Chapter Thirty: Nancy

Sunday, August 7, 1910

"Sarah? Sarah? Wake up."

Sarah sat up and yawned just as the wagon rolled beneath a large sign which read Camp Sunflower. "Let's see if we have any luck here, Em."

Sarah looked around. "Girls, girls, girls. Sorry, Em."

Emily rolled her eyes. "Wonderful, no boys at all?"

"At least this way I won't have to wear make up every day."

They parked the wagon near a building with a sign, "Beamer Hall." They got out and walked inside.

The hall was abuzz with girls of all ages. Some were running around, others were dribbling balls, jumping rope or playing board games. There were several tables where college coeds sat and talked with parents. Other parents were speaking with an older lady. They walked up to her.

"Amanda Brewster?"

"That's me."

"We're from Eagle Creek."

"Oh, yes, Crystal sent me a telegram and told me to expect you."

"Are there any boys at this camp?"

"You must be Emily."

Sarah snickered.

"I pay $2 a day for cooks."

Emily shrugged. "Ok."

"That means you're Sarah, the one who is an occasional Sunday school teacher."

Sarah nodded.

"Perfect. I need a counselor for 3rd graders."

Sarah smiled. "I can do that."

Emily waved at Sarah. Mrs. Brewster walked with Emily into the kitchen. There was a young lady, about eighteen, with bright red hair washing some pans.

"Babette?" she turned around. "Meet Emily Clementine from Eagle Creek."

Babette smiled. "Merci vieille sorcière. J'ai une autre victime pour mon royaume mauvais."

Mrs. Brewster said, "Babette only speaks French, so please, be patient with her."

Emily nodded. "I shall."

Babette spoke with a happy lilt, "Avec un nez aimez que vous devriez être dans un zoo."

"Je vois que vous aimez aussi des plaisanteries. Êtes-vous réellement un cuisinier?"

Babette whispered, "No, not really. I just wanted to get away from my mom for a few days."

"I understand that. Why the stupid accent?"

"Pourquoi pas? Il rend la vie plus intéressante."

Emily laughed. "I agree. I think we're going to have fun. Where should I put my things?"

Babette rolled her eyes and walked with Emily to a small room behind the pantry. In it were two metal cots, the place smelled like fish.

"Marvelous."

Babette said, "Yup, I fell for the $2 a day thing as well."

Emily laughed and tossed a small bag on the bed.

Sarah sat at her table reading an agenda for the week.

A man and a woman walked up to Sarah's table with a little girl.

Sarah smiled. "Hi, my name is Sarah Conrad."

"You're ugly," said the little girl.

Sarah's eyes bulged.

A man put a hand on her shoulder, "Alexis, don't you want to use a nice word for her?"

"Nope, I sure don't want to, Bruce. I want to go home."

"Ginger, talk to her."

"Alexis, be nice to Bruce, he's going to be your daddy soon."

The little girl snapped, "My last daddy stayed six months."

Sarah couldn't believe her ears. "Alexis, do you like hopscotch?"

The little girl shrugged. "I guess."

"Well, maybe we can play after dinner. Would you like that?"

She mumbled, "I would."

Sarah looked to the couple and casually waved bye-bye. They left.

Alexis fiddled with her hair, "So, are you going to be my cabin counselor?"

"I sure am. Have you ever been to camp before?"

The girl collapsed her shoulders. "I don't know anyone here."

Sarah leaned in and whispered, "Neither do I, but, maybe, we can be friends."

Alexis smiled. "I'd like that." Alexis looked both ways and whispered, "I hate ALL of mommy's boyfriends."

Sarah nodded. "So would I. Now then, wear this."

Sarah gave her a small tag with a yarn chain, it read, "Cabin 6. Sarah Conrad."

"Can I draw on it?"

"So long as it still says the cabin number and my name, then that'd be just fine. There's an empty table behind you, it has a sign, 'Cabin 6', that's where we'll be eating this week. There are crayons on the table. Go put your bag there and wait for the other girls."

Alexis smiled and skipped to the table. She started to color but as more and more girls came in, she seemed to lose interest. She stopped coloring altogether. Sarah raised an eyebrow and went to her table. "Alexis? What's the matter?"

She kept her head down. "Everyone here knows somebody already. I don't… have any friends at home. My mommy hires people to look after me while she travels. They cook and clean but, they don't really talk to me. A lady or a man comes in three days a week to teach me stuff, that's just about it. I got kicked out the last school I was in and now… everyone has friends here too."

Sarah put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm your friend."

Alexis shrugged. "You're a grown up. I dunno. Maybe, coming here was a mistake. Bruce and Ginger are probably in town waiting on the train." She pointed. "Go get them for me."

Sarah chuckled. "Did you say, 'Go get them for me'?"

Alexis was still pointing. "Yes! You heard me, I want to leave. Go."

"I am not your maid."

"My mother paid a lot of money for me to be here, she is also paying you to be my friend. Well, I don't want to be your friend, so go get Bruce and Ginger. I miss my mommy. I didn't see her at all last week, that's how busy she was."

"Alexis, your mother is not paying me to be your friend. She is sending you to a week long camp. The making friends part is all up to you and, I think you can do it."

Alexis' face fell. "I can't, I've tried before. They'll be my friend so they can come over and play with my big doll house or swim in the pool or ride one of my ponies, but, they never come back. They'll be nice to me at first, but then, they'll hate me too. That always hurts so much. I hate losing friends like that. Sometimes I think it'd be better if I never tried to be friends with anyone."

Sarah sighed. She chose not to respond when she saw another set of adults and a little girl at her table.

"Cabin 6?"

Sarah smiled. "That's me. I'm Sarah Con…." She stopped when she looked at the little girl.

The father said, "Um… Mrs. Brewster said it was alright if Nancy came to camp. She's a good girl."

Sarah was nervous. "Um, um, hello Nancy."

Nancy was mentally challenged. "Hello. Are you my friend?"

Sarah nodded. "I sure am; my name is Sarah."

She stuck out her hand, the little girl smiled. "My name is Nancy. I like you Sarah. I'm glad we're friends."

Sarah gave Nancy a name tag and pointed to the Cabin 6 table.

The woman slipped Sarah a note: "We're staying in town tonight and tomorrow night at the hotel just in case this doesn't work out."

Sarah nodded and whispered, "Thank you."

Mrs. Brewster walked up to the table. "Are you Mr. and Mrs. Allen?"

"Yes we are. Thank you so much for giving us this opportunity. Nancy doesn't get out too much. She's shy and most people don't understand her." They stepped aside to talk alone.

Sarah began speaking with another set of parents, after a couple of minutes Sarah heard Nancy crying.

Sarah and Mrs. Allen went to the table; "Nancy? Sweetheart?"

Nancy pointed at Alexis. "She said I was a dummy."

Before they could say anything Sarah jerked Alexis up and out of her chair and rushed her to the ladies bathroom in the back of the hall. They went to a sink.

"Alexis, close your eyes and say 'ah.'"

Alexis tilted her head: "Why?"

Sarah yelled, "Do it!"

She closed her eyes and opened her mouth to say 'ah.' Sarah stuck a bar of soap in it. Alexis struggled to get it out but Sarah was stronger than her. They tussled for a few moments and then Alexis fell to the floor.

"Do you know who my father is?"

Sarah was animated. "I don't care if he's owns the biggest silver mine in Montana, you will not say anything like that to anyone ever while you are at this camp!"

Alexis folded her arms. "Or what?"

"Or…" Sarah looked in her beady little eyes. "Or, I'll keep you in the cabin, at your bed, under guard. You will not leave your bedside expect to use the bathroom. You will miss every activity. No other girls will be permitted to talk to you. Your cold meals will be brought to you so no one else can be subjected to that noxious, slimy mouth of yours."

"But… why don't you just kick me out?"

Sarah smirked. She leaned down and got in Alexis' face. She whispered, "Because that's what you want me to do."

Alexis looked away. "How'd you know?"

"Just a guess. Alexis, you will now go back to the table and make your one and only apology for the week."

Sarah stuck out her hand; Alexis took it and stood on her feet.

They walked back into the hall. Another set of parents and a little girl were already waiting for her.

"I'm Lucinda Doyle and this is my husband Jay."

Sarah looked beyond them. "I'm pleased to meet you." She kept an eye on Alexis as she ran around looking for Nancy.

Alexis could not find Nancy's parents. She asked Mrs. Brewster. She gravely shook her head and pointed to the door.

"This is our daughter Melissa. This is her third year at…." Alexis ran out the door.

"Oh no," said Sarah. "Um, I'm in the middle of an emergency, I'll be back in a second."

Sarah started to run after her but Mrs. Brewster put a hand on her shoulder and cautioned, "There are other parents and children here who need you."

Sarah looked down. Mrs. Brewster said softly, "My dear, you can't fix every problem."

Sarah turned away. "Yes ma'am."

She returned to the table. "Forgive my rudeness. I'm Sarah. I'm happy to have you with me this week Melissa. This is my first year. Maybe you can show me the ropes?"

Melissa smiled and nodded.

As Sarah met with other parents she continued to wonder about Alexis' and Nancy's fate. After a few minutes Sarah was back at the table with the girls looking over a list. "Ok. I've got Melissa, Ellen, Ruth, Carol, Evie and Sherry in Cabin 6."

Melissa asked, "It's just six girls? We usually have eight?"

Sarah didn't know how to answer her. She felt a tug on her dress.

"Sarah! Miss Sarah! Alexis is going to take me for a ride in her car. She said I could come over to her house and we could ride ponies."

Sarah smiled at Alexis and then at Nancy. "That's sounds like fun."

Nancy smiled. "Alexis is my best friend."

Sarah nodded. "So I see."

Alexis shrugged. "I'm also a fast runner; when I really need to be."

"Thank heavens you are."