what to do,” said Estelle.
“Yeah? She bossier than me. She thinks she’s white too!” said Latisha. “ She’s colored too, ain’t she, Alice? You got taco blood in you, you’re colored.”
“Okay, here’s the deal,” said Gwen. “We’ve got two girls who have to learn to get along with each other and a pair of sneakers dangling over the wire out there. You’ve got till three o’clock this afternoon to figure out a way to get them down, and you have to do it together. You can’t ask anyone else to do it for you. If you’re still enemies but you get them down, you get one point. If you get them down and you’re not enemies anymore, you get two points. And if you get them down and decide to be friends the rest of the time we’re here, you get three points.”
“So what do we get with the points?” asked Latisha.
“One point, you get an extra bag of popcorn at the movie Saturday night. Two points, you get two bags of popcorn and a Milky Way. Three points…”
“Three points you have to kiss Joe Ortega in front of us!” said Estelle.
The cabin suddenly erupted in laughter, Latisha and Estelle both hooting together.
“You got it!” said Gwen, looking a little unnerved. “You get the shoes down and figure out how to be friends, and Joe and I will kiss right here in the doorway for all to see.”
The Coyotes squealed and carried on, hands over their mouths, eyes wide with delight. We herded them to the dining hall for lunch.
Afterward it took some doing, but Estelle and Latisha finally borrowed a stepladder from the caretaker, carried it down to the cabin, and set it up, under Gwen’s supervision. Estelle got an oar from the boathouse, climbed halfway up, with Latisha holding the ladder steady, and managed to knock the sneakers off the sign. They fell to the ground with a thud.
Estelle looked at Latisha uncertainly, but there was devilment in her eyes. “Okay, we’re friends,” she said.
“Really?” I asked.
Latisha gave a shrug. “Yeah,” she said.
“Is this a promise that you’ll really try?” asked Gwen.
Now Latisha was grinning. “Yeah. Now you got to go get Joe.”
After Estelle climbed down and the ladder was returned, Gwen went in search of Joe Ortega and brought him grinning to the door of the cabin, the boys from his own cabin trailing curiously behind.
“Okay, girls, get ready,” Joe said. He glanced up toward the office. “Nobody looking, are they? You want to see me kiss this lady?”
“Yesssssss!” all the girls chorused, and kids from other cabins gathered too.
Joe Ortega put one arm around Gwen’s waist, the other under her shoulders, and dramatically swooped her backward, giving her a movie-star kiss. All the little campers clapped and screeched hysterically.
And suddenly I looked up to see Legs coming down the hill from the parking lot.
6
----
A Little Lesson in Growing Up
It was like a movie. One minute we were watching Gwen and Joe in their movie-star embrace, accompanied by all the squealing kids, and the next we were watching long-legged Leo coming down the hill toward us, taking in the whole scene.
“Uh… Gwen,” I said. “Company.”
Joe brought her back to a standing position, then said to the little group from his own cabin, “And that’s the way you kiss a lady.” Then he saw Legs right in front of him, and I heard Gwen gasp.
I guess the next scene in a movie would be Legs punching Joe in the mouth, but that didn’t happen. Legs looked at Joe a moment, then at Gwen, and said, “Well, hello.”
“You drove all the way up here?” Gwen asked. We could see Jack Harrigan coming down the hill from the office.
“I didn’t fly,” Legs said in answer. “Just wantedto see how you’re doing. Looks to me like you’re having a pretty good time.”
“Legs, this is Joe, my friend here at camp. Joe, this is Leo, from school,” said Gwen.
Jack came up to us then. “Hello?” he said to Legs, a question mark in his voice. He put out
“Yeah? She bossier than me. She thinks she’s white too!” said Latisha. “ She’s colored too, ain’t she, Alice? You got taco blood in you, you’re colored.”
“Okay, here’s the deal,” said Gwen. “We’ve got two girls who have to learn to get along with each other and a pair of sneakers dangling over the wire out there. You’ve got till three o’clock this afternoon to figure out a way to get them down, and you have to do it together. You can’t ask anyone else to do it for you. If you’re still enemies but you get them down, you get one point. If you get them down and you’re not enemies anymore, you get two points. And if you get them down and decide to be friends the rest of the time we’re here, you get three points.”
“So what do we get with the points?” asked Latisha.
“One point, you get an extra bag of popcorn at the movie Saturday night. Two points, you get two bags of popcorn and a Milky Way. Three points…”
“Three points you have to kiss Joe Ortega in front of us!” said Estelle.
The cabin suddenly erupted in laughter, Latisha and Estelle both hooting together.
“You got it!” said Gwen, looking a little unnerved. “You get the shoes down and figure out how to be friends, and Joe and I will kiss right here in the doorway for all to see.”
The Coyotes squealed and carried on, hands over their mouths, eyes wide with delight. We herded them to the dining hall for lunch.
Afterward it took some doing, but Estelle and Latisha finally borrowed a stepladder from the caretaker, carried it down to the cabin, and set it up, under Gwen’s supervision. Estelle got an oar from the boathouse, climbed halfway up, with Latisha holding the ladder steady, and managed to knock the sneakers off the sign. They fell to the ground with a thud.
Estelle looked at Latisha uncertainly, but there was devilment in her eyes. “Okay, we’re friends,” she said.
“Really?” I asked.
Latisha gave a shrug. “Yeah,” she said.
“Is this a promise that you’ll really try?” asked Gwen.
Now Latisha was grinning. “Yeah. Now you got to go get Joe.”
After Estelle climbed down and the ladder was returned, Gwen went in search of Joe Ortega and brought him grinning to the door of the cabin, the boys from his own cabin trailing curiously behind.
“Okay, girls, get ready,” Joe said. He glanced up toward the office. “Nobody looking, are they? You want to see me kiss this lady?”
“Yesssssss!” all the girls chorused, and kids from other cabins gathered too.
Joe Ortega put one arm around Gwen’s waist, the other under her shoulders, and dramatically swooped her backward, giving her a movie-star kiss. All the little campers clapped and screeched hysterically.
And suddenly I looked up to see Legs coming down the hill from the parking lot.
6
----
A Little Lesson in Growing Up
It was like a movie. One minute we were watching Gwen and Joe in their movie-star embrace, accompanied by all the squealing kids, and the next we were watching long-legged Leo coming down the hill toward us, taking in the whole scene.
“Uh… Gwen,” I said. “Company.”
Joe brought her back to a standing position, then said to the little group from his own cabin, “And that’s the way you kiss a lady.” Then he saw Legs right in front of him, and I heard Gwen gasp.
I guess the next scene in a movie would be Legs punching Joe in the mouth, but that didn’t happen. Legs looked at Joe a moment, then at Gwen, and said, “Well, hello.”
“You drove all the way up here?” Gwen asked. We could see Jack Harrigan coming down the hill from the office.
“I didn’t fly,” Legs said in answer. “Just wantedto see how you’re doing. Looks to me like you’re having a pretty good time.”
“Legs, this is Joe, my friend here at camp. Joe, this is Leo, from school,” said Gwen.
Jack came up to us then. “Hello?” he said to Legs, a question mark in his voice. He put out
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