long ago.”
“Oh.” She looked toward the bay through the woods, still pensive, and then looked back at him. Seeing his serious face, she smiled.
When she smiled, her eyes crinkled into half moons. He couldn’t help smiling back at the young girl, her face as open as the sunshine. She reminded him of his youngest sister.
“Can I ask you something about Mary?” she said, walking towards the bay.
“Of course,” he said, swinging his bag over his shoulders and falling into step beside her.
“Meeting,” Rachel said. The girls dressing in the cave by the light of the camping lamp stopped and looked at her.
Rachel, who had gotten into an old dress of her mother’s, a sleeveless white sheath, said, “We’ve got to make some rules. In order to keep our secret.” Given how Prisca had behaved this morning, Rachel was not entirely sure this conversation would go well. But she forged ahead. “Agreed?”
“Agreed,” Miriam said, and Cheryl and the twins nodded. The other girls gave their assent.
“When we go out, we have to be careful how we behave, just so that nothing carries over into our lives the next day. For instance, smoking,” she looked at Prisca, who had been sharing a smoke with Alan in the boat last night. Prisca had also been quite familiarly nestled up against him, which, Miriam had informed Rachel, had incensed Pete. “Smoke gets into clothes. And hair. And skin. It has a smell.”
“A stink,” Debbie volunteered, wrinkling her nose. Some of the sisters giggled.
“A smell,” repeated Rachel, “which could tip off the parents, hmm?” The other girls considered. “Plus if you were to acquire a habit, just how are you going to satisfy that nicotine craving in the middle of the day? Running off in the minivan to spend your babysitting money on a pack of ciggies?”
“Mom and Dad would ask questions, and if they found out, all of us would be in trouble,” Cheryl spoke up, a bit self-righteously. Prisca scowled at her.
“All righty then!” she snapped.
“Same with alcohol,” Rachel said. “It has a smell. If you have any, you’d better brush your teeth at least three times before we go upstairs. Plus, if you take too much, you’ll have a hangover the next day. You want to run that risk?”
All the girls shook their heads no. Good, that part was easy , Rachel thought to herself. Lucky her sisters were inexperienced with drinking anyway.
“Third thing,” she said briskly. “A buddy system. We can’t have anyone falling overboard, drowning, getting drunk, whatever. We have to watch out for each other, at all times, or we’re going to be sorry. Can you live with that?”
This was the most ham-handed she had yet been, and she waited, a bit anxious, to see how her sisters would take it. She knew that some of the older girls were yearning to get alone with a particular guy, and this would put a crimp in their style. All the same, Rachel didn’t see any way around it. I don’t mind us being risky, but not stupid, she repeated to herself.
“Yeah, that sounds fair,” Brittany spoke up. The older girls were a bit silent. Cheryl said, “Who partners with who?”
“The same partners all the time,” Rachel said, forging ahead. “So you have to make sure you stick with your partner, even when you divide up into different boats, okay? You stick with your buddy, and your buddy sticks with you.”
She took a breath. “Cheryl, you and Brittany. Tammy with Liddy, Becca with Taren. Miriam with Linette. Melanie with Debbie. Prisca and me.”
It had taken her two days to come up with the combinations, and she prayed they would accept them without question. She had tried to split up natural rivals, had given the younger kids into the hands of the more sensible sisters, and had taken the most volatile of the group—Prisca—for herself. She didn’t trust anyone else to keep Prisca in line.
“All right,” Tammy said grudgingly, and Miriam said, “I got the best bud,”
“Oh.” She looked toward the bay through the woods, still pensive, and then looked back at him. Seeing his serious face, she smiled.
When she smiled, her eyes crinkled into half moons. He couldn’t help smiling back at the young girl, her face as open as the sunshine. She reminded him of his youngest sister.
“Can I ask you something about Mary?” she said, walking towards the bay.
“Of course,” he said, swinging his bag over his shoulders and falling into step beside her.
“Meeting,” Rachel said. The girls dressing in the cave by the light of the camping lamp stopped and looked at her.
Rachel, who had gotten into an old dress of her mother’s, a sleeveless white sheath, said, “We’ve got to make some rules. In order to keep our secret.” Given how Prisca had behaved this morning, Rachel was not entirely sure this conversation would go well. But she forged ahead. “Agreed?”
“Agreed,” Miriam said, and Cheryl and the twins nodded. The other girls gave their assent.
“When we go out, we have to be careful how we behave, just so that nothing carries over into our lives the next day. For instance, smoking,” she looked at Prisca, who had been sharing a smoke with Alan in the boat last night. Prisca had also been quite familiarly nestled up against him, which, Miriam had informed Rachel, had incensed Pete. “Smoke gets into clothes. And hair. And skin. It has a smell.”
“A stink,” Debbie volunteered, wrinkling her nose. Some of the sisters giggled.
“A smell,” repeated Rachel, “which could tip off the parents, hmm?” The other girls considered. “Plus if you were to acquire a habit, just how are you going to satisfy that nicotine craving in the middle of the day? Running off in the minivan to spend your babysitting money on a pack of ciggies?”
“Mom and Dad would ask questions, and if they found out, all of us would be in trouble,” Cheryl spoke up, a bit self-righteously. Prisca scowled at her.
“All righty then!” she snapped.
“Same with alcohol,” Rachel said. “It has a smell. If you have any, you’d better brush your teeth at least three times before we go upstairs. Plus, if you take too much, you’ll have a hangover the next day. You want to run that risk?”
All the girls shook their heads no. Good, that part was easy , Rachel thought to herself. Lucky her sisters were inexperienced with drinking anyway.
“Third thing,” she said briskly. “A buddy system. We can’t have anyone falling overboard, drowning, getting drunk, whatever. We have to watch out for each other, at all times, or we’re going to be sorry. Can you live with that?”
This was the most ham-handed she had yet been, and she waited, a bit anxious, to see how her sisters would take it. She knew that some of the older girls were yearning to get alone with a particular guy, and this would put a crimp in their style. All the same, Rachel didn’t see any way around it. I don’t mind us being risky, but not stupid, she repeated to herself.
“Yeah, that sounds fair,” Brittany spoke up. The older girls were a bit silent. Cheryl said, “Who partners with who?”
“The same partners all the time,” Rachel said, forging ahead. “So you have to make sure you stick with your partner, even when you divide up into different boats, okay? You stick with your buddy, and your buddy sticks with you.”
She took a breath. “Cheryl, you and Brittany. Tammy with Liddy, Becca with Taren. Miriam with Linette. Melanie with Debbie. Prisca and me.”
It had taken her two days to come up with the combinations, and she prayed they would accept them without question. She had tried to split up natural rivals, had given the younger kids into the hands of the more sensible sisters, and had taken the most volatile of the group—Prisca—for herself. She didn’t trust anyone else to keep Prisca in line.
“All right,” Tammy said grudgingly, and Miriam said, “I got the best bud,”
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