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Authors: Robin Alexander
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out of the closet and had ripped the door off the hinges.
Rachel’s gaze moved over to where Keely and the rest of the chaperones sat together. Just like high school, Rachel wasn’t part of the inner circle. If she tried real hard and laughed at all their jokes and feigned compassion when they bitched about their husbands, she might be welcomed to sit with them. But she knew the second she walked off, they’d be whispering about her. She’d caught them on several occasions, usually commenting on how gross they thought it was to be with another woman. And what was worse was when Rachel found herself alone with a few of them, the feigned revulsion went by the wayside.
The previous summer, she’d been in the bathhouse and had just emerged from the shower when Sharon Crawford cornered her. Completely naked, Sharon had asked her to look at a bug bite on her inner thigh. That might not’ve been out of the norm for most straight women, but Sharon wrapped her arms around Rachel’s neck and had hiked a leg over her hip before Rachel nearly climbed the wall to get away from her.
So she kept her distance and sat opposite the group at the fire. The children were gathered around the large stones that surrounded the fire pits roasting marshmallows and making s’mores . She smiled at Kaycee, who held an empty stick over the flame, her hair still wet from a recent and heavily protested shower. Occasionally, she’d look up at Faith and nod at something she was saying. The smile slipped from Rachel’s face. She didn’t like the idea of Kaycee chumming up with the dark horse.
*******
“I have never been away from my baby more than a day since she was born,” Patty said, her voice sounding tense. “I miss her. Is she okay?”
“She’s having the time of her life. I just tucked her into bed.” Faith sat outside of the mess hall on a picnic table watching the bathhouse. She’d been headed for the shower when she noticed Rachel walking in ahead of her, so she waited and used the time to call Patty.
“I’m off work tomorrow, call me during the day so I can talk to her.”
“I will,” Faith said with a yawn.
“Are you getting along with Rachel?”
Faith sucked her teeth. “You didn’t mention that she was a chaperone when you were talking me into this trip, but you knew, didn’t you?”
“It…uh…probably skipped my mind…I thought you knew.”
“Oh, no, I didn’t. I’d have never agreed to this if I’d known that up front. You’re gonna be doing my laundry for the next year, maybe two.”
Patty’s mumbled “sorry” sounded anything but contrite. The laugh seconds later set Faith’s teeth on edge.
“Ass. You know how I feel about her. If one day you see a mushroom cloud rising from the west, that’ll be us.” Faith noticed Rachel leaving the bathhouse. “I’m going to take a shower now and plot out all the evil things I’m going to do to you.”
“Oh, Faithy , I love you, too.”
“Shut up.” Faith ended the call, glad that she’d had the foresight to bring disinfectant. She planned to spray all the shower stalls to kill any lanky leprechaun germs that may’ve lurked.
*******
Later, she tossed and turned on the sliver of mattress in her cabin. The overwhelming sound of crickets and cicadas was not comforting but annoying. How anyone thought a trillion bugs surrounding them was charming was beyond her. The few times she did begin to doze off, a burst of giggles would come from the girls’ cabins nearby. If that wasn’t enough, there was a light coming from Rachel’s cabin that illuminated the ceiling just above her bed. And Rachel had sneezed at least ten times already, a problem that could be corrected if only Rachel would allow her to put a pillow over her face and hold it there for like an hour.
She was happy that Sophie was having such a wonderful time, but she would’ve taken a thousand bitch slaps to have avoided the trip. The heat and humidity was cloying, the food bland
Rachel’s gaze moved over to where Keely and the rest of the chaperones sat together. Just like high school, Rachel wasn’t part of the inner circle. If she tried real hard and laughed at all their jokes and feigned compassion when they bitched about their husbands, she might be welcomed to sit with them. But she knew the second she walked off, they’d be whispering about her. She’d caught them on several occasions, usually commenting on how gross they thought it was to be with another woman. And what was worse was when Rachel found herself alone with a few of them, the feigned revulsion went by the wayside.
The previous summer, she’d been in the bathhouse and had just emerged from the shower when Sharon Crawford cornered her. Completely naked, Sharon had asked her to look at a bug bite on her inner thigh. That might not’ve been out of the norm for most straight women, but Sharon wrapped her arms around Rachel’s neck and had hiked a leg over her hip before Rachel nearly climbed the wall to get away from her.
So she kept her distance and sat opposite the group at the fire. The children were gathered around the large stones that surrounded the fire pits roasting marshmallows and making s’mores . She smiled at Kaycee, who held an empty stick over the flame, her hair still wet from a recent and heavily protested shower. Occasionally, she’d look up at Faith and nod at something she was saying. The smile slipped from Rachel’s face. She didn’t like the idea of Kaycee chumming up with the dark horse.
*******
“I have never been away from my baby more than a day since she was born,” Patty said, her voice sounding tense. “I miss her. Is she okay?”
“She’s having the time of her life. I just tucked her into bed.” Faith sat outside of the mess hall on a picnic table watching the bathhouse. She’d been headed for the shower when she noticed Rachel walking in ahead of her, so she waited and used the time to call Patty.
“I’m off work tomorrow, call me during the day so I can talk to her.”
“I will,” Faith said with a yawn.
“Are you getting along with Rachel?”
Faith sucked her teeth. “You didn’t mention that she was a chaperone when you were talking me into this trip, but you knew, didn’t you?”
“It…uh…probably skipped my mind…I thought you knew.”
“Oh, no, I didn’t. I’d have never agreed to this if I’d known that up front. You’re gonna be doing my laundry for the next year, maybe two.”
Patty’s mumbled “sorry” sounded anything but contrite. The laugh seconds later set Faith’s teeth on edge.
“Ass. You know how I feel about her. If one day you see a mushroom cloud rising from the west, that’ll be us.” Faith noticed Rachel leaving the bathhouse. “I’m going to take a shower now and plot out all the evil things I’m going to do to you.”
“Oh, Faithy , I love you, too.”
“Shut up.” Faith ended the call, glad that she’d had the foresight to bring disinfectant. She planned to spray all the shower stalls to kill any lanky leprechaun germs that may’ve lurked.
*******
Later, she tossed and turned on the sliver of mattress in her cabin. The overwhelming sound of crickets and cicadas was not comforting but annoying. How anyone thought a trillion bugs surrounding them was charming was beyond her. The few times she did begin to doze off, a burst of giggles would come from the girls’ cabins nearby. If that wasn’t enough, there was a light coming from Rachel’s cabin that illuminated the ceiling just above her bed. And Rachel had sneezed at least ten times already, a problem that could be corrected if only Rachel would allow her to put a pillow over her face and hold it there for like an hour.
She was happy that Sophie was having such a wonderful time, but she would’ve taken a thousand bitch slaps to have avoided the trip. The heat and humidity was cloying, the food bland
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