Chapter Text
She smiled and waved as the Delancey brothers passed her, hauling a suitcase each up the sloping sidewalk. They only grumbled at her in return, and she had to bite her tongue to keep from saying something angry at them. The two of them only came each summer because Wiesel was vaguely related to them and they could get in at half the cost. Thankfully, Wiesel was retiring soon.
A few more kids passed, bringing their luggage to the dining hall, which had been cleaned up enough that the tables could be pushed to the sides of the room. A couple tables would serve as a way for the parents to check out their students and then, well…
The summer would be over. Every year, at the end of every camp, it was always the same feeling. Like a knot in the bottom of her stomach, comprised of equal parts dread, sadness, and peace. She found herself thankful that there was a word for the feeling of nostalgia, or else no one would ever be able to describe exactly what it felt like. That was what words were for, right? Describing feelings. Mr. Pulitzer might disagree; he was her boss during the school year too, and he often told her off for writing news articles with “emotional words” or “flowery language”. That job was so soulless.
And that was why she loved this job. Because sure, Mr. Pulitzer signed her paychecks here too, but she was really in control. She chose the games they played, the way points were awarded, the time frames between activities. Hannah had never felt more rewarded for a job she’d done in her life. Those kids had experienced what very well may have been the best two weeks of their summer, and it was because she cared enough to plan, to take charge, and to make a real connection with each one of them.
Henry, Jojo, and Buttons ran past, chasing each other and yelling loudly.
“Those kids,” she muttered under her breath before shouting. “Hey! You three!”
They turned around.
“Is your cabin clean?”
“Yes ma’am,” Buttons smiled sweetly.
“And your bags are all in the dining hall?”
“Yes they are.”
Hannah gave them a sort of side-eye. “Alright, I trust you. Go have fun ‘till your parents get here. Only a few more hours left.”
They took off again, whooping and hollering all the way up the hill. That must have been Hannah’s favorite noise ever, the sound of those kids laughing.
Jack, Davey, and Crutchie walked up the sidewalk at a much slower pace than the three who came before them had. Davey had a suitcase behind him, and a backpack over his shoulder. Jack was carrying two duffel bags, and Crutchie had two backpacks slung over his shoulders. She remembered the year that the three of them had gotten close. They were all in the same cabin, and they became incredibly talented at sharing every burden - physical and emotional. They’d never let that drop, which impressed her.
“Jack Kelly!” she called out, and his head swiveled. She paused, forgetting what she had wanted to say. “Good job this summer. Good leadership.”
He looked taken aback. “Thanks, Hannah,” his face softened. “That means a lot.”
She sat down on the swingset. She’d heard rumors about what had happened here a few days ago, and smiled at the thought of the girls that finally got it together.
She was proud of the man that Jack had turned into. No longer was he the scared, sad, sixth grader she’d met when she was a middle school camp counselor. Of course, she was proud of every camper here. Katherine, for example, had come out from underneath her father’s thumb. Not that she had ever really been there, what with the protests she’d led in middle school. Romeo was bolder than ever before, willingly singing in front of the camp at the drop of a hat. Smalls was still finding her place, but with every passing day she got a little closer. Specs had gotten themself a cabin that made them comfortable, and paved the way for Buttons to come out in the process. Mush’s softness was his strength, and Elmer was learning that impulsiveness was, in some cases, the difference between angsty indecisiveness and happiness. Some of them may be graduating high school soon, but she knew that they would all turn out just fine.
Another loud group of kids passed her, four this time: Spot, Race, Albert, and Elmer. The four of them had been found asleep, on top of each other on the couch in the game room yesterday. Some kind of switch had flicked and now their friendship was a little bit more. Not that it was any of her business to care. But she’d always been the camp gossip.
-
Kids started leaving soon. Davey’s parents took him, Sarah, and Katherine home first. The three of them hugged their cabin mates and teammates, and Davey kissed his boyfriends goodbye, an event for which Hannah looked away. Specs left next, promising their boyfriend that the two of them would see each other next week. Blink was driving himself and Mush home, and they piled their luggage in his car. Miss Medda showed up to take her three home, and they left with minimal tears to their respective friends and significant others. Maybe they would actually miss each other, maybe they’d just miss camp. It was a kind of magical place. Oscar and Morris left, then Race, Albert, Crutchie, and Sniper. Henry, Buttons, Elmer, Jojo, and Romeo all had parents that came later in the day.
Once every camper had left, Hannah herself hopped in her car and turned the key. It was Wiesel’s job to shut the camp down for the summer, not her. So she could go home without any worries. But of course, she was leaving one home to go to her normal house, and seeing the summer end was bittersweet.