Love Returned

by Mildred Colvin

  Tim and Joe strode toward them from the back door of the church.

  After turning in the required paperwork, the two women headed toward Megan’s car when she saw the truck. Her heart thudded in her chest. She grasped the door handle as Scott’s truck slowed to turn into the church parking lot. Randy practically fell from the passenger side before Scott had the truck parked.

  Megan stood transfixed while Randy ran toward her with a huge grin on his face. He hit her full force, his thin arms gripping her around the waist. She gathered him close. He wasn’t her son, certainly not of her flesh, but at that moment, the son of her heart had come home. She kissed the top of his head then looked up at Scott.

  Standing to the side, his face without emotion, Scott met her gaze.

  Tim’s voice intruded. “Hey, Scott, you almost didn’t make it.”

  “Yeah, I know. I didn’t think I would, but Randy talked me into coming.” Scott turned away, and Megan breathed again.

  She grinned at Randy. “Hey, are you going camping with us?”

  Randy nodded, his face still wreathed with a smile. “Yeah, we just got back from Grandma’s.”

  Megan smoothed his hair with one hand. She didn’t want to let go of him. “We’re getting ready to roll, so why don’t you get on the bus before Derek comes and drags you on?”

  “Okay.” Randy took off in a run, calling over his shoulder. “I’ll see you later, Megan.”

  Megan waved then opened her car door and sank into the driver’s seat before her legs gave way beneath her. Julie watched her, but didn’t speak.

  A large splat of rain followed by another and then another landed on the windshield as Megan followed the bus onto the highway. Megan turned the windshield wipers on, and Julie cleared her throat. “I thought it would rain, but I didn’t expect to see Scott and Randy.”

  “No, I didn’t either.” Megan found it hard to believe they were on the bus. “I wonder if they just came back for camp?”

  Julie’s soft laugh matched her look of disbelief. “You don’t actually think that, do you?”

  “What do you mean?” Megan turned to look at her friend.

  A smile lingered on Julie’s face. “I’ve watched you two this year, and I have no idea what tore you apart, but I know you belong together. Anyone can see it in the way you and Scott look at each other. You’re crazy about Randy just as he is about you. That’s half the battle if the guy’s kid accepts you.”

  “Randy’s special.”

  “And Scott’s not?”

  Megan picked up speed to keep up with the bus. “I’m afraid things are pretty lopsided right now. Scott was gone almost a month and all the information I got about him came from our pastor.” She glanced at Julie. “Actually, I’d rather talk about something else. Why don’t we turn the radio on and see if we can find out something about this rain? Wouldn’t it be something if it rains all through camp?”

  With the radio blaring Megan didn’t have to talk about Scott, but that didn’t keep him out of her mind. He’d been gone forever, it seemed. He’d looked so good in his Scout uniform. How had everything gotten so messed up? Megan sighed. She caused her own problems.

  She was surprised Scott brought Randy knowing she’d be there. She’d stay out of his way for the next three days. She could do that. Although they’d be working, playing, eating and staying together in one campsite, she could do it. She had to.

  The rain continued as Megan followed the bus down the highway. According to the weatherman, showers were expected throughout the day, ending sometime that afternoon. Megan was thankful the gentle rain had no storm with it.

  By the time they reached camp, the rain had slowed to a mist. Two young men in yellow slickers directed the bus and Megan’s car to the parking lot. Megan parked away from the bus and shut off her engine. Without the windshield wipers and defroster, the windows quickly fogged over. Megan felt hidden and safe.

  She looked across the car at Julie. “Tim needs to check us in, so there’s really nothing we can do right now. I don’t see any reason to stand in the rain, do you?”

  Julie wiped the side window with her hand and looked out. “Nope, although it looks like the guys have the opposite viewpoint. You know, I’ve been married fifteen years and have three sons, but I still don’t understand men.”

  Megan smiled. “I know.” She thought of Scott and wished she knew what was going on in his head.

  “Your husband drives a truck, doesn’t he?” Megan started a conversation that lasted until Tim came back and the men drug their tents out of the bus to set up. The dampness in the air didn’t seem to be a deterrent to their adventurous spirits.

  Joe tapped on Megan’s window and she rolled it down just enough to see what he wanted. “We’re in Baloo this year. Do you remember where it is?”

  Megan nodded. The campsites were named after the characters in Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book. She had named her cat, Bagheera, after her first camping trip with the Cub Scouts. “Yes, I know where that is. Julie and I will be along pretty soon. The rain seems to have stopped.”

  “According to the weatherman, this should be it for the weekend. If you need any help, you know where to find us.”

  “Thanks, Joe.” Megan rolled her window back up and turned to Julie. “Are you ready to set up camp?”

  Julie opened the door. “The things I do for my sons.”

  Megan had been to camp before, but this was Julie’s first time. Her tent mate might be wishing for civilization by the time the last campfire service signaled the end of camp.

  They stepped around a row of tall, untrimmed hedge into their campsite. The men had already started setting up their tents making a beehive of activity in the clearing.

  “What is that?” Julie dropped her load and nodded toward a crude building with rough two-by-twelve boards covering the walls only three fourths of the way up. The roof extended to cover what looked like a long, low, and narrow horse trough with a water pipe running over it.

  Megan giggled. “That’s our indoor plumbing. There are no doors, but since there are two of us we can stand guard against any of the male gender who happen to stroll past. At least there’s a wall in front of the stalls that cuts most of the view.”

  “Oh, lovely.” Julie stared at the unpainted bathhouse that had served the Scouts for many years. “By indoor plumbing you don’t mean just a hole in the ground, do you?”

  “No,” Megan laughed at the revulsion on Julie’s face. “I mean flushing. It isn’t as bad as it looks.”

  “Good. Because I could have sworn there was no privacy.” Julie picked up the tent she dropped and opened the bag to shake tent and stakes out on the ground. “Let’s get this up. I suppose we should set it in the shade if we can figure out where that might be.”

  Megan looked up at the cloudy sky. “That could be a problem. I guess on the northeast side of a tree should be a safe bet for afternoon shade.”

  Scott’s presence thrummed against Megan’s awareness. He and Randy were setting up their tent, and to her knowledge, hadn’t so much as glanced her way. The spot she picked for Julie’s and her tent was as far from Scott’s as possible. A requirement more important to her than shade under a hot sun.

  Megan and Julie set up their tent and took their sleeping bags and personal bags inside to divide the limited space. Ten minutes later, they stepped out into bright sunshine.

  “Hey, look at that.” Julie clapped her hands together. “You were right. Our tent is in the shade.”

  “Here you go, ladies.” Tim handed them each a yellow plastic-coated wristband. “This will let the camp staff know you belong here, so please wear it all the time. Also, the swimming pool is open now the sun came out. I think most of the boys want to go. If you feel like a swim, now’s your chance.”

  “I’d better check on Rodney.” Julie headed toward a tent several feet away, saying over her shoulder. “He’ll want to swim, and I’ve got his ear plugs.”

  Megan stood outside he
r tent watching the activity. Boys ran from one tent to another in the excitement of their first swim at camp. Men tried to keep up with their sons as they got ready to go. When Scott stepped out of his tent door, his gaze met and held hers. Megan could so easily fall into the depths of his eyes and never return. She would hide in her tent, but thin fabric walls were no protection against her love for Scott.

  “Well, that’s taken care of.” Julie rejoined Megan. “Are you going swimming?”

  “I think I’d rather go for a walk. How about it? The men can handle swimming without us.” As Megan zipped the tent flap into place, she mumbled. “I don’t even know why I came.”

  “To keep me company so Rodney could come.” Julie answered for her.

  The two women started back down the path leading into the campsite then turned right on a gravel road that led to the dining hall. “Besides,” Julie continued. “This morning you didn’t know Scott would show.”

  “Which is why we aren’t swimming. Because he is.” Megan stopped in the middle of the road, her eyes widening. “I’m sorry, Julie. I can’t believe how incredibly selfish I am. If you’d like to swim with your son, we can go back.”

  Julie laughed. “I welcome the chance to get away. Rodney would rather his mother didn’t hang around too much and besides, I’m not much of a swimmer. Come on, let’s walk and while we walk, why don’t you tell me what’s going on with you and Scott?”

  Not wanting to tell all, even to someone as nice as Julie, Megan hedged. “Let’s just say we had a misunderstanding. Totally my fault. I made a complete fool of myself, and now Scott doesn’t want anything to do with me. I don’t blame him, so I’ll learn to live with it.”

  By the time Megan and Julie got back to camp, wet swim wear and towels hung from a rope line secured between two trees. The boys and men were gathered around a wooden table playing a card game of some sort. Julie joined them, but Megan pleaded a headache and went to her tent. There, ignoring the warm, stuffy air inside the nylon walls, she stretched out on her sleeping bag and closed her eyes.

  Several minutes later a commotion had her peeking out to see the entire group leaving, including Julie. A quick rummage through her bag for the camp schedule told Megan a nature class was the attraction.

  From the safety of her tent, Megan watched Scott walk away with his arm thrown over Randy’s shoulders. They seemed happy without her. Randy’s chatter sounded over the other voices as they disappeared behind the row of bushes at the edge of their campsite.

  Megan sat up and hugged her knees. With everyone gone, silence settled on the camp. She should have joined them. Why should she hide away while Scott and Randy had fun? They obviously didn’t miss her.

  Megan ran to catch the others. She fell into step with Julie, assuring her friend her headache was much better. Scott glanced over his shoulder and gave her one of his quick half-grins before turning back around to ignore her the rest of the morning.

  At lunch in the dining hall, Megan sat as far from Scott as she could. Randy sought her out several times during the day, but always ran back to his dad. He seemed thrilled to be able to share this special time with his father.

  Early evening, everyone met for campfire service at the natural amphitheater where special meetings were held. A steep slope led down to a circular hillside with benches secured around three sides.

  The path leading down to the benches was covered with small rocks and tree roots protruded from the ground in several places. Megan stepped with care on the rough path, but she’d lost sight of Scott. She searched through the crowded path ahead of her and couldn’t see him. Certain he’d been there a few moments ago, she concentrated on each dark-haired man she saw. Everyone had on identical red camp-issued tee-shirts, making her search difficult. Megan caught sight of a dark-haired man with a small blond boy just as she slipped on loose rock. Her arms flew out.

  “Whoa.” Scott’s voice sounded in her ear. “Be careful.”

  His strong hands caught her and pulled her back against his side, saving her from a nasty fall.

  ~Twenty~

  The first words Scott had spoken to Megan in over a month set her heart pounding in her ears.

  He still held her. “Are you all right?”

  She pulled away. “Yes, I’m fine. Thank you.”

  He took her hand in his as they continued their downward progress. “This is a dangerous path. You’d better stick with me.”

  She tried to pull away from him although she couldn’t think of anyplace she’d rather have her hand then held close in his. “I can walk alone.”

  Scott wouldn’t let go. Not until they sat side-by-side on one of the rickety benches lining the hillside did he release her hand. He pointed down a couple of rows in front of them. “There’s Randy. He wanted to sit with his buddies.”

  Randy turned and waved. He stuck his thumb up and held it until Scott did the same. Megan would have loved to ask what that meant. Instead, she concentrated on the camp director who started the program. She could easily see the performers in the light from a bonfire burning behind them on the flat grass-covered ground below, but she barely listened to the program of skits and songs.

  Scott joined in with enthusiasm. Finally a storyteller walked out of the woods. He sang a couple of songs and told a nonsense story about his family’s pet tornado. At least that’s what Megan thought he said. Everyone laughed during the telling, so it must’ve been funny.

  Megan couldn’t wrap her mind around anything other than Scott’s presence beside her on the crowded bench, his arm pressed against hers. His cologne filled her nostrils reminding her of other times when they had been close in spirit as well as proximity. She trembled inside with a love that couldn’t be. Finally, the campfire ended, and the campers filed out for the trek back to camp.

  Halfway up the hill the path grew wider and easier to climb. Randy caught up with them. “Dad, can I have some money for the Trading Post?”

  “What do you think they have that you need?” Scott’s voice held amusement as he turned to talk to his son.

  Megan had been waiting for just such a moment. Walking as fast as she could, she outran the temptation of Scott Landis. Her pace slowed at the Trading Post, but she went on toward the campsite and her tent.

  She knew from past years the others would return by twos and threes and would sit around the campfire for a few minutes until, a few at a time, they all went to bed. Already the sun had disappeared behind the western treetops leaving dusk behind. Megan decided to turn in early.

  Julie slipped into the tent an hour later. Megan saw the beam of her flashlight before she settled down to sleep. The night grew silent as the high voices of the boys and the deeper tones of the men gradually ended. Julie’s even breathing filled the tent before Megan fell asleep.

  ~*~

  Friday brought a full schedule beginning with an assembly at the flagpole for morning flag raising at seven forty-five. The camp cooks served a breakfast of scrambled eggs and ham bits, toast, peaches, dry cereal and milk or juice. Megan found so much food difficult to swallow with Scott sitting across the table from her.

  The half-grin she loved hovered about his lips. “Looks like we’ll be busy today.”

  “Yes, the boys like a lot of activities. We wouldn’t want them bored.” Keeping an impersonal friendship might be what Scott wanted, but Megan hated the thought. She loved Scott more than she’d thought possible. Losing him, knowing he would never be hers hurt more than she could bear.

  Megan spent the morning trying to avoid Scott. Yet everywhere she went, there he was. He walked beside her. He stood nearby at each class their boys attended. He spoke to her about the tree leaves the boys collected for the nature class or about the schedule. But he never mentioned the one thing she wanted to hear. He never spoke of them—of her and him.

  ~*~

  After lunch on the last day, Julie left the dining hall with Megan. “I just heard there’s a pirate ship here.”

  Megan smiled.
“That’s true, but it isn’t real. At least it’s never seen the ocean.”

  Julie frowned. “The men didn’t mention the reason. Why have a pirate ship at cub camp? How did it get here?”

  Megan laughed. “It was built as a prop. Each year the camp staff uses a theme for their activities. This year it’s prospecting for gold, so the boys will go to the old mine which isn’t a real mine at all. The boys don’t care, though. They’ll find some gold—or rather pebbles painted gold—and that’s all that matters.”

  “So where’s this ship?” Julie asked.

  Megan pointed out a dirt trail that led off from the main road leading into camp. “It’s about a quarter of a mile down that way.”

  “That isn’t very far.” Julie appeared to be thinking. “We have free time right now. The boys are taken care of. Would you mind showing the pirate ship to me?”

  Megan shrugged. Why not? An excursion away from camp would keep her away from Scott for a few minutes. She looked but didn’t see him nearby for the first time that morning. This might be a good time to go.

  “I might as well.” Megan headed toward the narrow road. “The ship is kind of fun because you can go inside and pretend you’re on a real ship. The boys always love when they use the pirate theme.”

  “I’ll bet they do.” Julie looked over her shoulder then turned back with a smile. “Well, I’m ready to go.”

  A few minutes later, Megan saw the mast of the ship above the trees. They rounded a bend in the road, and the huge ship came into view. Julie gasped. “Wow, I guess I didn’t expect anything so big.”

  “It’ll hold sixty to seventy people on the main deck.” Megan stopped by the side of the road.

  “That is a lot.” Julie started down the slope that led to the wide, open doorway in the lower side of the ship. “Let’s go inside and see what it looks like.”

  Megan followed. The doorway was large enough to allow several people to enter the hulk of the ship at the same time. The large room seemed dark and dreary after the bright sunshine outside.