Okay, being able to talk would be pretty helpful right about now. But I just held her and rubbed her back until she calmed down.
Finally Mom knelt beside us. “Dee-Dee is going to big-girl camp for a couple of days,” she said, her voice soothing and soft. “Just seven sleeps. She’s gonna be just fine. Hey, we passed an ice cream store on the way here! How about we stop there? Do you want strawberry or chocolate?”
Penny couldn’t resist ice cream. “I want ’nilla,” she stated, her voice ragged from crying.
“We’ll get a vanilla cone, okay?” Mom teased Penny from my arms. “But we better get there quick before they run out!” She passed Penny to Dad. He winked at me before heading to the car.
“I love you, Melody!” Mom whispered. And yep, her eyes were all glisten-y with tears. “Enjoy camp, okay? My almost teenager! I can hardly wait to see all the pictures.”
And, in what seemed like a blink, they were gone. I couldn’t even yell for them to come back. I felt a swell of panic, but then I looked around at the well-swept paths, the rows of neat wooden cabins, and a pair of blue jays squawking at each other in one of the maples, and told myself, Okay, Melody Brooks. This is what you asked for. You are ready!
CHAPTER 11
Trinity twirled my wheelchair around, saying, “You’re the first Falcon to check in. How about we get ourselves a little pre-lunch snack, and I’ll tell you more about the camp. Sound okay to you?”
At my nod, Trinity rolled my chair to the kitchen, trying to guess my favorite slushy flavor along the way. Nope, not grape—not lime, either! She dug around in a freezer for a minute, then pulled out two. “Cherry or orange?” she asked. I pointed to the cherry one, and she made a silly face. “How did you know that’s the one I wanted?” That made me laugh.
Trinity draped a towel she pulled out of her backpack around my neck as we slurped our slushies. Okay, so it was weird having this strange woman spoon cool cherry ice into my mouth. I HATE having to be fed, but gee, that slushy was good.
We ate in a grassy area in front of a row of cabins, tall pines swaying in the distance. Other campers were checking in. Some kids with walkers and fancy motorized wheelchairs. Others on crutches, and some walking with no apparent devices at all. A few cried. Some had carloads of family members hovering near them. Others had only one adult holding a hand or pushing a chair. And nearly everyone looked wide-eyed and wary—I bet I looked exactly the same.
As a passing counselor-looking person stopped by to say, “Hey” to Trinity, I snuck a better look at her. Her hair, dyed a reddish-brown, was styled in intricate box braids, long and flowing. They were twisted to perfection—it must have taken hours. And her perfume was awesome—was that jasmine and hibiscus?
Her makeup—eyes and lashes and lips—looked like it had been professionally done. Who gets fancy makeup done for camp? Hmm. Maybe she could teach me a couple of things. I don’t think it’s ever occurred to Mom that I might be interested in lipstick or eyeliner, although Penny got a pretend makeup kit for her birthday. Candy-flavored lip gloss and lavender sparkle eye dust. When she’d unwrapped it with an ooh, I’d wondered why I’d never been given anything like that. I’d love to sprinkle on a little flowery-scented cologne some mornings.
Trinity told her friend she would see her later and turned back to me. “Here’s the deal, Melody. I want you to understand that I am your counselor. Only you. We have a one-on-one policy here at Camp Green Glades. So I am here for you one hundred percent.”
I tried to keep my nose from crinkling. “Every single second?” I tapped.
“Absolutely!” she replied. “Our pledge is to keep you safe and secure while you are here.”
She probably thought that would make me feel comforted. My mom would be glad to know that, but… every single second? No free time at all? Yikes.
Trinity continued, “Here’s the basic cabin setup. Like I said earlier, there are four girls on our cabin. And four counselors. We, the Fiery Falcons—” She paused. “I know, I know—goofy name. But all the teams have silly names, and T-shirts,” she added, “just to make it more fun.”
I wasn’t really getting how that was fun, but I was paying attention.
“Anyway,” she continued, “cabins are grouped into teams. Two cabins of girls, two cabins of boys. Sixteen kids in total, per team, plus the same number of counselors. Our team includes us and the Green Gazelles for the girls, and the Blue Badgers and the Purple Panthers for the guys. But of course we think the Falcons are the finest!”
I managed a small smile.
“The boys’ cabins are across the road, and our team shares a number of activities and meals together.”
My face must have looked like a question mark, because she quickly added, “Showers and bathroom stuff, are, of course, in two separate buildings.”
That’s a relief!
“Even though this place is huge, with lots of ‘teams’ dotted through the campground, we keep each team small—partly for safety, and partly so we can really get to know each other.”
I didn’t tap anything on my board, just let her talk, taking it all in.
“I promise to take very good care of you. I’ll be with you for every game you choose to play, every meal you eat, and every activity you decide to try. And remember, there’s not one moment when any of you will be alone.”
Not one moment?? That seemed a little intense; even Mom wasn’t with me 24/7! I made a face, but I don’t think she noticed.
She paused. “And if you decide to do nothing at all, I’ll sit next to you and do that, too!” I looked at her with genuine surprise. Did she really mean that I could sit around doing nothing and get away with it? So I asked her.
She gave me a sideways glance and grinned. “Yep. Nothing is cool. Boring… but cool, nevertheless.”
I responded with what I hoped looked like a smirk.
“I’ll be with you for your swimming lessons….”