Bucky glanced at his watch. “I don’t know. It’s almost your bedtime. Plus I’m missing the whole ballgame. I only wanted to ride for two innings.”
“Please?” Even at eight years of age she knew how to put a look of melodramatic pleading in her eyes. “Double triple pretty please? You’re my favorite brother in the whole universe.”
He sighed. “OK, but just one loop. That’s it. And you have to take a five - minute shower when we get home.”
Giving her characteristic little laugh, she pushed off and pedaled down the street. With a grin, he followed after her.
It was kind of fun playing father, he decided to himself as he read the primary Bible lesson to her later. With his parents both at a late dinner party for Dad’s office staff, getting Rachel Marie to bed on time had become his responsibility.
“Say your prayers,” he reminded as he pulled the covers up to her chin.
She murmured the familiar little list, her face solemn. Bucky kept his own eyes closed, but couldn’t resist the temptation to sneak a peek at her. “. . . In Jesus’ name, Amen.” With a tired sigh, she turned to face him. “Bucky?”
He sat down on the bed next to her. “What?” He tried not to sound impatient. Were the Giants still up by three runs?
“Do you think Daddy will ever love Jesus?”
Bucky hesitated. “He loves him.”
“How come he never goes to church then?”
“I don’t know. He just doesn’t.”
“Is he going to be baptized soon?”
“I don’t think so.” His voice softened.
“How come?”
“How come you wanted to know about that?”
“I don’t know.” Rachel Marie’s eyelids began to droop. “Just ‘cause.”
“Do you think you’ll get baptized soon?”
“Uh huh.”
He leaned over and kissed her warm cheek. “How come?”
The words came drowsily. “I want to be like you.”
“Oh.” He kissed her again, more softly this time. “Good night, sweet baby.” He could almost feel a tear in his eye. “I love you a million times.”
The words rang in his ears as he watched the rest of the ball game by himself in the living room. I want to be like you. A lump came into his throat as he realized that he was a role model to his little sister.
The next weekend at church was visitors’ potluck. Mom had prepared two big tortilla-chip casseroles for the gathering. Dan and Sam sat with Bucky, cracking jokes with Miss Cochran, who was timidly trying some exotic vegetarian dishes.
“So what do you think?” Bucky popped another huge bite of food into his mouth. “Pretty good, huh?”
She flashed her usual smile. “It really is. I’ll have to come to this more often.”
Dan poured a second cup of raspberry punch and drained it all in one long gulp. “What do you teachers do for fun all summer?” he wanted to know.
“I’m going to a two - week refresher seminar down in San Diego,” she responded. “And I’m going to spend some time with my mom.”
“How’s she doing?” Bucky remembered seeing her at the funeral several months before.
“Pretty good.” The English teacher carefully folded her napkin and put it on the plate. “Of course she’s wondering about, you know, my becoming a Christian and everything.”
“What does she think about that?” Bucky’s mother leaned over, interest showing in her voice.
“She doesn’t really mind, I guess.” Miss Cochran’s eyes were thoughtful. “She’s kind of friends with some religious folks in Placerville, and several of them were especially nice to her after my dad passed away.”
“That’s good.”
Just then Pastor Jensen walked over to the table. “How’s the youth crowd doing today?”
“Good.” Sam answered for all of them even though his mouth was full of orange sherbet.
The silver - haired pastor sat down next to Bucky. ‘‘Who’s ready for some major-league adventure?” His voice carried a hint of mystery.
Bucky pretended to back away from him. “I don’t know. Last time you suggested an adventure I ended up lost in Bangkok.” Everybody laughed.
“What’s up? Disneyland?” Dan wadded up his napkin and lobbed it right into a trash can clear across the church fellowship hall. “Man, I still have the magic touch.”
The older man looked at the young Christians. “I got a desperate note from a friend of mine who runs our district’s summer camp up at Sierra Pines,” he said. “They’re already up and running with their full program. But all of a sudden they lost two of their counselors. Just like that – and with 150 campers pouring in each week. Wondered if I could help him out.”
Bucky looked over at Mom. “Isn’t that the one Rachel Marie’s going to?”
“Uh huh. But not until the middle of August. That’s the session she picked.”
“What kind of stuff do they need for someone to do?” Dan asked – to everybody’s surprise.
Pastor Jensen grinned. “Well, it’s basically getting paid for playing all summer. That is, if you like kids.”
Sam, who had been clearing away some of the paper plates and napkins, returned to hear the last remark. “Whoa, that’s a big if.”
The pastor went on. “I was up there last summer as camp pastor for two weeks. You pretty much are in charge of a group of boys each week. You stay right in the cabin with them, herd them to meals and everything. Sit with them at the campfire worships and so forth.”
“Do we babysit them all day long?” Even though Bucky was all set at the bank, the idea of being a camp counselor intrigued him. Rachel Marie’s words the other night echoed in his mind again. I want to be like you.
“Well, during the day the kids take part in activities such as horseback riding, archery, swimming, waterskiing, and so on. They expect the counselors to help supervise in one of those areas, but you wouldn’t be guarding your own little flock of kids twenty-four hours a day. The camp activities do break that up a little bit.”
“What about pay?” Dan laughed. “I mean, let’s cut to the chase. I gotta make some big bucks this summer.”
Pastor Jensen nodded. “It’s really pretty good. You don’t actually get paid on an hourly rate, but more on a total summer scholarship basis. One of our young people did this three years ago, and she told me it came out better than working here all summer at minimum wage. And of course you’re eating for free the whole time, no lodging expense or anything.” He looked at Jennie Stone. “Not that your mom has gotten smart enough to start charging you yet, Bucky.”
Bucky’s mind whirled with new possibilities. Even though working at First California Bank was pleasant, the last two summers had really dragged by with him putting in forty hours behind a teller’s counter week after week. Was it possible that Mr. Willis would arrange to let him have the entire summer season off – and still have a job for him in September?
He took a deep breath. “Boy, I’d sure like to at least ask at work. It sounds great.” He glanced at Mom. “What do you think?”
She laughed. “Sounds to me like one long vacation is all. And you’d be up there when Rachel Marie came up in August. That’d be nice.”
Bucky looked at his friends. “What do you guys think?”
Dan shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe.” He gave Sam a poke in the ribs. “Maybe you ought to do it.”
The older boy shook his head slightly. “Nah. I don’t think so.”
“You afraid of kids?” Dan grinned.
“Maybe.” Sam looked over at Rachel Marie. “Not her. But some of the little eight - year - old twerp boys I know are a major pain in the neck. I just don’t think I’d be any good at it. Plus I’d be lousy at all that horseback riding and everything.”
“Yeah, Sam on a horse. That’d be worth the price of admission all by itself.”
“Well, then, you’re going to have to do it,” Bucky teased Dan.
The older boy shru
gged again. “Maybe.”
“Are you serious?”
“I’ll at least ask down at the station. See if they blow a gasket about it.”
“Come on. There must be ten guys working down there. They’d never even know you were gone.”
Pastor Jensen climbed out of his chair, reaching out to take a leftover cookie from the plate in the center of the table. “Well, you boys give it some thought and let me know. But if you could arrange the time off from work for the next ten weeks, I can guarantee you it’s an amazing experience.”
“When would we have to decide?” Bucky wanted to know.
“Well, they’re shorthanded up there already, but they figure they can get through this week one way or another. But they’d like to have whoever’s going to do it up there by this coming Wednesday so they can give them some orientation for a few days.”
Bucky felt a flicker of uncertainty. “Yikes. This Wednesday?”
“Yeah. I know that’s tough. You’d have to decide pretty quick.”
Bucky spent a good share of the afternoon thinking about the possibility. Just two weeks in Thailand had seemed like a long time away from the security of home and his family. How would an entire summer at camp be?
“Of course, you could get home every now and then,” Mom reminded. “It’s only 160 miles from here. And of course you’d have your cell phone – calls back and forth would be a lot easier than from Bangkok.”
“Yeah.” Bucky gave a little nod. “But I don’t think I want to do it by myself. Maybe if Dan went too . . .” His voice betrayed his doubts.
Next Monday afternoon, as the staff entered the last of the day’s transactions, he approached the bank manager. “Mr. Willis, I have a huge question to ask you.”
“Fire away.” The friendly man put down some CD deposit slips and looked up. “What can I do for you?”
Without fanfare he described the camp counselor opportunity. “I know it’s horribly short notice and all,” he confessed. “And if it makes a big problem for the bank, we just won’t do it. But I at least thought I’d ask.”
The manager sat at his desk for a moment, chewing on his lip thoughtfully. “Boy. This Wednesday?”
“Uh huh.” Bucky could read the older man’s apprehension. “I guess maybe it’s not such a hot idea.”
Mr. Willis shook his head. “Well, we’ve got to find a way to make it work, that’s all.” He looked at Bucky with genuine fondness. “I mean, you mean a lot to this bank, and it won’t be easy to work around this. But hey, I always want you to take advantage of experiences like this.”
A surge of gratitude shot through Bucky. “You really think I can go?”
The manager nodded. “I’m going to make a few phone calls tonight. So nothing’s sure until I do my homework. But I’m sure we can pull it off.”
“Wow.” Bucky reached out and shook his boss’s hand. “Thanks a lot, Mr. Willis. I mean – if it works out.”
That evening at supper he told his parents what the branch manager had said. “So it looks like you really might be going?” Dad said.
“Yeah. If he can find someone to help fill in my spot.” Bucky carried away the last of the dirty dishes.
“That’s a whole summer away from the Giants,” his father teased.
“I know.”
Just then the telephone rang. Mom answered briefly before handing the phone to her son. “It’s Mr. Willis.”
Bucky’s heart did a flop. “Now what?” He cleared his throat. “Hello.”
“Bucky? Are you through with supper?”
“Yeah, we just finished.”
“Well, I think we’re all square. I just got off the phone with one of our part - timers who told me she’d been thinking of going full - time during the summer. Her two kids are with their father in New Mexico until the end of August.”
The news hit him with a jolt. “You’re kidding. So I really can go?”
“That’s right. And in the fall she’ll go back to part - time, so you’ll have your regular slot back and everything.”
Sweet! Bucky couldn’t believe his ears. “I’m going!” he whispered to Mom, covering the receiver for a moment.
“What about Dan?”
Bucky sucked in his breath. “I forgot to call and ask him. Man, now he’s got to come!” He spoke into the receiver again. “Mr. Willis? Still there? Sorry.”
“Still here. I was about to make sure you could at least put in a full day tomorrow. That’ll make it easier on me.”
“Absolutely. In fact, I can stay until Wednesday noon.” The question of whether Dan would go or not suddenly had left him unsettled.
“Great. Well, let’s talk more in the morning, but I think this’ll work.” The man’s voice softened. “Of course, you know we’ll miss you. You’re a real asset at the bank.”
Bucky hung up the telephone and looked over at Rachel Marie, then at his mother. “Boy, I’ll feel real dumb setting all this up if it turns out Dan can’t do it.”
Chapter Three: First Time on Skis
“Still busy! Man, what’s with that guy?”
For the fourth time in five minutes Bucky flipped his phone shut. “I’ve got to find out what Dan’s going to do,” he muttered to no one in particular. He hit redial again, only to hear his friend’s laconic voice-mail message.
“Can’t get Dan on the line?” Dad asked.
Bucky shook his head, abruptly making a decision. “I guess I’ll run over to his place.”
It took just a few minutes for him to drive over to the Littons’ home. Even though the exterior paint job was faded, Dan had recently tackled the job of keeping the yard trimmed, and the results were respectable. Bucky flipped his keys in the air and caught them neatly as he trotted up the front steps and knocked on the door.
For a moment there wasn’t any response. Then Bucky heard the distinctive slow shuffle of Mr. Litton. The older man pulled the door open and stared at him without speaking.
“Is . . . is Dan in?” Bucky still felt awkward around the dour man.
“Yeh.” Stepping aside, Dan’s father motioned with his head. “Back there.”
Bucky made his way to the back bedroom where his friend perched on top of his bed. Sure enough, he was parked on the phone. Dan gave Bucky a nod of greeting. “. . . So we’re all set then?” He listened for a moment. “Man, I really appreciate this. I owe you big time.” A moment later he hung up and looked at his friend. “So?”
“Are we going?”
Dan gave his usual thumbs - up. “Well, I just lined up my half. But Litton ain’t goin’ without Stone – you know that.”
“We’re in business then.” Bucky grinned. “Old Willis gave me the whole summer off!”
“With pay?”
The younger boy laughed. “Well, no. I’m not that high up the ladder. But I don’t need to get paid both places. I’ll settle for having my bank job back when September gets here.”
“So we’re really going to do this?”
“Yup.”
“What kind of stuff do we need to take?”
Bucky shook his head. “I have no idea. Just . . . clothes and stuff. Toothbrush and a Bible. Maybe our own stash of toilet paper if the stuff up there’s as bad as I’ve heard.”
Dan grimaced. “Is it pretty primitive?”
“Well, we’re in cabins. It ain’t a Marriott Suites hotel. Just you and ten little demons out in the woods.”
The scowl deepened. “Man, Stone, you better shut up before I change my mind. Is it really going to be horrible?”
“No way. We’ll both be up there,” Bucky reminded. “Plus think of how we’ll be an influence to so many kids.”
“Yeah, that’s true.” Dan slid down off the bed and stretched out his powerful frame. “Maybe we ought to give Pastor Jensen a call and find out what kinds of stuff we really need.”
Wednesday afternoon the two boys pulled out of Hampton Beach and headed north in Bucky’s Toyota. With his family’s farewells still r
inging in his ears and a carefully drawn map that Pastor Jensen had obtained for him, Bucky was eager for a new adventure. The miles rolled by easily as they tried to imagine what kinds of challenges they would face.
“I wonder what we do if some kid just won’t shape up,” Bucky worried aloud.
“Hey, not me.” Dan popped his fist into his open left hand. “I just tell him, ‘Listen, shorty, if you don’t want your head removed from your body right this second, you pipe down and go to sleep.’”
“What if it’s 9:00 in the morning?”
“Then I drown him in the lake.” Dan’s laugh didn’t quite mask his own skepticism.
The sun was still high in the sky over the pine trees as the Toyota bounced down the dirt road leading to the camp. Bucky scanned the campgrounds as they arrived at the front gate. “Nobody here,” he muttered.
Dan looked at his watch. “I’ll bet they’re all at supper,” he observed. “I’m sure all 150 kids didn’t drown or anything.” He glanced over to the right. “Hey, there’s the front office. Let’s go in there.”
Bucky parked, and they climbed out. “At least it’s not so hot up here,” Bucky said gratefully. The mountain air was delightfully cool after a blistering June in Hampton Beach.
“Who have we got here?” A solidly built man appeared in the doorway with a whistle around his neck. A big grin creased his tanned face. “Are you our new staffers?”
“I guess so.” Dan stepped forward and shook hands. “Dan Litton.”
“Great! And you must be Bucky Stone.” The man’s grip was strong and sincere. “Terrific. I’m Joe. Joe Carpenter, but you just call me Joe. I’m glad you guys could work it out to come up for the summer.”
“Well . . . it took some doing.” Bucky laughed. “But we finally snuck away.”
“You won’t be sorry.” The director made an expansive gesture that took in the breathtaking surroundings. “I mean, look at this place.”
“What all are we going to be doing?” Dan, always impatient for answers, peered down toward the lake.
“Well, starting next week you’ll both be full - fledged counselors, of course. We’ll have a cabin full of boys for each of you to look after.” Another big grin. “Plus we’ll want you assisting with the activities program.”
Bucky Stone: The Complete Adventure (Volumes 1-10) Page 73