Page 63 of Pity Present

“How about some bear tattoos?”

“Bear tattoos?” I have a hard time suppressing my laughter.

“Yeah! I went to my friend Tommy Wilkes’ birthday party, and he had all kinds of cool animal tattoos that his mom helped us put on. The bear was super scary!” I write down fake tattoos on my list.

Ben turns around and inspects the candy shelf. “You need gummy worms. Not gummy bears, worms.”

“What’s the difference?” I ask him.

“Worms are longer and grosser than bears. Also, you get more candy with a worm than with a bear. That matters,” he assures me.

This kid is a veritable gold mine and I briefly consider cutting him in on the profits. “What else?” I ask.

“How ‘bout those hand warmer thingies?”

“Gloves?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “No, the thingies my dad has for camping. They’re little packs that you sort of smoosh around. They get real hot. I would have liked to have had those when we went snowmobiling.”

I write down hand warmers before asking Ben, “Have you gone zip-lining yet?”

He shakes his head. “I’m kind of scared.”

“I was, too,” I tell him. “But my friend went at the same time with me, and it made me feel safe.”

He looks up thoughtfully. “You mean my dad could go with me?”

“Absolutely,” I tell him.

Ben asks, “Can we go back now?”

“You bet. You’ve given me a lot of great ideas, Ben. Thank you.”

When we get back to his parents, my new little friend announces, “I want to go zip-lining with you, Dad. Molly says we can ride together.”

Ward looks surprised. “I didn’t know if they allowed that here and I haven’t had a chance to ask.” He adds, “Ben is afraid of heights though.”

“I don’t love them either,” I tell him. “But you really aren’t that far off the ground. I’m sure if you didn’t like it after one run, you could stop.”

“Can we go, Dad?” Ben asks excitedly. “Please?”

Francie interjects, “What about me? Can I come too?”

“Yes, yes, yes!!!” Ben exclaims excitedly. “You can come, too, Molly!”

I hadn’t planned to go zip-lining again, but I suddenly have another idea. “How about if I come and take pictures of you all while you’re doing it?”

Ben’s face brightens like a light bulb has been turned on under his skin. “Yes!” he shouts.

“We don’t want to take you away from your job,” Ward says.

“It’s my job to make sure guests have everything they need,” I tell him. That’s when it occurs to me that Trina and Heath could hire a photographer to take pictures of the families who come here. My mom always complained that she was never in the photos because she was the one taking them. And in the case of Ben and his family, I’m guessing the memories these pictures will invoke will be cherished forever.

Francie pushes her chair back and says, “Can you give us twenty minutes to go upstairs and get into warm clothes?”

“Absolutely,” I tell her. “In the meantime, I’ll make sure you’re added to the schedule.” I hope they can get them in on such short notice, but I’m willing to bet the lodge will do everything they can once I tell them about Ben.

Before they leave, I suggest, “Why don’t I get a picture of you all in front of the fireplace?”

---