all along, the one making herself feel incapable.
Junie unloads the bags of chips into their respective bins while a few ladies from the church set up the candy rack. One of
the Silvers’ husbands is bringing a popcorn machine, due to arrive in the next ten minutes. The A/V guy has a family-friendly
mix playing at a reasonable level from a handful of speakers scattered on the outskirts, and the Silvers are decked out in
matching pink collared shirts and white tennis skirts. Junie might want to be a Silver when she grows up.
Georgia slides up in front of the makeshift booth. “Hey. I’ve got first shift counting heads on castle three, but I wanted
to check in on you. Snacks good?”
Junie nods and smiles. “Yup! Can I count on seeing you during the adult bounce?”
Georgia smiles. “Eh, against my better judgment, I’ll commit to ten minutes.” She turns and takes off toward her post, the
hint of a smile on her lips.
Junie and her snack staff stay busy for the next hour or so. Turns out, kids walking past a well-stocked snack bar are immediately
and insatiably hungry, their parents groaning about finishing breakfast less than thirty minutes earlier.
She watches Georgia in the pauses. She’s over on the other side of the field counting heads, calling out reminders for “shoes
off.” The seriousness with which she takes her role is palpable even at a distance, but her demeanor changes when Eddie Rigsby
walks up.