Rowan nodded. “OK. Now confident adult Amos. What’s his message?”
Jasper leaned toward Rowan. “I think confident adult Amos tells scared Amos that he’salreadygood enough. Like this: I used to believe that one day, I’d finally be enough. One day, I’dbe confident. One day, I’d be successful. But here’s the truth: You don’t have to wait to love yourself. You’re already worthy. Right now. Today.”
“I love it!” Elliot called out. “Then he’d say: I used to wish I could skip ahead—to the part where I was fearless and strong. But the truth is, every part of my journey mattered. Even the fear. Even the doubts. Every version of me led to this moment. And I wouldn’t change a single step.”
A hush settled again, but this time, it was different. Heavier.As if the weight of those words settled deep into their bones. Nate held his breath, almost afraid to speak. Afraid to break the spell cast by their joint experience.
Rowan looked up at his friends. “Now elder Amos.” He hesitated for a moment, then typed, speaking as the words flowed from his fingers. “He said: I’ve lived a long time, and here’s what I know now: I spent too many years doubting, too many years wishing I was someone else. But the truth? I was always enough. You were always enough. Youareenough!”
Caleb laid a hand on Rowan’s arm. “And then he said: “I used to wonder what life would have been like if I had been braver, if I had figured things out sooner. But now, standing here, I see the truth: I needed every step. Every failure, every fear, every moment of doubt. They shaped me. They made me.”
Nate drew in a slow breath. “Wesley, please give us a message from elder Amos.”
Wesley thought in silence for a moment, then spoke: “You think you’re alone. That no one will ever understand you, but listen to me: Love is coming. Friendship, laughter, joy—it’s all ahead of you. And one day, you will stand where I stand, looking back, and you will know that you were never truly alone.”
“Jasper?” Nate said. “Your message.”
Jasper bit his lip, wiping a tear from his cheek. “I think he’d say: One day, you will stand where I stand. You will look backat your life, at the boy you once were, and you will understand. You will see that every version of yourself was worthy. And you will pass this message on to someone else—because that’s what we do. We grow, we learn, and we light the way for the ones who come after us.”
“Elliot?” Nate said, his voice a low murmur. “Your turn.”
Elliot drew in a deep breath. “I think he’d say: You don’t have to have it all figured out today. Or tomorrow. Life isn’t a race—it’s a story. The best stories take time—and yours is only just beginning.”
For a long time, there was silence, then Nate nodded. “All we need now is stage direction and a bit of polishing.” He looked around at his students. “You have created a masterpiece and I am very, very proud of all of you.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s only ten minutes ’til lunch so let’s end class a bit early.” He laid a hand on Rowan’s shoulder. “You deserve a bit of a break so go ahead to the lunch room, grab a drink, and just relax for a few minutes.”
After they left, Nate sat alone, staring at the table covered with scattered sheets of paper, all filled with his students’ untidy handwriting. He lowered his head to his arms, and for several minutes he cried softly. Then he lifted his head and began to gather the papers together, stacking them tenderly into a single pile. “Not students anymore,” he murmured, staring down at the compositions. “Colleagues.”
Chapter 20
Thunder Bats! Take The Field!
Friday
Joshua had arranged for a unified cookout dinner after the afternoon baseball game, though not without shelling out a substantial amount of cash. He had bristled when informed of the extra cost, but there was really no alternative. The original plan was to have David’s cooking class prepare this meal, but all Camp Pride counselors and campers were expected to be present at the game and mingle with their guests from Timber Ridge Campground for the duration of their stay. And they all had to be fed.
“Goddamn vultures!” Joshua grumbled as he scrabbled through the belongings in the drawer containing his wallet. “Everything hereis an extra two hundred dollars! I’m amazed they don’t charge us for breathing the air.” He located his wallet buried under a pile of underwear and pulled out a credit card. “This is extortion,” he grumbled. “I should report them to the FTC,” then spun toward the door at the sound of a loud knock.
“Problem in here?” David said, entering with an easy grin.
Joshua let out a disgusted huff, but David just smiled. “Ah, well,” he said. “What’s a community-building event without a little corporate shakedown?” He pulled a credit card from hiswallet and waved it in the air. “I got this, Josh. Who’s charging me?Highway Robbery, Incorporated?”
Joshua sighed, visibly relieved. “God, David, thank you. I’ve been shaking in fear of the petulant confrontation that would have ensued if I’d had to tell Colin we were tapping our bank account yetagainbecause of Verdun. Their staff would have been in for an interesting morning.”
“Whereisour beloved coach?”
“At the baseball diamond, pacing like a tiger.”
“In aknee scooter?”
Joshua quirked his mouth and nodded. “He’s nervous as fuck about this game. He so much wants the boys to do well.”
“They’ll do fine. And he needs to remind himself that it’s not about winning. It’s about building relationships.”
“Ha!” Joshua barked out. “TellColinthat winning doesn’t matter?” He tossed his wallet back into the drawer and moved to David’s side. “I’ll letyouhandle that.” He took David’s arm, steering him toward the door. “Let’s go pay these bastards.”
At the baseball diamond,Colin maneuvered his knee scooter back and forth in front of the small dugout, mentally creating, changing, reviewing, and revising his lineup. In his hand was a small notepad upon which he had scribbled player names and positions, scratched them out, then scribbled them again. “OK,” he mumbled, stopping to read. “Alex at shortstop. Grayson at first. Mateo at second …”
“Hey there, coach,” a familiar voice called out. “How’s the lineup coming along?”
