Camp Sutton Pt. 02

Time seemed to stretch and bend, the minutes melting into one another as we savored the views and each other's silent presence. There was no need to speak; the wind and the waves and the rocks spoke for us. I found myself lost in the distant calls of birds and the gentle lapping of the water against the boat's hull. Every stolen glance at Olive, every shared smile, created a memory that I knew would linger when I was in my bunk trying to get to sleep.

Reality eventually tugged at our idyllic 'date.' I glanced at my waterproof watch, a hint of regret tugging at me. If I was going to get anything done before grabbing the girls for lunch, it was time to call it, much as I could've stayed on that lake, my skin tanning and absorbing the vitamin D. I told her, "Olive, we need to get back.

Olive gave me a nod and a mock salute. "Yes, captain."

She chuckled and began to maneuver the oar to turn us around, back toward the shore and the dock. She turned the boat around, and together, we began our journey back to the shore. The return trip felt both too short and just long enough. Olive expertly brought the boat to a gentle stop by the wooden dock, and I once again enjoyed the view of her upper back and arms taking care of things.

Nearby footsteps against the wooden dock caught me off guard. It was Jackie, here to pick up her own kids who would soon be returning from sailing class on the lake. She nudged me with a finger and said, "Hey."

Tentatively, as Olive pulled in and put away the boat to ignore Jackie, I said, "Hey. Everything alright?"

"I just wanted to say sorry." Her eyes searched for the campers and we watched their boat begin returning to shore. "You were right. I've never even talked to her. I don't want the girls to think it's okay to leave someone out because of how they look."

It was a silly reason to be a decent person, but I accepted it. I called out, "Olive, come back!"

And she did, standing an appropriate distance apart from us both. Regardless of whether Jackie was ready to make nice, we definitely weren't ready to reveal our secret trysts between our respective responsibilities. Relationships between staff members of any gender were strictly prohibited -- along with a lot of other things we did on the regular, of course -- and Jackie would for sure narc.

Jackie extended her hand. "I'm sorry I haven't introduced myself one-on-one."

"That's alright; a lot of people haven't." They shook hands, and Olive added, "I hope we can be friends or something now."

"Yeah." Jackie's smile was more like a grimace. Then she cut me a shy, teasing look. "And take me on your next boat ride, asshole."