Ihardly saw Gregg or Roger at all until Monday. I guess Gregg stayed at Roger’s house on Friday night. Then on Saturday I only saw them briefly in the morning, because Bob and I went on the weekend trip. We had a great time. Joe, Carol, and Barb were the guides. Not only did all of the staff members get along really well, but our patrons were a really fun group as well. Everyone was relaxed and worked together.
It was the best weekend I had had since my parents died. I thought of how much Mom would have loved the wildflowers at the campsite, and I could almost hear Dad whooping it up through the rapids. I missed Gregg too. I wished he was there to talk to.
Sunday night when I got back from the trip, I was amazed to walk into the house and find Rocky cooking. So far I had been the only one, other than Gregg when he had the cooking spree on our day off, to do anything more complicated than boil water or turn on the oven and insert a frozen pizza.
“Wow! Something smells fantastic!”
Rocky grinned and I almost thought he blushed, but I wasn’t sure because of his sunburn.
“What is it?”
“My specialty.”
“Which is?”
“Chicken Cordon Bleu.”
“That’s your specialty?”
“Yep.”
“Man, you should have been cooking the whole time!”
He laughed. “How’d the trip go?”
“Excellent. There were absolutely no problems. I had a blast.” I laughed.
“This river is so awesome. It’s never the same. I mean, I’ve done the short section of Brown’s Canyon how many times this week? And every time it’s different, even though it’s the same rapids and the same rafts.”
“So what do you think changes?”
I thought about it for a minute. “The people. You know, the different levels of experience of the groups, and the way they treat each other. And the way we run the rapids. Every time it’s just a little different, and that makes the whole thing different.”
“You like it though.”
“No! I love it.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“How were things at the base?”
“Oh,” he said, “they were okay.” There was a definite lack of enthusiasm in his voice.
“Any major problems?”
“No. But I had to reassign Gregg. He’s been doing pretty well as a guide working with me, but he’s awful in terms of attitude, both toward me and toward the patrons.”
“Who’d you assign him to?”
“I teamed him up with Ray. I’m hoping Ray can settle him down and undo the damage that Roger did.”
“Such as?”
“Such as the belief that the guide is the most important person on the raft.” He sighed and shook his head. “I thought if I gave Roger the responsibility of training Gregg, it would be good for both of them. I don’t know what happened to Roger during the off season, but I don’t like it. He keeps this up, he won’t be here much longer.”
“I think you’ve said that before.”
Rocky looked up at me.
“You’ve said it twice since I’ve been here, and according to some of the other staff members, you threatened to fire him several times before that.”
“I’m afraid you’ve got me there. That’s why my business didn’t do well the first year. I hate firing and disciplining people. Especially someone like Roger. I’ve known him since before he became a guide. I met him through a good friend of mine, who happens to be his cousin. We used to guide together, and then when Roger started guiding, my friend asked me to help him out.
Roger didn’t really need my help, because he took to the river so naturally.
Now, though, it seems like he’s been regressing. Ever since his father died.”
“Roger’s dad died?” I asked, intrigued.
Rocky nodded. “He had been fighting cancer for a long time, so we knew it was coming. He was practically all the family Roger had. As long as his dad was around, he tried to do well. He had plans and set goals for himself. Once his dad died, though, it’s almost like he’s becoming younger mentally. Now all he wants to do is party. And he’s lost his respect for the river. That’s what scares me the most.”
“Yeah, but—”
There was a knock at the front door.
“Come in!” Rocky hollered. Then he turned to me quickly. “I forgot to tell you I invited Laura to join us for dinner. Hope you don’t mind.”
“No, not at all,” I said, smiling. I had been trying to figure out their relationship for a while now. They hardly ever touched each other or said anything, but somehow I got the feeling that they were more than just friends.
Dinner was excellent. We had a great time sitting around, talking about all sorts of things. And when dinner was over, Laura suggested we go into town and get ice cream.
“Oh, wow, you have no idea how great that sounds right now,” I said with a huge grin. “After two days on the river, I’m more than ready for a hot fudge sundae.”
“I think you’ve got a winner of an idea,” Rocky said, nodding and grinning himself.
Laura was starting to back out of her parking space when I suddenly realized I was about to pass up a fantastic opportunity. “Stop. Hang on a second. I forgot something.” And I bolted out of her car.
When I got back, she had pulled the car around so they were waiting in front of the house for me.
“What was that all about?”
“I forgot something.”
“A book?” Rocky asked, arching his eyebrows.
“Yeah. I have to return it.”
“What book is it?”
“Um...” I held it up and Rocky read the title.
He made a face. “You actually checked that out?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you read it?” Laura asked.
“Um, not exactly.”
“Then why did you get it?”
“Well, because…” I fidgeted.
Rocky turned around and looked at me. “You’re blushing!”
“I am not!” My cheeks were on fire.
“Laura, look at him!”
Rocky hounded me until I finally told them about meeting Summer and wanting to see her again.
“In that case,” Laura said, “we can’t take you to the library tonight.”
“Why not?” I demanded at the same time Rocky asked, “Are you going to stand in the way of a possible true love story?”
She laughed. “Oh, no, I’d never do that. In fact, I’m trying to help this one.”
“By not letting me go to the library?” I asked.
“Well, Scott,” she said, “the library’s not open on Sunday. If I took you now, all you’d be able to do is drop the book in the overnight return box.”
“Oh,” I said. “Thanks.”
“I think you’ll be better off going tomorrow.”
“Yeah,” Rocky said. “On my bike.”
Laura looked at him. “You have a bike?”
I started laughing. “That’s exactly what he said.”
“I don’t know why the two of you are so amused just because I can’t remember what’s in my own storage shed,” Rocky said, trying to pout.
We pulled into the Dairy Delight at Buena Vista. As I got out of Laura’s car, I glanced across the street and saw Roger’s truck parked in front of the gas station. The door opened and Gregg and Roger walked out, each carrying two six-packs of beer.
“Come on, Rocky, let’s go!” I said, grabbing his arm and dragging him toward the ice cream shop. I desperately hoped he hadn’t seen Gregg carrying the beer.
I managed to drag Rocky all the way to the door before he decided to stop. Before I could get the door open, he turned back.
I couldn’t help looking over quickly toward Roger’s truck. Roger was getting in on the driver’s side. Gregg was nowhere in sight. I could only assume that he had spotted us and was lying down either in the truck bed or in the front seat.
Rocky turned to Laura. “Be a sweetheart and order me a root beer float, would you? I need to pick up something.”
“Okay,” Laura said with a smile, “but I am not responsible for the condition of your float when you return.”
She and I walked into the shop. The place was packed…for Buena Vista, that is. There were about five people in line. We got behind them.
“So,” she said, turning to me. “What do you think now?”
“About what?”
“About Rocky and the rafting. Neither you nor Gregg seemed very happy when you got out here.”
“Do you blame us?”
“Well, no, but is it getting any better?”
“Yeah.” I sighed. “I like it now. And I’m starting to get to know Rocky.”
“Not an easy thing to do,” she said with a smile.
It was the perfect chance for me to ask about her and Rocky, but I just couldn’t. Instead I said, “So what’s with Roger?”
Laura shook her head. “I honestly don’t know.”
“It seems like everyone else thinks he should be fired, but Rocky won’t do it.”
“I think he will if he has to, but he’s just giving him a second chance.”
“A second chance is one thing, but it sounds like Roger’s on his fifth at least.”
“Well, Rocky and Roger have worked together for a long time.”
“Yeah, I know that. But that should mean that Roger knows more and understands what to do better than the others on the staff. And it doesn’t give him an excuse to blow everything off.”
“You are observant, aren’t you?” Laura sighed. “Roger was a lot better last year.”
“That’s what Rocky keeps saying. Is that when his dad died?”
Laura blinked. “Yeah. But we all knew he was dying. And he had made plans for Roger.”
I looked down at my sneakers. “I’m not sure that knowing something is going to happen would make it any easier.”
“What do you mean?”
I shrugged. I had this vague feeling that maybe Roger thought his dad could have lived longer, but quit trying. Maybe because of that, Roger thought he might as well quit trying too. But I didn’t know how to say all that.
“Scott?” Laura asked gently. “How are you doing?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. Okay, I guess, most of the time. I miss them a lot, though. And it’s especially hard, ’cause I can’t really talk to anybody.”
“Not even Rocky and Gregg?”
“I still don’t know Rocky well enough. And Gregg is…I don’t know what Gregg is doing right now.”
By that time we were at the front of the line. Laura ordered two large root beer floats, and I got a hot fudge banana split. We spotted some people leaving a table and we hurried over. Just as we were sitting down, Rocky came in the door. He set a brown bag on the table and pushed it across to me.
“What’s this?”
“Happy late Christmas,” he said.
I opened the bag and laughed.
“What is it?” Laura asked.
I pulled out a shiny new padlock and chain.
“I didn’t want you saying you couldn’t go return that book because you didn’t have a lock.”
“Good idea,” Laura said, “because otherwise he might get an overdue fine.”
“Thanks, Rocky,” I said.
He waved his hand. “No problem. Just make sure you’re a gentleman.”
“Oh, I’ll try. But if she shoots me down, I may not be able to.”
“Who could shoot down anyone as cute as you?” Laura said, reaching across to muss up my hair.
“Yeah, right. Whatever.”
“There he goes, blushing again,” Rocky said, chuckling.
I shook my head. “You’ve heard about people who bruise easy, right? It’s a physical condition, not anything to laugh about. Well, so is the condition that makes people blush easy.”
“It’s a condition, huh?” Rocky asked.
“It sure is. And right now there’s no known cure. All we victims can do is ask for mercy and support from everyone else.”
“Nice try,” Rocky said, “but I gave at the office. I can’t do any more.”
“Aww, man,” I groaned. “I tried.”
We continued to joke around and have fun for the rest of the evening.
We went home and played a few games of chess. Laura only played once, because she said she wasn’t any good. Rocky did beat her, but I think she was trying to back out so he and I could play.
She left around ten, and Rocky and I played one more game. Then he went to bed. I went to bed too, but couldn’t sleep. Finally, I got up and wrote a long letter to Nancy, telling her everything that had happened in the last two weeks. Then I went back to bed. I blinked back a few tears, thinking about Mom and Dad, and Rocky and Gregg, but this time I didn’t really cry.
I had been planning to sleep in Monday morning. The phone rang and woke me up at eight-thirty. At first I was just going to let it ring, but I’ve never been good at ignoring a ringing phone. On the third ring I got out of bed and stumbled out to the living room. By the time I got to the phone, the caller had hung up.
“Shoot,” I muttered. I sat down on the couch for a few minutes, just in case they called right back. They didn’t. I headed back to the bedroom, but by then I was awake and there wasn’t any point in going back to bed.
After I ate and showered, I called the library.
“Buena Vista library, this is Summer, how may I help you?”
I froze. She was working today.
“Hello?”
“Um, yeah,” I said quickly. “What are your hours today?”
“We’re open from nine to five.”
“Okay, thank you.”
“Sure,” she said. “Thank you for calling.” And she hung up.
I rode into town and locked up the bike by the high school. When I walked into the library, I went up to the front desk and dropped the book into the return bin. Summer wasn’t at the desk. I looked around and didn’t see her.
With a sigh, I wandered back over to the sci-fi section. If nothing else, at least this time I could get a real book to read on the days I had to watch the store. When I started down the row, I realized that this was actually the fantasy and sci-fi section combined. I kept moving down the row, checking to see if they had the new Robert Jordan book. From time to time, I pulled out a book that had an interesting title and then put it back. When I got to the J section, I started looking more closely. I was so into the books that I bumped into someone right next to me.
“Excuse me,” I said, moving over to reach for a book I had just spied.
“No more stars?”
“Huh?” I looked up, and there was Summer, grinning at me.
“Oh, hey there! How are you doing?”
“I’m fine. Did you finish the book? The one on stars?”
“Well, I finished some of it. Turned out to be a little drier than I thought it was going to be.”
“I think I tried to tell you that,” she said, smiling.
“Yeah, well, now I know to take your advice about books.”
“But you didn’t trust me about books when I was just a librarian.”
“Okay, you got me there,” I said, smiling back at her.
“Can I help you find anything today?” she asked in a very professional tone.
“I think I’ll just browse a little bit,” I said, sticking my nose up in the air.
She giggled. “Well, just wave if you need help.”
“What if I just want to say hi?”
“You can do that too,” she said. She blushed almost as easily as I do.
I made myself stay in that row and look at books for another five minutes, but I had no idea what I was looking at. Finally I picked up The Eye of the Needle, one of the Star Wars books that I had read several times and really liked, and took it up to the checkout desk.
“Did you find what you needed?” Summer asked.
“Yeah. I think this one will be much better.”
“It’s a pretty good book.”
“You’ve read it?” I asked.
“Well, yeah. Why are you so surprised?”
“I’ve never known a girl who was into sci-fi.” As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I cringed inside. What a stupid thing to say, I thought.
“I didn’t say I was into sci-fi. I said I had read it.”
“Well, you know what I mean.” Great, I said to myself. Now you sound like a complete idiot.
She smiled again, scanned the book into the computer, and stamped the return date. “Will there be anything else?”
“Well, yeah,” I said, taking a deep breath. “I’m going to a party tonight and was wondering if you’d like to go with me.”
Her smile dropped just a notch.
“You’ve got a boyfriend, don’t you?” I blurted out. “I’m sorry, just forget it. I won’t bother you anymore.” I felt like crawling under a piece of lint. I reached out to take the book from her.
She didn’t let go of it. “No, I don’t have a boyfriend. I’m sorry, I guess you just took me by surprise.”
“Oh,” I said, trying not to look too excited.
“The party’s tonight?”
“Yeah. One of the guys at work is having it.”
“Well, I don’t get off till five,” she began.
“I know,” I said. “But I don’t think the party will start till late. I thought we could meet here, go get dinner, and then go to the party.”
“That sounds good,” she said. “I’ll have to check with my parents, though.”
“Well, here,” I said, grabbing a piece of paper. “I’ll give you my number and you can call me.”
“Okay. How are we going to get there?”
I stopped. It had been going so well! I was so surprised she said yes that I hadn’t even thought that far ahead. “Ummm...well…um…do you have a bike?”
“A bike?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.
“Yeah. We could meet here and then ride over there together.”
“Okay. I guess that would work.” She didn’t sound too sure.
“And I’d ride back to your house with you,” I said quickly. “I wouldn’t make you ride all the way back by yourself.”
She smiled and blushed again. “I’ll call you when I get home. I don’t think my parents will have a problem with it.”
“Great!” I said. “I’ll talk to you later tonight then.”
“Bye,” she said, waving.
“Bye,” I said. I was so happy, I really didn’t care when I tripped going down the stairs leaving the high school to get my bike. I took my time on the ride home and just enjoyed the scenery.
When I got to the house, the phone was ringing. I ran to answer it. “Hello?”
“Where have you been?” Gregg demanded.
“I went to town. Where are you?”
“I’m at Roger’s.”
“Now there’s a surprise.”
“Don’t start, Scott,” Gregg warned.
“Okay. So what’s up?”
“I was calling to see if you’re coming tonight.”
“I was planning on it.”
“Cool. Do you know how to get here?”
“No.”
“Well, everyone else is meeting at the shop at eight. Why don’t you just show up there?”
“Sounds good.”
“Anything else?”
“No,” I said. Then I asked casually, “How’d your weekend go?”
“It was all right. Rocky said I can work with Ray starting on Wednesday, so things should get better. He’s such a jackass.”
“Ray?” I asked in confusion.
“No, Rocky! He won’t let me guide yet. I’m ready, and he admits I’ve got the skills, but he won’t even let me run the supply boats.” Gregg was whining. “How am I supposed to make any money? The summer’s almost half over already.”
“We’ve still got a couple months left. I’m sure he’ll let you start taking the supply boats soon.”
“Well, he’s got a week.”
“What happens in a week?”
“If he doesn’t let me start by next Wednesday, I’m going to quit. I need a job that will pay me.”
While I was letting those remarks sink in, I heard a loud crash in the background.
“What happened?” I asked. Someone was shouting.
“Roger’s roommate just got here. I gotta go. Show up at the shop tonight at eight, okay?”
“Yeah,” I said as he hung up.
Summer called around five-thirty to say she could go to the party with me. “I have to be home by midnight.”
“That’s cool,” I said, impressed. I’d figured she’d have to get back at least by eleven. “Where do you want to go to dinner?”
“Um, let’s see. Do you like Mexican food? There’s a really good place on Main Street, called El Duran.”
“Yeah,” I said enthusiastically. No need to tell her I had eaten lunch there twice last week. “I know where it is. That sounds great.”
“Instead of meeting at the high school, why don’t we just meet there?”
“Okay,” I said. “When can you be there?”
“I could be there in ten minutes,” she said.
“Oh, well, I can’t get there that fast. How about we meet in forty-five minutes?”
“Okay. I’ll see you then.”
“Bye.”
“Bye.”
I waited for her to hang up first, and then bolted for the shower.
The ride out to town seemed incredibly fast. I felt like I was flying. I was a little disappointed to find her already there and waiting for me.
She was wearing jeans overall shorts and a plain white T-shirt. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She looked great.
“Hi,” I said awkwardly.
“Hi,” she said. “I didn’t know if I should go ahead and get a table.”
I looked around. There were only a few other people in the restaurant. “I don’t think we’ll have to wait for one.”
We were seated and given the menus right away. Looking at the menu was a good way to break the tension. Then the server brought us some chips and salsa; I think we spent five minutes just discussing our favorite snack foods.
After that, conversation got a little easier. I asked her a lot of questions about school here because I was nervous about going to such a small school.
“Scott,” she said finally, “it’s just a high school. We’re people. There may not be as many of us, but we’re not any different from the kids at your old school. There are all sorts and types.”
“I know, but…” I started. “I guess I’m just nervous because I don’t know anyone.”
“I thought I was someone.”
“Oh, no, that’s not what I meant,” I said quickly.
“I know,” she said with a smile. “You’ll do just fine.”
We talked about our summer jobs. She liked her job as much as I was starting to like mine.
“I’ve always loved books,” she said. “I like the way whole new worlds and people and creatures can just be created and become so real.”
I laughed. “You’re a daydreamer.”
“Well, yeah, a little.”
“Are you a romantic too?”
She blinked and shifted a little in her seat.
“I’m only asking because those two terms are usually put together,” I said quickly.
“I guess I’m a little bit of a romantic too. My parents must have had some influence on me.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, they got married when they were still in high school and they’re still together. They hardly ever fight. They’ve got all sorts of cute little nicknames for each other, and they’re always very affectionate.” She laughed. “Every spring, Dad always brings home the first crocus bloom he finds and gives it to Mom because he says that she’ll always be his first blossom of spring.”
“I’d say growing up with that would have to make you a little bit romantic.”
She shrugged. “A little. But they’re so into their own romance and having fun together, it’s almost like I’m the parent. I set most of my own rules. They want me to be a free spirit, like they are, so they try to give me a lot of space.”
“My parents weren’t like that.”
“Did they get divorced?”
I shook my head and took a sip of Coke. “They were killed in a car accident.” I was glad my voice didn’t break.
“How old were you when it happened?”
“It’s been almost two months.”
Her eyes got huge. “Oh, Scott, that’s awful. I’m so sorry. I guess I just assumed that it had happened a long time ago. I think I’d be a basket case if I lost both my parents like that.”
I tried to smile. “My parents always said not to worry about things you can’t change. This is one of them.” She didn’t say anything. “I am a basket case,” I admitted. “I can’t stop thinking about them, and it still hurts a lot.
Especially since Gregg’s been such a jerk.”
“Who’s Gregg?”
“My older brother.”
“How’s he being such a jerk?”
I told her about the way he had treated Nancy and Rocky. “They both were just doing everything they could to help, and all he did was whine about it or yell at them or just clam up. He’s still yelling at Rocky every chance he gets. I have to give Rocky credit for not yelling back.”
“It sounds like that’s what Gregg needs, though.”
“What do you mean?”
“If he’s being so awful, he shouldn’t get away with it just because your parents passed away. They were your parents too, and you’re not being a baby about it.”
I sighed and smiled. “You don’t know how nice it is to hear somebody say exactly what I’ve been thinking.”
She asked me some more questions about Gregg, and somehow I started rambling about my old neighborhood and the friends I went to school with. Then with a start I realized that I had talked through the entire meal.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “Why didn’t you just tell me to shut up?”
“Because you sounded like you needed to talk,” she said simply.
The server came by with the check. “Excuse me, do you know what time it is?” I asked.
“Seven forty-five,” he said.
“Oh, jeez,” I said. I turned to Summer. “How fast can you ride?” I asked as I put a twenty on the table.
“How fast do I need to?” she asked with a grin.
“We’re supposed to meet at Rugged Rapids in fifteen minutes.”
“Wow,” she said. “That is fast.”
I had been hoping to just take it easy on the way out there and talk, but I guess I had done enough talking during dinner.
We ran out to our bikes, but then she had to laugh at Rocky’s beat-up old bike for a few moments before we could start our ride. Comparing it to her slick mountain bike, I had to admit that my bike looked pretty pathetic.
“Does it really work?” she asked between laughs.
“It got me here,” I said a little defensively. “You know where Rugged Rapids is, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. I’ll follow you,” I said.
She raised her eyebrows. “I’m not sure that old thing can keep up.”
“Trust me.”
She only had to stop to wait for me once, and that was at the top of a big hill.
When we rolled into the parking lot, I was relieved to see people still there. I pulled up to a stop in front of Bob’s Jeep. “Are we the last ones?”
“No. We’re still waiting for Joe and Carol,” he said.
“What about Jim and Ray? Aren’t they coming?”
“No,” Tom said. “They went to Colorado Springs for the night.
Somebody’s playing a concert down there. I forget who.”
“This is Summer,” I said, introducing them. “This is Bob. And over in the station wagon are Barb, Lou, Gary, and Tom.”
They all waved.
“Nice to meet you, Summer,” Bob said. “Did he make you ride your bike all this way?”
“He did,” she said, nodding and grinning.
“How about you two leave your bikes here and ride with me,” he suggested. “I can give you a ride back when the party’s over.”
“Thanks, Bob,” I said. “That sounds great.”
“And here come our slowpokes,” Barb called across the parking lot as Carol and Joe pulled in.
“All right, now we can go!” Jim said.
“You could have gone before,” Joe said.
“No, we couldn’t, because you and Carol are the only two who know how to get to his house, remember?”
“Oh, yeah,” Joe said. “Well, then you all had better keep up!” He spun his wheels in the gravel parking lot, leaving the rest of us to follow in a cloud of dust.
As we left, I remember thinking that it might turn out to be my best night here.