Horse Camp

by Nicole Helget

  Jimmy takes another drink, a long one this time. He belches. “How old?” he says.

  “Thirteen,” I say.

  Jimmy raises his eyebrows. Then he turns and walks back to the machine shed and picks up his ball. I follow. He starts dribbling it, fancy stuff, behind his back, between his legs, quick little dribbles that remind me of the fast chickens at Uncle Stretch’s.

  “Hey, Jimmy,” I say. “I got a favor to ask.”

  Jimmy stops dribbling and says, “Stretch already called my dad and asked. Yeah, I’ll drive you to the state fair. We’ll leave Friday at noon.”

  “Awesome!” I say. “I gotta go.”

  “See ya,” Jimmy says, and takes a shot. Donk, kish!

  On the way back home, I decide to jog. I need to keep in shape. I don’t even care that everybody forgot my birthday since Jimmy’s taking me up to the state fair. It’s gonna be great. I ramp up my speed. When I look back, little puffs of dust are coming up from my feet because I’m running so fast.

  When I get to the yard, I can smell someone grilling. Pork chops or steaks. It smells so good. Again, the idea that they might be having a surprise party for me pops into my head. I go in the house, and in the dining room, everyone’s sitting at the table, eating. There’s all kinds of food on the table—pork chops, beans, a big red JELL-O. But no birthday cake.

  “Where you been?” asks Uncle Stretch.

  “I was at Jimmy’s, asking,” I say. “I told Pauly to tell you.”

  Everyone looks at Pauly, who says, “Oops, I fohgot.”

  “Well, there’s something else you all forgot, too,” I say, my voice catching. All the sudden I feel like I might cry! “It’s my birthday today!”

  June Bug and Pauly stare at me. Uncle Stretch and Sheryl stare at me, then at each other. Then they stare at Penny. Penny stares at me. “No, it isn’t!” she says.

  “Today’s August thirteenth!” I say. “We’re thirteen!”

  “You doughnut,” says Penny. “Today’s the eleventh.”

  “No, it’s not!” I say. “Today’s the thirteenth, our birthday!”

  Uncle Stretch sighs, cuts a piece of meat, and puts it in his mouth. He chews a few times. “It’s the eleventh, Son,” he says.

  “No, it’s not!” I say. “I think I would know.”

  “There’s a calendar magnet on the fridge,” says June Bug, pointing.

  I stomp over and look. The print is tiny, but it’s clear. I feel like tearing the refrigerator door off the hinges. “You sure the year’s right on this thing?”

  “Would it make you feel better if we sang you ‘Happy Birthday’ ahead of schedule?” asks June Bug.

  “Very funny, Loon Bug,” I say. I walk out of there and think how refreshing it would be never to see their faces again.

  Chapter 20

  Penny Celebrates Her Birthday

  Dear Diary,

  It’s August thirteenth.

  Today, I am officially a teenager. And today was the best birthday of my life! Yesterday, I got a text from Wesley saying that he was riding Mick over, so when I got up this morning, I got myself really pretty, even prettier than normal by parting my hair on the side and clipping it with a barrette June Bug and Sheryl got me for my birthday. They don’t usually have good taste because they wear all their gaudy stuff at once, but if you wear just one or two shiny things at a time, then it looks nice and not trashy. I hope they both take a hint from me and tone it down.

  The barrette has a brownish-amber stone in the middle, surrounded by yellowish-green stones all around. It’s really pretty and looks good in my hair.

  After I did my hair and put on a little blush and mascara, I went downstairs, where Pauly and June Bug and Sheryl and Uncle Stretch were waiting for Percy and me. They pulled out our chairs and served up orange juice, pancakes, and bacon. I passed on the bacon because I don’t like to eat meat anymore, and I must be influencing Sheryl because she said, “Me neither!” She smiled at me, and she nodded to the refrigerator where she had hung the note I wrote her about smoking. Rather than get mad and defensive about it, she said that I was right and that she was going to put it in a place where she would have to read it several times a day.

  Side note: At first it was hard for me to sit near Percy after he rudely interrupted me in my room the other day and accused me of smoking that cigarette. I have been thinking long and hard about that, and have decided to forgive him, but just not tell him that I forgive him. He deserves to be forgiven, and I do, too. (I just don’t know how he found out, exactly, and I will have to watch him more closely.)

  Then Sheryl actually had a really good idea when she told everyone to take a turn telling the rest of the family their favorite quality about me and Percy. Pauly said he really liked when Percy played football with him and threw the ball like a real football player, and then he said he really liked it when I read stories to him. It’s true that I’ve read to Pauly a lot, but I didn’t know that Pauly liked it, since half the time he’d be staring off into space, or interrupting with off-topic questions, or even falling asleep.

  It goes to show that you never know when a kid might be paying attention. This summer, I already read Fantastic Mr. Fox, Charlotte’s Web, James and the Giant Peach, Because of Winn-Dixie, and a handful of Goosebumps books to him. Usually, I have to force him to sit down and listen. I tell him that kids who are read to are about a thousand times smarter than kids who aren’t read to and that I’m doing it for his own good. So, that was a nice surprise.

  June Bug said she liked playing outside with Percy and that I gave good advice sometimes. This is true, because I recently gave her some really good advice on her hair and makeup and clothes. I’ve also given her plenty of good advice about how to stay healthy, and even Sheryl must agree, because she hasn’t smoked a cigarette in ages. Then it was Sheryl’s turn, and she said she was so grateful for Percy and me because we’ve brought so much vitality (she actually used that word, which totally amazes me) back to the farm and back to our Uncle Stretch. Then it was Uncle Stretch’s turn, and it sounded like this:

  Stretch: (Scratching his head and squinting for a long while like he couldn’t think of anything to say.) Percy, you’ve shaped up quite a bit over that past couple months. Keep it up.

  Percy: (Looking real proud.) Thanks, Uncle Stretch.

  Stretch: (Looking at me and smiling an actual smile.) Penny, you remind me of your mother more and more every day … but you’ve still got a long way to go.

  Me: (Thinking that his compliment sort of sounded like a backhanded insult, but accepting that it’s about as good as it gets with Stretch.) Thanks, Uncle Stretch.

  After breakfast, Percy and I got to open our present from Uncle Stretch, which was wrapped up in a tarp and sitting outside. Basically, we didn’t have to unwrap it. All we had to do was lift it up to see that he got us a trampoline! We said it was awesome, and I gave him a hug. That was the first time I hugged him or any man besides my dad, and it wasn’t too bad. Then Sheryl went back inside to make us some birthday cake and take a rest. Pauly and Uncle Stretch and June Bug and Percy got to work on the trampoline, which was in about a trillion pieces.

  I climbed up the windmill a ways. I like to sit up there and just look around at all the fields and groves and roads and the river. I was also hoping to get another text message, but it turned out I didn’t need one, because before lunch, I could see Wesley riding toward our place on Mick and pulling another horse alongside him. I climbed down and ran out to the end of the driveway to meet them. Here was our conversation:

  Wesley: (Looking very cute in a Zombie Cowboy kind of way, with his black jeans and black boots.) Hey.

  Me: (Feeling nervous/happy/excited.) Hey, what’s up?

  Wesley: (Smiling in a really intelligent-looking way.) Happy birthday.

  Me: Thanks.

  Wesley: (Holding up a brown paper bag.) I packed a lunch and brought Bud. Can you come?

  Me: (Trying not to appear too eager.) I’ll ask. />
  Then I ran as fast as possible to the house and asked Sheryl, who said yes and gave me a funny smile. Then Wesley and I went for a ride together, and we had the most amazing day ever. Though I’d spent a lot of time feeding Bernie and Brenda, I’d never actually ridden a horse before. I was scared to ride Bud, but he was a way nicer horse than Bernie and Brenda and never tried to bite me or buck me off. Wesley said I was a natural.

  I can’t say we talked too much. Wesley’s pretty quiet, and I, for one, am not a big talker. But sometimes it’s just nice to be quiet with someone else and be comfortable, which is exactly how I felt about being with Wesley. We rode to the Rabbit River, which isn’t too far away, but far enough away so Pauly and Percy couldn’t spy on me, and then Wesley made a little picnic for us. He brought Cheez-Its and Gatorade and a big bag of M&M’S and some beef jerky (which I politely declined), and then he gave me another CD he made for me with all these old country-western songs he said his dad listens to, and he’s learned to like, too. I’d never heard any of them before, and some of them were a little dirty, especially ones by this guy named Conway Twitty (what a weird name!).

  Wesley looked so cool wearing his T-shirt and jeans and cowboy boots. I’m for sure in love. We didn’t kiss or anything because I’m not ready for that kind of a relationship, but we threw grass at each other, and he kicked me in the leg when I made a joke about how his hair looked like a Dairy Queen treat in the front.

  Then we rode back, and June Bug and Percy and Pauly were waiting for us. Then we all five jumped on the new trampoline and practiced doing flips and stuff until dinnertime, when Stretch said it was time for Wesley to head home. I helped him get his horses ready and said it’d be fun to see him again sometime. He said that sounded good, which means he’ll probably come back soon or at least probably text me tomorrow. I thought June Bug would be all jealous and maybe even try to steal Wesley from me, but she was really cool and said I was lucky and wanted to know if she could listen to the CD he made for me. I told her that we could all listen to it after supper.

  Sheryl made cream of wild rice soup because that’s Percy’s favorite and avocado soft tacos because those are my favorite. Mom called right near the end of supper and told us she loved us and that her appeal looked to be going well. She told me she was really, really sorry about not being here for our birthday. She told me how proud she was of me. She told me she missed me and my brothers so much it made her teeth hurt, and she couldn’t wait to wrap her arms around me. She told me to close my eyes and try and imagine the big, big hug she was sending through the phone. I did, and I swear I could really feel it.

  It was nice to hear her voice and remember that hers was the first important voice Percy and I heard thirteen years ago. Then I remembered that this was our first birthday apart from her, which made me pretty sad.

  After we hung up, Sheryl asked how our mother was and how she sounded. Then she asked at what time Percy and me had been born. I told her I didn’t know. But then Uncle Stretch said he knew. He said that he was there.

  Percy: What? You mean you saw me buck naked?

  Stretch: Don’t you guys know your own birth story?

  We shook our heads, and I started to get real excited because since Uncle Stretch hardly ever even talks, I knew this story must be very important and interesting.

  Here’s what happened the night we were born, according to Uncle Stretch, who was there! (All the following words came out of Uncle Stretch’s mouth, so I will try to write it like he said it. But he sometimes mumbles, uses weird phrases no one has heard of, or uses crassness, so forgive me if this isn’t exactly right or appropriate!)

  Stretch: (Scratching at his face, which looks like it hasn’t been shaved in about a week.) You two don’t ’member your grandparents, but this is their place we’re livin’ on. Before that it was my pops’s pops’s place and so on. He was born in this house. His pops was born in this house. All the way back. Even those old horses were born on this place.

  Stretch: (Reclining in his chair and making his hands like a hammock behind his head.) Yer mama, Danielle, married Allen despite what we all wanted. None of us really liked him much. Now I know you kids get all jumpy when I start talkin’ ’bout yer dad, but the guy just rubs me the wrong way and always has. That don’t have nothin’ to do with you three. So quit takin’ it personal. My ma, yer grandma, got real upset and quit talkin’ to Danielle entirely when it happened. They didn’t speak for upwards of ’bout three years. They’re both stubborn women, I guess.

  Stretch: My pops did what my ma did because she was a yeller, and so we didn’t hear a word from Danielle until she showed up one day in the summer, her belly out to here. (Moving his hands from behind head and simulating a fake belly.) Ready to explode with you two. I was livin’ here with Roland, who musta been ’bout twelve or thirteen, I guess. Same age as you kids now.

  Stretch: I’d been havin’ troubles with Kim. Kim was my wife for a good many years, though I can’t say many of the years were good. She’d took off to California to think things over and never came back. I worked at the lumberyard in town in those days, so Roland and me had moved back in here with Ma and Pops, so they could keep an eye on Roland while I worked.

  Stretch: (Crossing his legs to the side of the table and looking off into a far corner of the room.) Anyway, Ma was not going to let Danielle stay and said some nasty things. Ma could be a hard and unreasonable woman. But Danielle told her to get over it and quit freezin’ her out. Danielle told Ma that only uneducated hicks act nasty to their own family. Danielle said that learnin’ that people can disagree and still get along is somethin’ it was high time that Ma learned because she was about to be a grandma again, and your ma didn’t want an old crab bein’ the grandma to her kids.

  Stretch: (Breathing deeply, as though he still can’t quite believe that our mother had spoken to her mother in that way.) That’s what she said, and Pops and I about fell out of our chairs, ’cause nobody ever talked to Ma like that. Ma looked ready to kill someone but then started laughin’ and moved Danielle back into her old room. (Smiling a smile that makes his face look like a little boy’s, somehow.) Just like that, the feud was over.

  Stretch: (Turning his face more serious again.) It wasn’t a week later that Danielle woke us all up in the middle of the night, sayin’ she needed to get to the doctor. Where Allen was during all this, I’m not too sure. That ministry of his was just gettin’ goin’, I think, and had him travelin’ all over roundin’ up parishioners and money and whatnot. Anyway, it was pretty exciting business with Ma timin’ Danielle’s contractions, and Pops packin’ up the truck to take yer ma to the hospital.

  Stretch: (Grabbing a toothpick from the toothpick holder and jabbing at a tooth in the back of his mouth for a few seconds.) That old truck’s engine was on its last leg, soundin’ like a couple tail-tied bobcats fightin’ under the hood. Between drivin’ it from the shed to the house, it overheated, and Pops was a real stickler about not blowin’ up engines, and so he said that that truck wasn’t goin’ anywhere. My car was in town at the shop, waitin’ for a new compressor, and the only other vehicle suitable for road travel was the grain truck. So Pops started movin’ the suitcases from the pickup truck to the grain truck, and in the meantime, Danielle went from zero to ten in pain and yellin’. She told us she was going to the bathtub and to call the ambulance because she wasn’t gettin’ in any vehicle with us yahoos.

  Stretch: Found out later that she’d learned all about deliverin’ babies in the years she was gone. She’d took up nursin’ and was travelin’ to all kinds of poor places with Allen. She’d learned this trick about water births and told Ma to fill up that tub with hot water because she was gettin’ in. After that, I don’t know much about what happened. The two women closed the bathroom door, and all we heard was Danielle shoutin’ at Ma about what to do when you came out and some other wild noises. After a while, Ma opened up the door and passed Penny to me, wrapped in a towel. About five minutes later, she
came out with Percy wrapped in a towel. Both of you babies was all red and lumpy-headed and had gunk all over you, but you were healthy, and we were happy for it.

  Stretch: (Taking a drink of coffee.) The ambulance had to come all the way from the other side of the county and took near an hour. Before it got here, your mom had showered off and come out in a green sweat suit. She said she was glad that was over and asked what we thought of Penelope and Perseus for names. Ma said she’d prefer regular old Michael or Jacob for the boy. She also said that Perseus was the ugliest name she’d ever heard. Danielle told her that was just another uneducated judgment and to be quiet if she didn’t know a good name that came from the cradle of civilization when she heard it.

  Stretch: Ma went to bleach the tub, and the ambulance came to pick you three up. Then Ma came out and said the name wasn’t too bad after all. Well, Perseus and Penelope you became. You all got checked out at the hospital and sent back here. You were here for a good couple of weeks before Allen showed up and packed you all up. Nearly broke Roland’s little heart seein’ you babies leave. He was a good one for keepin’ you quiet by letting you suck on his pinky. After that, Danielle made phone calls home sometimes but mostly sent letters and postcards from wherever Allen was settin’ up a church.

  Stretch: (Scratching the side of his head.) Let’s see now, you two were born the year before we had that big rain and flood. Roland had his accident five years after the flood. Ma died the spring after Roland, and Pops ’bout six months later. I nearly lost my mind with grief and loneliness the next handful of years till Sheryl and June Bug here saved me from drinkin’ myself to death. And now that you all showed up and saved me from dyin’ of a broken heart, I feel like things have been practically just right.

  With that, Stretch’s eyes got all glassy, and he picked himself up and said he needed to go to the bathroom. We all just sat there quiet (even Percy) until he came out again, and then he started to eat his dessert like nothing had happened, so we ate ours, too, and eventually, Percy and Pauly and June Bug started jabbering like usual.