Through the Tunnel

Epilogue: 10 Years Later

"Okay, so can we make sure that there isn't a next time?" I asked Lizzy who sat perfectly still in the chairs that sat in front of my desk.

"Yes, Chief Rutter" she replied.

"Okay, go on then I have new camp members to great" I said standing up to show her out of my office.

I glanced at the name that was engraved into the wooden sign that sat on my office door and turned to my assistant.

"Georgia, can you phone those people about this sign please, it's said Chief Parkson for five years now and I've been married for four" I said.

"I'll call them now" she said, grabbing the phone.

Walking outside I saw the masses of cars parked at the gate with desperate parents and annoyed children walking towards me.

"Hello" I said, welcoming them as loud as I could to make sure they could all hear me.

"Thank you for coming, I have all the children's bunks set out for the summer, if you'd like to head over to one of the desks over here and tell one of my staff your child's name they will give you their bunk number and see to it that they settle in, okay?" I explained. "Any questions, I'll be around."

The crowd headed for the desks I set up and I walked among them to greet some of the more troubling cases I looked at.

"Hello, Mr and Mrs Davis" I said "I'm very much looking forward to working with this one!" I said pointing to their son Kyle.

"How nice, I wish you luck, I really do" they said and proceeded to the table.

"Charlie" a voice called from behind me.

I turned to see Phil standing there with his husband beside him and a daughter at their feet.

"You must be Elizabeth" I said, kneeling down.

"Hello Phil" I said, hugging him.

"It's been a good four years since I saw you, it was at the wedding if I remember correctly?" he said.

"Yeah, well, work keeps me busy" I said.

"I was hoping I wouldn't see you here young lady" I said to Elizabeth who stared at me with a look that I couldn't decide if it was envy or hate.

Maybe both.

"My dad's told me about you," she said, "did you really blow up a teacher's car?" she asked.

I laughed "Only the tire, but yes" I said.

"Wow" she said.

"I already know what bunk you're in, number 22" I said.

Phil's husband took her bag and they went off to find her bunk.

"You know, you're the only reason she agreed to come here" he said as we walked towards the crowd.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I tell her about all the things you used to do, she loves hearing the stories."

"Aren't you worried she's going to get the wrong idea and start copying me" I asked.

"It's actually had the opposite effect" he said, "She hears that it's already been done and tries to think of better ways to do it, some are more punishable than others but..."

"Wow" I said, watching parents struggle to get their children to go to their bunk.

"How's Lisa and James?" he asked.

"They're good" I said. "They're not here, which is a good thing. Lisa's fine, she's nothing like me. It's James I worry about, if he doesn't get his act together in a couple of years I'll be bringing him here with me."

"Fair enough" he said. "Do you miss it?"

"Miss what?"

"Being the rebel you always were?" he said, looking at me, waiting for my response.

"No" I said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'm a better person now, I feel. I have a life, I have two young children, an amazing husband and a million stories to tell my kids when they're older" I explained.

It was the truth. I couldn't have wished for anything more than this.

Phil's husband returned with Elizabeth.

"Okay, we should get going" he said to his daughter. "I'll see you soon okay? Have fun" he said.

I let them say their goodbyes and watched all the other parents who were beginning to leave.

Half of them are expecting a miracle out of me, as if this place is going to make them an angel or something. The other half just want to get rid of them for the summer. There are a select few however who know what it's like to be young and want to mess things up and create chaos. Those parents are the ones just hoping that their kid has a good time and maybe learns something from it.

Like how to properly set up a fire-cracker or how to be sneaky enough to get into the chiefs office without being caught.

Those are the parents that I look forward to seeing.

They remind me of my parents.

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