“Now you can understand my mix-up.”
“Yes, I can see the problem. But please be more careful in the future.”
“Not for nothing, but neither Natalie is particularly short.”
The next night, I had my first crier, Leah from the other morning. The other girls ignored her, chatting or reading in their bunks.
“It’s okay, Leah. Do you want to talk about it?”
She looked up at me, turned her freckled face into her pillow, and continued to sob.
I kneeled on the floor so that our faces would be at the same level. “Leah, please, you need to stop crying.”
I picked her up and brought her outside. I guessed the shock of having me physically carry her surprised her because she stopped crying. She whimpered as we sat on the steps.
“Leah, I’m here to help you. Please tell me what you’re feeling.”
She hiccupped her response, “I miss, my, my, my mom.”
To my great relief Bethany walked by.
“Hi there . . .” Bethany started.
“Leah,” I said.
Bethany joined us on the stairs. “Of course, Leah. I saw you today on the tennis courts—you have a wicked serve. Maybe you and I can have a volley and you can give me some pointers. Would you like that?”
Leah nodded.
Part of me wanted to leave the two of them alone and tend to the other campers, making sure there weren’t any other crises. But it made sense to stay and learn how a pro handled a homesick child.
Bethany put her arm around Leah to comfort her. “Can you show me your bunk? If you want, I can tuck you in and rub your back until you fall asleep.”
Leah nodded yes.
After Bethany tucked Leah in, we walked to my next cabin.
“You’re getting off to a rough start,” she said. “Last night it was the Natalie mix-up, and tonight your first homesickness case.”
“I’m trying, but there’s a huge learning curve.”
“I’m here to help,” she said.
I understood that she needed me to succeed as much as I needed Jasmine to succeed.
11Gin & Tonic
Iquickly learned that Sundays were the worst day of the week. The specialists were off so there were no watersports, no matter how hot the day was. Maggie and Roger were also off with Abby, who had finagled her time off to coincide with her friends’ prior to signing a contract. That translated into no dirty-water coffee for me. Oh, and the dining hall staff was also off—Lazy Breakfast consisted of day-old bakery items and mini boxes of cereal served buffet style outside. The only redeeming thing about the situation was that sisters could hang out together.
I was standing next to Sam, Zelda’s DL. “Does Zelda ignore Hazel when they see each other during the day?”
“Not that I’ve noticed. Did something happen?”
“I just saw Zelda shoo Hazel away when she went to sit with her, and it just about crushed my soul,” I said.
“From what I can tell, you have two gorgeous daughters who love each other, and a mum who is foolish enough to follow them to camp.”
I loved her Australian accent. “Foolish describes me perfectly.”
