Family + Camp (working title)

Chapter 5: New Home

The drive the next day brought them to their destination. Nell slowed down as she passed through the gate-like posts that held up the "Welcome to Camp Morgan" sign, the words painted in a bright yellow against the brown wood. Like Camp Fields, Camp Morgan's entrance led to a winding road that, after a quarter mile or so, terminated in a parking lot.

As their little caravan of two pulled into the lot, the Rabbit and the Golf raised a bit of dust, but it wasn't so bad. Nell noticed there were two paved paths/roads that continued from the lot into the woods. One had a gate in front of it. That must be for camp vehicles, she thought. Maybe wheel chairs. A major design flaw of Camp Fields, her dad had always said, was that there was only one way into the main campground, so that giant delivery trucks to the dining lodge had to drive through it even when camp was in progress. It was dangerous with darting, squirrelly kids afoot. It also kind of blew the mystique of their camp food just appearing by magic.

The door to a small building whose brown paint matched the welcome sign opened, and Morland Harte stepped out with open arms. He looked quite pleased to see them, but as he approached, he started to imitate his wife, who had climbed out of her car and was in the process of stretching down to touch her toes. Morrie stopped and put his hands on his lower back, leaning left and right forward and backwards, his torso making distinct popping sounds. Nell shrugged and joined in. They were like a little aerobics class by the vehicles.

"See that, Sandy?" Her dad said pointing. "Two roads."

"I see it." Finally, they hugged each other.

"I have to pee," Nell remarked as her dad squeezed her tightly.

Her mom looked around, her eyes landing on something. She nodded. "I do believe that's our new house."

"Right you are, my dear! Right you are," Morrie said, clapping his hands together once.

Nell followed her mom's gaze. There it was. At the far end of the parking lot just where the tree-line started: a blond wooden fence, about five feet high, surrounding a house. This house, unlike the one she'd grown up in, looked like a very nice, very Craftsmen cabin.

"Do you have the key?" Nell asked her dad.

"Left it in my office," he said, pointing to the small building he'd come out of.

"Nature pee, here I come."

As she was sussing out the best place to go, they heard the vrooming of an engine growing in volume. It was coming from the road without the gate closed. A small pick-up approached. Driving it was a man wearing a baseball cap that had a Camp Morgan logo on it.

The truck pulled up next to their cars and the driver cut the engine. He didn't bother with his emergency break.

"You must be Morrie's family," he said. He was middle-aged, his brown skin crinkling around his eyes as he smiled, the actual smile partly concealed by a thick, black mustache.

"We are," Nell's mom said. The man exited his truck and introductions were made. His name was Fred Garcia, and he was the head groundskeeper of the camp. He also had the keys to their house.

"See, darling?" Nell's mom said to her in a low tone. "Nature pee can wait."

The house was empty—the moving van was due to arrive tomorrow early in the morning, and only the precious items her dad had brought were stacked—haphazardly, if Nell was being completely critical—in the living room. Nell's first impression of her new home was that the floors were wooden and shiny, and that it was dark and had that smell of empty houses, with a quiet bordering on spooky. But she couldn't think about more than that because her body seemed to know that a toilet was nearby and it was time to let nature take its course, even if she was no longer going to piss under a tree.

Ah, sweet relief.

Now that that was done, Nell could take in more of her new home.

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