by Lacy Camey
“Oh, I just love roses,” he said in an effeminate voice, causing the girls to laugh and giggle. I wondered if any of them had a special teacher crush on him because I knew if I was their age, I definitely would.
The next morning, I woke up with such satisfaction from the night before that I was hoping to be dismissed again just so I could get a head start on the boys’ sheets.
As current trend would continue, I was dismissed so I went right to action washing the sheets. Since it was a Wednesday, Logan was teaching, which made the washing of the sheets not nearly as fun. Lunch couldn’t come quick enough though because I found myself growing excited about seeing him and I couldn’t shake it like a hormone crazed teenager. Sigh.
Chapter Seven
“Ready to have fun tonight, my dear?” Josephina beamed later at lunch.
“What do you mean I’ll have fun tonight?”
“Oh, did those pesky doctors not tell you?”
I shook my head no. “No, no. They didn’t. What were they supposed to tell me?”
“Well, I am glad I told you. Because it be awful to eat beforehand and spoil the delicious dinner Chief is preparing in your and the doctors honor. It’s a very special dinner and he’s invited you and your guests.”
“In my honor?” I asked.
I was surprised that the doctors didn’t tell me. Or, maybe I wasn’t surprised.
“So a dinner?”
“It will be the best dinner you’ve ever had. Everything is fresh, right here from the village. I’m sure you probably have only eaten maybe one of the dishes on the menu, perhaps the biscuits.” As she spoke in her charming, thick accent, I couldn’t help but wonder if she was married herself and if she had someone other than children to cook for at her own home. But the moment wasn’t the right time to ask. I’d wait for another time.
“Well, I sure appreciate you telling me and filling me in!” I laughed.
“Don’t you worry about those men. I’m used to men always wanting to take the glory and shoo us off into the kitchen.” She leaned back in her chair and sighed. “I’m a daughter of the women’s movement. I know all about it. You’re lucky to even be here on your own.”
I realized how right she was, to have a choice about anything. I was very lucky. Which served and fueled the entire trip and why I was here in the first place—to choose, to have a say, to be free, to make my own way in life.
“Well, what do you recommend that I—that we—wear?” I asked, having grown accustomed to abiding by countless dress attires for dinners. But I had a feeling this would be quite different.
“It’s a late dinner. I’m sure you’re familiar with the Latin culture, no? They stay up late. May be best to take a little siesta and feel fresh. Just wear whatever makes you happy and feel comfortable in. Here in Venezuela, it’s about being happy. If you want to wear a special red dress you never get to wear in Texas, wear that dress.”
How’d she know I had a red dress with polka dots from Zara that my mother despised because she said it looked like I’m headed to a picnic? So what? So what? I want to say to her sometimes. If I want to go to a picnic with normal people, why the heck is that so bad?
Anyway.
“I know exactly what I’m going to wear, Josephina. Thanks for letting me know. Oh, and the time?”
She smiled kindly. “Around nine.”
“Around nine. Sure.” I looked at my watch and it read 12:30. Maycee and Norah were back in the kitchen doing minor prep work and clean up for dinner for the children. I’d have to tell them. “Thanks, Josephina. You’re so helpful,” I said as I was about to excuse myself.
“You’re welcome, my dear. You remind me a lot of, well, my late daughter.”
Taken aback, I felt myself smile and reached out to touch her arm. “Oh, kind of you to think so. I hope you will tell me about her soon.”
She nodded and I smiled once more. “Well, I have empanadas to get started on, dear.”
She needed to get back to it. “Well, thank you Josephina,” I said as I watched her walk away and head to the additional prep room. I emotionally detached myself, or tried to, from what she had just said to me. Her late daughter. The easy ability I had of remaining emotionally detached is what made me a good nurse, courtesy of my childhood.
Suddenly, Norah appeared from the side prep room carrying dish upon dish, making her way back to where I was.
“Oh, there you are!” she said. “I’ve been looking all over for you! I wanted to tell you what Orien wrote me in my journal that I read this morning! I didn’t get to tell you at lunch.” She shined like a brand new penny.
I nodded my head and couldn’t help but smile. “Oh really?”
“He’s declared his undying love for my sister, Chloe.” Maycee chimed in, appearing with her own dish of food.
“Do you need help?” I asked.
“No, I’m fine. Just a few more seconds and I’ll be at the island and can place these dishes and, there.” She placed the platters down. “I’m fine. I made it. I was afraid there would be a quite a splatter there for a sec!”
“Okay, well first, I just wanted to let you two know about this really important dinner tonight with the village Chief.”
Their eyes went wide.
“There’s a village Chief?” Maycee asked.
“Yes and he’s having a special dinner in honor of myself and the two doctors. I’m allowed to bring my guests so I’m not inviting you two, I’m telling you! I need you both, majorly. Those doctors were real jerks today. Dismissing me again! But at least I got all of the sheets washed. That feels good at least.”
“Are we going to like, you know, go deep into the jungle? In the dark?” Norah asked, looking scared out of her wits.
“I . . . I’m not sure where we’re going actually. I was just told it’s at nine pm. I’m guessing we’re getting picked up or something?”
“Okay . . . . ” Norah said, full of apprehension.
“I’m sure it will be fun,” I said, trying to ease her fear.
After cleaning up, Norah, Maycee and I had a few hours to ourselves. As I made my way outside into the courtyard and saw a cluster of young girls sitting by the fountain, legs swinging, I couldn’t help but catch my breath. I was actually here, like I wanted to be. What I had envisioned for so long was finally happening.
No one could take that away from me. I studied the circle of girls all in their uniforms, navy blue khaki shorts and polo shirt. I saw their new shoes and I wanted to cry at the sight of them, but tried to hold it together. They were the shoes Norah brought to donate. The girls were admiring each other’s new foot gear and talking excitedly in Spanish.
I walked up to the circle of girls and greeted them. I asked each of them their names and what their favorite thing to do was. One girl said she loved to play soccer. Another, dress up dolls. Another, singing. Another, drawing. And the last girl was the one that pulled on my heart strings. “I like to go to America some day,” she said in English. All I could do was smile and blink back the tears.
“Maybe one day you will get to go, sweetie.”
“I’d like that very much,” she said.
“Do you want to play a game?” I asked back in Spanish.
They all nodded, eager to do so. They had to be ages nine through eleven or so. Approaching that age where a mother figure is desperately needed. I wondered if they looked at Josephina as a mother figure.
“Okay, we’re going to sit in a circle like this.” We all sat. I motioned for them to clap their hands twice and pat their legs, then clap their hands, then snap their fingers. When they snapped their fingers they were to say two numbers, their number then another number one through five, each number correlating with a girl in the circle. After trying several rounds and judging from their confused faces, I concluded that this was more of a preteen / teen game, perhaps. So I opted for my next best trick I remembered using with children I visited in the hospitals.
I told them again in Spanish, “O
kay, we’re going to make a monsoon rain storm. Everyone rub your hands together like this.” Not a single girl wasn’t smiling. In fact, other children gravitated towards us, watching what we were doing.
I invited the onlookers to join. Shy at first, they happily made their way after the kind girls made room for them in their circle. I instructed them all to rub their hands together and a swooshing sound was created. They giggled and spoke in excited Spanish.
“Now, snap your fingers.” Some of them could snap, others couldn’t. Next was clapping their hands, then patting their laps, then stomping their feet.
“It’s a monsoon!” I said loudly. “Oh no!”
In Spanish, the children continued cheering, “Moonsoon! Oh no!” I could have stayed in that moment forever and frozen in time. Something grew inside of me and melted my heart like nothing ever before in my life. It was a feeling of belonging, fulfillment and real bliss. We all laughed as I looked and saw Logan out of the corner of my eye. He stopped for a split second and stared. I couldn’t help but want him to come join us. “Come join us, Logan!” I called out.
“Yes!”
“Uh huh!”
“Come!”
The children called after him.
He put down a bucket and mop, wiped his hands on his jeans and made his way towards us. I could see tiny beads of sweat dripping down his face. With his forearm he wiped at his sweat and walked towards us with a big fat grin.
I quickly told him how to play and we started over again making another storm.
“I hope we’re not calling up a rain storm! Hate for all those sheets to get wet again.”
I hoped it wouldn’t rain! It couldn’t, especially since I had the special dinner tonight and wouldn’t be able to help. I looked up to the sky and there was not a single cloud floating.
Phew.
We continued this game for a few more minutes until another bell rang. It was time to go back to school.
“Adios, senorita. Gracias.”
“Me gusta tu zapatos.”
I like your shoes.
Another girl said, “Te amo.”
I love you.
As I watched them leave for their class, I couldn’t help but feel a strong desire to follow and join them. I felt as if I should teach an elective class on health. Something. Anything.
“Quite a game you taught there.” Logan took off his hat and placed it backwards—something I hadn’t seen him do before.
I studied the hat. I was sure at one time it was pristine white, but now I wasn’t sure what color to call it.
“So, I was thinking about throwing that boys lock in tonight. I know you’re not a male, but we could use the extra hand if you’d like to help with the games.”
Call me crazy, but I sort of felt like I was being asked out on a disguised date—and I liked it.
“We’re going to watch this movie and—” he stopped, I guess due to the look on my face.
“Oh . . . you have plans?”
“No, it’s not that. It’s—” I just stared at him, studying his face. Waiting for him to be like, “Oh yeah, I forgot! The dinner!” But judging from his expression, it appeared he wasn’t invited to the party. That made me feel bad. Here I was given a dinner as well as the doctors, and I wondered if he had ever had his own dinner in his honor. He sure did deserve it for all the work he did.
“I’m sorry. I’d really love to go but I can’t. I made plans.” I looked down at my feet feeling awful. I didn’t want him to think I didn’t want to hang out with the kids.
“Oh, okay. We’ll, you’ll be missed.” He let a half smile hang on his face as he rubbed his chin. There was an awkward moment of silence between us that you see between high school students dating for the first time.
“Well, I gotta go. See you around.” He looked down at his feet and put his hands in his pocket. He turned around quickly and left.
As I watched him walk away, I secretly wished I could cancel for feeling ill, but knew I couldn’t.
Moments later, we were in our bunk and we lowered the curtains. What to wear?
“I don’t know what to wear,” Maycee read my mind.
“I do. I’ve been wanting to wear this baby for a while.” Norah held up one of her creations, a deep purple dress with elbow length sleeves and a design gathering down the left side.
“Wow. It’s incredible,” I said, blown away. “I’m just going to go cute and casual with this Zara dress and a cardigan.”
“Sexy,” Maycee said in sarcasm.
“Well, it’s not like I’m trying to impress anyone, remember? Besides, it’s respectable. I want to be respected,” I said as I lifted my chin.
She tossed me one of her dresses. “Wear this.”
I held it up, looking at a black fitted dress with one inch straps and a plunging neckline.
“We’re going to a village dinner. Not a New Year’s Eve party,” I said.
“Oh, just wear it. It will look great in pictures.”
“No thanks. I’ll just upgrade and wear this Prada cream dress. Happy?”
“Chloe, wear the red polka dot dress from Zara like you want,” Norah chimed in.
“Okay, fine. I’ll have to tone down what I’m wearing then. I don’t want to look overdressed.” Maycee looked through her many dresses she packed.
“Geez. Why’d you pack so much?” I asked. “Trying to catch the eye of a special man here? Cause like I said, Steve has eyes for you.”
She stood up straighter.
“Okay, gross. You’re right. I’ll go more casual in that case. Uh, with more covered up.” She looked through her suitcase in frantic.
“I have tons of—”
“Cardigans, I know,” Maycee said.
“Just saying.” I smiled.
Chapter Eight
At nine pm on the dot, we stood in the courtyard as the doctors made their way to meet us dressed in jeans and blazers. They were out dressed by Vinny and Steve, who wore fitted shirts under custom blazers. The doctors eyed them in jealousy. I could tell.
“Van is here. Right this way,” Jospehina said.
We followed her to the van as a village man who appeared to be the driver opened the door. Vinny and Steve shut the door first and asked to have a word with him. They patted him down searching for weapons and when they didn’t find any, nodded their heads and opened the door for him to let us all in.
The poor man looked confused and shook his head.
“I just drive you to the Elder’s. No harm here,” he said with his hands held up in innocence.
“Protocol,” is all Steve said. I could see Dr. Richards rolling his eyes and muttering something to Peter.
We made our way into the van. I sat by the window and looked out into the jungle. The sun would be setting in a few minutes and I wondered how far away we were going and if I would see any scary animals. Taking my mind off of my fear, I reached for my iPhone and scanned through my photo album, seeing pictures from earlier in the summer spent in the Hamptons with Norah and Maycee.
I felt a smile warm my face when I got to the photo of the three of us at the painting studio.
“Oh, I just love that picture of us!” Norah said, leaning over me to see the photo. We each held our canvas and smiled proudly of our creations. It was clear we were not artists, but it was so much fun.
“Me too.” I scrolled past a few more and showed her the picture of her first date with Orien where he took her sailing.
“Oh, my gosh.” She peered at the picture. “I want to cry. I miss him so much!”
“Oh, you’ll see him soon.” I patted her on her leg.
“But I really miss him!”
As she continued to talk about how badly she missed Orien, I realized I never had been in her shoes. Never. Not once had I ever missed a man like that. But I couldn’t help but notice that feeling growing in me—of wondering where Logan was, what was he doing, when would we see each other again. It felt like an intense first crush and I couldn’t
shake it.
About thirty minutes later, we pulled up to a hut with a straw roof with torches lit on the outside. I hoped there would be no fires, but then realized people lived in huts for generations around fires.
“We are here,” the driver said.
“Wow, this place is like what you see in the movies,” Norah said.
“Are we in a tribal area?” asked Maycee.