by Rose St. Andrews
Joe was very happy in his life. Standing in the main rotunda of his camp, he looked out over his dominion. Granted, it wasn't much, merely a camp for teens, but it was all his. Well, his and the bank, but he was working on dissolving that partnership. That was the whole reason for this special weekend party: get more butts in the bunks. That was his biggest problem. It wasn't like the old days when his pop ran the place. Back then, kids enjoyed getting out in nature. These days, the teens were so wired into the internet and social media that two of them sitting next to each other would rather text each other than talk! He wasn't being facetious either; he'd literally seen it happen.
That was yet another reason for the special open house today. While his camp catered to teens, he'd told the local families it was okay to bring the little ones. Some of the camp counselors thought him mad, but there was method to that madness. First off, he was sowing the seeds of potential future campers. If the wee ones saw what a great place Camp Hideaway was, when they got old enough they'd ask to go there. On the other hand, their older siblings would see it as a sanctuary from their whiny demanding younger sibs.
So, while the counselors showed the parents and teens around, Joe got a break, and just sort of meandered among the picnic tables where the little kids were being kept and having what he called the 'Teddy Bears' Picnic'. He liked doing themed events, and so every table had several teddy bears. They had food and drinks, games and crafts, and could just run around and play. Joe smiled. This was a role he relished, being a father figure to children in need. Most of the little ones here seemed happy and well-adjusted, but there was one troublemaker who caught his eye. Actually, he'd noticed her before; she was cute as a button. Just a guess, but she looked no more than fourteen, unruly blonde hair, slender firm figure, barely five feet tall, and probably not more than a hundred pounds soaking wet. Her red and blue t-shirt seemed too big for her, and her khaki shorts were faded and dirty.
She was happily eating and drinking and playing with some of the teddies, but then she started acting silly and throwing sandwiches. He chewed his lip. It was time to step in to have a word. She grabbed a teddy, threw it in the air, and scampered off across the rotunda lawn. Joe gave chase, but kept his pace at a rapid walk as he didn't want to attract any attention. She was headed north toward the lake, passing the recreation center on her right, and he caught up to her near the end of the building. He was careful not to touch her. These days, what with law suits and parents worried about predators, he and the staff had to be very careful.
"Young lady, just a moment," he snapped.
She froze and slowly turned to face him. "Um, yeah... wha-what's up?"
"First off, you shouldn't go wandering off from the other children, especially not toward the lake. Second, cutting loose and acting silly is one thing, but you were wasting food, little girl! Didn't your parents ever teach you about cleaning your plate? Where... are...?"
His voice trailed off as he looked into her eyes. Now that he was close to her, she had the look of a girl of about fourteen, but there was something in her eyes that screamed more maturity. Well, no, not maturity. She was a child, but she was also clearly older than she appeared.
"I... um, is something wrong, fella?"
"Excuse me?"
The girl giggled. "Oh, there's no excuse for you."
"Why, what the-? Oh, little miss smart mouth, eh? Be glad I'm not your father; I've got the cure for that."
"What, a double dose of stupid pills? You sure you can spare some?"
"Huh, I was right about you. No way are you fourteen, no little girl could get as fresh as that in only fourteen years."
She smiled, did a sort of curtsy, and bounced around a bit. "Really, you thought I was that young? Why, thank you, Gramps, for that. I take back half the insults I was going to hurl at you."
"Only half?"
"I like to keep my options open. After all, we just met, and I don't know where this relationship is headed."
Joe grinned and nodded. "Yes, fresh, definitely very fresh. Who are you and where are your parents?"
"Trisha's the name, fun is my game, and as for the parents, I ain't got any. They kicked me to the curb years ago."
"What? No, that's wrong. You can't fool me. I've been around teens and children long enough to tell a lot about someone by just looking at them. I'm thinking you must be ... twenty?"
"Close, Gramps, twenty-one, but you win the prize for getting closest. How'd you know I wasn't a lot younger?"
"Your eyes. My pop always said they were the window to the soul, and yours is definitely not a child. Come on, come sit and eat, properly this time, and let's talk."
"Yeah, right, I've heard that one before. Sorry, ain't falling for it."
"What's to fall for?" he replied, gesturing toward the picnic tables. "We sit with the others and eat. It's pretty unambiguous."
Trisha was downright amazed. In the past, an offer of a meal always came with a string attached, and she knew right where that string led: the bedroom. That didn't seem to be the case with this guy, at least for the moment. "Ah, okay," she said slowly.
They headed back to the rotunda, sat, and ate. Trisha proceeded to have just about the best time of her life since... well, ever. She played with the children, who accepted her as one of them, and Joe (as she learned his name) was kind and non-threatening. While he happily chatted with her, which made her feel included in the festivities, he didn't hover. She found herself liking the old goat. One of the few things her parents taught her of actual value was how to read people. It was part of the reason she'd survived as well as she had. A key part to it was seeing how children and animals react to a person. It was kind of in line with Joe's saying about the eyes. If they were the window of the soul then animals and children were the judges. They could sense a man's inner worth. When it came to Joe, their judgment was clear: he was a good guy. They flocked to him as if he was Santa Claus and there were half a dozen scruffy mutts running around that treated him as the alpha of their pack.
"Where'd you get all these dogs?" she said.
"What, George, Paul, John and the rest? They're just strays I found out in the woods. They followed me home, I fed them, showed them a little love and kindness, and now they won't leave. Not that I mind, I rather like the company. When the camp is closed, it's just me out here, and cold nights can be lonely."
Trisha smiled. Yeah, a good guy, and now she felt kind of bad for being rather bratty towards him.
"So, ah, thanks for the grub, dude... I mean, Mr. K," she said.
"Now, now, just call me Joe, everyone does. Although, I got to say, I kind of like that, it's different."
"Um, okay. I want to be on my way, but I feel bad about just taking your food. Can I do something to pay for it?"
"You already have," he replied, looking around. "You were great with the kids, a natural, and I'm sure their parents appreciate it. So, where do you go from here?"
Trisha looked around. The rotunda was kind of centrally located. To the west were the cabins and entrance road. North was the lake, and east was the recreation center (the woods were beyond it). Just south of that was a large L-shaped building, the dining hall, offices and great hall. It made Trisha think of one of those ski lodges she'd seen in movies and on TV.
She pointed at the gap between the recreation center and main building. "See that opening there? I'll head through that and then just see where fate leads me."
"Wow, quite the free and open life. Also kind of lonely and dangerous. I could use someone like you around here. The season starts next week and I know a good counselor when I see one. You want a job?"
Her chest tightened and she licked her lips. "I don't know. What would the... arrangements be?" That was code for do I have to sleep with you to get and keep the job? She wondered if he'd pick up on that.
"Each cabin has a counselor stay with the kids. The extra staff bunk together in the recreation center, there are male and female dorm-style rooms there. My room is in the main building."
He then outlined her duties and pay, all of which she found acceptable, and she was impressed. He gave absolutely no hint of having designs on her, which both relieved and excited her. She accepted. The rest of the day was a pure delight for Trisha. She played with the younger children, hung out with the teens (who accepted her as one of their own, and she didn't tell them her true age), and then she helped clean up afterwards. It was exhausting, but exhilarating. She also got to meet Max, Annie, Phil, and all the rest of the staff. They showed her the rooms. Just as Joe had said: two large rooms with rows of bunk beds, and a large common room with a TV and play station to hang out in. She retrieved her backpack from the tree branch she'd hung it from for safe keeping, and laid claim to a nice top bunk. Later, sitting there by the window and watching TV, she spied Joe heading for the main building.
He didn't look happy.
Chewing her lip, she worried that he was still upset with her. So, feigning a trip to the perch (which she'd learned was what they called the bathroom), she snuck over to the big building, and slipped around to the door marked 'Office'. Lightly rapping on the door, she didn't wait for a response, she just barged in.
Joe jumped in his chair, clearly lost in thought. "Damn, girl, don't you have any manners?"
She cringed. "Oh. Sorry. I... um, no. Guess that's another thing on my 'To Do List'. My parents were never big on teaching me much of anything."
"Oh, it's okay," he said, waving her off. "I apologize for snapping at you. I'm just... I've got a lot on my plate right now."
"I kind of figured you were stressed. I saw you and knew you were upset. Is it me?"
His look instantly told her she was wrong. "Oh, Trisha, little one, you couldn't be more wrong. No, it's... wait, my worries are not your worries."
"Joe, you were nice to me and gave me a job. Let me return the favor. Come on, a trouble shared is a trouble halved. Maybe I can't help, but sometimes just talking about something helps."
He smiled. "You are something, girl. You know what, why not? Business has been bad the last couple years. Kids these days aren't into camping like they used to be."
"Not high-tech enough for them?"
"You got it," he replied with a nod. "I did this little open house sort of thing today in the hopes of signing up a lot more campers, and it didn't work out that way. Got a few, but not nearly enough to cover my debt."
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