“This highway is the tsunami evacuation route,” Dad said, referring to a sign on the highway.
“That parking lot leads to a rainforest trail.” Mom continued her guide duty.
Shortly after, we passed the road to Combers Beach and soon reached the turn to Green Point Campground. The speed limit was 20 kph and I read a sign that the beach access was for campers only. A sani-dump station was to our left and then we arrived at the park station.
One of the team members had made the reservations to make sure we were all able to camp in one section of the campground. Dad gave our name and received a map and a paper with the rules and regulations. Most of the sites were occupied as we drove the narrow, paved road to number twenty-eight and turned onto the gravel driveway. This time, instead of the team members all being in one large area, we each had a private camping spot surrounded by trees. Each site had power but no water or septic. There was a water spout just down the road from us to top up our water and the sani-dump when we needed to empty our tanks.
Mom and Dad climbed out their doors. I opened the camper door and pushed it against the side of the motorhome. The girls scurried to see our new site. Red put her nose to the screen and sniffed the air. I got the treat container and shook it. They all turned to look at me. I poured out a few morsels for each of them.
I got three bottles of water from the fridge and went out the passenger door. There was a wooden picnic table and a fire pit. So far we hadn’t seen a sign that a fire ban was on. Even though the tall trees created a lot of shade, Dad pulled out the awning. Mom brought out the folding chairs and set them under the awning. I put the bottles in each of the cup holders on the chairs, then latched the outer door so it wouldn’t close on the girls’ view.
Mom and Dad sat but I wanted to see if Jesse had arrived. I took my bottle and went out to the paved road. From what Mom had said there were seven members and families that were booked in sites twenty-seven to thirty-three. The odd numbered sites were on one side of the road and even on the other. No one was in twenty-seven. A fifth-wheel was parked in twenty-nine, Maurie’s parent’s motorhome was beside us in thirty, Carol and Alan were in thirty-one, and the other two were empty.
Had Bonnie changed her mind once she’d gotten home? Jesse and I had exchanged cell numbers. I checked mine but there was no message from him. Like me, he didn’t use his cell phone very often. Would he think to text me if he wasn’t coming? Should I send him one? What if the news wasn’t good?
I wondered if Maurie had heard anything. Their car was gone and no one came to the door of the motorhome at my knock. I went back to our site. Mom had made a chili for our supper tonight and we ate outside at the picnic table. The girls watched us from the screen door. Afterwards I went in and fed my cats and gave Saltry her needle. Purple and Daisy went to the screen door, Red headed to my parent’s bed and Saltry laid on the floor in front of the bathroom door.
My cell phone buzzed letting me know I had a text. I grabbed it and saw that it was from Jesse. My heart sank as I read it.
Parents had a fight. Not coming tonight, maybe not at all.
Sorry to hear that. Let me know about tomorrow. I sent back.
I spent the rest of the evening in the motorhome. I didn’t feel like doing anything. But that wasn’t the way Saltry felt. She decided to pick on Red. Red wanted to come out from the bedroom but she noticed Saltry laying on the floor. Saltry saw Red standing there but wouldn’t move. I got up and pushed Saltry to the side. Red ran past her and up front between the driver’s and passenger’s seats. She turned and looked back. Saltry then went and laid by the water pail. Again, I moved her so Red could drink.
But it didn’t stop there. A few minutes later, Saltry went on a rampage. At one point she took after Red, chasing her into the bedroom. Red jumped on the bed and scurried to the pillows. Saltry sat on the floor as if contemplating whether it was worth the effort to follow her.
“Leave her alone,” I yelled at Saltry.
She turned and looked at me. She glanced back at the bed.
“I mean it.”
Saltry sauntered out of the bedroom and went to lay on top of the cat house. Later when Red ventured out of the bedroom and jumped up on the bench seat, she saw Saltry blocking her route to my bed. It was as if Saltry knew what Red’s next step would and she thwarted her at every turn.
Purple was not happy that we were camped at the park. She looked out the windows. There were no lights of a camper next door to watch, no lights hanging from branches, nothing but trees to see in the moonlight. She spent the evening wandering from cupboard to cupboard trying to get into them. I opened the door in the bathroom cupboard and she jumped in but she came out shortly after. Nothing satisfied her and I quit trying. I went to bed.
Chapter Thirteen
I was awake when Mom came out of the bedroom and took the coffee maker from the cupboard. She looked at me and smiled. “Instant coffee is okay when we don’t have power. But this is so much better.” She filled the tank with water and put the filter and coffee in the basket. Soon the smell of coffee permeated the air.
“Do you want to come to Ucluelet with us?” Mom asked, getting down the toaster.
I shook my head. “I’ll stay.” Maybe Jesse and his family would come during the day.
While Mom and Dad sat outside eating their toast, I got up and did my morning chores of feeding the girls, dressing, and cleaning the litter box. Mom and Dad left and I had toast and peanut butter for breakfast.
The rest of the day was long and unexciting. Jesse and his family didn’t come. This was all I heard from him.
Another fight between parents.
I wasn’t surprised that he didn’t tell me more. It must mean his father was drinking and that would be hard on Jesse. After I ate a lunch of cereal, I went outside and walked down the road past Maurie’s parents’ motorhome. Again, it was empty. Obviously, Maurie was off somewhere with her folks.
I read, sent texts to my friends, checked Facebook, looked up alcoholism on the Internet, played solitaire, and spent another thrilling day camping. I decided that camping was fine when you had someone to do things with, but no fun alone. Purple wanted in the bathroom cupboard so I left the door wide open for her to come and go as she pleased. There were a lot of birds chirping in the trees. They would flit from branch to branch and then fly towards the camper window and swoop away. These kept Red and Daisy occupied up for a long time. Saltry slept on the top of the cat house.
Mom and Dad weren’t here to stop me. I laid on my back and kicked at the ceiling. “This is soooo boring,” I yelled to no one.
I made a peanut butter and jam sandwich for my supper. It was dusk when my parents returned from Ucluelet. Dad built a small fire and I joined them outside for a while sitting back from it. I still wasn’t comfortable around it but some of my anxiety was gone. They told me about the whale watching tour they had taken. I told them that I’d heard from Jesse and they might be here tomorrow. I didn’t tell them about his parents’ fight.
“Your Dad and I are walking down to the beach tomorrow morning,” Mom said. “You can join us if you wish.”
I shook my head. I’d wait and do that when Jesse came, if he came.
Before going to bed I checked on all the girls. Saltry was missing. I looked everywhere, on the front seats, on the beds, under the swivel chairs, even in Mom and Dad’s closets. I knew she hadn’t gotten out but where was she? I finally took the flashlight and looked in the front again. She was sleeping on the floor of the driver’s side.
During the night Saltry jumped up and laid on the corner of the bed against the cupboards by my feet. Shortly after, Red pulled herself up. She meowed and purred, walked around my head, over me, and around my head again. I scratched her ears and she licked my hand. She sat on my pillow and looked out the window. There wasn’t much to see so she went to the window at my feet. She spent a lot of time there before coming back for some more petting.
Finally, she decided t
o leave. That was when she spotted the sleeping Saltry. Red’s tail twitched as she stared at the bully of the family. It was almost as if she was weighing her odds of being able to attack and make a getaway. Her tail swished back and forth a few more times, then common sense prevailed and she jumped down.
I was just about asleep when I heard the blinds clattering. I leaned over and saw Purple swatting at them. I hissed at her. She quit. I laid back and she started again. This time she stood up and pulled some slats to look out. I decided to ignore her.
“Make that noise stop,” Dad called from the bedroom.
I sat up and saw that Purple had tried to climb through the slats again as she had done before. This time, though, she was upside down with one back leg caught. I untangled her and carried her to the bathroom and opened the cupboard door. That should keep her quiet and occupied. She was back shortly and jumped up on the counter and began to rattle the blinds on that window. I brought her to bed with me and we both went to sleep.
* * *
I was still in bed the next morning when my cell buzzed.
We are coming today.
I was elated. I didn’t think I could go through another day like yesterday. If I never saw another deck of cards, I would be happy. Which was good because, after spending the morning at the beach, Mom and Dad took the deck and went over to Alan and Carol’s.
I won’t say I hovered at the driveway but I did check the road every time I heard a vehicle. I went through the time game called-- if they left at. If they left at ten o’clock, they should get here by one-thirty if they didn’t stop for anything and the traffic was light. If they had to pack, they probably wouldn’t get away until eleven so they would get here by two-thirty. What if they wanted to eat lunch first? Then they would leave by one o’clock and won’t get here until four-thirty.
I was close. I was walking on the road when I saw a truck and camper coming towards me. It was three-fifteen. I stepped aside to make room for it and waved to Jesse in the front seat. I was surprised to see Maurie in the back seat with Bill. No wonder I hadn’t seen her around the campground.
Bonnie pulled into number thirty-two. I walked into their site behind them. Bonnie parked and they all got out of the truck. Bill opened the camper door and hauled out the steps. He hooked them to the camper. He and Maurie said hi to me then walked out to the road.
Bonnie also said hi to me while Jesse pulled the tent bag out of the camper. She entered the camper and closed the door.
At last, Jesse smiled at me and we sat across from each other at the picnic table. He leaned the tent against the seat.
“I’m glad you made it,” I said.
“We almost didn’t,” he said.
“Oh?” Did I dare ask why? But I didn’t have to.
“Dad was drunk when we got home from Cowichan. When he said he wanted to come here with us, Mom told him he had to be sober because he wasn’t going to embarrass her again. Yesterday morning, he started to pack some clean clothes into the camper. Then he had a drink. Mom said he couldn’t come so he hid her keys. She yelled at him to give them back but he had another drink instead. Mom went into the camper and threw his clothes out on the ground.”
I grimaced at the picture.
“Mom waited until Dad had passed out then went through his pockets for the keys. She found them but by then it was too late for us to start out. This morning Dad again wanted to come. They had another fight. Finally, Mom got tired of it and told Bill and me to get in the truck. She got in the driver’s seat. Dad reached in through the window and grabbed the steering wheel. She started driving and he had to let go.”
I was surprised that Jesse would so easily tell me something that personal. Not many kids open up to someone they have only known a few days. I was left trying to figure out something to say that would make him feel better about the situation and I knew there wasn’t anything that would.
I remembered when Sandra and I were told that Dad had pancreatic cancer and was going through treatments. Nothing anyone said to me about Dad’s excellent chances of surviving his cancer had made me feel better about him having the disease. I was so scared that he would die.
I put my hand on his arm. “I’m sorry, Jesse.”
He smiled at me. “Thank you for listening.”
“Anytime.” And I meant it. “Now, let’s set up your tent.”
“Bill….”
“Bill’s busy,” I said.
Jesse grinned. “Okay.”
He pulled the poles and tent from the bag. We laughed as we spread the fabric out and inserted the poles. The poles didn’t bend easily and one flew out of my hands twice before I was able to get it anchored in the small flap. We put the rain cover on and Jesse unrolled his sleeping mat and bag inside.
“I refuse to do Bill’s sleeping bag,” Jesse said. “He can sleep on the ground or in the truck.”
Bonnie came out of the camper. “Which site are your parents at?” she asked.
“Number twenty-eight,” I replied.
“Are they there now?”
“They were sitting on their lawn chairs last I saw them.”
Bonnie headed out onto the road, a can of pop in her hand.
“Have you ever been to Long Beach?” Jesse asked.
I shook my head.
“Then let’s go.”
Jesse grabbed my hand and started running. I scrambled to keep up. I didn’t want him to lose his grip on my hand.
We ran along the road passing a water spout and a Porta Potty toilet. Somewhere in the campground were showers. We slowed to a walk and Jesse let go of my hand. The road began to make a long curve to the left at campsite forty-three. We followed it past motorhomes, trailers, truck and campers, tent trailers, and fifth-wheels, some of which were still attached to the vehicle, some left standing as the owners had gone sightseeing. Pulling a trailer or a fifth-wheel seemed like the best way to go camping. You already had your touring vehicle with you.
Soon the road straightened out and we were heading back in the same direction. We found one of the shower buildings. I saw surf boards leaning against trees and wet suits drying over ropes tied between trees. We reached a two-part, wooden barrier about waist high on the right side of the road. On the other side of it was a path that, I assumed, led to the beach.
The one section of the barrier was three sides of a square and the other was the fourth side of the square with its end facing into the center of the square.
“Did you know that this could be called a type of kissing gate?” Jesse asked.
“A what?” I asked.
“A kissing gate. It is built in a fence around a pasture or park so that people can go through but livestock or bicycles can’t,” Jesse explained. “Usually, this three-quarter square part is a half round shape enclosure and this other part is a gate on a hinge. The gate is closed against the end of the half-round and can be pushed open so that someone can walk into the half-round. Then it closes again and the person walks out the other side.”
“Why is it called a kissing gate?” I asked. “Was there a keeper who had to be kissed before allowing anyone through?”
“No,” Jesse laughed. “The gate used to barely touch or ‘kiss’ the sides of the enclosure. It wasn’t fastened and it didn’t have a handle.”
Both the three-quarter square and gate here were solidly anchored in the ground. It looked like a bicycle could be walked into the square, around the gate and out the other side to the path. Maybe this was to keep ATVs off the beach.
Jesse headed around the gate. He waited on the other side. I joined him but he didn’t move.
“This kissing gate does have a keeper,” he said quietly, looking down at me.
I blushed. I’d never kissed a boy on the lips before. Jesse’s eyes held mine as he bent forward. I waited expectantly and when his lips touched mine I closed my eyes. His lips were soft and his kiss hesitant and brief. I opened my eyes as he stepped back a slight smile on his lips.
“No
w you can come through,” he said, his voice husky.
He held out his hand and I took it. This time I had a chance to enjoy the feel of my hand in his, not like when we were running earlier. Then, it had been a matter of survival to hold tight so as not to trip and fall on our flight down the road.
The path was a long, winding descent through the trees and underbrush. My heart and mind were aflutter and I couldn’t think of anything to say. Either he felt the same or he didn’t feel the need to speak. Then we were out of the trees and walking on loose sand between piles of driftwood. I stopped and stared at the beach that extended so far out to the ocean that the crests of the waves appeared as white lines. I looked to the right and left and couldn’t see the end of sand in either direction.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Jesse said.
I nodded.
“Come further.” Jesse pulled on my hand.
We kept walking until we were on sand so solid that it was almost like cement. I had to really hit it with the heel of my sandal to make an indentation. We continued until we were at the edge of the water. I didn’t know anything about tides so I couldn’t tell if the tide was coming in or going out. I reluctantly let go of Jesse’s hand and took off my sandals. I waded out into the waters of the Pacific Ocean. The water was cold and it rolled in, in continuous waves, only to be clawed back out again.
The solid sand stretched into the distance to the left and right. This was absolutely amazing. I had finally made it to Long Beach, a favourite destination for travelers from around the world.
“I’m surprised at how few people there are on the beach,” I said to Jesse, eyeing a guy jogging with his dog, a woman taking pictures of the bright sunlight glinting off the water, and two people, in wetsuits and carrying surf boards, walking towards the ocean.
“There is a day use area further north that is very popular. That’s where most people go, especially the surfers. This is only used by the people camping here.”
Crazy Cat Kid (Crazy Cat Kids Book 1) Page 13