Thursday, July 14, 2011

Love Story Part 11

As much as Mongoose and I loved being around each other, camp policy was that relationships should not be publicly displayed. For our closer camp staff friends, they figured out quickly that we were dating and everyone was fine with it. Some staff members were a little more “lost in the woods” about the state of Mongoose and Gidget. In fact, one counselor in particular created some hilarious moments for us to remember. His name was Bacon and he was a really nice guy, a little clueless, but very nice. Mongoose had him as an AC for a majority of the summer, but he still didn’t catch on that we were dating.

One Friday night, after parents and kids had gone home, we as staff decided to chill up at camp. It was dark and we were still feeling adventurous. We decided going on a walk in the dark would be the perfect way to end our week. There is a small waterfall that is about five minutes away and we agreed that it was our destination for our night excursion. We needed flashlight however, so Bacon volunteered to go grab some. He ran to his cabin and while he was gone, over half of the group decided they wanted to go the opposite direction. Mongoose and I wanted some alone time and I they recognized this. So we decided we would still walk to the waterfall. They claimed they would fill Bacon in on the new plan and so we started walking. We didn’t need flashlights, just the moon really. So we let the summer night sky guide us to our destination.

We made it to the edge of camp when we heard,

“Hey…wait up….wait up guys…”

It was Bacon.

“Uh, hey Bacon…actually everyone else decided to walk to the lake bank…you should still be able to catch up with them.” Mongoose tried his best, but for someone who had yet to figure out Mongoose and I were dating, he wasn’t going to pick up on the hint that he wasn’t really invited to this little excursion.

“Oh, really? Hmmm…Nah…I really wanted to see the waterfall at night so I will just come with you two,” He reasoned with himself.

Mongoose and I exchanged glances and raised eyebrows. Mongoose tried to hide a chuckle as openly displayed my annoyance. It was dark, so he couldn’t really see. We continued our walk. With Bacon.

It was as awkward as you could imagine and having a flashlight didn’t help. He would constantly shine it in our faces as he excitedly explored the waterfall and climbed around it. He disappeared for a few moments where we could share some peace and look up at the stars. Mongoose stole a kiss right before we saw his flashlight reemerge from behind a tree.

It took Bacon about six weeks to figure out we were dating. Campers figured it out before he could. It was hard to keep ourselves a secret. We were just so smitten and flirtation was too fun to pass up. Mongoose would find little ways to write me notes or buy me candy from the camp store. He would wink during meals and find ways to hug me or wrestle me to the ground (He can be very creative). The campers would see us flirting and ask if we were boyfriend and girlfriend. Often we would claim we were siblings, which seems strange to think about now. So the campers would ask other staff to verify our status and I think Bacon finally just got fed up with being asked so much.

During dinner one night he sat across from Mongoose,

“So all the kids think you and Gidget are dating…isn’t that funny.” I am not sure whether he was trying to dance around the subject, trying to be sneaky, or he really though it was funny. My guess is the latter.

“Uh, we kinda are dating.” Mongoose was tired of him not knowing, he just wanted to fill him in.

Bacon sat there for a second thinking and then stated, “Congratulations!” and shook Mongoose’s hand.

Apparently I was some type of reward, and Mongoose had won.

The summer moved forward faster than I could anticipate and so did our relationship. I was so smitten with this boy. He completed me in such a perfect way that I thought it could have been one big dream. I lived in the moment and soaked the summer in. The late night talks, the walks, the notes, and the sneaky ways he would find to kiss me. He made me feel special, like I was the only girl he saw.

One day during a meal, a camper walked up to me and said,

“Mongoose said he doesn’t like you.”

This camper came almost every week during the summer and so he was aware of our relationship. Mongoose had used him to tease me which he LOVED to do. He would find anyway to tease me and often I would respond by holding up my fingers in the shape of heart and breaking them apart, signaling to him that he just “broke my heart.”
He would usually respond by trying to mend the heart back together with stitches and kisses but today he was feeling a little more adventurous.

“So I hear you don’t like me anymore,” I mock cried passing him in the kitchen. I was filling a pitcher with water when I nearly had a heart palpitation.

“I don’t like you, I love you.” He casually said as he walked back to his table. Once he reached the table he sat and flashed me that smile.

Was this part of the teasing? Was he serious? I wasn’t sure how to gauge what had just happened but I felt nervous, sick to my stomach. I let it go without a word, deciding it was said more as a joke than anything. Maybe it was my mind trying to ease my heart, but it would be awhile before we talked about love again.

Click here for Part 12

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