by S. L. Baum
Marjorie put her paper down and stood up. The class fell silent as the legs of her stool screeched against the classroom floor; they could see that she wasn’t happy with them. She walked over to Eva’s desk and stood in front of the girl with her arms crossed in front of her chest. “Eva, will you please get your reading book and go across the hall, to Mr. Williams’ classroom. You’ll have to take the spelling test with me later, by yourself, during recess. I can’t have you disturbing the class any longer.” She usually tried not to single out one child, but at that moment she knew Eva Vita was being the catalyst that was causing all the other outbursts.
Eva placed her pencil down on the paper and picked up her reading book. She knew that she should have been quiet. She just couldn’t help it. She was too excited. Why did they have to have dumb old school the day before a break anyway? It was too hard to keep still and keep quiet. She hated having to walk out of the class while everyone watched, and the worst part was that Mr. Williams taught Sixth Grade, and Trey was in that class. He’d make fun of her for sure.
Marjorie didn’t like pulling Eva out of her class. She was a clever kid and more perceptive than any eight year old she had ever come across. But it was her bright mind and quick wit that usually caused a commotion. They told Marjorie in all her teaching classes that sometimes the brightest kids were the toughest. Those students tended to figure things out quickly and then soon became bored while they waited for their classmates to catch up. Eva was definitely one of those students. Usually Marjorie had more patience with the girl, on that day it had worn thin.
Eva walked out the door that Miss Montgomery was holding open and then followed her teacher to the classroom across the hall and one door down. Miss Montgomery poked her head in the propped open doorway and Eva sighed with relief. The classroom was empty, except for the teacher. It wouldn’t be as embarrassing this time.
“Miss Eva Vita is going to sit quietly in here and read while I give a spelling test. Could you send her back to me in about twenty minutes?” Marjorie asked Daniel Williams.
“Absolutely. She can keep me company while my students are at Music,” Daniel replied.
“Thank you so much, Mr. Williams.”
“My pleasure, Miss Montgomery.”
Eva watched as her teacher left the room and as soon as she was out of sight, Eva opened her book. She sat quietly at the table at the back of the room as Mr. Williams entered grades into his computer. She wasn’t really reading, just pretending to. She was reprimanding herself in her head, reminding herself what her mom and dad would say when they found out. Eva hoped that if she was good for the rest of the day, there’d be a chance that Miss Montgomery wouldn’t even tell them.
Eva heard footsteps and looked up. Trey was standing in the doorway.
“Why are you back so early, Mr. Tyson?” his teacher asked.
“I poked Willow in the back and she screamed out that I hit her. I swear I didn’t, Mr. Williams. I told the teacher that and Percy backed me up. We made Willow admit that it wasn’t a hit, it was just a poke, and I barely touched her. But then Willow started crying all these fake tears to get sympathy and I called her a drama queen. Mrs. Logan sent me out after that,” Trey explained.
Mr. Williams shook his head. “Trey, Trey, Trey… you’ve gotta stop bothering Willow.”
“She always starts it, Mr. Williams. She called me a second-hand boy.”
“Listen, Trey, I know she likes to tease you, but you know that not an excuse to put even one finger on her… even if you barely touched her. I probably shouldn’t tell you this, I’m sure I’m breaking some sort of teacher/student code, but I’ve talked to her parents about the way she messes with you and they said they were shocked to hear it. She does nothing but praise you at home. They said she talks about you all the time, tells them what a cool dude you are. To be honest, I think she has a crush on you, but instead of trying to be sweet about it, mean things come out of her mouth instead.”
Trey flinched at the thought of Willow having a crush on him. She was such an annoying girl. “Mr. W, that doesn’t even make sense.”
“Girls are a mystery, little dude. I’ll talk to her parents again and we’ll attach some consequences to the teasing, but that means you have to tell me when it happens, without retaliation. In the meantime ignore the comments. Music is almost over, so just sit down and finish your writing assignment,” he told Trey. “I’ve got to take some forms up to the office. The connecting door to Mrs. Beverly’s classroom is open. You two, be good.”
Trey finally noticed Eva at the back of the classroom. He nodded toward her, a teasing smile on his face. It wasn’t the first time she’d been sent into his classroom that year.
“Bev, I’ll be right back. I’m running to the office and then I’ll get both our classes from their specials. Can you make sure my troublemakers stay quiet?” he spoke through the open door that connected to the other Sixth Grade classroom at Cedar Creek Elementary.
“Sounds good,” she told him, and Mr. Williams left. When he was gone, she spoke loudly through the open doorway. “If for some reason I have to move to the back of my classroom, just remember, even if I can’t see you, I can hear you. I’ve got great hearing!”
She meant the words as a warning, but the two students weren’t worried; Mrs. Beverly was reading a book. Everyone in town knew that once Beverly Jays had a book in her hands, a car crash could happen beside her and she’d barely flinch. Mr. Williams knew it too, but he also knew that Trey and Eva wouldn’t get into any mischief while he was gone. They were good kids.
“Why are you here this time?” Trey whispered to Eva.
Eva kept her eyes on her book; she didn’t want to look at him. “I kept talking while Miss Montgomery was trying to give us our spelling test. She said I was disturbing the class,” Eva grumbled while swinging her legs in the chair.
“You are pretty disturbing,” Trey teased.
She looked up and glared at him. “Well, you are going to marry Willow,” Eva shot back. It was the only mean thing she could think of to say.
“Ugh. I’d never marry her.”
“You might.”
Trey scrunched up his face with disgust at the thought. “I’d eat glass first. I’d move to Siberia. Heck, I’d marry you before I married her.”
Eva stuck her tongue out at her friend. “That’s gross.”
“Exactly.” He’d forgotten to whisper. Trey clamped his hand over his mouth.
“Finish your writing,” Eva told him.
“Read your book,” he quipped back.
“Quiet, you two,” Mrs. Beverly clucked from the next room as she turned the page in her book so she could begin a new chapter.
Chapter Four
The legs of the tent were the hardest things to put together, Eva decided, as she struggled with two of the metal poles. She finally dropped them and sighed loudly. “Daddy, can you please do this for me?”
Sam lifted the poles from the ground in front of his daughter and kissed the top of her head. “I’ve gotcha, baby girl. This tent is pretty old, my mom and I used it when I was growing up. They make easier ones now, but this one is special.”
“Grandma Sarah was special,” Eva said with a smile.
“She would have loved to watch you grow.”
“I have her perfectly arched eyebrows.” Eva repeated the words that her father had said to her ever since she could remember. Uncle Abe said the same thing, so she supposed it was true. She’d seen so many photos of Sarah Webber, and while she agreed that her grandmother had been a pretty girl, who grew into a beautiful woman, she couldn’t see the resemblance that they did, but she knew that it made her father smile whenever she said it.
Sam fit the legs of the tent together and then worked to get them attached to the canvas before he raised the structure. It was a decent sized tent, big enough for a two small air mattresses, which would be set beside each other for all three of them to sleep on together. There was space for their duffle
bags and a battery powered tent heater, which Krista insisted on; she didn’t like being cold.
It was Monday afternoon, and Eva had been waiting for the family camping trip long enough. She was raring to go. Sam had worked through the weekend, because they tended to be the busiest days at the store, and slept in later than usual that morning. Actually, they’d all slept in, even Abe, which was a rarity. Eva and Sam had brought the tent, and the few supplies that Eva could carry, down to their favorite fishing spot as soon as they’d finished their lunch. Sam decided that the hardest part of this little camping trip was getting everything they needed from the house to the creek. It all had to be lugged from the house, across the bridge or over the rocks, to the other side of the creek, and then out to the clearing where his family had been fishing since before his Great Uncle Abe had been born. It was a slow process.
When the tent supports were secured, Sam stepped back and admired his work. Eva picked up the bag she’d carried all the way to the creek, all by herself, and set it on the floor of their tent. She unzipped it and began to unload the contents: the tent heater with an extra battery, the small medical kit that sadly always seemed necessary for minor cuts and scrapes, three flashlights, and three decks of cards she’d thrown in at the last moment. It was a heavy bag, and Sam was proud of her for carrying it all the way without complaining once.
Sam mustered as much enthusiasm as he could. “Well, back to the house we go, to get more stuff!” He thought about building a permanent storage shed, but the thought of dragging wood and supplies out to the creek was a bigger job than he wanted to tackle. What he really needed to do was build a bridge and excavate a narrow road, just wide enough for a small pick-up truck or an off road vehicle.
“Yay!” Eva shouted. The girl seemed to have an endless amount of enthusiasm that day; she could probably have made a dozen trips back and forth if needed. “I bet Momma is ready with the food.”
They’d decided to bring things that wouldn’t spoil easily, or could be made after boiling the clear running water in the creek. It was pointless to drag large containers of water to make things like hot cocoa or oatmeal, when all you had to do was heat the creek water up to a hot enough temperature and render it safe for drinking. Krista insisted they use a charcoal filter as well. Sam knew his wife would probably stash some bottled water, because she said she didn’t like the taste of the filtered, boiled creek water, but Sam and Eva were more than willing to drink it.
“Is your bag of clothes all packed and ready?” he asked Eva.
“Yup,” she answered with a nod of her head. He’d already known the answer to his question before he asked it. Eva had packed the bag on Friday, as soon as she’d got home from school. She’d unpacked and repacked it several times over the weekend. He’d noticed the folder she’d filled with colored paper too. Eva was definitely excited to camp by the creek.
“Then let’s go back and get another load,” he said, as he clasped her little hand in his.
By the time they were finally settled in, and eating dinner, they had made three trips from the house to the creek.
Eva loudly crunched her chips with a silly grin on her face. “Can we go camping every spring break?” she asked her parents.
“Ask us again, after we’ve been out here for a couple of nights. You might not like it as much as you do right now,” Krista told her daughter.
Eva looked at her with confusion. “That’s a silly thing to say. I’m going to love it!”
Krista smiled. “I know you love being out here. But will you love sleeping out here?”
They’d spent many evenings around the fire pit, roasting marshmallows and sipping cocoa, but it was their first time actually spending the entire night.
“I know I’ll love sleeping out here,” Eva answered matter-of-factly.
Sam and Krista were delighted to find that their daughter was right. She didn’t seem freaked out or scared by the small noises that stood out in the night after they extinguished the camping lantern. In fact, the sounds of the creek had lulled the whole family into a deep sleep. Eva slept soundly for nine straight hours and woke the next morning with enthusiasm.
After Eva awoke, she announced she was starving and promptly unzipped the tent. One by one, they exited their sleeping quarter and stretched out in the cool spring air. Krista wrapped her arms around Sam’s back and gave him a little squeeze as he emptied oatmeal packets and poured boiling water into bowls. “Thanks for breakfast, babe,” she whispered in his ear.
“You are mighty welcome, my love. This was a great idea, the perfect backyard vacation.”
“Lucky for us, we don’t have your typical backyard,” Krista reminded him. She pointed to where Eva was walking in the trees, gathering small branches for the next fire. “She’s having a great time.”
“So am I. My only complaint is that I’m sharing a tent with my eight year old.” Sam leaned back into his wife. “We need to plan another night out here with just the two of us. It’s been a few years. And that’s a few years too many.”
“You’re right. I think the last time we spent a night out here alone was when she was three years old. Sleeping bags out in the air by the crackling fire, that was a nice night.”
“Why have we waited so long, when all this is here all the time?” Sam mused.
“Life,” she stated. “People always let the everyday occurrences of life get in the way. We don’t always enjoy the simple pleasures and the beauty that is right out there for the taking.” Krista spread her arms wide to indicate the amazing view of the creek that was right in front of them. “Wow, I’m getting philosophical. I think I need food.”
Sam handed his wife a bowl of cinnamon brown sugar oatmeal and a spoon, and he kissed her softly on the lips. “I enjoy you. You and Eva make my world go round. You are my simple pleasures and my beauties.”
“You are a good man, Samuel Webber.” Krista smiled at her husband. “A smooth talking man, but a good one.”
Krista went back to the house later that afternoon, after Sam and Eva brought out their fishing gear and settled themselves on the edge of the small wooden dock. She wanted to cook a real dinner, in a real kitchen, and then she’d take it to her family so they could eat it outdoors. The ice was all melted in their small cooler bag anyway, so Krista told Sam she’d bring back some more when she returned with their meal.
Abe was standing over a pot on the stove when Krista got back to the house. Krista inhaled through her nose, taking in the spicy aroma that filled the air. “You made chili!” she exclaimed.
Abe nodded. “A great big pot.”
“You are the bestest man in the whole wide world,” Krista told him and hugged onto his side as he stirred the chili. “That is, if you made enough for all of us. I just told Sam I was coming back to make dinner.”
“You can make the corn bread,” he told her and pointed to the box on the counter. “I’ve got enough chili in this pot for a dozen bowls. I think I’ve got you covered.”
Krista sighed with happiness. “I can definitely do that.” She turned on the oven and then emptied the cornbread mix into the bowl that was waiting beside it. “I’m not even going to argue that this mix expired last month, or that I could make a better one from scratch. I’m just going to follow the directions on the box,” she said as she measured out the water needed, “then I’m going to pop it in the oven.” She cracked an egg over the bowl. “That’ll give me at least an hour before Sam starts to wonder where I am.” She picked up a spoon and stirred the mixture. “And with them fishing, it could be even longer.”
Abe winked at her. “Are you hiding from camping?”
“I’m hiding from fishing. I don’t understand it. Sorry, I know how much you love it. Sitting and waiting, with a pole in your hand… it’s not exactly my thing,” she explained.
“But that’s my thinking time, my time to sit and reflect on life, my time to be at peace.”
“I’d rather do that in a hot bubble bath, with some s
cented candles burning and soft music in the background. Maybe a glass of white wine in my hand.”
Abe harrumphed and Krista smiled. She finished mixing the batter, poured it into a square pan, and then placed it into the hot oven. After the bowl was soaking in the sink, she and Abe sat down at the kitchen table with tall glasses of sweet tea in hand.
“Is Eva enjoying herself?” Abe asked.
“She’s having the best time. I can’t believe we haven’t done this with her before. It will definitely become a standard family activity.”
“She is such a bright light. I can’t tell you how much I enjoy that feisty little girl.”
Krista placed her hand over Abe’s. “She is lucky to be loved by you.”
“I’m the lucky one. My life is truly blessed, and it’s all thanks to you, you know?”
“What have I done, other than complicate everyone’s life, give you all secrets to keep, and make you worry?
Abe shook his head in disagreement. “If you hadn’t come here, my Samuel might have left Cedar Creek right after he finished his schooling. Also, I wouldn’t have gained such a lovely niece-in-law, and Eva wouldn’t be here to keep me on my toes. You’ve renewed my life, Krista. I will always be grateful to you.”
Krista’s eyes misted over. “You’re too good to me,” she whispered. “I just stopped here to get a good night’s sleep. I never planned on staying. But everyone here made it too hard for me to leave.”
“We capture visitors and brain wash them into staying,” Abe said with a wink. “You didn’t stand a chance.”
Krista laughed. “Is that the secret town motto?”
Tires rolling along the gravel drive made them both stand up at the same time. They walked to the nearest window and each pulled back one side of the curtains. An unfamiliar white car came to a stop and, when the door opened, Krista let out a small scream.
