“How about the rest of you?” He looked at Alex.
“Horsemanship,” put in one of them, a chunky boy named Gordie.
“How about you, Alex?”
“I don’t know.” The boy seemed to shrink at the question.
“What did your dad sign you up for?”
“Nothing. I don’t think.”
“Well, it must have been something,” Bucky replied. “We’ll check your form tomorrow, OK?” He gave Alex an encouraging glance. “It’d be great to have you on my All - American Cool Guys Water Ski Team.”
“I . . . I dunno.”
Bucky left it there, and offered a short prayer before shooing the boys into bed. Not a peep out of these guys. He lay awake in bed wondering what the week would bring.
The next morning, while the campers were downing their waffles, he slipped over to the main lodge and tracked down the registrar. “Can you look up one of my guys for me?”
“Sure.” Renee Carpenter had on a thin jacket even though it was a warmer - than - usual day in the mountains. “Anything the matter?”
“Nah. I just have a kid who doesn’t know what he’s signed up for.”
“What’s his name?”
“Alex. I don’t know his last name.”
The camp registrar flipped through sheets of paper. “Oh, here we go. Alex Rickard. Signed in by his dad yesterday.”
“What’s it have him signed up for?”
“That’s funny. They left it blank.”
“Huh. Wonder why?”
“I think I remember him. Seemed sort of in a hurry. He filled out the forms real quick-like, just kind of gave the kid a little nudge and drove off.”
Bucky rubbed at his nose, thinking. “Maybe I’ll just keep him in my ski group. That way I can keep an eye on him. He’s as shy as they come. ‘Course he’s so puny, I don’t know how well he’ll do.”
“That sounds like a good idea.” Renee penciled in “Ski Class” on the form and slid it back into place. “Let me know if you change your mind.”
“OK. Thanks.”
After breakfast he explained to Alex what he’d done. “Is that all right?”
The boy nodded unenthusiastically. “Uh huh.”
The eight boys followed Bucky down to the lake after morning worship. Several of them seemed to perk up when they saw the big powerboat come gliding up to the dock. David waved a greeting to the group of campers. “Hi, you guys!”
Two of Bucky’s boys waded right out to the boat and climbed in. “Cool!” One of them gave a tug on the steering wheel. “Can I steer this thing?”
“Nope.” David gave him a teasing nudge. “I’m the driver, you’re the skier. And Mr. Stone’s the boss on the shore.”
Bucky clapped his hands together for attention. “This is it, gentlemen. We’re going to make All-Pros out of you. Anybody ever been before?” Nobody raised a hand.
“Well, then we’ll just treat you all alike.” He gave a brief explanation of the best way to learn. “Who wants to go first?” One of the taller boys raised his hand.
“All right, Jason! Good man. Get a lifejacket on, and we’ll get going. We’ll just do short loops around the lake. That way everybody gets a turn.” He helped Jason get the skis fitted and tugged on the ski rope until it was safely tucked between them. “OK, Jason, remember, let the boat pull you up. Stay close to the skis until you’re halfway up.”
“Got it.”
Bucky patted him on the back. “Hit it!” With a smooth roar the boat pulled Jason out of the water. He made a lap around the lake and even managed to cross the wake as he came in for a landing.
“Wow!” Bucky gave the boy a high five as he waded triumphantly to shore. “All right, dude! I’ll have to make you my deputy.” The boy looked at the other campers, a cocky little gleam in his eye.
“Who’s next?” Bucky tried to shift attention away from Jason.
Several other boys took turns, most of them managing to get up on skis in three tries or less. David was an artful master at pulling the skiers out of the water in one smooth motion.
“How about you, Alex?” Bucky turned toward the skinny boy who had sat motionless at the edge of the lake, watching with a nervous gaze.
“Oh, uh, I . . . I . . . not yet.”
“Why not?”
The child shifted uncomfortably. “Can’t I just watch?”
“Well, you’ve got to try it sooner or later.”
“Can I ride in the boat for a while?”
Bucky nodded. “Sure. We still have a couple of guys who haven’t skied yet.”
Half an hour later Bucky waded out to the boat once again. “Ready to go, Alex? Your turn.”
“I don’t want to.” The tone was low, pleading.
“Are you sure?” Bucky edged closer to him. “I really think you’ll like it once you give it a try. All the other guys think it’s the greatest thing in the world. Right, men?”
Several of them nodded. “Come on, man. Go for it,” Jeff, one of the more successful first-timers, said. “It’s totally fun.”
“I really don’t want to.” Alex shook his head.
“Don’t be a baby.” Jason, listening from the shore, waded out toward the boat. “It’s no big deal.” His voice carried just a hint of scorn.
Bucky shot him a warning glance. Let me handle this! “Come on, Alex. Give it a try. I’ll help you.”
Finally the slender boy nodded, his face troubled. “OK.” He edged himself over the edge of the boat and slid into the water, shivering as his legs felt the cold.
“Give me those skis.” Bucky reached out and picked up the pair. “We’ll have you up in no time.” He pulled a life preserver out of the boat. “Toss me your T-shirt and pop this baby on.”
“Oh, uh. No.” Alex shook his head. “I don’t want to . . . take it off.”
“Hey, you’ll get it all wet.” Bucky tugged on the buckles of the jacket to tighten them up for the skinny camper.
Alex gave another determined shake of his head.
Bucky gave up. Don’t push the kid. He helped Alex slip the jacket on over the thin T-shirt and cinched up the buckles. “Remember, now, you just keep that rope between your skis and fire away. No showing off on the first go-round.”
“I . . . I won’t.” The timid boy didn’t notice his counselor’s attempt at humor. The boat pulled away with a smooth roar. Alex clutched the rope handles for only a moment before releasing them.
“Don’t let go!” Jason gave a little snort.
“Let’s try it again.” Bucky gave Alex an encouraging pat and helped straighten the two skis. “Second try’s the charm.”
But a second and third attempt went no better. Jason began to snicker. “There goes your perfect record,” he said to Bucky. Then to Alex: “Come on! You’re wimping out.”
Bucky turned to face the cocky and more athletic boy. “Just cool it,” he snapped, putting a hint of authority into his voice. “That’s enough from you.”
Jason gave an irritated little shrug. “Just tryin’ to help,” he retorted.
After three more attempts, Bucky finally signaled enough. The final try had been particularly brutal, with Alex bumping along underneath the surface for a good thirty feet before giving up in despair. He paddled back to shallow water, his shirt and hair drenched.
“Hey, tomorrow you’ll show ‘em,” Bucky encouraged. He shot Jason another pointed glance. Keep your trap shut!
Slowly Alex waded to the shore, his wet clothes clinging to him. He fumbled clumsily with the buckles to the life jacket, finally dropping it on the grass. After walking twenty or so yards away from the other boys, he sat down, shivering in the cool morning air with his face turned away from the others.
Staring at him, Jason emitted a tiny snort. “What a baby. Bet he’s cryin’.”
Bucky edged closer to Jason. “Listen, I want you to shut up with that stuff – and I mean right now.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
The
counselor looked over to where Alex sat by himself. “So he’s not as good as you are on a pair of skis. He’s still a part of our cabin, and we’re going to treat each other the same way Jesus would.” He put a firm hand on the boy’s shoulder with some muscular English in his grip.
“Yeah, yeah.” Jason twisted away impatiently. “OK, already.”
Bucky walked over and sat down next to Alex. “Kinda tired out?” he asked gently.
The boy nodded without speaking. His eyes did look a little bit red, Bucky noticed.
“Come on. Let’s grab a shower and get into some dry clothes. It’ll be lunchtime pretty soon, and I think it’s lasagna. How’s that sound?”
Alex hesitated. “I don’t know.”
“Come on then.”
After corralling the rest of his cabin, Bucky led the way to the showers. Inside the damp concrete building, the boys quickly piled into the shower stalls. Bucky noticed that Alex waited by the row of sinks until a stall on the end was open. Standing under the open stream with his swimming clothes still on, he rinsed off for only a moment before getting out. Not bothering to dry off, the shy boy quickly exited the shower room. Watching through the dust - covered windows, Bucky could see the lonely figure trudging by himself back to the cabin.
Chapter Six: Teasing
That evening some rare summer rain clouds appeared over Sierra Pines. The light drizzle wasn’t a major inconvenience, but it did cancel the nightly campfire meeting. Instead, the campers met inside the main lodge, where Pastor Jack told another of his hair - raising mission stories. Bucky’s boys sat and listened to the tale, looking up occasionally as a stray drop made its way through the roof.
“Well, we’ll get a little bit of extra sleep tonight,” Mr. Carpenter said, trying to make the announcement sound like a happy headline. “Won’t that be nice?” He braced himself for the expected chorus of boos.
“Come on, guys.” Bucky climbed to his feet, “If you’re really, really good, I’ll let you stay up a little bit in the cabin.”
After the campers were ready for bed, he pointed them over to his bunk. Jason, wearing a Bart Simpson T-shirt, scowled as Alex sat down near him, then made a point of edging away from the skinny boy.
“We had a fun first day,” Bucky told them. “And I’m counting on you guys to make the whole week a good one.”
“We don’t have to go to bed yet, do we?” Gordie looked around at the others. “I ain’t sleepy at all.”
“Yeah, tell us a story or something.” Jose curled up his legs and shot his counselor a challenging look.
Bucky scratched at his left ear. “You already had a story from Pastor Jack.”
“And now we want another one.” Gordie again.
Their counselor thought hard. A memory of one of Pastor Jensen’s vesper stories came back to him. “Well, if you’ll all be especially good tomorrow, with nobody smoking or drinking . . .” He grinned.
Embellishing as much as he could to stretch the tale, Bucky related the World War II experience of a Christian soldier who had been a hero during one of the battles in Germany. “And it was all because Sgt. Winters always was honest – always told the truth – that our side won that important battle,” he told the boys. “And I’ve learned in my own life that to tell the truth every single time, always, is one of the most important things you can learn.” He looked from one camper to the others. “I hope you guys will make that same choice.”
Nobody said anything, but he noticed two of the boys giving tiny little nods. “OK, then. Bedtime.” He offered a short prayer and motioned everybody to their bunks.
The next morning the perfect water - skiing weather had returned. Not a cloud marred the sky as Bucky helped coach the boys and girls who were learning to ski. Several of the boys from Dan’s cabin were pretty good athletes, and one in particular was already able to get up on one ski.
Right before noon Bucky turned to Alex again. “I think today you’re going to make it!” He tried to inject a note of optimism into his voice.
“I don’t want to go.” The boy’s voice was flat.
“How ‘bout just one try?” Bucky edged a bit closer to him. “You try it once. If it doesn’t work out, you can just climb in the boat and ride until lunchtime.”
Alex shook his head. “Huh uh.” He looked down at his shoes. “All the boys will . . .”
“Laugh at you?” Bucky put his arm around the slender child. “I think if you just give it one shot, they’ll kind of admire you for going for it. Plus, if you make it up on skis, that’ll shut them up for good.”
He waited for a moment, letting the logic sink in, “So what do you say?”
At last Alex gave a little nod.
Bucky walked with him down to the lake. “Just toss your shirt over there, and I’ll get a life jacket from David.”
Again Bucky noticed the tiniest shake of his head. “I . . . don’t want to.”
Deciding not to make an issue of it, Bucky helped him slip the life jacket on over his T-shirt and fit the ski binding to his feet. “Remember, just let the boat pull you out of the water.” He breathed a silent prayer. Please, Lord – let him make it!
David slowly pulled the boat away until the rope tightened. Waiting nervously, Alex shivered in the cool water.
“Ready?” The boy nodded, anxiety in his eyes.
With a smooth roar the boat began to pull away. For a moment, the two skis seemed to tremble in the water. Then suddenly he was up!
“All right!” Bucky gave a little hop as he saw Alex on top of the water, clutching the two handles as if life depended on it. “Hang on, man!” David pulled the boat around the lake in a tight circle. Alex, hunched over in an awkward, almost squatting, position, stayed right behind the wake during the short loop. Standing nearby, Bucky heard Jason whisper something to one of the campers from Dan’s group.
Just as the boat reached the camp’s shoreline again, Alex’s skis strayed too close to the right - hand wake. Splash! With a vicious somersault, he catapulted through the air, arms and legs splayed in all directions. The two skis bobbed to the surface.
Jason, standing nearest to the disoriented skier, began to crack up. “Man, that’s the craziest spill I saw!” he chortled. “What happened to you anyway?”
“Hey!” Bucky edged over and helped pull Alex up. “Never mind the finish. He got up on the first try today!” Giving the skinny boy an enthusiastic clap on the back, he said, “Dude! Great job! That was amazing!”
Despite himself, Alex managed a tiny grin.
“Did you like it?”
“Uh huh.”
“Oh, brother.” Jason shook his head. “That kid looks like my little sister, squatting right behind the wake like that.” He turned to two of his friends and muttered something derogatory under his breath.
Out of the corner of his vision Bucky saw the light go out of Alex’s eyes. A cold anger began to well up in the young counselor. Why did kids have to be so mean?
“‘Bout ready to break for lunch?” David edged the boat closer to shore and cut the engine.
“No.” Bucky made an abrupt decision. “I think maybe I’ll take a quick ride myself.”
“Sure.” David pulled the slalom ski free and skidded it across the cool water. “Show these kids some real skiing, huh?”
Forcing a grin, Bucky eased himself into an adult life jacket, put on the single ski, and grabbed the handles of the tow rope. “Go for it.”
Moments later he rose out of the water and cut expertly to one side of the wake. He could feel the envious eyes of the young campers as he made sharp turns from one side to the other, sending up a huge trail of spray with each cut.
As he approached the shore where the kids were waiting, he made one last zip across the boat’s trail. Just as he hit the second wake at high speed heading for the beach, he suddenly tumbled head over heels. The slalom ski bounced along the lake, coming to rest near the sand. Bucky emerged from the water, rubbing his eyes to clear his vision.
<
br /> A howl of laughter met the ski instructor. “Man, oh man.” Jose was giggling so hard he almost fell over in the water. “That was the worst spill all week.”
“Thank you, my many fans!” Bucky grinned at him, giving everyone on the shore a mock bow. He turned to where Jason was laughing. “I guess I got the record, huh?”
“Yup.” The cocky boy couldn’t stop laughing. “I think you did two somersaults.”
As Bucky shook his head comically to get some of the water out of his hair he caught just a glimpse of Alex, who had taken in the whole scene. Sure enough, a tiny smile had crept across the boy’s face, his earlier embarrassment forgotten.
“Boy, what a wipeout!” Bucky walked up to him and clapped the frail boy on the back. “I guess you and I are just two of a kind. We give ‘em a big finish! We ought to go into business and put on a show together. ‘The Crash Kings.’”
Alex gave a little nod. “Uh huh.”
As the boys walked up the road to the cabin, Dan fell into step next to Bucky. “I saw your little ski run,” he said with a grin.
“So?”
Dan lowered his voice. “They oughta give you an Academy Award. Pretty good acting.”
“Shhhh. Thanks.”
That afternoon after the ski session, Bucky gathered his group of guys together. “There’s a neat spot about half a mile away from here. Anybody want to go?”
“Sure.” Gordie hopped off his bunk. “There ain’t nothin’ to do until supper anyway.”
“It sounds boring.” Still lying flat on his bed, Jason flipped a tiny rubber ball up in the air, catching it adroitly with either hand.
“Stay here then, man.” Jose pulled on a faded Warriors hat. “Come on, let’s go.”
About five of the boys – including Alex – accompanied Bucky down the trail that led to the left of the lakefront. They followed the meandering path as it skirted the winding shoreline of quietly rippling water.
“Isn’t this great?” Bucky carefully hopped from rock to rock near the water’s edge, waiting for the others to follow suit. “I came out here the first weekend I got here.”
Bucky Stone: The Complete Adventure (Volumes 1-10) Page 76
