Chapter 27
The days melted into each other. If it weren’t for the calendar tacked to the wall in my room, I’d have no idea what day it was. As long as I got the campers to where they were supposed to be on time, I was golden.
I highlighted my days off. I certainly didn’t want to miss those.
Sunday rolled around once again, and the temperature promised to hover in the nineties. Since the specialists were off, there would be no waterfront activities.
The daily sheet listed the one morning activity as prepping for that afternoon’s carnival. The sun was relentless, and shade was at a premium. The cabins felt like saunas, so all the girls were outside trying to stay cool. It was going to be a long day.
Gilda handed me a bag of white T-shirts and one set of colored Sharpies.
“What are these for?” I asked.
“The campers are supposed to decorate the T-shirts and wear them at the carnival. This year’s theme is superheroes.”
“This is supposed to keep them busy all morning?”
“That’s what the bosses say.”
“Can you explain to me how one case of twenty-four markers is supposed to keep forty-eight campers entertained? And let’s be real, no one uses gray or brown.”
“I wish I had more.”
“You’d think for the price of enrollment they could afford to buy three more packs,” I said.
I headed to the Cub cabins with my meager supplies. Fortunately, most Cubs had brought their own art materials with them: gel pens, crayons, and, of course, Sharpies. After I explained the project, the girls went about getting ready for the carnival and were finished in less than an hour.
Tetherball was popular, and there was a lineup for the swings. Some girls drew, read, or polished their nails in clusters, either on the porches or under the few trees dotting the hill.
I parked myself outside in the middle of the bunks so I could easily be found.
Lying on the hill, my arm covering my eyes, I was close to falling asleep from a combination of fatigue, boredom, and heat, but I had to pee.
It was too hot to trek all the way back to my cabin, and I certainly didn’t want to use the toilets in the bunks.
The one time I’d walked inside a stall I gagged from the wet seats and toilet paper on the floor.
My default was the OD shack. It was close, clean, and private.
While washing my hands, I noticed a spigot attached to the wall.
I rummaged through the piles of junk strewn in the corner of the adjacent room.
Underneath random lost and found items was a garden hose.
Hmmm. I untangled it and hooked it up to the spigot, and when I turned the knob, water sputtered out.
Unraveling the hose, I pulled it into the sunshine.
Placing the nozzle on the grass, I went back inside and turned it on full blast. I walked as far as I could toward the hill, held the hose high, and placed my thumb over the nozzle so that water sprayed out in a beautiful cold arc.
Within seconds I had throngs of giggling girls running through the DIY sprinkler, cooling off.
Gilda’s office abutted the OD shack. “I heard shrieking, so I came by to find out what was going on.”
“Everyone was so hot and lethargic, I thought this would shake things up a bit,” I said.
“Did you ask Marilyn or Jack if you could do it?”
I felt dread in the pit of my stomach. “I need permission to make sure the girls are having fun?”
“You shouldn’t, but if you look up micromanager in a dictionary, you’ll see a picture of Jack.”
“I’ll worry about him later.” I turned my attention to the happy campers slipping and sliding in front of me.
The sheer joy on their faces was infectious. Within half an hour, all of Girls Camp was exhilarated and soaking wet.
I had to stop so that everyone had time to change into dry clothes before lunch. As I wrapped the hose around my arm, I saw Zelda and Tara, her camp BFF, walking back to their cabin.
“I wish my mother was as cool as yours,” Tara said.
I looked over my shoulder to see Zelda’s reaction. She seemed to be digesting what was said. “Yeah, I’m lucky.”
My heart soared.
The radio crackled as I placed the hose back in the corner. “Lori, come in for Jack; Lori, come in for Jack.”
The dread I had let go of earlier instantly returned. “Lori here.”
“I want to see you in the office ASAP.”
“On my way.”
I took a deep breath, confident in the knowledge that I’d done nothing wrong.
When I walked in, I was met by the chill of the air conditioner against my wet clothes and an apologetic look from Nicole. Both made me shiver.
“I heard you hosed down Girls Camp without asking my permission,” Jack said.
Marilyn sat at her desk staring intently at her computer.
“Yeah, it was spontaneous. I was in the OD shack and saw the hose, and it was so hot, and there was no shade, and it didn’t occur to me to ask, but the girls loved it.”
“How many times do I have to tell you that you do not run this camp?” he barked. “It’s my camp and I make the rules.”
I was about to say something in my defense when Bob walked through the back door. His hair was plastered against his scalp, and he had water stains on his shirt.
“Hey, Bob, how’d you get so wet?” I asked before Jack could say anything,
“We had an impromptu water balloon fight on boys’ side. It’s so hot out there, and it cooled the boys down. They had a blast,” Bob said.
Jack’s face turned beet red.
“Did you ask Jack’s permission to do that?” I asked.
Bob shrugged. “Why would I need his permission to keep the boys cool?”
“That’s my thought exactly.” I turned to face Jack. “If we’re done here, I would like to get out of my wet clothes before lunch.”
Bob would get two lime slices in an extra strong gin & tonic later.
Marilyn looked away from Jack to hide the smirk on her face.
Jack turned his rage toward Bob. “Why are you here anyway?”
“To tell you that the carnival people are setting up.”
Jack got up in a huff. “Finally!” He stormed out the back, slamming the door behind him.
I had won a small victory. Despite Jack’s efforts to undermine me, he was having the opposite effect. I felt empowered after each confrontation.
After lunch we let the campers loose at the carnival.
The superhero theme was apparent on the older girls who wore bikinis with hand drawn six-packs on their stomachs—a use for the brown Sharpies.
They had ripped their T-shirts and fashioned them into capes which fluttered behind them as the girls ran as fast as they could toward the games, rides, and candy.
With the entire camp together, there were well over five hundred campers and counselors dressed in bathing suits, costumes, and flip-flops.
Arcade games were set up under a tent—shooting water into a clown’s mouth until a balloon popped, ring toss onto pegs—all to win cheap keychains that were inferior to the lanyards the campers made themselves, but a trophy was a trophy.
There were two of those machines where you tried to pick up stuffed toys with a mechanical claw, and right outside the tent sat a dunking booth.
Cotton candy, popcorn, and slushie stands had long lines, but the campers didn’t seem to mind, particularly those who used the time to flirt—the carnival was one of the few events where the boys and girls mingled.
A Slip-N-Slide sat in the middle of the field, but the longest line was for the Tilt-A-Whirl.
Maggie had wrestled with staying at camp on her day off to attend the carnival, but Roger was adamant about getting the hell out. She asked if I wouldn’t mind supervising the craft table during the event. She had purchased paper masks to complement the superhero theme.
The table was set up in the middle of the football field where I could keep an eye on Zelda and Hazel and watch the comings and goings of the Cubs.
It was interesting observing the creative process—the girls took their time picking out colors, gems, and feathers, gluing them perfectly in place, whereas the boys grabbed whatever Sharpie was nearby, drew a lightning bolt or wrote the name of their superhero, and were done.
After my shift was over, I walked toward the center of the activities and saw Teddy.
My body flushed, thinking about our two nights together.
I took a deep breath, remembering not to act too familiar.
He was talking to a counselor right next to the marriage booth.
When he saw me, he pointed to the booth and said, “Hey, Kramer, let’s get hitched. ”
“Why not? I already consider you my summer husband.”
Gilda’s daughter Zoe performed the ceremony. She wore a tuxedo T-shirt and held a hardcover copy of Atlas Shrugged in place of a Bible.
“That’s a hefty summer read,” I said.
Zoe shrugged. “Tell me about it.”
We both laughed.
She held out the book for us to place our hands on. “Do you solemnly swear to be married at Camp Woodlands for the rest of this summer?”
Teddy looked totally embarrassed even though it was his idea.
“Aw, are you having cold feet? Don’t you trust me to have your back?” I asked. “Because I completely trust you.”
“Well, yeah, yes, sure.” He looked at Zoe. “I do.”
We were given a choice of woven friendship bracelets, which we tied on each other’s wrists, then walked away so the next couple could get camp hitched.
“That was fun. Will I see you later, summer husband?”
He leaned into me whispering, “I can’t wait to consummate our marriage.”
I stood on the small hill on the sidelines watching the mayhem.
I noticed that the carny, a young guy controlling the Tilt-A-Whirl ride, was flirting with a counselor and not paying any attention to the kids.
When I looked to see if any of the Cubs were on the ride, I saw a cape, worn by one of the campers, caught on a link in the chain that attached the car to the mechanical arm.
The camper tugged on the cape, but it didn’t come loose.
He tried to get the attention of his friends, but no one noticed.
His face became pale. I saw him open his mouth in a scream, though I couldn’t hear it over the ruckus.
I realized I was the only one who saw what was happening and ran toward the carny shouting, “Stop the ride, stop the ride!”
The carny looked at me like I was a lunatic.
Pushing him aside I said, “How do you turn this thing off?” The control panel had a big red emergency button, and I slammed it with my palm. The ride screeched as the tin-can cars slowed, shuddered, and finally banged to a full stop.
The campers shouted to turn the ride back on.
The carny yelled, “What the fuck, lady!”
As I ran toward the kid, I shouted, “Radio the infirmary, and call 911.” I ducked under the support bars to reach the boy whose lips had begun turning blue.
Holy shit, it was Nate, Bethany’s son. I couldn’t untie the cape—it was pulled too tightly around his neck.
I was trying to rip it without putting more strain on his throat when I remembered I had a pair of crafting scissors in my pocket.
Quickly but carefully, I snipped away at the fabric until he was free.
Nate slumped in his seat, and I instinctively slapped his back.
He coughed and grabbed his throat. He was pale but his lips were no longer blue.
Teddy appeared by my side and unclipped the seatbelt. “Nate, buddy, you’re gonna be fine. The doctor’s on her way.”
The camp medical team surrounded Nate and immediately began checking him, carefully inspecting his neck and listening for any difficulty with his breathing.
I noticed his throat beginning to bruise.
I wanted to stay to make sure he’d be okay, but the medical team had everything under control.
Bethany appeared, murmuring in Nate’s ear and holding his hand.
Teddy put his arm around my shoulder. “Come on, we’re in the way here. We need to let the professionals do their job.”
As we walked, I started to shake, and when I saw the concern in Teddy’s eyes I began sobbing.
Teddy said, “Let’s get away from the crowd. The infirmary’s probably empty since everyone’s with Nate.”
He led me into an examination room. I couldn’t control my shaking. Teddy held me against his chest while rubbing my back, his head resting on top of mine. He let me cry. I hiccupped trying to catch my breath.
“Here, sit down. Try taking slow, deep breaths. I’ll get you some water.”
He handed me a cup, and I slowly drank, trying to collect myself, but only one word came out. “Nate.”
“You saved his life.”
A deep shudder racked my body. Teddy stood directly in front of me. His calm presence and his hands firmly on my thighs grounded me. He said, “Bethany and everyone at Woodlands are lucky you’re here this summer.”
The screen door slammed, and Nurse Ella yelled, “Is someone in here?”
“It’s us, Ted and Lori . . . she needed a moment. How’s Nate?”
“Fingers crossed that the worst case is a sore throat and a bit of bruising, but we decided it was prudent to send him to the hospital to make sure he’ll be okay. Thank goodness you saw what was happening.”
I started crying again.
Ella took my wrist, checking my pulse. “I know what happened was a lot. You may be in shock. Would you like a sedative?”
I shook my head. “No. No, I’ll be fine.”
Teddy looked at his watch. “There’s still time before dinner. I’ll walk you to your cabin, so you can rest.”
We heard sirens and watched the EMTs lift the gurney Nate was strapped to into the ambulance.
Bethany climbed in after him. Teddy put his arm around my waist. It seemed natural and uncomfortable at the same time.
Even though we took the back way, it wasn’t smart walking with his arm around me, but I needed the comfort he offered.
When we stopped in front of my cabin, I said, “I hope Bethany and her son will be okay.”
“I do too. But right now, I want to make sure you’re okay. I mean, a lot has happened today, and, well . . .”
“Let’s see, we got married.” I held up my wrist and flashed my bracelet. “And I saved a boy’s life. You know, another typical day at camp.”
He chuckled. “Nothing this summer has been typical. I’ll check in later to see how you’re doing. Radio me if you need anything.”