Maria just wanted Francesca to hurry up getting their groceries. She wanted to get out of the strange corner store with the creepy stuffed animal heads and pictures of happy campers. She was still upset about not being allowed to go to summer camp with her best friend Alyssa. Instead Maria was stuck with Fran in the middle of nowhere Maine while they waited for their car to be fixed at the local shop. Francesca said that the repairs would take a few more days so unfortunately they were stuck in the backwards town of Moose Rump until then.
The slamming of the door to the shop and the violent ringing of the bell startled Maria as she looked up from her coloring book. "Ernie! Jaz just quit. The ungrateful girl claimed that she just couldn't take the "lack of support" and had "had one to many frights". It's the woods, what did she expect? Now I'm short a nurse, the counselors come next week and the campers two weeks after that. Those awful children will be falling all over the camp with no one to fix them up!" ranted a middle-aged lady in a red polo, tan vest, and cargo pants as she stormed up to the counter. "Anyway, I need all of your expired and therefore cheap produce, I need to stock up on supplies before the staff gets here. I just don't see how she could leave when I had that new cabin built and everything, WITH A.C. of all things, a working kitchen, bathroom. With clean, hot and cold water! I mean I was going to take it for me, but I offered it to her when she said she was quitting but she still left. I'm that desperate for a nurse!" She slumped over the counter "Oh Ernie where did I go wrong…" In all of the strange loud lady's flailing her keys had fallen onto the floor. "We are down on attendance too! Another kid just dropped out today, I had a counselor quit for "family reasons" ugh… I will have to promote one of my CITs to counselor purely to keep the camp going". Picking up the lady's keys Maria approached her and tugged on her vest.
"Excuse me, Miss, you dropped your keys," she said, offering them back. The yelling lady turned around with a scary smile.
"Hello little girl." Maria took three big steps back, "Thank you for returning my keys. I wouldn't be able to get all this food back to camp without them. Say, do you want to come to camp? I think I have some pictures of the camp around here" she rustles around in her satchel. "Here we go!" she exclaims triumphantly as she pulls out a pamphlet on the camp. "Take a look at that and tell your momma that you want to come to Camp Kikiwaka for the best summer ever".
Francesca finally looked up from where she had been arguing with the other cashier and rushed to Maria's side pulling her away from the strange camp lady. "Maria! What have I told you about talking to strangers!" Francesca said, turning to the lady "I'm so sorry mam, I hope she wasn't a bother. Thank you for the information on the camp but we must be going."
"Wait!" the desk clerk called as Francesca collected their shopping and headed out the door with Maria in tow. The man handed Fran a sheet, "Here is the list of Help Wanted Ads you asked for. Good luck with the job hunt!" Francesca quickly shoved the list into her bag.
'Why was she looking for a job? We were going home right… back to Texas with mom and dad' wondered Maria.
The scary lady suddenly seemed to perk up after hearing this. "Are you looking for work?" she asked. "I'm Gladys, the owner of Camp Kikiwaka, and I'm looking for a replacement nurse and counselor at the moment. Would you be interested in the position?"
Francesca looked up shocked "Oh! Thank you for the offer but I won't be able to leave Maria for a whole summer. Any job I get would have to allow me to bring her. Plus, I really can't afford to pay a camp tuition, hence the job" she replied, shaking the help wanted ads.
'Drat, there went her chance to go to summer camp. This was just like Camp Rose all over again' sulked Maria.
"Well I'm sure that she can come to camp, maybe on one of our scholarships? Why don't you come to the camp tomorrow around nine for a tour and we can talk about your position? See you tomorrow. Ernie, I'll be back for the food tomorrow afternoon." The scary lady then left before Francesca could reply. Looking up at her Maria offered her best puppy eyes.
"Fine" Fran sighed, "We'll go look. But that's it! Don't get your hopes up, I need to find a job that will actually pay".