Well, here comes Chapter 3! Thank you to all who have reviewed my story thus far and shared your thoughts. Please keep leaving me comments when you get the chance! They spur on my inspiration and help me know your thoughts on my writing/the story as it unfolds. Now - read, review, and enjoy!
Chapter 3
"Now, Arnold, you know what this car means to me," his grandfather said, following the boy around the side of the boarding house to the garage around back.
"I know, Grandpa. You don't think I'd let anything happen to it, do you?"
"No, I don't think you would, but I keep it in the garage where it's nice and safe. If you take it to camp then it'll be sitting outside, exposed to the elements all summer."
Arnold lifted the large, manual door with a slight heave to reveal his grandfather's moss-tinted Packard lounging luxuriously in the dim light of the boarding house garage.
The fresh, brilliant sun of early morning now shining through the open doorway, the Packard began to shimmer under its rays. It was immaculate. Unfortunately, it hadn't been driven in quite some time, give or take a few weekends when Arnold and Gerald had taken it out of the city to enjoy a change of scene and a day of fishing. As much as he loved the car, Phil hadn't been behind the wheel since Arnold got his license a year ago. Even though he was still as wily as ever, he had to admit that he was slowing down. Still, the Packard was his pride and joy, and allowing Arnold to use it for an entire summer was asking quite a lot of the old man, even though he knew the vehicle would be Arnold's one day anyway, not to mention the fact that his grandson was one of the most responsible people he had ever known.
"If you really don't want me to take it, I won't," Arnold said, turning to face him.
Phil sighed. "No, Arnold, I want you to take it. It'll just sit in the garage for three months anyway. But be very careful with it, you hear? That car's the love of my life."
Arnold smirked and placed a hand on his grandfather's shoulder. "Don't worry, Grandpa; nothing's gonna happen to the Packard. Thank you for trusting me with it. I know it wasn't an easy decision for you."
The older man shrugged. "It's basically yours now anyway, short man."
"Not yet," Arnold said with a slight shake of his head.
The two men stood there in silence for a moment, then Arnold glanced at his watch. "Wow, I'd better get goin'. I told Lila I'd pick her up at eight."
"You got everything you need?" Phil asked.
"I think so." Arnold nodded, then walked around to the driver's side of the glimmering Packard and opened the door.
"Well, here's the keys." Phil proffered the gift hesitantly.
Arnold smirked then snatched them from his grandfather's hand, sliding into the vehicle and closing the door. He started the ignition and rolled down the window. "Thanks again, Grandpa. I'll be back before you know it."
"Wait up, Tex!" His grandmother burst through the inner door to the garage and clambered down the steps, a large, ten-gallon hat resting atop her gray mop of hair.
"Grandma!" Arnold leapt out of the car in a moment of panic. It was only too easy for him to see her falling down the stairs and snapping her neck in her haste. "You can't run down the stairs like that anymore."
"Don't worry about me, Tex. I just packed some grub for you and your friend to eat on your roundup." The woman handed him a brown paper bag.
Arnold smiled warmly. "Thanks, Grandma," he said, hugging her affectionately.
"Saddle up now, Tex, and watch out for cattle rustlers!"
He chuckled and returned to the car. "I'll see you in August!" he called, then began to back out of the driveway and onto the street. Glancing in the rearview mirror just before pulling away, he saw his grandmother waving farewell and his grandfather shaking his fist, yelling, "And don't let your little friend get any crumbs on the seats!" before they were both swallowed up in the cloud of exhaust the Packard left in its wake.
"Oh, Arnold, this is such a treat, riding in your grandfather's old Packard," said Lila as Arnold merged the vehicle onto the open highway. It was eight o'clock on a Sunday morning, and there wasn't a single car on the road. "Thank you for picking me up."
"No problem," he said, tossing her a soft smile and watching out of the corner of his eye as the girl in the seat beside him adjusted the sunglasses on her slender nose in the side view mirror.
Camp wouldn't start until the following day, but the staff and counselors were required to come a day early to ensure everything was in order: cabins cleaned, food prepared, supplies gathered, etc. It was a two-hour drive out of the city to Camp What-a-Nut, and Arnold and Lila chatted the entire way, reminiscing over the past school year and dreaming about the next. Arnold had made almost as much of a name for himself as Helga had as shortstop on the school's baseball team. Still, as much as he loved the sport and was looking forward to the next season, he wasn't planning on pursuing his athletic career into college. Historically, he had always played for fun and imagined it would only take the enjoyment out of the game if he were to turn it into a job. Lila, too, had claimed her place as a star pupil of Hillwood High, second only to the infamous Rhonda Lloyd in popularity and admiration. She was as sugary-sweet as the day she had joined Mr. Simmons' fourth grade class at P.S. 118, and still occasionally wore her auburn hair in two delicate braids on either side of her head. Most of the time, however, she now wore it loose and flowing down her back, every so often pinning her bangs to the side with a small, green barrette. Football season in the fall, basketball season in the spring, Arnold had loved them both for the sole purpose of sitting on the bleachers, watching Lila's silky smooth hair glisten under the stadium lights as she dazzled the crowd with her cheers. Cheerleading wasn't the only thing Lila excelled at, though; indeed, she had proven her versatility and substance as not only a member of the Honors Society but the French club as well, and also served as a collaborator on the school's yearbook committee. Arnold, himself, was also a member of the Honors Society and wrote an occasional article for the school paper.
"Are you thinkin' about college, Lila?" he asked.
"Oh, yes, though I don't really know what I want to do yet," she replied.
"That's ok. We're only seventeen. I don't know how everyone expects us to know what we want to do with the rest of our lives already."
"Me either," she agreed. "You know what you want to do though, don't you, Arnold?"
"Well, kinda." He shrugged. "I always thought I might want to travel like my parents, but I have a pretty good idea Grandma and Grandpa are going to leave me the Sunset Arms when they pass. I like it here, so I wouldn't mind coming home to manage the boarding house eventually, but hopefully I'll be able to do something that allows me an opportunity to travel before that happens. I've been thinking about archeology recently. I know my parents were doctors, but I don't think medical school is for me."
"Really? I think you'd be a wonderful doctor, Arnold," Lila said.
"You do?"
She nodded. "Oh, yes. You're so caring and thoughtful; I'm sure you'd have the perfect bedside manner and bring ever so much comfort to people in times of crisis."
He grinned. "Wow. I guess I've never really thought about it before."
"And you're certainly smart enough to do it, if that's something you're worried about."
He could feel his cheeks growing red again. "Thanks, Lila. I might have to think about it some more."
"I think you should," she said with a decisive nod.
"You should too. I think you'd be a fantastic doctor," he said, turning the compliment around.
"I have thought about being a nurse," she said thoughtfully.
"That's great, Lila. You should go for it."
"Maybe I will," she said. "Oh, Arnold, wouldn't it be too wonderful if we ended up being doctor and nurse at the same hospital?"
A satisfied grin slowly spread across the boy's lips as he allowed his thoughts to wander into the distant future. A picture of the two of them, he dressed in a long white coat and she in a pair of slimming green scrubs, was beginning to form. She was pressed against his form, giggling and gazing rapturously into his eyes. Apparently he had just said something incredibly witty, though just what that smart statement was his vision hadn't been kind enough to impart.
"Yeah," he murmured instead, "wonderful."
The Packard drove underneath Camp What-a-Nut's welcoming sign and pulled up in the small lot behind the largest cabin on the grounds. Inside, half of the cabin was lined with rows of long tables and a cafeteria-style buffet for mealtimes. The other half acted as a game room, containing a pool table, a Ping-Pong table, a foosball table, and several other smaller tables stacked with decks of cards and checkerboards. Food and fun: a kids' paradise. To the left, a volleyball court stood beside a large, open field, which would host a variety of sporting events throughout the summer. The paths to the right led to a large lake perfect for freshwater fishing, swimming, and canoeing. The grounds also contained a barn with horses and a small plot of land beside it for a garden, which the children would learn to tend over the course of the summer. Hiking trails ran all through the woods surrounding the estate as well. Of course, the focal point of the camp was the massive fire pit in front of the main cabin with dozens of log-seats circled about it. Every night the day's activities would end right here, with a few songs and a few s'mores.
"Howdy, Arnold, Lila!" Stinky Peterson waved and walked down the steps leading up to the back door of the main cabin. "Glad to see ya made it."
"Oh, good, Arnold, you and Lila are here." Mr. Simmons followed in Stinky's wake along with several other camp staff. "You didn't have any trouble along the way, I take it."
"Not at all," Arnold replied, shaking his head.
"The drive was ever so pleasant," Lila agreed with a nod.
"We're not late though, are we?" Arnold surveyed the gathering before them concernedly.
"Oh no," Mr. Simmons assured him, "In fact, you and Lila are the first counselors to arrive. There was a little more prep work involved for some of us senior staffers, so we came on ahead yesterday evening. Now, Stinky, why don't you show Arnold to his cabin and I'll have Nadine show Lila to hers. After you're finished setting up there," he glanced at his watch, "let's say in about half an hour, why don't you meet me back here and we'll get started? By that time some of the other counselors should have arrived. There really isn't much left to be done, but I want you all to get familiar with the layout of the camp and the daily routines we've planned out for the kids. Also, Lila, I was hoping you'd be able to assist us with some of the horseback riding lessons this year."
Lila's face lit up as she clasped her hands together joyously. "Oh, I'd be ever so happy to, Mr. Simmons! You have no idea how excited I was when I learned there would be horses here. I was hoping I'd be able to help with them in some way."
"Your skills will be greatly appreciated, Lila," Mr. Simmons said with a nod. "Now you two go get set up in your cabins and I'll see you in half an hour." And with that he retreated back into the main cabin with the other staff, leaving Arnold, Lila, Stinky, and Nadine standing in the parking lot.
"C'mon, Arnold, I'll show ya to your cabin," Stinky said as Arnold lifted the hatch on the back of the Packard to remove the luggage.
"Is Lila's cabin on the way?" he asked, surveying the three large bags at his feet, two of which belonged to Lila.
"Don't worry, Arnold, we can manage," Nadine assured him, taking a handle in each hand and passing one to Lila before the boy had a chance to snatch them from her.
"Are you sure?" He cocked a doubtful eyebrow at the girls. "I don't mind."
"It isn't far," Nadine replied.
"But thank you for offering," Lila added with a smile as the two girls started down the path to the right.
Arnold smiled back then returned his attention to the Packard where a guitar case still lay in the trunk. Slinging it onto his back, he closed and locked the vehicle, grabbed his suitcase, and turned to Stinky.
"All right, where to?"