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hard, you can see the beads of sweat on their poor little foreheads.”
    That really made the girls giggle.
    One of the girls, a pudgy one with a mischievous smile, said, “Rachel said that ‘boys are toys.’”
    This made both little girls burst into laughter as Rachel objected.
    â€œHey, you two!” she said. “Did I tell you you could talk?”
    â€œâ€˜Boys are toys’?” I repeated thoughtfully. “You think that’s true?”
    â€œIt is for some boys,” she said back with that sly smile. She was very pretty, and, yes, she knew it. It was going to be a challenge to get close to her and yet not give her the upper hand.
    â€œHow about if I race you lovely young girls back to the dock?” I offered, and they accepted faster-than-instantaneously as I knew they would. With a shriek and a clatter and a big push of their oars, the little girls started to row vigorously.
    â€œRow! Row fast! Come on – before he’s ready!” Rachel cheered them on as I hustled around in my seat and took up my oars. They splashed me and splashed themselves as they rowed like demons away from me and across the lake. As soon as I began, I had to stop rowing to keep my copy of Gatsby from sliding off the seat and into the bilge water in the bottom of my rowboat, but then I started rowing medium-hard.
    â€œDon’t let him win!” shouted Rachel as I started to catch up to them.
    â€œHere I come!” I yelled, pulling hard on the oars, getting my back into the stroke. I probably splashed more water than I should have, rowing furiously, but I could barely keep from laughing.
    â€œKeep rowing!” Rachel yelled. “Pull together! Now – pull!!”
    Over my shoulder, I could see Rachel urging the little girls on. They were churning up the lake with their rowing, but not moving too straight.
    â€œI’m gonna catch ya!” I hollered fake-menacingly. “I’m an irresistible force!”
    Of course, at the end, I let them win and let them tease me –” Nyah-nyah-nyah! Slow poke!” – when we got onshore. We were all soaking wet, exhausted and laughed out. But Rachel knew that I had let them win. (It was a good move on my part; girls love it when you’re nice to little kids or animals – and don’t say, “Same thing.”) And for the rest of the summer, all the girls in her bunk loved-loved-loved me; that is, up until things started to happen.
    Unfortunately I was late for archery with the Doggies, which annoyed Stewie who couldn’t go on his free period until I got there. And in my rush, I forgot to move my boat tag on the Big Board, which led to a perpetual evil eye from Captain Hal for the rest of the summer. But it didn’t matter when compared to the sense I had that Rachel and I were on a good path, a good trajectory. I had just left her, and I couldn’t wait to see her again.

    â‰

    After dinner every night there was Free Play for about an hour, when they let the kids roam around and do pretty much what they wanted until Evening Activity. One night I was assigned to supervise the distant volleyball courts. Not that I knew anything about volleyball; it was just my turn. I didn’t even have time to tell Rachel where I was going to be after dinner.
    Jerry and Dale were watching me as I waited on the front porch of the Mess Hall for her to come out. Dale reminded me, “You’re on volleyball, right?” so I couldn’t just stand there and not move.
    â€œRight,” I said. “Volleyball,” and walked down off the porch. She and her bunk still hadn’t come out. Fortunately, a couple of the Doggies – the Fat Doggy and the Doggy With Braces – liked to follow me around, and they could occasionally prove useful. Like at this moment.
    â€œWait by the Girls’ door,” I ordered them. “And when Rachel Prince comes out with her bunk, you tell her that