Elouise
“So,I spin around, saying YES, only to find him talking on his cell phone!”
Rebecca doubles over, laughing so hard tears are rolling down her cheeks. “You did not!” she wheezes.
“I did,” it’s been long enough that I can laugh about it now, but the next part will always sting my poor teenaged heart. “Then my friend, who witnessed the whole thing, comes running out, yelling my name. And you know what Beckett does?”
She looks up at me, hands still on her knees, “What?”
“He looks down at my name tag.”
Her mouth drops open and I can see her features torn between humor and outrage. “He did not?”
“He did.”
Straightening, she looks over my shoulder, again. “Well, if the amount of time he’s spent staring at you means anything, I’d say that man hasn’t forgotten you this time.”
My eyes widen and I fight the urge to look behind me, “He has not.”
She smirks, “He has.”
My brain is trying to make sense of this, when Beckett’s voice booms out, “Alright Campers, follow me!”
Composing ourselves, we join the herd following Beckett as he leads us up the path, past the bathrooms and then down a trail I haven’t noticed before.
The kids have all migrated to the front of the herd, so they’re – for the most part – listening to what Beckett’s saying. Whereas I have fallen to the back of the pack, not even attempting to hear what’s being said.
Beckett freaking Stoleman.
I just can’t even wrap my mind around it. Like… what in the hell is happening?!
I may have lost track of him after I went to college, but Beckett went to school in Chicago, for business – or something like that – so I’m fairly certain he’s not some sort of Wildlife Ranger.
And yet, here he is.
The trail crosses over an empty section of paved road and we cross to the other side. My eyes have been down, watching where I step, so when I finally lift them, I almost stumble.
The trees have suddenly dropped away to reveal a beautiful little lake tucked in a patch of evergreens. The water looks still, and there’s a sheen of ice in the center of the water.
It’s beautiful and peaceful and I may have just found my new Happy Place.
As we all come to a stop, I look around the area surrounding the lake and see a tangle of trails criss-crossing all over the place. Around the lake, through the woods, a series of podium-like stands dotting the gravel paths.
“Alright,” Beckett’s voice carries over the crowd and everyone falls silent, “one of the most important things to learn for survival, is what’s edible. Meaning what plants you can eat, and what you can’t. Ideally, I’d help you find living examples of these plants, but since it’s still early spring, and things are only just about to sprout, we’ll have to discover them in a different way.” He bends down to the backpack at his feet, pulls out some worksheets, and hands them to the kid closest to him, “Do me a solid and make sure everyone gets one.”
“Even the adults?” the kid asks, clearly doubtful.
Beckett nods, “Yep. Adults get lost in the woods, too.”
“Geez, isn’t that a lovely thought,” I mutter to Rebecca, who has found her way back to my side.
Beckett pulls a clear bag from his pack next, and it only takes me a moment to recognize the yellow color of the classic No. 2 pencils inside. He hands the bag to another student, asking her to pass them out.
Rebecca sighs next to me, “He might be hot, but he’s acting like a real buzz kill. This is Spring Break.” She says the last two words with emphasis.
I roll my eyes, “Yeah, except this spring break doesn’t have frozen margaritas in Mexico. It just has a bunch of kids in the frozen tundra.”
She snorts, “I should’ve brought booze.”