So out we went !
I still got a few curious looks from the girls there. While I was dressed properly now and had left my teddy bear, Teepo, behind. They still seemed to be fascinated by how small I was in height and my apparent age which as mentioned was a lot younger than I actually was.
Nonetheless Mark made a bee-line straight for the field where there were no other campers or counselors.
I thought maybe he had an activity in mind, but he didn't. There was a hammock stretched across two gray trees and he climbed up into it. He then reached his arms around his back and started to whistle a happy tune.
As for me I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be doing, so I went to him questioning.
"What are we doing ?" I asked him.
He grinned, "Whatever you want. Here, I just wanted you to get some sunshine." His voice trailed off as his head turned to looked at some of the pretty wildflowers and fauna. "Here, why don't you check out them flowers and have fun there. Do that for a little while and we'll go for lunch."
I nodded, that would be fine. I left him in the hammock and went to the flowers to look down at them. Then I saw them. At the time they were the most magical and majestic creature of all time. Ladybugs ! Fascinating creatures where not one of their species shared the exact same pattern on their rounded shells.
I played in the field for a few hours and started to collect the prettiest ladybugs on each of my fingers when this very large chested black woman in a white type of jacket that barely went around her top came to see us.
She was not happy and spoke in a very strong accent. "Just what the hay-ell you two be doin' here and why come you ain't with the group !?"
"Ladybugs !" I said and held my hand up where there was one on each of my two fingers on each hand.
"Ladybugs." she repeated blankly.
Mark had jumped out of the hammock and came to us. He laughed, "Yeah. Ladybugs. I guess he really likes them."
She smirked angrily.
Mark got on the defensive, "Uh - Is this about last night ?"
She nodded, "It shorely be. I couldn't find his in the group and here you two be sittin' in the field sunnin' your buns. So Andy here - "
"Andrew." I corrected her.
She sighed angrily, "Fine. Andrew. Both of yez. Come wit' me. We gone to get this sorted out."
I followed her back to the cabins and noticed all the campers had apparently left to go on their own special outings. One of the cabins had a little plastic medical cross above it. We stepped in there.
Then she introduced herself to me, "Andrew I'm the nuss here, My name Miss Peachtree. That's what you 'ens can call me."
I remained quiet. "So Andrew now I understand you got into a fight on your first day. Well that be with Robert, one of our campers, and I patched him up as weller I could. But I have to aks now and I want you to be trueful wit' me ? Can you be completely trueful ?"
"Yes ma'am." I said respectfully.
And she smiled. I guess just the way I said it, the way my voice sounded. It's always been that way. "Good boy." she said.
"Now then, it's pretty obvious you ens brought a knife to camp. It's okays if you done I just need to make shore you didn't use it in a ways to hurt some 'un else. I'm shore you understand. So where that knife be now ? Huh ? I'd just like to hold on ter it to be safe till you uns ready to leave."
"I didn't bring one." I told her, shrugging.
"Andrew," she began crossly. "Now don't start with me ! Nossir ! I know knife cuts when I sees 'em. Now that boy's face be full of slashes that - "
And I interrupted her by holding out one of my hands up close to her face. At first she didn't see anything.
Then she did and her eyes goggled at the sight. "Jeezus !" she yelled seeing the dried blood under the nails and my little fingernails were sharp as slanted razors.
She lost it, "Andrew ! Just er what the HELL you be thinkin' !?"
At this I started to cry again and ran back to Mark burying my face in his front crotch as he was standing and that was closest to me.
I think Mark was more embarrassed where I was crying rather than the way I was doing it.
"Andrew." He hissed. He held his hands up in apology to Peachtree. "Sorry he's a little - " Then down to me. "Not there. Here - " and he crouched down pushing me back so I could run back to him bury myself in his arms and chest instead.
Seeing I wasn't wanting to talk to her now she launched into Mark. "Mark now just what the hay-ell going on here !?"
"Teepo." I said turning my head only for an instant to look at her before burying it
back in Mark's chest.
Mark added, "Teepo. Right, Teepo is his teddy bear." he repeated and smiled weakly back at her.
"All this hulabaloo over a goddamm stuffed toy !?" she said raising her voice again, "Just how old he be ?"
"He's 11." he said and stroked my hair for a moment. Damn did that feel good !
I want to pause here for a second.
Long before I went to camp Dad would stretch out on the couch with a book. Now me ? I used to kind of come up against him sort of like a little puppy dog and walking on all fours on the carpet got to him and offered my head to him.
Dad would smile and reaching a free hand around tousled and rubbed my hair and head. And it felt WONDERFUL.
I was still so small that after awhile he would just pick me up, place me in his lap and with him still stretched out in the couch used a free hand to pet me on my head and hair.
This went on for hours and hours as Dad was quite the book reader and the library was a very short distance from where we lived. So I had REALLY become accustomed to someone petting my head and stroking my hair.
So for Mark to stroke my hair immediately got my attention and I rubbed up against him eagerly.
Miss Peachtree I think was more interested my age at the moment. "11 !?" She couldn't believe it.
Mark continued to pet me watching my reaction, "Yeah, 11. I know he doesn't look like it at all."
She shook her head, "You straight there, Mark. I thoughts maybe he be misplaced. We ain't does junior camp for months now or I'd just said we place him there. Hell he'd probably fitten there a lot more better with what I was told the way the other boys done treated his."
* * *
"And them younger uns they bring toys from home. They could all play together. He'd be happy I'm plain shore."
She continued shaking her head, "Well - we can't have his runnin' aller round ther camp with those - them razors on his fingers. Here - "
She fumbled around in the desk drawer for a file. Then she turned on the tap for hot water. Steam came out of the faucet and she put a washcloth down to soak in it. Then she brought it over to her desk. She cleared a few papers and set down the cloth and fingernail file.
She then spoke to me very nicely in a higher pitched voice reserved for children, "Now Andrew ? I doesn't means to frighten you. Can you come here now and sit next to your old gramma Peachtree ? I gone to do sometin' nice for yuz."
I looked at her with wide questioning eyes. Then I started to do so but locked my fingers around Mark's own. I started to pull away but Mark stayed where he was. I started to whine and tighten my grip. He finally held his hand up in apology and finally he walked with me. We both went to the chair.
"You like en Mark ?" she asked the obvious question seeing I didn't want to let him go of his fingers.
"Yes ma'am."
She grinned, "Fine as rain. Look we're gone to fixin' your fingers today okay ? I'm surprised you don't cutten yourself with them every time you try pick up some 'tin. This ain't gone hurt. It may sound a little funny, the scratchin' ?"
"But don't you be worry none, you'll like the way they look when I'm er done with yuz. I promise."
I sat in the chair still holding Mark's left hand with my right. She took my left hand and filed away the sharpness in my nails making them unsharp and curved and pleasant looking. She also took a washcloth with hot water and kept wiping away at each of my main 3-fingers. Finally -
"Next." she asked letting go of my left wrist.
I thought about it for a second. I let go of Mark's hand, playfully spun around on my bottom around in my seat so I was facing the wall, then grabbed Mark's left hand again this time my left hand and gave her my right hand.
"Jiffy Pop !" I offered.
She sighed not really understanding what I meant and picked up my other wrist to where she could see it better and filed away with her other hand. She also washed that hand too.
Finally she was done I let go of Mark. I got my hands back and marveled at how they looked. She had also apparently cleaned the blood out from under my fingernails too with the washcloth and hot water.
She then pulled Mark away several feet and got to whispering, "At least he cain't hurt anynone now. Look with what I heard and me see him now I don't think this camp be gooden for him."
"We oughter just send him home now with a message ter the parents that he needs to attend the junior when we have it, which will only be a few months."
She reached in her desk for a form to sign, "I can write up the paper for this exception in his age cause he so little in size. I'm shore the parents they's id understand."
Mark spoke in my defense, "Look. It was an isolated incident. The fight was because someone took his teddy bear away."
She breathed out loudly, "I'm sure t'was ! It's allays over some goddamm thing ! Neverhow - "
"He's also staying with me."
"And just what does you mean by that ?" she challenged.
He explained, "I checked with Samuel - he said he can stay the 2-weeks as long as he's with me."
"Sam ? He's akin to - this !?" Apparently he was the head of the camp.
He nodded.
Now she raised her voice, "Oh Lordy ! But he gone miss out on every some'tin if he's ain't being with the group !"
Mark smiled, "But not ladybugs."
She looked at him with her mouth open in surprise. Finally she belly laughed, "No, I guess not. He shore ain't gone be missin' out on them old ladybugs !"
She then got serious, "A'ight - well you just keep Andrew out of trouble, hear ? If there's even one more fight and I don't give a flying duck even ever if he ain't the one that din't start it. Cause then OUT he goes - and I means FOREVER - for ANY camp of ours !"
She looked away in thought, "We can't has any wild child like his runnin' around like 'tis ! God how these parents raisin' their kids a-days I just ain't know !"
"Did you hear that ?" Mark asked me.
I just looked at him with big soulful eyes hoping he would pet me again.
He tried to explain. "No more fights. If you get in another fight we're sending you home early, okay ?"
"Okay." I replied grinning.
He got stern, "You need to be serious, Andrew. No more fights. I'll - we'll - get through this."
Then he surprised me and reached over to hug me. I let him and hugged back. I held him for a long time. Finally he extricated himself from me like I was some kind of sticky glue.
I really didn't want to let go of him. He was so warm and comfortable and he smelled of my Dad's cologne. I knew he wasn't Dad but the next best thing. I was miserable here with no friends so I was very happy to have met him.
"Gettin' along real fine !" Peachtree said with a grin watching us for a minute. Then added, "Okay, well I ain't know how youse gone do the cafeteria though. Pretty certain sure Sam doesn't want Andrew goin' near anyone else allla time he be here what with happened."
She then looked straight me, "You knows I ain't so much worried about Andrew hurtin' anyone nohow so much as them other boys - they mebbe wantin' retribution after this."
She then gave a dark look back to Mark, "I know you remembers what happened back in '75 ? Between those two blonde girls a-fightin' over that goddamm blanket ?"
She raised her voice and put her fist down on the wooden table, "We NOT gone to have that kind of bloodbath here ah-again do you hear the words coming out of my mouth, Mark !?"
He sighed, "I hear you Mary. I understand."
"If you'se gone keep his under yore wing you gone have to feed him too !"
He nodded and got serious, "I'm aware of this. He'll be my personal responsibility."
She leaned back heavily in her chair that could barely hold her bulk, squeaking angrily, and clapped her hands in her lap.
She looked up, tired, "Then I done with you, Mark. I ain't got no more twine to spin. You shorely got more patience than me, that's for true and suttin. Okay long as Sam agreein' to it and you REALLY want all this vexerating then I guessen it be a'ight. Hell it prolly a good larnin' 'sperience for the boths of yuz."
She then turned her chair to look at me as I was still marveling over my curved fingernails. "But git his to do some 'tin productive here now though afore-in he leaves. Some kind crafts, macaroni, clay, tyin' knots - hell I don't know !"
I just don't want him parents tellin' everyone else that ther only thing our camp done teaches here how is to catch them ladybugs !"
Mark smiled, "It's his first day, really. We'll be alright." Then looked up at me. "Andrew, you ready to go ? It is about lunchtime now."
END
OF CHAPTER 3
Return
back HOME
CHAPTER 3 -
"Meeting Miss Peachtree"
prev chapter
![[send message]](https://www.writerscafe.org/images/mail.png){kind=small}
![[befriend]](https://www.writerscafe.org/images/friend.png){kind=small}
Share This
Email
Facebook
Twitter
Read Request
My Library
Flag Writing
