Page 113 of Then Came the Fall
My face twists in confusion at what it could be.
Dad opens his paper bag and rifles through it. He produces a stack of marble notebooks and hands them to me. “I wrote to you,” he says. “Every month was a month closer to getting out of there, and I marked it by writing you a letter. They’re all here.” He gestures at the five notebooks. “It was supposed to be 180 letters, but I got out early.”
“Why didn’t you send them?” I ask, holding the stack to my chest.
“I was afraid you wouldn’t want to hear from me,” he replies.
I nod. The irony of how wrong he was hangs in the air around us. “Come see Auntie,” I say.
He smiles and follows me to the car, falling into an embrace with Lucy that hurts me to watch. Something dawns on me—catching me off guard entirely in its familiarity.
This is my family. Broken, bruised, and small as it may be, these are my people.
I’m not alone.
I think of Matt, Brett, and Leyla—and remember how often I felt like the Thompsons were the “right” kind of family.
I know better now.
An idea forms in the recesses of my mind.
Promise me,Mrs. Thompson had said,that you won’t leave when things get hard.
It took me two months to figure out how to keep that promise. But now, I know what I need to do.
Chapterthirty-six
2 Summers Later
“This is it,” I proclaim. “Opening Day. Can you believe it?”
Dottie pops her head up from the oven, twisting back to look at me. “Not even a little. I swear, if you had told me two years ago that we’d be up and running again—ever!—I would have said you were crazy.”
“It was a labor of love, that’s for sure.”
“Have another cup of coffee,” Dottie suggests. “You’ll need it. Pat always said the first day was the hardest.”
“I’m okay, actually. Pure adrenaline. Cake smells great, by the way,” I say.
A bubbly brunette skips over, slipping her arm around my shoulders. “I’m so excited! My first real day of my first real job. I just can’t believe it’shere.”
I give Mackenzie Brooks a warm smile. “You’re going to be an awesome junior counselor, kid.” I check my watch. “It’s time.” I blow into the metal whistle around my neck, two short blasts. “Hey, everyone? Can I have your attention, please?”
My staff, a group of almost 40 young people, along with Callie, Marilyn, and Dottie (who share the helm with me), all settle downover the clang of shifting plates and juice cups at our continental breakfast of bagels and cream cheese. They quiet to listen to my instructions.
“Good morning, and happy first day of camp, everyone!” I begin.
I’m met by an overwhelming swell of applause.
“I’m so excited for today, and even though I’m sure there will be hiccups, I want you all to know that I trust and believe in you. Just remember our most important rule: to make the kids feel like we do this all year. Make them feel like they’re just joining a family. Whether they’re here for a week or for the whole summer, they’re a part of this camp family now, and they’re trusting us to nurture them during their time here. Don’t forget to keep a special eye on the eight-weekers,” I add, winking at Mackenzie. “They need us most of all.”
I stop to blow out a breath. “Now, you all know your stations. Car line, office, beach, lice checks, program people, Marilyn’s Health Lodge crew,” I list. “You’ll all head to your locations in a minute or so. Gates open at nine sharp. Counselors, you guys can head to your cabins to check the kiddos in and help them get situated. Remember, you’re about to give these campers the best summer of their lives, so it’s good to be excited about it! And I’m here if you have any questions or need anything. Now, let’s go make some memories.”
The group cheers, then stand and clear their breakfast dishes before heading to their stations. Callie approaches me as I wipe down the counter. “You ready?” she asks.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I reply.
“Dad would be so proud of all this, Taylor. I hope you know that.”
