Turning eighteen meant so many things—too many things. It meant more responsibility, more unknowns, more stress. And the timing of it meant the end of Summer.
I hadn’t requested the day off from work, but somehow, Hattie had discovered it was my birthday and hadn’t scheduled me. I didn’t have any plans for the day, except for the dinner my parents were making for me that evening. But, I wasn’t surprised when, halfway through my bowl of cereal that morning, there came a knocking at the front door of my house.
River was there when I opened the door. He was holding three balloons in one hand and a wrapped present in the other.
“Oh, boy.” I couldn’t help but smile as he came inside.
After presenting me with his bounty, I went to closely examine the wrapped gift. It was rectangular, and the wrapping paper had a floral hibiscus pattern.
“Later,” he instructed me, and I conformed.
“You have the day off?” I asked. I returned to my breakfast.
“Today’s a pizza day. But I got someone to cover for me.”
“River. You didn’t have to do that. Or get me all these gifts.”
“No big deal,” he said. “So, what do you want to do today, birthday girl?”
I tried to think of some activity we could partake in, but nothing sounded enjoyable to me. I wished I could turn back time to even a month ago, so that there were still several summer days ahead of us. “I don’t know. It doesn’t really matter.”
“It doesn’t?” He gave me a teasing look. “I’d say it does, since I took the trouble to get out of work and all.”
“Not a bad point. Okay, if you have an idea, I’m all ears.”
River looked around the house.
“Where’s Cambria?” he inquired.
“I don’t know. In her room, I think.”
“You should go find her and change your clothes.”
◈ ◈ ◈
River drove me and Cambria out of town, heading northwest. He wouldn’t tell us where we were going, so eventually we just stopped asking. After around three hours of driving, River parked the car on the side of a dirt road. We were surrounded by mountains and forest.
“This is where you’re taking us?” Cambria complained as we all got out of the car. She’d been going through a fashion phase that year, and her attire was really more suited for a day of shopping. Despite the oversized sunglasses that masked her eyes, I could tell she looked disappointed.
“Oh, Cam of little faith.” River gave her arm a light punch, and she surrendered a tiny grin. “Trust me. We should be there in just twenty more minutes.”
“Wait, we’re not even there yet?” This time it was me complaining.
“Jeez, you guys. Just a little trust, please. And some hiking.”
River was right: it took about twenty minutes of hiking until we made it. And when we did, Cambria and I ceased with the complaints.
It was a waterhole, and a pretty large one. It was enveloped by tall pine trees and mountains. The water looked like glimmering sapphires.
“Wow,” I said.
“It’s so pretty,” Cambria added.
“Trust pays off, huh?” Before we could respond to him, River took off his shirt, got a running start, and jumped into the sapphire water.
“We didn’t bring swimsuits.”
Cambria’s observation was accurate. Just as it bothered my sister, this was something that typically would’ve bothered me, too. But that day, it didn’t. I pulled off my tank top and shorts, and, donning only my bra and underwear, ran toward the water and leapt in.
“Drew!” I heard Cambria call after me when my head emerged from the water. She was clearly appalled at my behavior.
“It’s just the three of us up here,” I raised my voice while swimming farther out.
“Well, I’m not swimming in my underwear.”
“Suit yourself.” I laughed out loud at my cheesy pun.
Cambria plopped herself down on a rock near the water’s edge, crossing her arms over her chest. If she wanted to miss out on the fun, I figured that was her prerogative. But River had a different perspective. He met up with me in the water and began whispering into my ear.
“So, I just have to sit here for the rest of the day until you guys are finished?” Cambria yelled at us from her rock. “This isn’t fair.” While she continued protesting, River and I swam over so we were only about a yard from where she sat. In a coordinated effort, we splashed her with as much water as we could.
She screeched like a predatory bird. “That’s not okay, you guys. Seriously, I just bought this shirt.”
“It’ll dry.” River was laughing. “Especially if you lay it out there on your precious rock and come swim with us.”
“I’m not swimming.”
“Come on, Cambria,” I said.
“I guess that leaves us with Plan B.” River made his way to the shore.
Cambria shifted around uneasily. “What are you doing?”
River got out of the water, scooped Cambria off of her rock with both arms, and started carrying her to the waterhole.
“Okay, okay!” She screamed before River could toss her in. “Put me down—I’ll take off my outfit and swim with you guys.”
And she did. Once she was in the water, it didn’t take long for her to drop the stubborn attitude and start having fun with us. We all swam for the next two hours, sometimes playing Marco Polo, sometimes seeing who could make the biggest cannonball splash. Other times we were all quiet, just paddling around and taking in the trees and mountains.
Finally, we had our fill of it. We sprawled out in the sun on some large rocks to dry off. Lounging there on the hot stone, I realized I hadn’t felt the way I did right then in a long time—my body thoroughly and perfectly tired. Every muscle, every bone. The sun felt like it would cure me of any and all impurities.
“How’d you know about this place?” I asked River as we all lay there in the sunlight.
He didn’t answer right away. Then he said, “Aaron told me about it.”
I hadn’t thought about Aaron Ingram in months. “Oh. Do you guys . . . still talk?”
“Not much. He moved to Oregon for school.”
“Oh. Cool.”
“Is that the boy you went to Prom with?” Cambria cut into the conversation.
“Yeah.”
“He was cute,” she stated matter-of-factly.
“Cam, aren’t you too young to think boys are cute?” River raised his neck slightly to give her a look. “You have to be at least fifteen first, right?”
“Excuse me, dad. I’m plenty old to think boys are cute. I’m starting high school next week.”
“I don’t believe you,” River said.
“So, what’s it like? High school?”
“It’s lame,” I answered. “It sucks your brains out slowly and painfully until you’re nothing but a zombie.”
“Don’t listen to her. High school’s fun. If you want it to be.”
“What are the boys like? Like, the upperclassmen?”
“I guess you will have to listen to Drew for that one.”