“I swear to you, Jack was this close to punching me, so no, I don’t.”
There was a knock at the door. Mindy looked around the room as if she were counting heads. The usual people were already drinking so she asked, “Who’s there?”
“It’s Marilyn. May I come in? I brought treats.”
Everyone looked around, stunned.
Marilyn walked in, carrying a plateful of brownies. “I figured Lori was here, and I wanted to bring her a peace offering from me and Jack. They’re hot out of the oven.”
My stomach somersaulted from the aroma. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d indulged in a brownie. I hadn’t eaten much at dinner and was ravenous. That was my constant condition since I got here, hungry and exhausted.
Marilyn bent down to offer me the plate.
I was tempted to take one, but instead I said, “It’s going to take a lot more than baked goods to make peace.”
“I know, but I thought it would be a good start. I wish I were here to say that everything will be alright and that I can protect you from Jack, but I’m so busy trying to avoid a confrontation myself that I can’t help you. I came by to say that I hope you’ll stay till the end of the summer.”
“We’ve been trying to convince Lori to stay,” Bethany said.
“Will you stay?” Marilyn asked.
“Marilyn, I’m pretty sure you saw Jack verbally abusing me smack in the middle of camp. You watched and let it happen.”
Marilyn turned pale. I looked her in the eyes, watching hersquirm, struggling to find words. “Lori, I don’t know what to say. You’re doing a good job. Today had nothing to do with your capabilities, and yes, I should’ve done something, but I was . . . I was paralyzed.”
She erupted into tears. The rest of us looked at each other, surprised. Bethany stood and awkwardly put her arms around Marilyn, leading her to sit, where she continued crying into Bethany’s shoulder. There was another uncomfortable silence. When she finally contained herself, she said, “I’m married to a bully. It’s always his way, even if I find a better way. I’m never right. Everything has to be his idea. He gets his way by intimidation, and he can be so nasty. You saw it firsthand this afternoon. The truth? I was afraid to step up and protect you.”
I felt a sudden sympathy for her. My relationship with Ronnie might be in trouble, but at least I wasn’t afraid of him. And I refused to be intimidated by Jack.
Marilyn changed the subject. “Jack wanted me to ask you if you’re planning to shut down the camp.”
“What’re you talking about?” Gilda asked.
“I threatened to have the camp closed within twenty-four hours because of harassment.”
“I wish I had your chutzpah,” Bethany said.
“To answer the question, I haven’t made any phone calls . . . yet.”
“Please don’t. I don’t know what he’d do if you shut the camp down. I don’t know what he’s capable of, and I’d hate to see him put to the test,” Marilyn said.
I stared at her in disbelief. Jack probably had no idea that Marilyn had come to see me with a peace offering. She was trying to pacify us both.
“I think Jack ought to apologize directly to Lori. It was nice of you to come by with the brownies, but if he has the ballsto scream at her, then he should have the balls to apologize,” Mindy said.
“That’s exactly what I’m thinking,” I said.
Marilyn shrugged and without another word, left, looking dejected. Bethany stood. “I’m going to make sure she’s okay.” She followed Marilyn out the door.
Mindy shrugged as the door closed. “That was enlightening and unexpected.” She held up her wine glass. “I think the worst offense of the day was Marilyn interrupting our detox time. Cheers!”
16Curtains
It was raining when Abby and I left Mindy’s room. As we reached the road, a lightning bolt so immense that Zeus himself must have thrown it illuminated our path. Abby’s blonde hair stood up on end, and we jumped into each other’s arms. The sky was mesmerizing; staring up, we watched the light fade against the clouds. Then a Thor-sized clap of thunder made us run. This wasn’t how I’d pictured spending my summer: chased by a bear, screamed at by my boss, and almost getting electrocuted. The raindrops started bouncing around our feet as we ran to our porch with our knapsacks over our heads.
Everything was soaked. I kicked off my sneakers and left them in the hallway. “G’night!” I called to Abby. I undressed and threw my clothes into the laundry bag. I sat on my bed rehashing my day and realized that even though part of me was ready to drive out, I couldn’t. Not just because of the girls; I wouldn’t give Ronnie the satisfaction of being right. When I told him I was working at the camp, he’d been quick to criticize me.“Come on, Lori, you know just as well as I do that you wouldn’t last a day in the middle of the woods—no air-conditioning, but plenty of mosquitoes, spiders, and snakes.”
Today I’d taken on a bear—well, sort of. And I stood up to my boss.
