Vacation

“You, though? Had enough of Paterville?”

Tom smiled. “No. It’s great.”

There was a loud, ear-piercing squeak from the loudspeakers.

Jack turned to see Ed Lowe standing at a podium.

“Hello … campers!”

Then, as if coached, the families answered Lowe:

“Hel-lo!”

“Hope you’ve had a great day at the camp today. Looks like even better weather tomorrow. Now, I don’t want you to keep you from that good camp food, but how about a Paterville welcome to our newcomers!”

“Hel-lo, newcomers!”

“Oh, you can do better than that!”

And they did.

Jack caught Christie looking at him, perhaps sensing his discomfort. Corny wasn’t quite the word for it.

Maybe vacations were supposed to be like this.

Jack grinned at Christie.

“And a quick reminder, tonight we have a bonfire down by the lakefront—and tomorrow is the big fireworks show!”

Lowe made a big wave at the tables, and a smile.

“Now back to your eats.”

Jack started to turn away—

When he saw Lowe’s assistant, Shana, come out from the side, holding papers. She looked at the crowd, no smiles from her.

Serious woman, Jack thought.

Tom leaned close from across the wooden table.

“Met Shana? She’s … something, hm?”

Jack kept watching Lowe and Shana. She handed Lowe the papers. He turned to her and then took a few steps away from the microphone, his back to the diners.

From the other side of the room, a burly man, tall with thick arms and an even thicker neck, came into the room carrying a heavy metal tray and brought it over to a serving area.

Jack turned back to Tom.

“Who’s that guy? Big fella.”

“That? He’s Dunphy. The cook. Or at least the main cook. Brings the food himself.”

Lowe noticed Dunphy and left Shana standing to the side while he walked over to the cook.

Jack was looking to see how things ran here, who was in charge. All the little gears that have to fall into place to make something like this work.

Finally, he turned back to the table.

He caught a look from Christie … probably thinking that he was ogling Lowe’s jill-of-all-trades.

Definitely some of that going on.

Jack smiled. Caught! Then went back to the meal. The stuff, whatever it was, got cold fast and now didn’t seem as appetizing.

Maybe I’ll be hungrier tomorrow, he thought. After a full day in the mountains.

*   *   *

The two couples walked out of the lodge together.

Jack and Tom walked together, Christie and Sharon close behind. Kate brought up the rear. Simon ran up to her, with the Blairs’ two boys in tow.

“Dad, Mom—we’re gonna play hide-and-seek down by the sports field. That okay?”

Jack looked at Christie.

“Um, I guess.”

Christie gave it her seal of approval.

“Yes. But stay close. No scouting around.”

Tom made a small laugh. “Don’t worry, Jack. They do a good job of keeping the kids where they’re supposed to be. We let our two just roam around till bedtime. Couldn’t be safer.”

“Okay, Simon. Come back to the lake for the bonfire before dark,” Jack said.

A quick nod, and his son vanished.

He looked back at Kate, who still didn’t seem to have embraced this place.

Hope she settles in.

“Jack—meet you down there?” Tom said.

Jack looked back at Christie talking with Sharon.

The Blairs seemed like nice enough people.

Why not, Jack thought. After all, this is a vacation.

Soon they were back at the cabins.

*   *   *

Simon did what Sam and Jim told him to. He folded his arms in front of him, and rested his head against a tree, eyes shut, and counted. But not a normal count.

One Mississippi … two Mississippi … three …

Never did that back home. Never played this game.

The other two kids hiding while he counted.

He reached twenty and lifted his head from the tree.

A bit of stickiness had attached itself to his arms when he put them against the tree.

Sap. That’s what it’s called, Simon knew.

He looked around for Sam and Jim.

In the time it took him to count, it seemed to have turned darker here. The tall trees blotted out the light from the sky. And though they had led Simon down to this area, telling him how great it was for hiding, now Simon couldn’t see where they had come from.

Where was the lake? The cabins? Which way … was the way back?

He wanted to call out to them.

Say: Where are you?

But that would be giving up the game. Being a baby. These were big kids. Be fun to play with them even though he was a full year younger.

Instead of shouting where are you?, he said: “Coming to find you guys!”

Simon took a step in one direction. The leaves and dry pine needles at his feet made a soft crunching sound. Another step.

Was he going back the way they had come, or to where they were hiding, or some other way?

Step … step … step …

He kept turning his head, looking for signs of movement. But all was still here in the woods.

*   *   *

Kate walked out of the back bedroom. “Dad, I’m going to walk down to the lake now.”

Jack looked up from a wall map of Paterville and the nearby mountains. A geological map showing elevation, trails risers, the peaks.

“That okay?” he said to Christie.

“Sure. Go on, Kate.”

His daughter smiled. Maybe the ice was melting. A good thing. “Back before dark, ’kay?”

“Will do, Dad.”

When she shut the door behind her, Christie turned to Jack.

“Guess we’re giving them both some room? Feels strange.”