Worth spoke up, “So what does that look like?”
“Well,” Tyler began, “the first thing will be to remove the old money look of things. Naturally, the Steeplechase configuration will have to be taken out and I don’t think we should even have a track. That suggests being competitive and these kids don’t have the experience to ride a horse in that manner. If it were me, I’d level everything but the buildings and then repurpose those. Naturally, you’ll need sleeping and eating accommodations, so you’ll have to build cabins and I would keep these natural looking. Yes, very much like camp and not like barracks. Bunks are fine but there should be a sitting and kitchenette area in each unit so there’s some sense of relaxation. We want things kept on a schedule because it teaches conformity and self-discipline, but not so rigid as to make it undesirable. Use the scheduling for the more fun events. You’ll need camp counsellors who sleep in with the kids to keep an eye on things. Naturally, boys are distant from the girls. It’s less about what goes on inside the cabins and more about group participation and building inner realization of strength and reward.”
Worth nodded and was making notes. “I’d agree with all that,” he said. “What if we were to invite the kids who were previously campers back after a few seasons to become counsellors?”
“Marvelous idea!” Tyler agreed. “In the meantime, you might check with some of the youth centers in their actual towns for candidates. That keeps them relatable. In fact, you might have a few weeks of counselor training here before you bring the first kid in.”
“What about how they’re chosen to come?” I asked. “Of course I want to invite everyone, but won’t it be important that we accommodate those who show the greater inclination to break free from their current environments?”
“Exactly,” agreed Tyler. “There again, you may want to reach out to the community centers and allow the people who know their own kids to select who gets to come. They can use some sort of graduated incentive with camp attendance as the reward. They’ll know the best way to determine all that. Your job is to be at the other end of that bridge once they get here. They can’t be expected to become millionaires for having attended, obviously.”
“Brandon was right,” I mumbled.
“What’s that?” Worth’s ears always picked up on any mention of Brandon. Even though the two had long before come to an understanding, men will be men.
“Well, when I talked to Brandon about creating the foundation for this, he seemed to think that maybe we were taking on more than we should — that we weren’t really prepared for all this.”
“Brandon has a point, Worth,” Tyler interjected. “This sounds generous and wonderful on the onset, but it’s a major undertaking. For one thing, have you considered how it’s going to impact your privacy? Your estate is huge, but your house still sits at the end of the same street and these kids are bound to wander. You’ll have traffic you’re not used to and there are liable to be some neighbors who won’t be as enthusiastic as you are in introducing their private little kingdom to incoming strangers. You know how these people are.”
Worth nodded. “These are all valid points. I probably haven’t given this as much thought as it deserves. I tend to be a bit idealistic and then bull my way through to getting what I want.”
“I’ve noticed,” Tyler smiled in a teasing way.
“Well, tell you what, Tyler. It’s the holidays and we’re not going to accomplish much of anything over the next two weeks that can’t be revised at some point. We’ll let Brandon move ahead with forming the foundation and I’ll count you on board. Let’s all give some thought to the most practical way of achieving the goal, and actually defining that goal before we bring in the bulldozers. Will that work?”
I was thoroughly impressed and let Worth know it by springing up and hugging him. I locked my arms around his neck and turned to Tyler. “Do you have any idea how huge that was for him to say? Do you think there is a chance for him yet?” I teased and Worth flushed, grinning. “Seriously, Worth — that was a major step in giving up control and I know what that took. You’re even ahead of me on this one. I want you to know how proud I am of you!”
Tyler cleared his throat. “Good plan, Worth.” He stood and held out his hand. “I want you both to have a wonderful holiday. We’ll be in touch after the first of the year and begin to formulate plans. That work?”
We both nodded in tandem and Tyler headed to the door. “Merry Christmas to you and to that son. How is he doing, by the way?”
Worth spoke up, “He’s learning probably just the thing we’ll want to teach the kids who come here. Self-discipline and less selfishness. Odd, but it just occurred to me that although they’re at opposite ends of the income scale, they share pretty much the same issues.”
“It’s called being a kid, Worth,” Tyler said, opening the door. “I think you just never took the time to be one yourself.” With that, he saluted and headed out, closing the carved wooden door behind himself.
“Wow, that was revealing,” I said.
“Indeed, it was,” Worth agreed. “How about we cuddle on the bed and watch a movie?” he winked. “I seem to have developed a bit of a chill.”
“I was thinking the same thing myself!” I replied and we retreated to the bedroom for the remainder of the afternoon. Betsy had gone home by the time we emerged and we found plates wrapped and ready to be popped into the microwave for dinner. She’d made fried chicken and mashed potatoes with green beans and dinner rolls. I knew it wasn’t the most “health conscious” things to eat, but there was no beating comfort food when it came to a winter evening.
“Auggie,” Worth broached the topic. “When are you moving back here full time?”
I still had the condo fully operational and all my belongings were there. When I came to the estate, I brought a small bag or wore the clothes I’d left behind when I first moved out.
“Do you think we’re ready to go back to that life?” I asked him. “I mean, honestly, isn’t it just a little erotic to have those surprise visits and total immersion in one another and then go back to the more humdrum part of living on your own?”
“I want you by my side all the time,” he said simply. Evidently, he wasn’t feeling the festive atmosphere of “sleeping over” that I felt. I wondered why that was.
“You know, Tyler makes a good point,” I said, partially to move the spotlight off my sleeping arrangements and partially because it seemed like a good time to talk about it. “If there are hundreds of kids and counselors just over at the track, this estate is going to seem awfully small. We’ll have virtually no privacy.”