Camp Wilderness Chapter 4
i dont expect to keep this pace up forever and will maybe take a few days rest after this, but i wanted to get the story going so here's chapter 4.
still PG.
thanks to everyone for reading, commenting and helping!
---------------------------------------------
CHAPTER 4
Jack lay on his stomach, as he always did, and collected his thoughts. He was pretty sure that he had feelings for Ennis. It seemed crazy to think that after knowing the guy for less than one afternoon and exchanging only a few lines of conversation, but there it was. When Ennis had smiled at him it made Jack want to smile even more, when Ennis looked at him, Jack found himself holding his breath, when Ennis spoke to him it was like there were no other sounds in the world and when he walked away Jack coudnt stop gazing after him. His first thought had been on how beautiful or handsome Ennis was, and he had blushed at the idea of Ennis wearing no clothes. Didnt take a genius to draw the conclusion that he fancied Ennis. OK, so that was clear in his head. Kinda re-confirmed what he'd been thinking for a while. Never had he felt like that round a girl. There was a guy on the basketball team at school, a tall Spanish 17 year old. He was very athletic and once when Jack had been watching a game he realised he had not taken his eyes off that one guy for a full five minutes. He did not have a clue what the score was, how well the team was doing or how much skin the cheerleaders was showing, he had just been mesmerised by this single figure on the court.
That was when the bolt from the blue hit him that maybe he was gay. The thought almost made him physically sick. For 15 years all he wanted was to be normal and fit in. Circumstances at home meant that for 14 and a half years that was never going to happen, for several months whilst changes occurred he was as far away from normal as you could ever be. But now he was out of there in a normal house with normal people looking after him, allowed to do all the normal classes at school, finally, encouraged to do normal things in his spare time, taken to buy normal things at the normal shops, wear normal clothes, and given permission to try alcohol, invite girls round and do normal teenage things, he found he was setting out on path that was not normal. He panicked for a good few weeks. He missed a few basketball games. Then he went to one and forced himself to look at the cheerleaders the whole time. But he'd be lying if he said his eye never wondered to the dark skinned star of the team who that night sat out the game on the bench with his knee wrapped up. So then he told himself that maybe he just really admired the sporting prowess of one of the most popular guys in school. He went to the Mall at the weekend and spent hours sat in a coffee shop watching passers by. He made himself critique everyone that walked by, whether he liked how they looked or not. With a growing sense of forboding he realised that everyone he thought looked nice (friendly or kind, not necassarily just physically attractive) was male. He looked at the females and thought nothing. He looked at the men and thought many things. There was no denying it.
The next thought was what to do about it. He'd begun making friends, but there was no one close he could talk to. He already freaked people out once they realised he was in care, it automatically drew a certain reaction. If he went on to explain why and how he was in care, it freaked them out even more and so he tried to leave that part of him behind and just be normal. Now if he told someone he thought he was gay they might just give up on him. It was the same with his new parents. They were so sweet and kind, but they already went overboard in reassuring him he was ok, doing good, how proud of him and pleased for him they were. They told him they loved him, all the stuff he needed to hear and that they were probably told by shrinks to say.He was sure they'd understand if he said he might be gay, they'd be supportive and reassuring but Jack couldnt help but feel that they also might think that he had one too many issues, he was going to be too hard to deal with, there was always going to be something. He didnt want to burden them anymore. So he kept his feelings to himslef. He long ago realised his mum was wrong; he wasnt a sinner, or possessed by evil, he was pretty much the same as any other kid his age. He wasnt ashamed, he didnt feel dirty. He was scared, but he was going to deal with it. Being gay wasnt a sin, it certainly wasnt the end of the world, it just made things more complicated, and complication was something Jack would rather do without but it seemed it was not to be. Coming to this place was all about finding yourself. If he could survive this, if he could learn to fix cars or build a fence, then he could learn to live with being gay. If he was brave enough to try quad-biking or fixing electrical circuits, then he was brave enough to admit he liked guys and start working on what to do about it.
That was the long-term plan. He thought he'd have 2 months to get his head sorted. He hadnt imagined that within 2 hours he'd meet someone that pushed the basketball guy right out of his mind and left little room for anyone else. He supposed though nothing need change. He could quietly admire Ennis and maybe they'd become friends, and he could just get on with what they were here for. People worked around people they admired or fancied all the time, that was quite normal. Just beacuse he was a man fancying a man didnt mean he couldnt just get on with things. Good. He carried on convincing himself along these lines for a few more minutes. This was going to be ok. It wasnt as if anything would ever happen. Jack didnt even know what did happen when people were attracted to each other. Ok, he knew the theory, dates, kissing, sex, love and all that, but it wasnt like he had ever had to put any of it into practice. Man or woman he didnt know what you did or how you did it, so what did it matter who the object of his affection was? He was not going to be able to act on it for a long time till he figured out how, so really it was irrelevant. Plus, the obvious point that even if he did know what to do, the other half of the equation had to feel the same otherwise nothing would happen. And Ennis would not be the other half of his equation. Jack didnt know a huge amount about being gay, but he somehow doubted that cowboys with deep voices, tent building skills and expertise in sun and shade were going to be gay. So really, it was all a fuss over nothing. Ennis was nice to look at and that was all there was to it. He'd try not to look too much, and he's just act normal. Normal was fancying someone you couldnt have. He was going to be normal after all. He knew a lot of people who were like that. The guys on the back seat all fancied that Kirsty, and only one of them was ever likely to get her. Jenny maybe fancied him and nothing was going to happen there. He fancied Ennis but couldnt and wouldnt do anything about it. Normal, normal, normal. And with that reassuring thought that maybe he wasnt so different after all, Jack closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
~
He was awoken hours later by a gong being banged. He heard Joe shouting "Time to get up Ladies and Gentlemen. Breakfast will be served in 15 minutes, and most of y'all need to be starting work at nine." Jack scrambled out of his sleeping bag. It was quite light in the tent now that the sun was up. He could see that Ennis' sleeping bag was empty and the handsome man was not in the tent. Jack opened the zipped door and looked outside. It looked like it was going to be a glorious day. He saw two of the other boys walking out of the shower block, towels round their waists, grinning and chatting away. No sign of Ennis. He grabbed his clothes for the day, sticking with what he wore yesterday as he still had no idea what he was going to do today, and headed for the showers hoping they were not communal. They were not, which was a relief, and he quickly got washed and dressed and headed to the dining room. He glanced around nervously as he entered; still no Ennis. But everyone else was there and they all shouted him over and he distractedly began helping himself to cereal. Everyone was giving their opinions on what it as like to sleep in a tent, some bragging how well they'd slept, others seemingly more proud that they hadnt slept well and had heard all sorts of spooky noises throughout the night. No one else seemed to notice they were a man down and Jack was beginning to wonder if he had imagined Ennis. But then he figured someone had to have put up the tent, maybe Ennis just wasnt a breakfast person.
Breakfast over everyone rushed off to their chosen jobs, they all seemed to have made the decision easily enough. All except Jack. He'd been so pre-occupied thinking about Ennis he'd forgotten to think how he wanted to spend the next few weeks. He sat at the table and ran through the options, couldn't decide which one to start with, though he was pretty sure he as going to try them all.
Joe Aguirre looked out at the lone boy still sat at the dining table. He'd worked at this place for many many years and seen and heard just about everything. He got brief backgrounds on all the kids he had come stay, because you needed to know what you were letting yourself in for and be prepared. Everyone was different. Jack's story was not the worst he'd read, but it was pretty bad. It was one of the worse for kids that came to this camp. A lot of the ones who had suffered years of abuse then got into bad habits themselves and ended up at the Boot Camp which he also ran, in the same style but with a lot less freedom of choice and a lot more supervision and rules. A lot of the kids that turned up at this camp were orphans or had ill parents, some of them were only temporarily in foster care whilst things changed. All the stories were sad but you had to just get the kids looking ahead, not back, and give them hope and encouragement, and a sense of purpose and belonging. They were all scared and lost though some hid it better than others. Jack Twist seemed to be no excpetion. Jack's background detailed a highly religious mother who seemed to think her child was a curse. Though she never hurt him physically she had put him through a lot of mental abuse and some unpleasant punishments for the sins she perceived he was committing. His dad was an ex-Army Doctor and the theory was he'd seen something somehwere that turned him nasty. He was a clever man but he was also a cruel man. Jack had suffered years of physical abuse from his dad, punishments his mother thought he needed and had encouraged. The school and social and care workers all agreed that Jack was an incredibly brave and strong young man and was flourishing now he was awy from all that. He was clever and kind and very polite. He was well behaved and considerate and seemed to embracing the new life he now had. He was very innocent and sweet and seemed to charm everyone he met.
Joe had picked him out the day before when he was giving his introductory speech. Something about the eyes that had looked at him whilst he talked. He had never seen eyes like them before. They sat in a very handsome face, under dark hair, and above a kind mouth and Joe had already observed the girls of the camp paying Jack a lot of attention. They eyes were an amazing blue. Not Sky blue and not Ocean blue but somewhere inbetween, a unique colour. In those eyes Joe could see pain pushed back and hope and determination shining out. Those same eyes were looking at him now; a little afriad but still sparkling with enthusiasm.
"Alright kid?" Joe asked.
"Um" Jack replied. Joe asked Jack if he was struggling to choose a task and Jack nodded. "Well now, " Joe said, "My wife is the cook and she could sure use an extra pair of hands today. You fancy learnin' to cook?" Jack smiled an amazing smile and nodded yes, enthusiastically. "Sure, " he said "gotta know how to cook, can't get by without food, right?" So that was sorted, and then he told Jack that anytime he wanted to change jobs, he sure could. Why not just work his way round all the buildings trying everything till he found what he liked most? Jack agreed this sounded like the plan he'd come up with, and got up to follow Joe to the kitchens where he was to introduce him to his wife.
"Excuse me sir?" Jack asked tentatively, "Um, my, Enn.., um they guy I'm sharing a tent with? I havent seen him since last night, do you know if he's ok?"
Joe replied, "Ennis? Oh he's grand. He wanted to work with the animals. Got up at 6, been out in the fields for hours now. He's a natural."
Jack smiled to himself, pleased that Ennis was being complimented, and finding more admiration for his tent-mate that he had got up hours before Jack and silently without disturbing him.
The rest of the day passsed most pleasantly. He met Cassie (Joe's wife) and the other kitchen assistant. He was told he wouldnt be neeed till 11:30 as lunch was going to be simple so he was left to explore on his own. He thought about trying to find Ennis and see what he was upto, but working with the animals sounded quite serious and he didnt want to get in the way and mess anything up. He walked around and saw a load of the boys pouring over a tractor and a couple of cars. He saw one up a ladder painting. He saw Kirsty out in the garden digging enthusiastically. From somewhere he heard little kids playing and making little kids noises, with the occasional older female voice encouraging or soothing. Everyone was working, so Jack went and found the swimming pool. It was in a nice out of the way spot so Jack decided he'd go without the t-shirt he often wore whilst swimming, and he dived in in just his red swim trunks. It was absolute bliss. Cold, but not that cold and after a few vigorous laps he was soon warmed up. Then he just floated. He loved to float on his back. He couldnt lie on his back comfortably much these days, but floating on the water was no problem. It was so peaceful and magical and he could stay there forever just gazing at the sky, watching the reflections on the water, seeing the little birds who kept flying down and then racing away when he moved. He stayed that way for over an hour, then went and showered and hurried back to the kitchen. They prepared a load of salads and sandwiches and everyone came in at 1 and started helping themselves. Everyone except Ennis. Sensing his unasked question, Joe told him that Ennis had been down earlier and collected a load of stuff to take to the fields and eat on the go. Jack felt a bit disappointed, but it didnt last long. He helped tidy up and was then told to report back at 4:30 to start on dinner. He was invited to join in a basketball game the guys had going. The girls just chose to watch. The played for a while then went and tried the pool table, and various other activities. It was all good fun until Jack had to excuse himself to report back to the kitchen.
They prepared hamburgers with real homemade fries for dinner. Jack really enjoyed it. It was easy to do, Cassie instructing him how to peel potatoes, shape the mince, and yet it was hugely satisfying to see the meat turn brown and the fries turn crispy. The ladies in the kitchen loved him though they kept having to
remind him not to call them Ma'am. He told them about his school, the play they were studying in English, the experiments he was enjoying in Biology. He told them about a trip he'd taken recently to an Aquarium, and everything he'd seen and learnt there. He liked telling them stuff, and they seemed to like listening. He joined the rest of the group out in the dining hall for dinner, and it was maybe the tastiest meal he ever ate beacuse he had helped make it. He felt quite proud of himself, and everyone commented on how tasty the food was. Ennis arrived late again for dinner, but he did sit with them and he did go back for seconds and thirds of the fries. The general hum of conversation was of happy content people. Joe walked round and told them they'd be showing a move in the Rec Room after dinner and people seemed to like that idea.
Jack was told he didnt have to help clear up, but he felt that it was his responsibility, so he stuck around helping to wipe the tables, load the dishwasher and scrub down all the equipment they'd used. By the time he was done and he walked over to the Rec Room, the movie had started. They offered to re-start it for Jack, but he said it was ok, he thought he needed a shower anyway, just to go ahead.
He went back to the tent thinking this would be his third shower of the day and maybe he needed to get some more towels. When he got to the tent he found Ennis laid down on his sleeping bag fast asleep.
still PG.
thanks to everyone for reading, commenting and helping!
---------------------------------------------
CHAPTER 4
Jack lay on his stomach, as he always did, and collected his thoughts. He was pretty sure that he had feelings for Ennis. It seemed crazy to think that after knowing the guy for less than one afternoon and exchanging only a few lines of conversation, but there it was. When Ennis had smiled at him it made Jack want to smile even more, when Ennis looked at him, Jack found himself holding his breath, when Ennis spoke to him it was like there were no other sounds in the world and when he walked away Jack coudnt stop gazing after him. His first thought had been on how beautiful or handsome Ennis was, and he had blushed at the idea of Ennis wearing no clothes. Didnt take a genius to draw the conclusion that he fancied Ennis. OK, so that was clear in his head. Kinda re-confirmed what he'd been thinking for a while. Never had he felt like that round a girl. There was a guy on the basketball team at school, a tall Spanish 17 year old. He was very athletic and once when Jack had been watching a game he realised he had not taken his eyes off that one guy for a full five minutes. He did not have a clue what the score was, how well the team was doing or how much skin the cheerleaders was showing, he had just been mesmerised by this single figure on the court.
That was when the bolt from the blue hit him that maybe he was gay. The thought almost made him physically sick. For 15 years all he wanted was to be normal and fit in. Circumstances at home meant that for 14 and a half years that was never going to happen, for several months whilst changes occurred he was as far away from normal as you could ever be. But now he was out of there in a normal house with normal people looking after him, allowed to do all the normal classes at school, finally, encouraged to do normal things in his spare time, taken to buy normal things at the normal shops, wear normal clothes, and given permission to try alcohol, invite girls round and do normal teenage things, he found he was setting out on path that was not normal. He panicked for a good few weeks. He missed a few basketball games. Then he went to one and forced himself to look at the cheerleaders the whole time. But he'd be lying if he said his eye never wondered to the dark skinned star of the team who that night sat out the game on the bench with his knee wrapped up. So then he told himself that maybe he just really admired the sporting prowess of one of the most popular guys in school. He went to the Mall at the weekend and spent hours sat in a coffee shop watching passers by. He made himself critique everyone that walked by, whether he liked how they looked or not. With a growing sense of forboding he realised that everyone he thought looked nice (friendly or kind, not necassarily just physically attractive) was male. He looked at the females and thought nothing. He looked at the men and thought many things. There was no denying it.
The next thought was what to do about it. He'd begun making friends, but there was no one close he could talk to. He already freaked people out once they realised he was in care, it automatically drew a certain reaction. If he went on to explain why and how he was in care, it freaked them out even more and so he tried to leave that part of him behind and just be normal. Now if he told someone he thought he was gay they might just give up on him. It was the same with his new parents. They were so sweet and kind, but they already went overboard in reassuring him he was ok, doing good, how proud of him and pleased for him they were. They told him they loved him, all the stuff he needed to hear and that they were probably told by shrinks to say.He was sure they'd understand if he said he might be gay, they'd be supportive and reassuring but Jack couldnt help but feel that they also might think that he had one too many issues, he was going to be too hard to deal with, there was always going to be something. He didnt want to burden them anymore. So he kept his feelings to himslef. He long ago realised his mum was wrong; he wasnt a sinner, or possessed by evil, he was pretty much the same as any other kid his age. He wasnt ashamed, he didnt feel dirty. He was scared, but he was going to deal with it. Being gay wasnt a sin, it certainly wasnt the end of the world, it just made things more complicated, and complication was something Jack would rather do without but it seemed it was not to be. Coming to this place was all about finding yourself. If he could survive this, if he could learn to fix cars or build a fence, then he could learn to live with being gay. If he was brave enough to try quad-biking or fixing electrical circuits, then he was brave enough to admit he liked guys and start working on what to do about it.
That was the long-term plan. He thought he'd have 2 months to get his head sorted. He hadnt imagined that within 2 hours he'd meet someone that pushed the basketball guy right out of his mind and left little room for anyone else. He supposed though nothing need change. He could quietly admire Ennis and maybe they'd become friends, and he could just get on with what they were here for. People worked around people they admired or fancied all the time, that was quite normal. Just beacuse he was a man fancying a man didnt mean he couldnt just get on with things. Good. He carried on convincing himself along these lines for a few more minutes. This was going to be ok. It wasnt as if anything would ever happen. Jack didnt even know what did happen when people were attracted to each other. Ok, he knew the theory, dates, kissing, sex, love and all that, but it wasnt like he had ever had to put any of it into practice. Man or woman he didnt know what you did or how you did it, so what did it matter who the object of his affection was? He was not going to be able to act on it for a long time till he figured out how, so really it was irrelevant. Plus, the obvious point that even if he did know what to do, the other half of the equation had to feel the same otherwise nothing would happen. And Ennis would not be the other half of his equation. Jack didnt know a huge amount about being gay, but he somehow doubted that cowboys with deep voices, tent building skills and expertise in sun and shade were going to be gay. So really, it was all a fuss over nothing. Ennis was nice to look at and that was all there was to it. He'd try not to look too much, and he's just act normal. Normal was fancying someone you couldnt have. He was going to be normal after all. He knew a lot of people who were like that. The guys on the back seat all fancied that Kirsty, and only one of them was ever likely to get her. Jenny maybe fancied him and nothing was going to happen there. He fancied Ennis but couldnt and wouldnt do anything about it. Normal, normal, normal. And with that reassuring thought that maybe he wasnt so different after all, Jack closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
~
He was awoken hours later by a gong being banged. He heard Joe shouting "Time to get up Ladies and Gentlemen. Breakfast will be served in 15 minutes, and most of y'all need to be starting work at nine." Jack scrambled out of his sleeping bag. It was quite light in the tent now that the sun was up. He could see that Ennis' sleeping bag was empty and the handsome man was not in the tent. Jack opened the zipped door and looked outside. It looked like it was going to be a glorious day. He saw two of the other boys walking out of the shower block, towels round their waists, grinning and chatting away. No sign of Ennis. He grabbed his clothes for the day, sticking with what he wore yesterday as he still had no idea what he was going to do today, and headed for the showers hoping they were not communal. They were not, which was a relief, and he quickly got washed and dressed and headed to the dining room. He glanced around nervously as he entered; still no Ennis. But everyone else was there and they all shouted him over and he distractedly began helping himself to cereal. Everyone was giving their opinions on what it as like to sleep in a tent, some bragging how well they'd slept, others seemingly more proud that they hadnt slept well and had heard all sorts of spooky noises throughout the night. No one else seemed to notice they were a man down and Jack was beginning to wonder if he had imagined Ennis. But then he figured someone had to have put up the tent, maybe Ennis just wasnt a breakfast person.
Breakfast over everyone rushed off to their chosen jobs, they all seemed to have made the decision easily enough. All except Jack. He'd been so pre-occupied thinking about Ennis he'd forgotten to think how he wanted to spend the next few weeks. He sat at the table and ran through the options, couldn't decide which one to start with, though he was pretty sure he as going to try them all.
Joe Aguirre looked out at the lone boy still sat at the dining table. He'd worked at this place for many many years and seen and heard just about everything. He got brief backgrounds on all the kids he had come stay, because you needed to know what you were letting yourself in for and be prepared. Everyone was different. Jack's story was not the worst he'd read, but it was pretty bad. It was one of the worse for kids that came to this camp. A lot of the ones who had suffered years of abuse then got into bad habits themselves and ended up at the Boot Camp which he also ran, in the same style but with a lot less freedom of choice and a lot more supervision and rules. A lot of the kids that turned up at this camp were orphans or had ill parents, some of them were only temporarily in foster care whilst things changed. All the stories were sad but you had to just get the kids looking ahead, not back, and give them hope and encouragement, and a sense of purpose and belonging. They were all scared and lost though some hid it better than others. Jack Twist seemed to be no excpetion. Jack's background detailed a highly religious mother who seemed to think her child was a curse. Though she never hurt him physically she had put him through a lot of mental abuse and some unpleasant punishments for the sins she perceived he was committing. His dad was an ex-Army Doctor and the theory was he'd seen something somehwere that turned him nasty. He was a clever man but he was also a cruel man. Jack had suffered years of physical abuse from his dad, punishments his mother thought he needed and had encouraged. The school and social and care workers all agreed that Jack was an incredibly brave and strong young man and was flourishing now he was awy from all that. He was clever and kind and very polite. He was well behaved and considerate and seemed to embracing the new life he now had. He was very innocent and sweet and seemed to charm everyone he met.
Joe had picked him out the day before when he was giving his introductory speech. Something about the eyes that had looked at him whilst he talked. He had never seen eyes like them before. They sat in a very handsome face, under dark hair, and above a kind mouth and Joe had already observed the girls of the camp paying Jack a lot of attention. They eyes were an amazing blue. Not Sky blue and not Ocean blue but somewhere inbetween, a unique colour. In those eyes Joe could see pain pushed back and hope and determination shining out. Those same eyes were looking at him now; a little afriad but still sparkling with enthusiasm.
"Alright kid?" Joe asked.
"Um" Jack replied. Joe asked Jack if he was struggling to choose a task and Jack nodded. "Well now, " Joe said, "My wife is the cook and she could sure use an extra pair of hands today. You fancy learnin' to cook?" Jack smiled an amazing smile and nodded yes, enthusiastically. "Sure, " he said "gotta know how to cook, can't get by without food, right?" So that was sorted, and then he told Jack that anytime he wanted to change jobs, he sure could. Why not just work his way round all the buildings trying everything till he found what he liked most? Jack agreed this sounded like the plan he'd come up with, and got up to follow Joe to the kitchens where he was to introduce him to his wife.
"Excuse me sir?" Jack asked tentatively, "Um, my, Enn.., um they guy I'm sharing a tent with? I havent seen him since last night, do you know if he's ok?"
Joe replied, "Ennis? Oh he's grand. He wanted to work with the animals. Got up at 6, been out in the fields for hours now. He's a natural."
Jack smiled to himself, pleased that Ennis was being complimented, and finding more admiration for his tent-mate that he had got up hours before Jack and silently without disturbing him.
The rest of the day passsed most pleasantly. He met Cassie (Joe's wife) and the other kitchen assistant. He was told he wouldnt be neeed till 11:30 as lunch was going to be simple so he was left to explore on his own. He thought about trying to find Ennis and see what he was upto, but working with the animals sounded quite serious and he didnt want to get in the way and mess anything up. He walked around and saw a load of the boys pouring over a tractor and a couple of cars. He saw one up a ladder painting. He saw Kirsty out in the garden digging enthusiastically. From somewhere he heard little kids playing and making little kids noises, with the occasional older female voice encouraging or soothing. Everyone was working, so Jack went and found the swimming pool. It was in a nice out of the way spot so Jack decided he'd go without the t-shirt he often wore whilst swimming, and he dived in in just his red swim trunks. It was absolute bliss. Cold, but not that cold and after a few vigorous laps he was soon warmed up. Then he just floated. He loved to float on his back. He couldnt lie on his back comfortably much these days, but floating on the water was no problem. It was so peaceful and magical and he could stay there forever just gazing at the sky, watching the reflections on the water, seeing the little birds who kept flying down and then racing away when he moved. He stayed that way for over an hour, then went and showered and hurried back to the kitchen. They prepared a load of salads and sandwiches and everyone came in at 1 and started helping themselves. Everyone except Ennis. Sensing his unasked question, Joe told him that Ennis had been down earlier and collected a load of stuff to take to the fields and eat on the go. Jack felt a bit disappointed, but it didnt last long. He helped tidy up and was then told to report back at 4:30 to start on dinner. He was invited to join in a basketball game the guys had going. The girls just chose to watch. The played for a while then went and tried the pool table, and various other activities. It was all good fun until Jack had to excuse himself to report back to the kitchen.
They prepared hamburgers with real homemade fries for dinner. Jack really enjoyed it. It was easy to do, Cassie instructing him how to peel potatoes, shape the mince, and yet it was hugely satisfying to see the meat turn brown and the fries turn crispy. The ladies in the kitchen loved him though they kept having to
remind him not to call them Ma'am. He told them about his school, the play they were studying in English, the experiments he was enjoying in Biology. He told them about a trip he'd taken recently to an Aquarium, and everything he'd seen and learnt there. He liked telling them stuff, and they seemed to like listening. He joined the rest of the group out in the dining hall for dinner, and it was maybe the tastiest meal he ever ate beacuse he had helped make it. He felt quite proud of himself, and everyone commented on how tasty the food was. Ennis arrived late again for dinner, but he did sit with them and he did go back for seconds and thirds of the fries. The general hum of conversation was of happy content people. Joe walked round and told them they'd be showing a move in the Rec Room after dinner and people seemed to like that idea.
Jack was told he didnt have to help clear up, but he felt that it was his responsibility, so he stuck around helping to wipe the tables, load the dishwasher and scrub down all the equipment they'd used. By the time he was done and he walked over to the Rec Room, the movie had started. They offered to re-start it for Jack, but he said it was ok, he thought he needed a shower anyway, just to go ahead.
He went back to the tent thinking this would be his third shower of the day and maybe he needed to get some more towels. When he got to the tent he found Ennis laid down on his sleeping bag fast asleep.