Caitlyn stared up at the twin sets of monkey bars, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. There’d been a set just like this in her elementary school playground and she’d waited for the day she was tall enough to grasp the bars and swing her way across.
With a glance back at the Hall to make sure she was alone, she stepped up to the nearest structure, climbed the rungs at the bottom and reached for the first bar. While she planned to dress up later for the dance, she was glad she was currently clad in jeans, a serviceable shirt and a light jacket. She grabbed the bar and swung back and forth from it to build up the necessary momentum to grab the next one. When she did, a thrill of pride shot through her and she swung again. It was like riding a bike. She crossed the rest of the bars easily, jumped down at the far end and laughed out loud to find she still possessed the skill.
Her laughter died as she stared at the high blank wall ahead of her, though. Was she supposed to go up and over that?
No way.
She walked toward it, and then around it, examining the obstacle from all angles. Maybe a man could jump up and grab the top, but she didn’t think she could. Even if she managed it, she wouldn’t be able to swing her legs over. Finally she shrugged and started to move on to the next obstacle. A voice behind her nearly made her jump out of her skin.
“You’re not allowed to skip any of them.”
“How long have you been standing there?” Caitlyn whirled to face Ben, who leaned against a nearby tree with his arms folded.
“Long enough to see you nail those monkey bars.”
“You shouldn’t spy on people.”
“I was here first actually. You just didn’t notice me.”
“You were doing the course?”
Ben made a face. “Some of it.” He stood up and turned as if to go. His frustration was all too evident and for the first time Caitlyn realized how hard it must be for an athletic man to be sidelined from his career by an injury.
“I could use some help.”
Ben stopped. “What kind of help?”
“Getting over that wall for one thing.” When he turned slowly she added, “You said I’m not allowed to skip it.”
“No, you’re not,” he agreed. He seemed to come to a decision. Squaring his shoulders, he walked to her side. Once again his limp was prominent, although Caitlyn saw he was trying to mask it. Her heart went out to the warrior who’d never get to serve again, but she swallowed her questions about how it had happened.
“How do you get over this beast?” she said instead, indicating the wall.
“I’ll help you.” He propped his cane against it, bent down and laced his fingers together. Caitlyn set one foot onto them with trepidation. “Jump,” Ben said. She did and he lifted her at the same time. She grabbed hold of the top of the wall and clung to it.
“Now what?”
“Climb over!”
“I can’t!”
“Sure you can.” Ben moved to stand beneath her and continued to brace her foot. Caitlyn lifted the other as high as it would go. She managed to hook it over the top of the wall and scramble up.
“Oh, my God! How do I get down?”
Ben’s chuckle did nothing to reassure her. “Jump.” He moved around the wall to the far side.
“Are you going to catch me?”
“No, but I’ll make sure you don’t get hurt. Swing your leg over and let yourself down.”
She did as she was told, petrified she would fall, but when she was hanging from the other side she realized her feet weren’t that far from the ground. She let go, hit the dirt, stumbled but managed to stay upright.
“You did it.” Ben held up a hand and she slapped her own against it in a high five.
“I did!” Caitlyn set off toward a bunch of tires lying on the ground. With a glance toward Ben, who hustled as best he could to keep alongside her, she began to run through them, stepping inside each one, like she’d seen football players do on television.
“Step it up! Move it!”
She stepped it up and finished the tire course. “What’s next?”
“Army crawl.” Ben pointed to an area where barbed wire was strung low across the ground. She’d seen enough war movies to know that she was supposed to lie on her stomach and inch forward as fast as she could without grazing it.
“I guess I should be thankful for small mercies.” When Ben raised an eyebrow she added, “No one’s shooting over my head while I crawl under that.”
He grinned. “That’s right. Now get to it.”
“Yes, sir.” With a regretful look down at her jeans and shirt, she flung herself to the ground and began to crawl. Immediately dirt worked its way into her waistband, and she discovered it wasn’t as easy as it looked to propel herself forward using only her elbows and knees.
“Boom! Pow! Get your butt down, sailor. It’s sticking up so high your enemy just shot it off!”
Caitlyn collapsed in a heap. “Stop looking at my butt!”
Ben made a rattling sound like cartridges running through a machine gun. “Move it, sailor! Move it!”
“What’s with the sailor crap?” Caitlyn got going again. This time dirt made its way down her neckline and nestled into her bra. “Ugh.”