Page 91 of Give Me a Sign
We take our time walking down to the water. This path is so familiar now that I can anticipate every turn and sign without looking where I’m going.
Oliver and Ben are waiting for us at the fence. “Ethan gave us a heads-up this time that you all would be coming,” Oliver explains.
“So you can join the fun,” I say.
“But unfortunately, it can’t go too late,” Oliver says, frowning. “We’ve got an early train to catch tomorrow morning.”
“How early?” I ask.
“Like, five o’clock,” Ben says.
“Veryearly. Wow, is this the last time I’m going to see you?” I’m sad to see them go.
“Nope, because we’ll still be around,” Oliver says. “Traveling the States for a while before our international flight departs from Chicago. We’ll be back in the area in a month, and you should meet us for dinner.”
“Yes, that’s perfect! So you can tell me all about your trip. Even though I’m sure I’ll see it all on Instagram first.”
“Are you coming back next summer?” Oliver asks.
“I am—senior counselor!” I say. “Are you?”
“That’s the plan,” Oliver says. “For me, at least.”
Ben gives a noncommittal nod.
“What a relief! It seems like so many people aren’t coming back. I’m very glad you’ll be here again,” I say. Isaac is waiting for me near the water, so I wrap up my goodbyes for now. “I’ll catch you later before we call it a night!”
I rejoin Isaac, who leads us to the edge of the dock. “Scared this time?”
“Only a little,” I sign, thinking about the end of summer rather than about the physical short leap into the water, but happy to be holding tight to his hand all the same.
He leans forward and kisses the tip of my nose. Then we jump.
After I pop back up, Isaac and I wade over to the shallow area near the other counselors. It’s still too deep for me, so I bounce on my tiptoes to keep my face above the surface. Isaac reaches out to hold me afloat. Facing him, I rest my arms on his shoulders and wrap my legs around his waist.
An hour or two passes, and eventually it’s time to get back to the cabin. The rest of the counselors get ready to leave.
But Isaac doesn’t move to emerge from the lake yet. “I don’t want to go.”
“Same.”
“Why is it the last night of camp?”
I reach for his neck to draw him in for a kiss. One that hopefully conveys how glad I am to have him here and how much I never want to let him go.
“I’ll miss this,” I sign.
“Me too.”
Chapter Twenty-nine
It’s a chilly,overcast morning after breakfast, but everyone is making the most of the final hour before camper pickup. In the grassy area outside the cabins, kids are exchanging contact information, finishing up bracelets, and playing games in small groups. This might be the perfect time to finally pull Max aside to talk. Better late than never. But it’s more of a struggle than I expect, because he wants to run off and spend the rest of the remaining time with his friends.
“Max?” I shout, waving for his attention.
“What?” he asks, turning to face me, annoyed.
“So, Mom said you might be getting a cochlear implant?”
