Thirty Minutes Later – Camp’s Dining Hall

The shrill sound of a metal pea whistle startled the din of voices all clamoring for attention in the open area of the dining hall as the operations manager, a tall, lanky, bespectacled, dark-haired man in his 30’s by the name of Perry Winters, stood up on top of one of the long, rectangular wooden eating tables and stared down at the sea of female faces looking up at him inquisitively.  Even after several years of performing the same speech over and over again and seeing the same looks of uncertainty mixed in with a bit of anticipation, he still enjoyed his job overseeing the camp.  One thing he always insisted upon, however, was refusing to bow to technology in this rustic, primitive setting; he always vowed to keep such contraptions as far away from the camp as possible during the girls’ stay here,  choosing instead to revert back to a simpler time.  He waited with clipboard in hand until the noise predictably died down and finally stopped before he used his unexpectedly deep, booming voice to be heard throughout the large expanse of the room.

“Welcome to camp, Ladies!” he exclaimed exuberantly as he held a walking stick in his other hand.  “My name is Perry Winters – I am the chief operations manager for Camp Pineland, and I am going to be both your mother and your father for the next two weeks!  To maintain order and civility during your stay here, as well as make sure you remain safe during our care, there will be, yes, those dreaded rules that you will be expected to follow.” 

A collective groan erupted as expected from the campers huddled around the wooden eating tables as he persisted nonetheless, his commanding voice cutting through the protests.  He abruptly pounded the walking stick down onto the top of the table he was standing on for added emphasis and to get everyone’s attention again before he continued authoritatively, “You will listen to me and do as I and the counselors say while you are a camper here; in exchange…,” he pressed on with a grin, despite another wave of groans that erupted, “In exchange… I can promise you that you will have the time of your life!”  He smiled.  “Many of you are returning campers, so you already know what to expect.  But there will be some new surprises even for the veterans here.  In fact, I can give you a sneak peak right now.”  He nodded over at one of the counselors wearing the familiar Kelly green camp vest with the yellow patch on it as the young blonde in her twenties pressed a button and a white screen mounted onto a nearby wall began to play a short video clip of a new activity installed just in time for the present season.  A round of “oohs” and “aahs” instantly replaced the previous groans as the newly-arrived campers saw footage of several girls wearing hardhats and outfits that looked like a telephone repairman’s uniform.  “Yes,” Winters confirmed amidst the sound of excited shrieks.  “We just installed a new zip line adventure for our campers this year, and everyone will get a chance to try it out!” 

The room broke out into applause, with most of the campers high-fiving each other and talking animatedly at once as the director allowed a few seconds for it to sink in.  Eventually, though, he had to resort to the whistle once more to be noticed over the din.  “Okay,” he said at last, speaking loudly to make sure he was heard.  “Just a few more things and then we’ll break up in preparation for your move into your appointed cabins.”  He glanced down at the paper on his clipboard for reference before advising, “Dinner will start at 5:30 p.m. sharp.  Your cabin will contain information regarding where your seating assignment is located here in the dining hall.  You will be assigned a table designated by a letter painted on the floor next to each row of tables.  Where you sit at the table is up to you, but I encourage all of you to mingle with the other campers to get to know each other better.  There is also a list of elective activities the camp will be conducting throughout your stay; you will need to sign up for what you are interested in out in the lobby – there are sheets for each day’s activities located on the bulletin board there.  There will also be NO use of either computers or cell phones during your stay; there will a cabin inspection first thing tomorrow morning to make sure this rule is being adhered to – if you are found in violation of this rule, your equipment will be confiscated until the end of the camp.  Lights are out at 9:30 – NO exceptions!” he advised them as a collective groan of disbelief erupted in response; he wasn’t surprised, though – he always received that reaction during orientation, but he also knew by the time all the girls participated in their chosen activities during the day, when 9:30 rolled around they were more than ready to hit the sack after being exhausted from their exertion. 

“One more thing and then we will be breaking up into groups.  There is a packet of information for each of you on your assigned bunk with your camp vest underneath it – make sure you are wearing both the vest and your name badge at all times!  It not only helps us to get to know you better, but it also identifies you as a participant!” 

He looked over at the dozen counselors lined up against the far wall near the double exit doors that led out back to the several cabins ringing the main reception hall; they were spaced approximately 10 feet apart from each other, standing underneath a sign containing a series of alphabet letters.  “Okay… Now if you will look over at the far wall at our camp counselors, they are each standing under a sign with a range of letters representing your last names.   When I call your table number, you will walk over to the appropriate counselor who will give you your cabin number.  The cabin number is located to the right of each door.  You will have until dinner to rest up and take a short hike to acquaint yourself with the camp; do NOT, however, leave the perimeter on your own!  You will have plenty of time for exploring tomorrow when activities begin!  Are there any questions, ladies?”

Blissfully, the girls remained uncharacteristically silent, although he knew that would be short-lived.  “Very well, then,” he said with a more normal tone of voice as he nodded.   He glanced down at his clipboard and checked off the first group.  Peering out over at the table located in the far right corner, he pointed at them before stating, “Table No. 1!  Back there!  You’re first!”

As the initial group of ten girls began to walk over to their appointed camp counselor, Katie sighed.  She wondered, not for the first time, exactly what she was doing here.  She mainly was doing it for her father’s sake; he seemed more enthusiastic about it than she was, although she knew there would be some sports activities that she enjoyed.  And she did enjoy the outdoors – hiking, camping, and just finding that one perfect vista to extract a new drawing idea from.  And she adored animals – all kinds, but especially cats and horses.  She never could get her father to agree to let her have her own cat – saying they were always smelly, hairy, and always under foot – but she had been able to convince him to purchase a couple of horses so they could ride together around the back of their property at Britin.  The woods and meadows behind the house were now full of dirt trails where she and her father had ridden side by side through them time and time again, and she loved the feel of freedom it gave her.  She wasn’t always the most coordinated sports player in the world when she played soccer, basketball, or volleyball – but when she sat upon her horse at home, she exuded an unexpected air of grace, almost like she was floating on the horse’s back.  And during her rides with her father, it often gave her a chance to talk to him about her hopes, fears, and dreams.  Her most fervent wish, however, remained mainly unknown to her father, however, because she wasn’t certain how he would react to it.  Her most desired wish, however implausible it may be, was that one day she and both of her fathers would be together again as one, big happy family.  She knew it was probably never going to happen, but it didn’t prevent her from wishing it were so.

“Hey!”  She turned her head as a redheaded girl yelled at her impatiently, her hands on her hips as she stood next to her at their table; the space was so narrow in between each wooden table that the other girl was unable to move until Katie did.  “They called our number!  Get your ass in gear, Blondie!”

Katie rolled her eyes as she picked up her luggage located immediately behind her and slowly scooted out from the table to follow the other girls who were several feet ahead of her, hoping that this nasty girl following wouldn’t wind up being her roommate.  It was going to be a long two weeks…

A few minutes later, she had managed to locate her cabin.  Except for the number carved into a wooden plaque to the left of the door, it looked like every other cabin surrounding it – a small, square, log-hewn structure with a single door in the middle, set off by two identical, rectangular-shaped windows on either side.  As she opened the door and peeked in, she noticed two twin-size bunk beds on opposite sides of each other, with matching, side-by-side pine dressers located on the far wall; an oval mirror hung above each one, allowing some reflection from the sunlight streaming in through the two windows that were adorned simply with translucent, ivory-colored curtains.  She sighed, feeling unexpectedly scared a little now that she was on her own as she walked over and saw a white folder lying on the bed to her left with her name written on the front; one of the camp’s green vests was lying neatly folded underneath.  What am I doing here? she couldn’t help wondering.  Sitting down next to the folder, she glanced in distaste at the tacky bedspread on her bed depicting a wooded scene complete with bears and pine trees as she heard a commotion at the doorway. 

“Hey,” a female voice called out from the doorway; she turned to observe a slender, dark-haired girl with wire-rim glasses lugging a large, navy-blue wheeled piece of luggage into the room.  The girl, of average height and weight, promptly plopped down on the bed with an “oomph!” as she released her grip on the luggage handle and the suitcase quickly fell over from its top-heavy weight onto the floor between the two beds.  “This mattress feels even worse than last year,” she commented dryly as she placed her own pillow down at the head of the bed and fluffed it up a little.

As if she was just now noticing Katie for the first time, she turned to focus her attention on her blonde roommate.  She pinched part of her shirt near her pinned-on name badge to highlight her name as she said brightly, “I’m Christina.  At least that’s what my name badge says,” she joked with a smile.  “And you are…” She squinted her eyes to try and make out the name of her roommate’s badge.  “Katie, huh.  First time here, Roomie?” 

Katie stared at her bunkmate curiously; she certainly seemed comfortable here.  Apparently this girl must have been here before.  She nodded her head in response to her question.  “Yeah,” she responded.  “You’ve done this before?”

Christina smirked as she leaned back on the bed with her hands.  “Are you kidding?  This is my third time!  I think my parents look forward to it more than I do!  They get a couple weeks away from me and I get to pretend I’m the greatest tennis player since Serena Williams!”

Katie had to smile at the other girl’s carefree personality.  “So you like it here?”

The dark-haired girl shrugged her shoulders.  “It’s okay,” she said.  “Most of the girls here are pretty nice.  You always get a few with their noses up in the air who think they’re more superior to everyone else.  I just wait until we have the tug of war game or we go canoeing and then they either wind up in a mud pit or spitting up water after their canoe springs an unfortunate leak.  That always brings them down a notch.”

Katie’s eyes widened in shock.  “You mean...?”

Christina smiled.  “I’m a lot stronger than I look – after playing tennis for so long it gives you a lot of upper-arm strength.”  She eyed the other girl intently.  “So what are you doing here?” 

Katie sighed as she looked at her roommate.  “My father read about this place and thought it might do me some good to get out and enjoy some fresh air.” 

“Yeah… Sounds like the typical parent,” Christina agreed.  “Well, unless you become seriously ill or pitch a hissy fit, you’re stuck here for the next two weeks; they do a bed check every night to make sure everyone’s accounted for.”  She shook her head.  “Believe me, Periwinkle was right when he said he was going to be our mother and our father for two weeks; he’s worse than they are.”

Katie giggled.  “Periwinkle?”

Christina grinned.  “Yeah… That’s my nickname for him.  Sometimes I call him that and act like I’m just confused about his name, but I’m not; the dork just reminds me of a Periwinkle.”  She nodded her head at Katie’s sketchbook which was lying next to the head of her bed.  “What’s that?”

Katie followed her gaze to see what she was looking at before she responded, “It’s my sketchbook.  I like to draw in my spare time; I’d like to be a professional artist one day,” she said, unable to keep the sparkle in her eyes at the thought.  She couldn’t think of anything better than being able to make a living at something she enjoyed doing so much.

“Drawing , huh?  Can I see?”

Katie hesitated for a moment, unexpectedly shy about having a stranger appraise her work, before she finally reached over and handed the sketchpad to Christina. 

Her new friend flipped the spiral-bound pad open and studied the contents inside; Katie had drawn several landscapes of Britin, along with candid shots of Debbie at the diner, her father’s friend Emmet, who constantly entertained her with jokes and colorful stories, her stepbrother Gus, who she saw from time to time when he came home from Canada to visit, and her grandmother Jen, along with drawings of their horses at home.  She watched a little anxiously as Christina slowly leafed through the pad and examined what she had done.

“Shit!  These are really good!” the girl exclaimed as she looked over at Katie, who beamed with both pleasure and relief.  “They’re very realistic.  Are these your horses? ” she asked as she stared down at the two majestic-looking animals drawn in a relaxed repose in a meadow surrounded by pine trees.

Katie nodded.  “Yeah… My father and I like to ride them around the grounds back home.”

“The grounds?” Christina repeated with a blueblood-type accent.  “Where do you live – in a mansion?”

Katie found herself too embarrassed to admit that that was precisely how she would describe Britin; she had often thought that it was way too big for just the two of them.  She never did understand why she and her father lived in such a gigantic house, or what had made her father ever consider buying such a monstrous structure.  It was old and beautiful, she supposed, but much too big for just her and her father.  She had asked her Grandma Jen once about why her father had bought such a big house away from the city, receiving a rather cryptic explanation that he had bought it when both of her fathers were still together, but other than that her grandmother had been oddly hesitant to explain any further, merely replying that it was a personal matter.  She suspected, then, that it was a painful subject for some reason and that there was a whole lot more to it than that, but she had chosen not to press either her grandmother or father about it, at least for the time being. 

“No,” she found herself saying, not wanting to suggest that she lived much more affluently than most.  “We just have some land around it, that’s all, so we can ride.”  She noticed that her new friend seemed to accept that explanation as she came to the last sketch in her book and her breath caught just a bit as she watched the brunette gazing at the drawing of her father.

“Who’s this?” Christina asked her as she raised her eyes to look over at her curiously.  “He’s very handsome.”  She looked at Katie’s face intently.  “He looks like you; this must be your father.”

Katie’s face flushed at the realization that someone could identify who her father was by her drawing; they did resemble each other.  She had noticed that readily when she had found the photo of him and her other father in the library that day.  It was heartening, though, to know that she could draw him realistically enough that a total stranger would be able to make the connection between the two of them.  She nodded her head and simply told her, “Yes, it is,” not willing to really delve into her unusual family situation. 

Christina nodded as she slowly closed the sketchpad and handed it back to Katie.  “You’re really talented,” she told the other girl as she scrunched up her nose.  “I can’t even draw a stick figure.”

Katie laughed.  “Thanks,” she responded softly as she gently placed the pad back down on her bed and looked over at her bunkmate; she was relieved that at least this girl seemed nice enough.  “So you come here to play tennis?”

Christina nodded.  “Yeah for the most part… I’m on the tennis club at school; pretty good at it, too.  But I also like the hiking they have here as well as the swimming and canoeing.”  She indicated the sketchpad lying on Katie’s pad.  “I guess you’re mainly here for the art classes, then?”

Katie nodded.  “I guess… I’ve never used acrylics before and I know they offer that here.  But I’m also on the soccer and swim teams at school, so I guess I’ll give those a try, too.” 

“Ah… an artist and an athlete.  Well, I’m glad we’re roomies, then; you’ll come in handy with the team activities.  Why don’t I show you around the camp for a while?  We’ve got an hour before they serve us dinner... Or at least what they try to fool us into thinking is dinner.”

Katie wrinkled her nose.  “Is it that bad?”

Christina grinned as the two girls rose from their beds and walked over toward the still-open door.  “Well, just be glad you have me for a roommate,” the girl told her as they walked outside.  “Because I’m going to tell you how to avoid food poisoning.”

Same Time

Kaylee swept her long, thick hair out from under the bright green, sleeveless vest she was being instructed to wear, crinkling her nose up in distaste as she looked at her reflection in the compact mirror she held in her hand.  The garish-looking vest did nothing to compliment the tie-dyed short sleeve tee shirt she was wearing with her jeans, and it just made her fair complexion look paler than ever.  She threw her compact down in disgust next to her on the bunk, watching it bounce lightly in response against the firm mattress.  “Pathetic,” she murmured, suddenly missing both her soft, queen-size bed at home as well as her own room.  She nervously bit on her thumbnail, wondering who she would wind up bunking with.  Except for overnight slumber parties with her friends, or occasional sleepovers with her Grandma Jen, she had never spent a night away from home anywhere, especially in a room with a total stranger.  Would she wind up with someone she couldn’t stand and have to live with them for fourteen days?  She supposed if things got too awful, she could insist the camp let her call home and her father would come and pick her up.  But that would make her seem like a baby, and she was no little kid; she was almost a teenager!  No, whatever befell her, she would have to deal with it somehow.  At least there would be enough activities during the day that if she did wind up detesting her roommate she would only have to put up with her at night and during meals. 

She caught a movement out of the corner of her eye and looked up nervously as a tall, muscular-looking light-brown haired girl came and stood in the doorway to stare at her curiously.  She watched as the girl swaggered into the room and walked up to face her.  “I want that bed,” she said curtly in a deep voice as she threw her wheeled luggage onto the mattress Kaylee was sitting on and she jumped in response.  “You go over there.”

“But… But my folder was on this bed…”

“So?” the other girl countered.  She picked up Kaylee’s folder and  threw it onto the opposite mattress as she snickered, “Now it’s over there.  MOVE.” 

Kaylee swallowed a nervous lump in her throat, forcing the tears back; she was not going to start crying like a little sissy, even though she was missing her father, her home, and her cats at home terribly.  This was not what she had envisioned when her father had talked her into coming here.  The room smelled like Pinesol and lacked air conditioning, which meant she would be sweating profusely before too long; worst of all, she was going to have to endure staying in a room with a potential bully on top of it.  She wordlessly rose from her bed and walked over to sit down on the opposite bunk as the other girl promptly snatched her own folder and vest from her assigned bed and sat down on the other bunk Kaylee had initially occupied.

“Can’t they come up with better camp vests then these again?” the girl complained as she picked up her vest from the other mattress with two fingers as if it were a dead animal.  She gazed around the 8 X 10 room that was primitively decorated with a couple of dime-store landscape scenes of a waterfall and trees; two matching wooden dressers were the only other pieces of furniture in the room besides the two twin-size beds pushed up against opposite walls.  “Haven’t they ever heard of changing the room décor around here?” 

She glanced over at Kaylee’s dresser, observing a small makeup case lying on top.  The girl, who was apparently named Sandra from the name badge she reluctantly attached to her vest, snorted.  “Afraid you’re not going to be pretty enough when we all get down and dirty tomorrow, Princess?” She eyed Kaylee intently, raking her gaze from the girl’s thick, flowing blond hair and smooth, pale skin down to the designer clothes she was wearing.  “Well, we’ll just see how good you look after the tug of war competition tomorrow.  At least you’ll get a mud bath out of it,” she added with a laugh as she stood up, apparently with the intention of leaving to Kaylee’s great relief.  “Break a leg, doll-face,” she chortled as she walked out of the cabin. 

Once she was gone, Kaylee finally allowed the tears to fall as she covered her face with her hands as she sat on the edge of the bed.  “I want to go home,” she whispered to herself, feeling decidedly homesick for the comforts she had surrendered.  Lying down on her bed, exhaustion and the excitement of the day finally overwhelmed her as her blue eyes closed and she fell into a fitful sleep.

Same Day - Early Evening – Chicago

“More wine?” Alex called from his loft’s kitchen. 

Justin stood at the tall windows of the other man’s residence, mesmerized by all the lights of downtown Chicago winking back at him.  No matter how many times he looked at the nighttime skyline of the Windy City, he would never grow tired of it.  There seemed to literally be thousands of twinkling stars splayed out below him.  Of course, with Alex living on the 24th floor of his apartment building – a former hi-rise hotel that had been converted to apartments a few years ago – the view was always spectacular.  But as he stood there, he wasn’t really concentrating on the view below him.  He was more concerned with his daughter and how she was doing. 

He knew Kaylee had been hesitant about going to the camp, but he had eventually talked her into it.  It would be the first time he and his daughter had been separated from each other for any length of time since she had been born and he couldn’t help worrying about her.  Before now, any time away from each other had consisted of either a sleepover with one of her school friends, or an occasional weekend visit with his mother.  She had never been out of his sight for this long, though, and he found himself inexplicably concerned for her.  After all, she was still a young girl; to him, she would always be his baby, always vulnerable and always needing his protection.  Sometimes he thought she was so obsessed with makeup and fashion because she felt like she could put on a different face from who she really was and escape into some sort of illusionary world.  It wasn’t that his daughter was unhappy or by any means unattractive – she was absolutely beautiful, even if he was partial – but it was almost as if she needed to escape occasionally into some sort of make-believe world of what could-have-been.  Was it because she had been brought up not knowing who her other father was?  Was it because she had never really had a mother full-time to help her grow into a young woman?  As he stood there, oblivious to everything and everyone around him, he fervently hoped that his daughter would have a good time at camp. Because above all, he placed her happiness above his, and it was the most important way he could validate his place in life, even above his success with his art.

God knows he hadn’t been around for his other daughter to make sure SHE was happy, though; that fact would haunt him forever.  The only thing that comforted him was that even though he couldn’t be with his other daughter, he had faith that Brian was ensuring that Katie was growing up happy, at least as happy as she could be with just one father to raise her.  Did she ever think about him, though?  Did she ever wonder where her passion for drawing came from?  He liked to think she had gotten that love of art from him, but would he ever have the chance to see her and share that passion with her?  Would he ever get the chance to tell her that he loved her – had never stopped loving her – ever since the day she had been born?  He sighed sorrowfully as he held his wine glass in his hand and he hugged his arms around his chest.  Even now, after all these years, he continued to have second thoughts about what he and Brian had done, about the painful decisions they had been forced to make.  Would he have done things differently if he had been given the chance? Perhaps.  But what differences did it make NOW? he thought scornfully.  It’s too late… Eight years – in a month, it would be exactly eight years since he and Brian had last seen each other.  Where had the time gone?  And why did his heart still beat faster when he merely thought of Brian’s name?  More importantly, why was he still in love with a memory?

He jumped slightly as he felt a pair of arms encircle him from behind and slide around his waist; he had been so preoccupied he hadn’t even heard the other man’s approach.  He felt Alex place his chin to rest on top of his head, just like someone else used to do… He closed his eyes as the memories washed over him.  So many times – so many occasions when Brian had done this exact same thing with him.  But he knew the feelings, the emotions he had felt by that simple action would never feel the same with anyone else.

“You didn’t hear a word I said, did you?” the dark-haired man whispered above him.  Alex slowly loosened his hold to turn Justin around, his dark-blue eyes staring inquisitively into Justin’s as if he were trying to read his mind.

Justin smiled apologetically.  “Sorry.  I was thinking about Kaylee.”  He didn’t even consider mentioning the other person he had been thinking about; Alex knew Justin had been involved with someone for several years prior to their meeting, but Justin had chosen not to go into a lot of details regarding Brian.  He knew it made Alex inordinately curious about this other man who had played such an important role in his life, and it also made the other man jealous.  But Justin for whatever reason chose to guard the details of his and Brian’s relationship close to the vest – and close to his heart, the feelings even after all this time still raw and too painful to discuss openly with his current boyfriend.  He peered into the other man’s eyes to explain, “This is the first time she’s been away from me for more than a couple of days.”

Alex gazed down into the beautiful, pale face; from the first moment he had set eyes on the artist who had created the new murals for the downtown exposition center a few years ago, he had been absolutely smitten.  Not only was Justin attractive with his golden hair, blue eyes, and pale skin – not to mention his other physical attributes he was to discover more intimately later – he was passionate about his work, intelligent, and had a wicked sense of humor.  The two had been introduced to each other by the CEO of the center and Alex’s heart had been lost immediately.  Justin had agreed to meet him for dinner the next night to discuss final plans for the design of the new exposition center being constructed and their initial friendship had slowly evolved into a deeper relationship over the years to where they now saw each other exclusively.  It was a comfortable, compatible relationship that Alex had been looking for and he enjoyed it immensely.  He even admired Justin for his devotion to his daughter, and he knew any future with Justin had to include her as well.  It wasn’t the ideal arrangement for him – he had never really envisioned being a stepfather to another man’s child – but he supposed Kaylee was a decent kid and if it meant he could be with Justin, who he had fallen hopelessly in love with soon after they met – he was resigned to at least being polite around her for the sake of being with the man he was currently holding in his arms.

“I’m sure she’s fine, Justin,” he told his companion with a reassuring smile.  “As long as they have makeup and fashion classes there, she'll be happy.”

“She’s not some airhead, Alex,” Justin countered defensively, finding himself a little miffed at the other man’s insinuation.  “She’s on the cheerleading squad at school, for instance; that takes a lot of coordination and skill nowadays – it’s not some popularity club anymore.  And don’t forget – she makes excellent grades in school and wants to be a vet when she goes to college.”  Kaylee had two cats back at their loft; she had taken instantly to animals when she was younger, dragging Justin to the zoo every chance she got, and she had persuaded him a few years ago to adopt two kittens from the local animal shelter that she loved ferociously.  Truth be told, Justin hadn’t put up much of a fight when she had suggested the kittens – if it hadn’t been for Brian’s adamant refusal to ever let anything with fur into the loft (with the exception of fur-lined handcuffs), he would have had at least one cat well before now, so she didn’t have to really twist his arm to bring pets into their home.  Now he couldn’t imagine life without Picasso and Dali as part of their family.

Sighing, Alex let go of Justin and brushed one long-fingered hand through his hair.  “I didn’t mean anything by that, Justin,” he told the blond in a soothing tone of voice.  “I was just joking; I know she’s a very intelligent young lady.”  He shook his head as he placed his hands on Justin’s shoulders.  “I’m just trying to get you to lighten up, Dad,” he teased softly.  “She’ll be fine – you said the camp had a great reputation and has never had any safety violations since it had begun operations twenty years ago.  She’ll have a great time, you’ll see!  You said you went to the same camp when you were around her age and enjoyed it.”  That was at least one thing Justin had volunteered about his past life. 

Justin peered up into Alex’s eyes contritely, realizing that Alex was only trying to take his mind off his daughter.  “I’m sorry… I know you didn’t mean anything by that.  I know I’m being silly, but I can’t help it.  That’s what Dads do,” he explained with a small smile of explanation.  “I can’t get her out of my mind.”

“Well, maybe I can help get your mind on something else.”

Justin’s eyes narrowed in puzzlement.  “What do you mean?”

Alex smiled as he slowly stroked Justin’s biceps.  “Well, since your daughter will be gone for the next couple of weeks, I thought we could take advantage of that.  I took this week off.”

“You did?”

Alex nodded.  “Yeah… I thought we could go away at least for this week, just the two of us.  What do you say?”

Justin frowned.  “Where?” 

“How about Canada?”

“Canada?”

Alex smiled.  “Yeah… Windsor.  You always wanted to see the art gallery there.  We can take the firm’s jet up there and see the sights.  There’s also the casino – we can try our luck there at the slots at night and explore the town during the day.”  His voice softened as he gazed into Justin’s eyes.  “This is the perfect chance for us to get to know each other better and be alone for a while, Justin,” he whispered persuasively.  “We might not have this chance again for a long time, what with our jobs and you taking care of Kaylee.  It’s too good an opportunity to pass up.  What do you say?”

Justin bit his lip in indecision.  He knew communication with his daughter would be limited while she was at camp, and he would have his cell phone in case of any emergencies.  He supposed it would be a good opportunity, then, to get away for a few days with Alex; one advantage of being an artist was the ability to have a flexible schedule, so that wouldn’t be a problem.  So why was he feeling less than enthusiastic about the idea?  He really did like Alex – the man was intelligent, driven, and responsible and treated him well.  He even accommodated Justin’s schedule when it came to his daughter, understanding that she had to come first.  So what was the problem?  Perhaps it was because there wasn’t a lot of anticipation that emerged from the idea of being alone for a week with Alex – it would be nice, predictable, and comfortable.  Sort of like an old, well-worn shoe, he thought dryly.  Was he expecting too much, though?  After the fire and passion he and Brian had shared, would any other subsequent relationship ever compare?  Was he being fair to Alex, comparing him to Brian?  Was it realistic to expect to feel that mind-shattering feeling again with any other man?  As he stared up into the familiar eyes of his lover, he decided he at least owed Alex a chance.  He nodded.  “Okay… Sounds good.”

Alex beamed at him in pleasure.  “That’s great!” he exclaimed as he leaned down and placed a brief kiss on Justin’s lips.  He broke off their embrace to walk over toward the kitchen counter where his cell phone was located.  Taking a quick sip from the wine goblet he had left next to it, he told Justin, “I’ll give Rob a call and let him know I’ll need the jet for this week.” 

Justin nodded as he, too, took a sip of wine and stared pensively once more down at the twinkling lights of downtown Chicago far below.  He could hear Alex speaking animatedly to his other firm’s partner about their plans as he found himself thinking back several years ago to another loft he had known well; one that looked out upon the streets of Pittsburgh below.  One that had held a special place in his heart for so long – that still did even now.  Sighing in resignation, he finally returned to the present as he turned and walked over to Alex, who smiled at him as he continued to talk on the phone.  For better or worse, this was his world now – it was time he accepted that.

Next Morning – Camp Pineland – 7:00 a.m.

The shrill sound of a whistle split the silence of the early-morning hour as Kaylee bolted upright in the bed at the noise.  For a few seconds, she was disoriented as she gained her bearings.  As she looked over at Sandra’s form huddled under her bedspread on the other bed, however, the reality of where she was hit her and she fell back onto the bed and softly sighed. 

After waking up from her short nap yesterday afternoon, she had proceeded to the dining hall and had managed to fortunately strike up a conversation with another girl sitting next to her.  Unlike the bully she was being forced to room with, this girl, who she discovered was named Brittany, was pleasant and friendly; at least that helped make her evening more bearable as she found herself taking a small tour of the grounds with her after dinner until it was close to bedtime.  By the time she had returned to her cabin, she discovered to her enormous relief that the other girl was miraculously already asleep. 

Now, as she lay there, she wondered if Sandra would ever emit another word to her; if she didn’t, though, that would actually be all right with her.  She had decided she would try as hard as she could to simply stay out of her way and leave her alone; hopefully the other girl would merely ignore her for the rest of the time and she could occupy herself with the camp’s activities during the day. 

She heard Sandra stirring in her sleep as the bedcover rustled.  She stole a quick glance over to her left, noticing her bunkmate flinging the covers aside.  She closed her eyes and lay still, hoping the other girl would think she was still asleep.  She could hear the other girl pulling out a dresser drawer and putting her clothes on, cursing under her breath about having to wear that “fucking, butt-ugly” vest again.  A few minutes later, she could hear the thud of shoes on the floor.  She heard the other girl walking over to the door to open it and was about to breathe a sigh of relief when she heard her growl, “Better get your lazy ass out of bed, Sleeping Beauty, I’m not getting a demerit for our cabin because of YOU being late!  Get up!” 

Kaylee gulped down a nervous lump in her throat as she slowly raised her upper body in the bed to see the other girl glaring back at her, hands on hips.  Sandra huffed in aggravation and stared at her for a few seconds before she was convinced Kaylee was getting out of bed and finally turned to open the door and stomped out. 

Kaylee groaned, wondering what she could do to get a new roommate.  The thought of living with this ogre of a girl for the rest of camp was weighing greatly on her mind.  Knowing she had to hurry, though to make it in time for breakfast, she quickly got out of bed and found her clothes to wear, frowning at the wrinkles in her linen shirt that had been folded in the top drawer.  Growling about the lack of hangers and no iron in the cabin, she grudgingly put on her green camp vest and Abercrombie and Fitch jeans and hurried to slide her feet into her new, white sneakers.  Quickly applying some lip gloss from a tube on top of the dresser, she pushed a brush through her hair to try and smooth it down before, huffing in disgust at the lack of proper grooming facilities, she rushed out of the cabin for breakfast.

Two Hours Later

“Listen up, girls!”  Perry Winters blew on his silver whistle and clapped his hands to get the campers’ attention from his place on the wooden performance stage; the camp volunteers were gathered to either side of him on the ground below, ready to lead their groups in the day’s events.  The raised platform, surrounded by curved wooden benches, was used for acting classes as well as the closing ceremonies at the end of camp.  It also served as the coordinating point for the start of each morning’s activities as it was being used today. 

“I have the list of today’s activities in my hand,” he announced to the girls.  “Earlier this morning after breakfast you all had a chance to sign up for what interests you the most; we will be breaking up shortly into groups based on what you signed up for.  But first, we like to begin the first full day of activities with a little team-building exercise.”  He smiled at the girls mysteriously as he instructed, “I would like for you to all line up with your assigned volunteer from last night.  Your leader will be taking you to the location of this exercise.  When I blow my whistle, then, I want each row to break up into your assigned groups, starting with the first row to my left here.”

He blew a single, short toot on the whistle as all the rows of girls stood up and the first group moved to join the volunteer that they had first encountered last night when they had been given their cabin assignments.  It took approximately ten minutes before each row was disbursed to join their respective group. 

Katie followed along with her bunkmate, Christina, a few minutes later as they trudged along a dirt path around the outskirts of the cabins and the dining hall; it led them toward the lake’s perimeter and then wound back into a heavily-wooded area.  The level pathway, only wide enough to walk single file, finally emerged into an unexpectedly large clearing ringed with pine trees.  As the girls in Katie’s group came to a stop, they gazed curiously at a structure in the center of the clearing:  it was a similar to a wooden plank bridge, only it had the center planks missing.  Below the structure was a shallow pool of water.

The girls, who had been animatedly talking during their short walk, grew quiet as they wondered what they were about to participate in.  Their counselor, a tall red-head female with green eyes and freckles, smiled at them.  “We’re waiting for the other group to get here before we start.  I’ll explain to both groups what we’ll be doing once they arrive.”

Several seconds later, the second collection of girls arrived, speaking excitedly as they emerged into the clearing; Katie found herself standing behind Christina and two other taller girls and strained to look over their heads at the other group but from her vantage point she was unable to see anything but legs and arms. 

“Listen up, Ladies!” she heard her volunteer leader, a woman in her twenties named Laura, call out to both groups.  “We’re going to see which group can work best together!  This is not only going to involve teamwork but also strategy!”  Katie noticed the redheaded woman walking up onto one side of the bridge, grasping the largest rope in her hand that she had ever seen and she groaned; this must be the infamous tug of war game Christina had mentioned to her yesterday.  As if she had read her mind, her bunkmate leaned over and whispered, “Here it comes – hope you like mud!” 

Katie winced; no, she could handle dirt or sand when she played sports, but she detested anything gooey or slimy, including Jello, cottage cheese, and raw chicken, but mud had to be at the top of her list.  “Do we have to do this?” she implored softly to her friend.

“You want to look like a wimp?” Christina shot back.  “Trust me – it’s better to just take your lumps.  Maybe we’ll get lucky and actually win; then you won’t wind up in the mud hole,” she added encouragingly, trying to be optimistic but having a hard time as she glanced over at some of the chunky-looking opponents standing several feet away from them.  Her eyes widened as she spied a petite girl with long blonde hair looking out of place among the larger campers; she glanced from the girl back at Katie and opened her mouth to say something before she was interrupted by their volunteer camp counselor’s instructions to line up on either side of the bridge and appoint a leader for their first activity. 

The two groups each chose who they hoped was the strongest and tallest of their group to lead the charge for their side as the campers walked, single-file, up to either side of the bridge.  The other camp counselor – a muscular-looking, dark-haired man with a small mustache – deftly tossed one end of the thick, braided rope over to the opposite side of the bridge as a burly-looking, short-haired blonde by the name of Emily, the appointed leader of Kaylee’s group, smirked at their opponents on the other end.  “Get ready to take a fall, losers!” she shouted over to the other girls. 

“We’ll see about that!” Katie’s leader, a tall, sturdy-looking blond named Jessica, yelled back.  “Ready, girls?” Jessica shouted to her group as the rest of her side screamed in response.  “Plant your feet as far apart as possible,” she told them, having been through this exercise in previous years.  “and hold on tight when they start to pull!”

Laura, the camp volunteer, held the whistle in her hand and stood to the side of her group of girls.  “Get ready, everybody!” she shouted over the increasing din.  “The team with the last person still standing is the winner and gets to go swimming first!” she called out as an added incentive.  She glanced over at the other camp counselor to make sure his team was in place; as he nodded, she raised her whistle to her lips and gave it a loud blow; she stepped back a little farther as the girls on both groups immediately planted their feet firmly on the ground and began to tug with all their might to gain supremacy. 

From her position far back in the line, all Kaylee could see were the backs of the girls in front of her.  As their side of the rope lurched forward, she almost lost her balance and felt her back wrench from the struggle to stay upright.  She could hear the girls in front of her yelling to pull harder; she wrapped both hands tightly around the rope and felt it burn as it began to slip out of her grasp.  As she heard the sounds of campers shouting and the tell-tale, splashing sounds of the girls in front of her being thrown into the muddy water below, her hands felt like they were on fire as she tried valiantly to keep the rope from inching forward.  She felt the back and forth parrying between the two groups of girls as they gained some ground and then lost it, her hearing threatening to go deaf from the excited shrieks of the opposing groups trying to maintain control over their side of the rope.

Finally, her feet began to slide forward involuntarily as she felt herself being pulled closer and closer to the center point of the bridge; she knew it would be just a matter of time before she found herself in a big, muddy, gloppy mess below as she tried to prepare herself mentally for having not only her hair soaked in mud, but all of her favorite designer clothes as well, including her brand-new sneakers. 

“Hold on!” she heard a girl in front of her yell; she could still only see the backs of the girls in front of her as she tried without success to keep her feet planted on the ground.  An unexpectedly strong tug of the rope from the other side jolted her, however, and she once more found herself sliding closer and closer to the pit below.

“Don’t let go of the rope!” Christina yelled back at Katie.  “They’re getting tired - we’re winning!” she told her excitedly as she glanced back at her friend; she and Katie had wound up toward the end of the line, so at least they would be some of the last ones to fall in if they weren’t ultimately successful. 

“My hands are burning,” Katie shot back at her.  “I don’t think I can hold on much longer!”

“Yes, you can!” she admonished her.  “They’ve only got three girls left!  Pull harder!”  

“I’m trying!” she yelled back as the other campers continued to shout and grunt from their efforts.  “But I can’t get any traction!”  She knew it was inevitable that soon both she and Christina would wind up flat on their backs down in the muddy pit like two pigs writhing around in ecstasy, except she had a feeling she would not be enjoying it nearly as much as they would be. 

She watched as Christina’s feet slowly inched forward against her will and she slowly ticked off an estimation of how long it would take for them to reach the end of their side of the bridge.  “Brace yourself!” Christina yelled to her as she felt herself dangling precipitously close to the edge.  Katie winced as she watched her bunkmate hurdle into the murky water below with a distinctive splat and felt drops of muddy water splatter all over her face.  She blinked the droplets out of her eyes and slowly raised her face to confront her opponent who was standing a few feet away from her on the other side of the bridge.

Sandra, who was now in the front of the line, lifted her gaze to smirk at the mousy little girl peering back at her, knowing she was no match for her strength.  Her eyes widened somewhat in surprise, though, as she got a look at the other girl’s face.  “What the…?”  She quickly turned around to look at the other girl standing directly behind her and unknowingly loosened her hold on the rope, which allowed her smaller opponent just enough time to give it a yank.  Sandra’s eyes flew open as she felt her feet reach the edge of the bridge and felt nothing but air beneath her.  She let out a curse of fury just before her body hit the water below with an earth-shattering smack and she stood up sputtering in an attempt to get the mud out of her mouth and eyes. 

“Way to go, Roomie!” Christina yelled at her in glee from her place on the ground below; she had managed to escape from the muddy water just before Sandra unceremoniously fell into the same predicament she had just experienced.  “Way to go!”  She stuck her tongue out at Sandra, who glared at her in hatred as she struggled to get up. 

Katie risked a small smile at her friend; perhaps their fate wasn’t sealed after all – it was now down to just two girls on each side.  “Pull some more – you got this licked!” Christina encouraged her friend as other members of the two groups began to root for the remaining members of their team.  Katie nodded as she raised her eyes to look at the next girl who was her new adversary now that Sandra had been handily dispatched.  As she locked eyes with the blonde staring back at her however, her face paled in astonishment; except for the hair, she could have been looking at a mirror.  

All thoughts of winning their game instantly vanished as she let go completely of the rope and promptly fell into the muddy pit below.  A few seconds later, she barely escaped being hit by the force of the other girl also hurtling into the murky water with her.  At that moment, however, neither girl cared about their appearance or about some silly game of comeuppance, because they were too busy staring at each other, wondering if this was real or their imagination.