River shook the bottle, opened the lid with her teeth and poured sunscreen into her palm. She rubbed her hands together and smeared the coconut-scented lotion over Josh’s bare shoulders. She made little white hearts with her two fingers. She turned and did the same to his little sister Jasmine, who was seventeen, only a year younger than Josh.
“You get some hearts too, Jazz, since you’re such a sweetheart,” River said with a smile. River glanced to where Jazz was looking and saw three barely teen boys gawking at them. She tried to ignore them.
River’s friend Charlotte plopped down in front of her and swept her hair to the side. River massaged the sunscreen onto Charlotte’s back and down her pale arms. Then she stood up to spread the sunscreen on her own arms and legs. She tried not to get any on her bikini. Not that there was much bikini to get it on. She glanced up at the boys once more. This time she held their gaze. Their cheeks were red, and the towels on their laps looked a little too strategic. River smiled at the boys from her great age of almost eighteen as if to say, “Seriously, guys? Just be a kid while you still can.”
“Are you going to the Canada Day parade and fireworks, Riv?” Jazz asked.
“Maybe. I was thinking I could be a real Indian princess in the parade. You know, I could get one of those awful polyester costumes that cover only, like, half your body. I could wave like royalty as I ride my horse bareback.” River managed to deliver the sentence without smirking. She waved her hand with her fingers together, rigidly, from side to side.
“You’re terrible, River!” roared Charlotte.
“You would totally steal the show, Riv!” Jazz said. “I think you should do it.”
“It would add some sex appeal,” said Josh. “That’s for sure.”
River’s hand met Josh’s arm with a slap. He fluttered his puppy dog eyes, trying to earn her forgiveness.
“So, Riv, Charlie, what are we doing this summer? This is OFFICIALLY the last summer before university . . . so it needs to be epic.” Josh smiled with his eyes closed.
“My relatives are coming from France, so I have to stick around for a few weeks in July. But I’d love to go camping or something,” Charlie replied.
“Ooh la-la, Charlie!” Jazz’s French accent was less than perfect. “Yeah, I’m down for camping. Grundy Lake is really nice.”
“Yeah I like Grundy too,” added River. “My grandparents used to take us there when we were small.”
“Grundy it is!” crowed Josh. “Jazz, are you bringing a boy-toy?”
“Josh, you’re a dog. A big, fat, hairy, stinky and stupid D-O-G.” Jazz’s smile, unlike her words, showed how much she adored her big brother.
“Ouch! So harsh. Jazz,” Josh whined. “That’s why you don’t have a boy-toy. Just saying.” Josh tilted his head to the left, and smiled back.
River could tell that Jazz was rolling her eyes behind her sunglasses. Raised as an only child, she wondered what having such relentless brother-sister banter would be like. Probably it would get tired really fast.
“I’m going to my dad’s in Winnipeg last week of July. I’m back middle of August, I think,” said River. “We could go camping the last weekend in August before the long weekend. Before school starts. Would that work?”
She smiled at Josh’s pout at the idea of her going away even for a couple of weeks.
“That sounds like it might work for me,” Jazz said, scrolling through the calendar on her phone.
“Yeah, me too, probably,” added Charlie. “It has to be before Frosh Week though. What you doin’ at your dad’s house this summer, Riv? You guys have plans?”
“Well, just hanging out with my nokomis. That means grandma in Ojibwe. And my cousins on my dad’s side might come up from Minnesota. We’re gonna go to the powwow on the rez.”
Charlie raised her eyebrows. “Holy, that’s awesome. Sounds like fun.”
“Yeah, I’m excited about the powwow. I’ll meet some distant relatives and eat a ton of bannock. My nokomis is going to help me finish my jingle dress, and I’m going to dance.”
“Oh that’s so awesome. I love that you’re still connected to your culture, Riv.” Jasmine smiled.
Josh nodded in agreement.
“Well, I guess I am, sort of. I’d like to learn more though. It’s not the same as living on the rez. I feel a little disconnected from it all. It’s weird, trying to live in two worlds.”
“What do you mean?” Josh asked.
“I don’t know how to explain it really. It’s like . . . I feel, like, happy where I am, and in my life and stuff. But I always feel like I’m missing out. I don’t know on what — cultural stuff or something. I just feel like something’s always missing. When I’m at my dad’s, I feel, like, really happy, and part of the culture. But then of course I miss my life here. It’s hard to find a balance I guess.”
“Yeah I get it,” Jazz said. “When our parents got divorced, I always felt torn between two families. I mean, it’s not exactly the same, but sort of similar.”
Josh nodded in agreement again.
Charlie yelled from under her large sun hat. “Um, hellooo, too depressing! This was supposed to be a fun day at the beach. And you’re talking about feelings and stuff. And divorce and stuff. I don’t want to think about adulting until it’s absolutely necessary. Once we become adults, our life as we currently know it is OVER!”
Josh looked over at River and shrugged his shoulders. River liked how Josh was good at navigating awkward situations by deflecting with humour. Or just flat out changing the subject. “So is anyone going to Brittany’s party tomorrow night? Lotsa babes and booze I heard.”
Charlie winced. “Well I like the babes part. But not the booze part. I really wish I could find a girl that doesn’t drink at all.”
“Me too,” Josh said.
“What the heck! I don’t drink at all!” River squealed and slapped at Josh. “Charlie, what about that girl you met on the campus tour a few weeks ago?”
“I dunno, she was too weird. I don’t think she was like a real lesbian. She was just like a, I wanna try it out and see if I like it before I go back to men, kinda lesbian. Look, I have a friggin’ taco tattoo on my wrist. If you don’t like tacos, then go back to the hot dog cart already. I can’t be someone’s experiment.”
River spit out her drink as laughter roared from her belly. “That is so friggin’ hilarious! But really, does it have to be one or the other? Can’t it be both?”
Charlie shrugged her shoulders.
River continued, “So all in favour of not going to Brittany’s party, don’t put up your hands.” She was greeted by the sight of no hands in the air. “Okay, amazing. It’s final. We can all come to my house again tomorrow night then. We can have a bonfire and roast marshmallows or whatever. Josh and I will be back from riding at about three o’clock. That gives us plenty of time to put the horses away and stuff.”
“Sounds good,” Josh said, as the girls nodded in agreement.
Charlie pressed shuffle on her phone and turned up the volume. The four of them basked in the sun until dusk.