Summer at Willow Lake (42 page)

AVALON TROUBADOUR
AUGUST 19, 2006

Kioga Couple To Celebrate Golden Anniversary

Charles Langston Bellamy and Jane Gordon Bellamy, longtime owners of the legendary Camp Kioga on Willow Lake, will return to the camp next week to celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary. The couple was married there on August 26, 1956, and spent the next four decades running the camp, which was founded by Mrs. Bellamy’s grandfather, Angus Gordon, in 1932. The camp ceased operating in 1997, though the property remains in the possession of the Bellamy family. Over the past summer, the camp has undergone a renovation in preparation for the festivities. Next Saturday, friends and relatives of Mr. and Mrs. Bellamy will step back in time as they celebrate the couple’s milestone. The gala affair will feature a catered gourmet meal, live music and a replica of the original wedding cake from Sky River Bakery.

Over the summer, there has been keen speculation regarding the future of Camp Kioga, which encompasses a parcel of pristine wilderness. The Bellamys could not be reached for comment.

Thirty-Three

A
s Julian walked across the camp compound, he noticed how the place had been transformed. Kioga now looked like something out of a picture book or brochure, with its neat cottages and newly mown grass and fields. The grounds had been pruned, the walkways covered with a new layer of gravel. Bright red geraniums and deep purple lobelia spilled from the window boxes. By now, he knew the names of all the plants they’d put in because he’d busted his ass working on the gardens. He didn’t care if he never saw a flat of marigolds again, as long as he lived.

There was a lift in his step as he headed for breakfast. He’d risen at the crack of dawn so he could finish work early and head to New Paltz to go rock climbing in the Shawangunks, something he’d been wanting to do all summer. On his back was a knapsack clanking with gear from the sports-storage shed—open-fingered gloves, carabiners and quick-draws, climbing shoes, helmet, harness and chalk. He wore low-slung cargo shorts and one of his father’s ancient T-shirts. After Louis Gastineaux died, Julian’s aunts had tried to give away all his dorky old T-shirts, mostly freebies given out at engineering conferences. Julian had rescued a few, and he liked wearing them. They felt lucky. Today’s shirt bore the slogan It
Is
Rocket Science.

He found Connor hitching the backhoe trailer to the truck. With most of the work done, it was time to move the heavy equipment out of the way.

“Hey,” said Julian.

Connor connected the wiring between the truck and trailer and straightened up. “Hey, Julian.”

“I was wondering if I could borrow the truck. But, um, looks like you’re going to be using it.”

“I need to get the backhoe down to the river-road property. I’m planning on breaking ground soon.”

Julian nodded. His brother had this whole elaborate plan to build himself a house.

“What do you need the truck for?” Connor asked.

“I was planning to go rock climbing this afternoon.”

“By yourself?”

“Not if I can talk Daisy into going with me.”

Connor leaned against the side of the truck. “I don’t think it’ll take much talking.”

Julian suppressed a grin. “Hope not.”

Connor held out a set of keys. “Park the trailer on the flat at the top of the driveway,” he said. “Don’t back in, just unhitch it and go. You know how to unhitch it, right?”

“Sure. You only showed me about a million times. And thanks, Connor. I didn’t know if you’d let me.”

“Try not to look too surprised,” Connor said as Julian loaded his gear into the back of the truck. “I had my doubts at the beginning of summer, but I’m glad you came.”

The funny thing was, Julian was glad he’d come, too. Sure, he’d busted his ass, working here. It wasn’t so bad, though. Connor paid him a decent wage. Everything about Connor was decent. He still made Julian feel like a screwup sometimes.

They headed to the dining hall together. The others would probably be getting ready for lunch. “So…you and Olivia,” Julian said.

“What about me and Olivia?”

Julian flashed him a grin. “You worked late last night. Really late. Like, all night long.” He almost laughed aloud when he saw Connor’s ears turn red.

“Do me a favor and don’t say anything to her,” Connor muttered. “Or anyone.”

Julian wouldn’t commit to that. He wanted to say it was about damn time, but he restrained himself. “She’s totally into you,” he said, giving his brother a slug on the arm.

Connor slugged him back. “Yeah, well, I’m totally into her.”

“What are you going to do about it?”

“Be into her for a while. I guess I could probably propose to her, get turned down.”

“Nice attitude, Con.”

“I usually prepare for the worst, and then I’m surprised by the best.”

“Why not expect the best? Reach beyond your grasp and all that?”

“You’ve been reading those air force recruiting brochures.”

As Julian had hoped, Daisy was in the dining hall. Over the summer, he’d thought often and intensely of hooking up with her. She was sophisticated and was clearly experienced, but he got a weird vibe from her. And she was dealing with a lot of crap with her family, which made him reluctant to hook up with her for laughs. That just didn’t seem right.

He fixed himself a sandwich. “So are you up for some rock climbing?” he asked her.

“I told Dare I’d help her with the centerpieces for the big celebration. She’s making them out of birdhouses,” Daisy said.

Great, he thought. She wasn’t even going to pretend to be interested. “Oh, that’s important,” he said. Sometimes girls were such a drag.

“I was totally planning on going with you,” she said airily.

“Really.” He couldn’t keep the grin off his face.

“Are you sure, Daisy?” asked Greg. “Rock climbing is incredibly hard, not to mention dangerous.”

A dad who worried about you, thought Julian. What a concept. “She’ll be fine,” he said. “I’ve done tons of climbs at Joshua Tree in California, honest. We’ve got all the gear we need, and I’ll only pick easy climbs—no more than a five-point-one, max. And we’ll use a top rope and belay from the top.”

“Cool,” Max piped up, handing a crust of his sandwich to the dog. “Can I come?”

“No.”
Both Daisy and her father spoke emphatically, at the same time.

“But I can, right, Dad?” she said.

Greg leaned back, arms folded, and considered for a moment. “I’ll make you a deal. You can take the afternoon off and go rock climbing. But only if you promise to go fishing with Max and me one more time.”

To her credit, she didn’t roll her eyes or pout. “Deal,” she said, and headed for the door.

They parked inside the Mohonk Preserve and hiked along a marked trail to the cliffs.

“Okay, now
this
is disturbing,” Daisy said. She bent back and shaded her eyes to look up at the pebbled rock face, seamed by fissures and shadowed by overhangs, with little tufts of vegetation growing out of the cracks. There were a few climbers out, their routes marked by rock-colored slings at rappel stations.

“Dude,” Julian said, already picking his route as he followed her gaze.

“It’s not quite what I pictured.”

“We could find another ascent if you like,” Julian said. “The climbing guidebook lists a bunch that are a lot more challenging.”

“You’re not challenged enough by this?”

“It’s a rock.”

“A vertical one.”

He laughed. “That’s what makes it fun.” He demonstrated the basic techniques of climbing, which she was familiar with from the indoor climbing walls she’d done. He chalked his hands and took a quick side route to the top, where he secured a rope to an anchor and then rappelled back down. “Not too heinous,” he commented, already exhilarated from the rhythm and balance of the climb. He showed her a simple opening move, pointing out the way to the crux and then to the top. “The main thing is to take your time. Don’t grab the wrong thing because you’re scared or in a hurry.”

“How do I know which choice is the right one?”

“Because it leads to the next right choice.”

“Jeez, Julian.”

“And don’t be afraid. You can always stretch a little farther than you think.”

She laughed. “Now you’re sounding like a graduation commencement speaker.”

“I don’t think we have those at my school. Come on, let’s give it a try.”

She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders. “All right.”

He helped her with her gear, which led to a couple of strangely intimate moments, especially when she stepped into the swami harness and he drew the webbing snug against her crotch. “Sorry,” he said. “I just need to make sure you’re safe.”

“It’s all right. This is the closest I’ve had to a date all summer.”

She was a beginner but not clueless. He demonstrated the climb and it felt good, reaching and stretching, conquering the rock face hold by hold while she spotted him.

“I’m going to fall,” he said when he was about halfway up.

“You look fine to me,” she said. “A regular Spider-Man.”

“I mean on purpose. So you can see how the sling works. I’m going to fall, and you’re going to catch me, just like I showed you.”

“Don’t—”

“I trust you.” He let go with his hands. There was a moment of weightlessness and an even shorter moment of free fall; then the apparatus kicked in and caught him.

“You’re insane,” she scolded.

“Nah. I just like the rush.” He reprised the climb, showing her again. Hold by hold, always looking ahead to the next move.

“What if you can’t see what your next move is going to be?” she asked.

“Then you grab for something and hope for the best.”

They did a relatively short climb, no overhangs or anything too hazardous. She was a bit shaky but did all right, shrieking a little here and there. He spotted her while she made the climb. She went slowly and cautiously, but she was strong and didn’t make many mistakes. When she did, she was smart about correcting them. Ultimately, they both reached the summit, covered in sweat. Daisy did a little dance of triumph. “I feel like Frodo at the top of Mount Doom.”

They toasted each other with their water bottles. Then she took out a pack of cigarettes. He scowled at her. “Those’ll kill you before climbing will.”

She hunkered down and flicked her lighter. Ignoring him, she dumped the cigarettes onto a rock and set fire to them, one by one, adding twigs to keep it burning. As the small heap smoldered and turned to ashes, she sat back on her heels and said, “I’ve been wanting to do that all summer.”

“Then why didn’t you?”

She stood up, stubbed out the smoke with her heel. “It turned into this thing between me and my dad. I kept expecting him to put his foot down, but he never did. So I realized waiting for my parents to tell me to stop might have taken years and by then, I’d be a hopeless addict. Might as well quit now on my own, without being told.”

“Good plan.” On impulse, he leaned down and kissed her, briefly and sweetly, on the mouth. “I’ve been wanting to do that all summer.”

“Then why didn’t you?”

“I wasn’t sure you wanted me to.” His heart was beating erratically. “Let’s try rappelling.” He backed off, bouncing expertly off the surface and measuring the rope with his gloved hands. When he touched down, she leaned over the ledge and gave him a little round of applause.

“Are you ready to give it a shot, or do you want another demo?”

“Hmm. I don’t know. What does your Spidey sense tell you?”

“That you’re going to be great.”

She was hesitant at first, testing the gear, and then finally letting herself down. Her descent was none too smooth, but she was flushed with victory when she touched down. “That was awesome,” she yelled, and her voice bounced off the walls of the cliffs.

“You’re a good coach,” she said. “Do you do this a lot?”

“You’re my first student.”

“Yeah? Then you’re a natural. That’ll come in handy if you decide to go for that ROTC scholarship.”

They had stayed up late many a night, discussing the pros and cons. By now, Julian understood the process. It was, like, ten times more involved than applying for college because there was a physical-fitness component and a health exam in addition to the usual stuff.

“I’m not going to go for it,” he said glumly, considering the long road ahead.

“Why not?”

“They take your freedom away, monitor your every move. Your life is totally regulated. How is that different from going to juvenile detention?”

“It’s not that different,” she admitted.

“I came here this summer just to avoid incarceration. Why would I sign up for four years of it?” He shook his head. “Besides, it’d just be a waste of time.”

“Why do you say that?”

“My grades suck. My school sucks. I got nothing going for me.”

“Nice attitude, Gastineaux. And what was it you were just saying about stretching farther than you think you can?”

“I was just bullshitting you so you’d do the climb.”

“Were not.” She adjusted her helmet. “I’m ready to try another climb now.”

Her exuberance as she bounced down the rock wall made him laugh.
She
made him laugh. More than that, she made him think outside the box. Just because he lived in a crappy town and went to a crappy school didn’t mean he had to have a crappy life. If he took a chance, and he made it, he might be sent all over the globe. He might learn to fly.

“Maybe you’re right,” he said. “So you think I should go for it?”

She took off her helmet and brushed the hair off her sweaty brow. “What does your Spidey sense tell you?”

Thirty-Four

D
aisy’s fishing expeditions with her father and brother had become a joke around the camp. Not once, all summer long, had they come home with a trout. Daisy didn’t really care, though. She and Max had finally learned that the whole point of fishing was not to catch a fish. The act was more about learning to be patient. Be still inside your head and relaxed in your body and be in the moment. Simple as that.