Page 18 of Nerdplay
“I hit max capacity every year.”
“But not this year or I wouldn’t be here.”
She shrugs. “Like I said, I had a no-show and gave you his cabin.”
“Lucky me.”
“I bet you say that a lot.”
I review the sheet. “What’s a fan fiction meetup?”
“There’s a group that gets together to co-write a story during the two weeks they’re here. If you’re interested, you should let them know. They’ve already chosen this year’s concept.”
“Which is?”
“Sherlock meets Supernatural.”
“A spooky mystery, like Scooby-Doo?” I’m embarrassed that my frame of reference is a children’s cartoon, but it’s all I’ve got.
“Supernatural as in the TV show.”
“I’m not familiar with it.”
“That’s okay. There’s something here for everyone, even you, Charles M. Schulz the Third. I promise.” She counts on her fingers. “Lego club, book club, chess, amigurumi, painting—but only for tabletop figurines.”
“What’s amigurumi?”
“You should show up and find out. It’s on the schedule.” Her smile reminds me of my sister Elizabeth’s, like she’s hiding a mischievous secret that she can’t wait for me to discover.
“I’ll add it to my calendar.” I make a show of tapping my phone screen and typing.
“You might want to write it down with an old-fashioned pen and paper. Phone service here can be as unreliable as the Internet.”
“How do you live?” I ask. It comes out more judgmental than I intend, but seriously. I couldn’t function without basic infrastructure.
“It’s easy when everything I want is right here.” She beams at the campground. “Especially these next couple weeks.”
We saunter past the residential cabins to the lake’s edge. “This is nice.”
She breathes in the fresh air. “It sure is. Lake Willa is the jewel in the camp crown.”
“Is the water safe to swim in?”
“Absolutely. We have canoes and kayaks too. There was a pontoon boat, but it broke down two years ago.”
“Couldn’t be fixed?”
Hesitation flickers across her features. “No,” she says flatly.
“My file said this is a family business.”
“It is. I happen to be the only family member left.”
She says it so casually, like I asked for directions to the nearest store.
“I’m sorry,” I tell her.
“That’s life, right? You gain people, you lose people.”
