“If it weren’t for them, you wouldn’t have been here in the first place.”
Sitting on a bunk in the middle of the cabin, I was surrounded by mosquito-bitten children.
“Everyone told me they had bug spray on—what happened?” I asked.
“I guess I missed my ankles.”
“My daddy says I’m so sweet that the bugs bite me anyway.”
“I don’t like the smell.”
I administered Afterbite to pretty much all the campers and a few counselors.
When I finally got all four cabins into pajamas and lights out, I headed straight to Mindy’s room feeling slap happy, my mind going over the day’s events. I knew who was behind the door by their shoes: Timberlands, Sperrys, Nikes, and Adidas. I also knew that the two guys weren’t there, no Tevas or Converse. Kicking off my Pumas I entered quickly, making sure not to let any pesky bugs in. Mindy sat at her desk, a glass of iced red wine in her hand. Bethany teetered on the edge of the bed sipping a Prosecco. Gilda sat opposite her, rocking in the shabbyoverstuffed chair, twirling her finger in her ice-filled plastic cup of jungle juice while Abby sat on the Ikea rug nibbling from a bowl of Chex Mix.
“Good evening, ladies,” I said as I handed Bethany my bunk reports.
“What took you so long?” she asked.
“Playing nurse to itchy girls takes time. I’m pretty sure some of them pretended to have mosquito bites. I finally get it, they’re in need of a mother’s attention.”
Bethany gave me a knowing smile. “I told you it would start to make sense.”
“What can I pour for you?” Mindy asked.
“I got her covered.” Gilda was already at the mini fridge pulling out the ice tray and tonic.
“We were talking about your crazy day today. I don’t know which part was worse, the bear or our ignoramus of a boss,” Mindy said.
“I would definitely say Jack. With a bear you pretty much know where you stand, while Jack’s—what’s the word I’m looking for—erratic,” Gilda said.
“That’s the perfect segue to ask all of you why you keep coming back, and why should I stay?” I plopped myself on the floor next to Abby.
“Well, for starters, there’s this,” Bethany said, waving her arms around the room. “The camaraderie, the sisterhood, the teamwork.”
“No offense, but I’m not lacking for friends. I mean, you’ve been wonderful to me, and I enjoy hanging out with you, especially in the evenings, but that is not enough of a reason for me to stay.”
“I love the break from my life. No cooking, no cleaning, nohusband, and if you think about it, you don’t even have kids. At least as program director, I don’t have one-on-one camper responsibilities,” Gilda said.
“The reason I put up with all the bad behavior is that Jack pays me a boatload of money,” Mindy said. “The more of an ass he is, the more cash he throws at me to cover his rudeness and the blunders he makes when speaking with a parent.”
Bethany placed a friendly hand on my shoulder and said, “I loved camp as a kid, and I love it even more as an adult. I think you should stay. Work through one whole season. Every summer has its highs and lows. I’m sure there’s lots of fun in store for you over the next few weeks.” She became my boss again when she added, “And after all, you did sign a contract.”
“Which he broke this afternoon. I’d have been mortified if my daughters had seen me getting reamed.”
“For what it’s worth, I admired how well you handled the situation. You didn’t back down, you didn’t cry. I would’ve crumbled and gone straight to see Mindy,” Bethany said.
“We all heard how trying to go to Mindy didn’t work out so well for Lori,” Abby said.
I glanced at my watch. “I would’ve been home in my comfortable air-conditioned apartment by now, if Bethany hadn’t thwarted my plans by bringing my kids while I packed.”
Bethany shrugged. “There’ve been plenty of times that I wanted to walk out, but I never considered taking my children because they love it here. So as a working parent at Woodlands with a lot of experience, I thought you should take into consideration that Zelda and Hazel are having a great time. I didn’t want them to miss out on the rest of their summer.”
Gilda asked, “So why didn’t you leave? I mean, we would’ve understood if you did.”
I took a deep breath and, feeling vulnerable, I said, “I don’t feel safe here anymore, so how can I leave my children with ajackassin charge?”
“Don’t you think you’re exaggerating? Do you really not feel safe?” Bethany asked.
