Slugger actually gets a bull’s-eye, putting me to shame.
And then so does Talia.
“I am also shockingly good at bowling,” she says.
I don’t make it the office for the rest of the day. Prague skins her knee at Dinner Washup, and since I am somehow covered in lake water from GS (General Swim), I decide I need to shower at Free Play.
It starts to pour during Evening Activity, and it’s too wet and dark to venture to the office.
I miss Eli. I miss his voice.
I don’t care if I have to take a boat to get there, tomorrow I’m getting to the office.
The next day, I finally, finally make it to the office at Dinner Washup.
There are many texts from Eli.
UGH I can’t believe I missed your call! I fell asleep! The phone was right by my head! I don’t know how I didn’t hear! SORRY!
OK, will make sure to have the phone nearby tomorrow at 1 your time! I miss you!
Hi! It’s one! Waiting!
1:10.
It’s 1:30 now. Maybe you’re stuck somewhere. Going to a bar in a few. Not sure if I should wait or not.
I gotta go. Busy day, I guess.
You have not called in a while. Everything OK?
Then nothing today.
I call him.
He answers on the first ring.
“Hi! You’re alive!”
“Sorry,” I say. “It’s so busy here!”
“I’m busy too,” he says. “But I still have time to text you.”
“Ah, but you have Wi-Fi access,” I say, suddenly annoyed. “I don’t.”
“I know,” he says.
“And you’re on vacation,” I snap. “And I’m working.”
“I know,” he says again. “I just miss you.”
I sigh. “I miss you, too. I’m sorry. I’m trying to get to the office as often as I can.”
“I’m sure you are,” he says, and there’s a pause.
“So how were your last two days?” I say.
“Good,” he says. “We went to some museums. How were yours?”
“I did not go to a museum. I schlepped children from one end of camp to the other.” I decide to give him a little bit. “But I also went in a canoe.”
“You did? I love canoes!”
“Me too.” I don’t tell him about swimming with Gavin or sailing with Gavin or Gavin splashing me when I was in the water.
We talk for another twenty minutes until I hear him yawn. “Can you call me tomorrow?” he asks.
“I can try for Rest Hour or Dinner Washup. But sometimes something comes up and then I feel terrible. Like letter-writing day.”
“Just do your best, I guess,” he says. His voice sounds a little bit condescending, but I decide to let it go.
“Will do,” I say instead. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
The next two days are busy, but I manage to make it to the office every day. We get more eights at cleanup. I make a chore wheel. I get people into the right clothes, wearing the right shoes. Talia French braids their hair and we try to teach her how to make Princess Leia buns.
I play soccer. We sing more camp songs. I put sun block on everybody.
I catch the raccoon making a run for it from our bunk with a package of SweeTarts, so we spend our Rest Hour searching for all the candy that the campers have taken pains to hide from us in their underwear bags and under their beds.
Finally, it’s Friday night, and we all change into white shirts for Friday Night Dinner. That is part of our not-Shabbat but kind-of-Shabbat tradition.
Dinner is roasted chicken and veggies, and we all get grape juice, which seems like a bad idea with white shirts. But! Tradition! Not-Shabbat!
After Free Play is Sing-Song, my favorite camp activity. We all cram into the Rec Hall and the screen comes down, and while the camp owner plays the piano and Priya plays the guitar, we follow along with the lyrics and sing all the regular camp songs.
Then we go into “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” “House at Pooh Corner,” “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh,” “Hey There Delilah,” “Closer to Fine,” “One Tin Soldier,” “Summer Nights,” “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do,” and “Wonderful Tonight.” Finally, we sing “Stay (at Camp),” the final song. Everyone sings their parts.
“Why can’t we stay at camp,
Just a little bit longer.
We want to make our friendships,
Just a little bit stronger . . .”
It’s like time hasn’t passed at all. I feel like I’m eleven all over again. Except this time, I am sitting next to Janelle, I have Lily on my lap, and they are both singing as loud as I am.
Botts is sitting on the edge of the stage singing his heart out, too.
Where’s Gavin? I spot him in the back of the room, chatting to the Tank. He spots me looking at him and winks.
I wink back.
It’s okay, it doesn’t mean anything. Right?
After Milk and Cookies, I’m on OD again. I change into sweats and a cozy shirt, and then tuck the girls into bed one by one.
“Good night, Prague,” I say, patting her on the head.
“Good night,” she says, closing her eyes.
“Good night, Em,” I say.
“Good night.”
“Good night, Shira,” I whisper.
“Good night, Mommy,” she says.
Everyone laughs, including me.
“Oops,” she says, blushing.
“I don’t mind,” I say.
“You’re kind of like our mom here.”
“More like a big sister,” I say, and kiss her head.
The next day is a whirlwind. Tommy, one of the junior boys, has an unfortunate run-in with a canoe paddle and has to go see an emergency dentist.
His family lives in Miami, so Danish has to take him.
She grabs my arm at lunch. “Sam? I need a favor,” she says.
“Of course, what’s up?”
“I’m not sure I’ll be back for Evening Activity. Priya will cover me at GS but can you take over tonight, running the activity?”
“Sure,” I say, suddenly nervous. “What is it?”
“It’s Family Feud,” she says. “Have you seen it?”
“Of course,” I say. In the real Family Feud they ask a hundred people a question, like name the best dessert. Then the top five answers are put up on a board. Contestants have to guess the top five answers.
“You’ll have to finish putting together the surveys. It’s pretty easy. I have the questions, I just need you to ask twenty kids for answers. Hopefully I’ll be back for the activity, but if not, just run it. Make sure to do a bunk check and see that the kids all leave to get to Milk and Cookies on time. Sound okay?”
“Um . . .” I hesitate. Running an activity? That sounds scary. But I can do it. Teachers plan activities all the time.
“Sure,” I say eventually. “No problem.”
She squeezes my shoulder. “Awesome. You’re the best. Thank you!”
Now what?
During Rest Hour I head to Bunk 4 in search of non-junior campers to interview. I ask them questions like name a Disney princess. Name a magical power. Name a camp dessert.
The answers range from Moana and Tiana to flying and invisibility to s’mores and chocolate pudding. I spend Free Play writing all the answers out on poster boards and then carrying them across camp to the Rec Hall.