I sat by the window on the plane. As soon as it started descending into New Mexico, I wondered if I could see the camp from here. I tried to decide what I wanted to do first. An afternoon hike would be fun, I thought as I glanced down at my hiking boots. If it was too hot outside, a swim in the lake would be great. I had worn khaki shorts, a white tank top and a plaid button down shirt that I'd tied in a knot at the ends. Right before I had gotten dressed that morning, I decided to wear my bikini swimsuit instead of a bra and panties. Maybe I was a little too eager to get summer officially started.
I swung my backpack over my shoulder and headed down to Baggage Claim. As soon as I located and lifted up my black duffel bag, I made my way towards the exit. A few men were huddled together holding up signs of the names of those they were there to pick up.
I read the signs until I noticed one that simply had Camp written on it in black letters. I walked over to the guy holding it and asked if it was for Camp Firestone. He was wearing black sunglasses so I couldn't tell if he was looking at me or not. He simply nodded and muttered "yep". I went to hand him my duffel bag, but he had already turned around and was heading for the door.
"Okay," I said aloud and rushed to catch up with him. He wore old jeans that were covered in dirt and were frayed at the bottom. His black short sleeve t-shirt had seen better days. The bottom hem was littered with holes and I could see sweat stains. I wrinkled my nose. He wore a dingy trucker hat over his greasy hair.
I followed him to an older pick up truck. I stood by the passenger's side door and he yanked my bag from my hand and tossed it in the bed of the truck. I flinched at the loud thud it made as it hit the metal. I opened the truck door and climbed inside.
The gray interior fabric was stained and smelled heavily of stale cigarettes. I pulled the seatbelt over my lap as he turned on the ignition.
"I'm Ryleigh Bennett," I tried to sound friendly. "Just in case you need to check off my name or something?"
He didn't answer as he backed out and drove towards the airport exit. We hit the highway in silence.
"What was your name again?" I said meekly.
"Dean," he answered, his eyes glued straight ahead of him.
"Am I the only camper you're picking up today?" I asked.
"The rest came this mornin'," he answered.
I tried to get a good look at him without staring. He was unshaven, his face scruffy. His sandy blonde hair was shaggy and falling slightly over the tops of his ears from underneath his hat. His right arm had a few tattoos that seemed to continue up past the end of his shirt sleeve. His hands that gripped the wheel had dirt embedded under the nails, his skin looked dry and calloused. I imagined his palms felt like sandpaper to the touch and cringed at the thought.
We seemed to drive for a long time. There weren't too many other cars on the highway. The motion of the truck made me sleepy and I couldn't stay awake. I leaned my head against the window and my eyes closed as I slowly dozed off.
What felt like only minutes later, my eyes shot open. I sat up straight and looked around, forgetting for a moment where I was. Dean, the driver, turned down a dirt road. The bumping from the rocks on the road made me nauseas. I had fallen asleep for longer than I wanted. My throat was dry and I wanted some fresh air. I didn't dare roll down my window with all the dust that blew up around the pickup.
The truck finally slowed and Dean parked it in the dirt. I jumped out, stretched my legs, and grabbed my bag from the truck bed. I slung my backpack over my shoulders and tried to figure out where we were. Thick trees surrounded us and as I looked down the dirt road we had been on, I couldn't see a main highway. It felt like we were in the middle of nowhere.
I turned and followed Dean through the trees until we came to a lake. The sun was shining directly above it, and I took a minute to stare at the water. Mountains stood tall behind the water. It looked like a postcard.
"Wow," I said. "It's beautiful here."
Dean glanced at me, still wearing his sunglasses, but didn't say anything. He waved me over and I quickly followed him to a small wooden dock. A white boat was tied to a post and Dean hopped into it.
"Ummm..." I started to say.
"Throw your bag over there," Dean said and motioned to the back of the boat. I put my bag in and climbed in slowly. I placed my backpack on my lap once I sat down. The boat couldn't hold more than just a few people total. I waited for him to give me a life jacket, but instead he just started the motor and we went out across the water.
I shielded my face with my hand from the sun, my eyes squinting as I tried to see ahead. The boat slowed to a stop. I followed Dean off the boat and onto a wooden dock that squeaked under my feet. As we stepped off onto the dirt, I looked up to see a deep forest of trees. The water splashed lightly and overall it was peacefully quiet.
A large cabin stood hidden behind the woods. We walked up a couple of stairs and onto the front deck. Dean pulled open a bent metal screen door and ushered me inside. I dropped my bag onto the floor, my arm aching from carrying it for so long.
"Wait here," Dean ordered.
I took a few more steps inside. It was a large room that served as the main area of the cabin. Plaid couches were arranged in an "L" shape. My legs ached, so I took a seat on one of them and leaned uncomfortably against a throw pillow. The fireplace had piles of soot inside and fresh logs were stacked in a basket. I sat there nervously. This didn't look like any camp I had ever been to.
"I'm sorry, darlin'! You must be...Ryleigh Bennett!" A middle aged woman had come out of an adjoining room holding a clipboard. She wore navy blue shorts and a white t-shirt that was snug around her chest. Her long brown hair had streaks of gray and was pulled back into a low ponytail.
"Yes, hi," I smiled. "I'm Ryleigh."
She checked off my name on her clipboard and then looked up at me.
"I'm Gina. So glad to have you!"
I smiled uncomfortably. "Is this...I mean, where's the camp?"
"Oh! This is just the main cabin. Kind of a mess, huh? It was here when we bought the camp and we just haven't had the chance to spruce it up! I can't wait to redecorate this dump. I probably shouldn't say that," she whispered and laughed, smiling at me. "You're probably parched!"
She reached over to a small cooler that sat on the floor and tossed me a bottle of water.
"Thank you." I gulped it down.
"The camp is way nicer than this. Don't let this cabin give you any doubts," she told me. "We'll get you over to the girls cabin in no time. I think they're just finishing up the final touches."
"The other campers? Where are they?" I asked, taking another sip of my water.
"They all arrived earlier this morning. You were the last one in!" she said. "They're all up near the camp fire area. I'll show you. You will just love it!"
I relaxed a little. Gina at least seemed friendly, unlike Dean who barely spoke two words to me.
She held a walkie talkie up to her mouth and spoke into it. "Last camper arrived. Can I bring her over?" She winked at me.
A muffled sound came back as a reply.
"Alright, we'll be right over," she confirmed.
She clapped her hands together. "You ready? Let's get out of this place and get you over to the camp!"
I got excited all over again at the sound of that. I hopped up and grabbed my backpack as she picked up my duffel bag.
"Today's gonna be a busy one, so I hope you're ready! We'll ride the canoes, go swimming, and roast some hot dogs for dinner. And afterwards, probably a hike." She glanced at her watch. "If we hurry, we can squeeze it all in and hike to the top of one of the hills behind us. The sunset from up there is amazing!" She beamed.
"That sounds incredible!" I gushed.
"And that's just the first day!" She laughed.
I was eager to leave that stuffy, old cabin and get started on the many activities Gina had just rattled off.
"You excited?" She smiled.
I nodded. "So excited!"
"Great! Then let's- oh, shoot! I forgot." She held up one finger. She dropped my duffel bag on the floor and ran over to a round wooden table with mismatched chairs. A silver laptop was plugged into the wall. Opening it, she typed quickly and then pulled out a chair.
"Here, have a seat real quick," she said, motioning to me.
Reluctantly, I dropped my backpack to the floor and shuffled over.
"There's no wi-fi at the cabin you'll be staying in. Nothing!" She rolled her eyes. "We'll let you all use this laptop here to email your parents, you know, just so they don't worry about you."
"Oh, my parents are actually on vacation in Asia anyway, so..." I went to stand up, but she pushed me back down by my shoulder.
"Well, I'm sure they check their email in Asia, don't they?" She giggled. "Just send your mom or dad an email so they know you got here safely. It doesn't have to be long. Just real quick. Like 'Hi mom, I arrived at camp. It looks great! Wish you were here!"
I giggled along with her. She glanced at her watch. "Oooh, but we gotta hurry!"
"Okay!" I assured her and typed a quick email to my mom.
She watched over my shoulder. Once I'd finished, she grabbed by bag again.
"Perfect! Let's go!" she sang. I followed her out the back door. She tossed my duffel bag into what looked like a golf cart, but with bigger wheels.
"Hop in!" she said as she started the engine. I took a seat next to her.
"Is this a golf cart?" I laughed.
"Yeah, but it's custom made. Changed out the tires. This baby can go super fast, too! I love this thing," she told me as we sped off across the dirt.