She reluctantly moved with me into the throng of sweaty dancers. As we swayed to the music, I looked around, trying to pick out my daughters. It wasn’t easy to locate them with the blinding strobe lights. I found them dancing with their friends about five feet away from each other, huge smiles on their faces. Hazel wore a sparkly tank top, her hair framing her face. Someone had French-braided Zelda’s hair—I needed to learn how todo that. I loved being here with them, witnessing how much fun they were having instead of being at home waiting for a letter, like everyone else’s mother.
Abby had the night off along with half the counselors, but they stayed at camp—that was how big a draw the dance was. She shimmied over to me.
“We just got back from our lobster dinner and ice cream sundaes, and now I’m ready to boogie the night away.”
“Where’re Maggie and Roger?”
“Getting some face time with Tony.”
“Have you seen your kids?” I asked.
“Checked them out as soon as I got here.” Earth, Wind & Fire blasted from the amps. “Come on, you and me, let’s hustle.”
As the night wound down, I noticed a group of boys walking over to where Hazel danced. It was about time they mingled with the girls—the party was going to end soon. It was a phenomenon that all the fun started when things were about to wrap up. The leader of the pack started talking to Hazel and I felt a sense of pride that my daughter was singled out. I watched as he moved closer to her and then, without warning, he reached out and pulled down her skirt.
I stood there, staring, registering what happened. The shrieks from Hazel and her friends jarred me into action. Hazel pulled up her skirt, red-faced and crying, while the boy went back to his buddies, grinning and receiving high fives.
My brain raced—should I see to Hazel or grab the boy by his neck? I decided to go after the brat and pull every hair out of his dim-witted head. I ran toward him and saw Teddy heading toward the boy from the opposite direction. When I got a clear view of my target, I stopped short. Zelda had reached him first, hands rolled into fists. The strobe lights blinking overhead made every movement look surrealistically slow as Zelda pulledher arm back and punched him, sending all eighty pounds of her into his unsuspecting gut. The boy bent over, crumbling to the floor, holding his abdomen.
I wasn’t the mom who yelled from the bleachers at sporting events, but I pumped my fist in the air shouting, “Yes!” in solidarity with Zelda.
I had never been prouder in my entire life.
A crowd started forming, so I grabbed Zelda’s and Hazel’s hands and led them outside. We heard Bob yelling above the music, “Nothing to see here, go back to dancing.”
There was a key left in a golf cart. The girls slid into the front seat with me. I pulled out without looking back.
“How great was it that Zelda beat up that dumb kid?” I asked.
“Did you see him fall down in front of everybody?” Hazel’s tears had turned into a full-on belly laugh. When she caught her breath she said, “I was surprised and then angry. I wish I got to punch him orpantshim, but Zelda got him good.”
Zelda shook out her hand. “It hurts punching boys.”
By the time we pulled up to my cabin, the three of us were crying from laughing so much. We fell onto the bed and cuddled.
“I’m incredibly proud of both of you and happy to know that you’ve got each other’s backs.”
“Are we in trouble?” Hazel asked.
That was a good question. “You know what? I don’t care. All I know is that I have the bravest and most wonderful kids in the world.”
I was savoring the moment—it seemed like the girls were also. Then my radio went off, spoiling everything.
“Lori come in for Bethany, Lori come in for Bethany.”
“Lori here.”
“Your location please?”
“Driving a golf cart with a Chipmunk and a Woodchuck back to their bunks and then seeing to the Cubs.”
“Okay, meet me and Mindy after you’ve finished.”
“Mom, you just lied,” Hazel said.
“Yeah, well, you just mooned the entire camp, and Zelda just slugged a kid. What can I say, no one’s perfect.”
34Let’s Make a Deal
