RichEisbrouch
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Everything posted by RichEisbrouch
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Yep. But that was probably never in question. Rob's his own version of a good scout. And this is a comedy.
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“Why?” I asked. He hesitated. “Why do I need a reason?” “Because you’re drunk – still drunk.” He laughed. “Probably.” “Plus doing anything with me is just as bad as what you did with Laura – in terms cheating on Julie.” He considered. “It’s different.” “No. It really isn’t.” He waited. Then, in an almost six-year old’s voice, he asked, “Isn’t that my choice?” I waited for a moment, but said nothing. “Look... I’m going back to camp now. I’ll leave t
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Good question.
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I'm not so sure: It's late, and Brian's drunk, and he's generally an easy-going guy.
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Brian was just where the guys said he was – and as they said – kind of leaning against a tree with his arms stretched above him. I couldn’t see much in the dark. But for a moment, I had to grin, just thinking. It was pretty funny. Suddenly, he asked, “Are you gonna help me?” “No, I’m gonna stand here,” I cracked. “You’ve been doing that.” “How could you see me? I can hardly see your face.” “You’re silhouetted against the camp... against the lights. You’re a black hole where t
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Yep. Surprise!
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Yep, the plot inches forward.
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Getting to the waterfront, I did just what the guys told me – stayed in the shadows, held to the trees, and avoided the lights when I picked a canoe. We figured that would be quieter than a rowboat, and Brian should be sober enough not to tip it and dunk us. “There’s a little landing cove on the island,” Steve advised. “Everyone uses it. There’re even places to tie up the boats.” “I thought Linden didn’t want people there,” I’d said. “He doesn’t – because if anything happened, he’d b
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And I hope for the readers, too. Thanks.
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I don't think anyone needs to create situations with teenagers. You just need to try to stay back as they tear all over you.
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Thanks. You overestimate my ability. I probably do it because I'm a slacker writer. But I do have a background in theater, where I preferred minimalism as a designer, so some of that may carry over. And like design there, I like to tie into a reader/audience member's imagination and just provide the essentials. That's why, increasingly, I rarely describe characters. I prefer readers create them.
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“So he’s probably been there an hour?” I asked. Again, the guys weren’t sure. “Well, we got back early.” “From the Canteen.” “‘Cause we knew there was beer.” “Earlier than usual.” “A little.” “When?” Then they got lost. Partly because they didn’t care. More because none of them wore watches or thought about checking the time. “Okay, say you got back here at twelve,” I suggested. “That’d give you a couple hours at the Canteen.” “That’s possible,” Steve agre
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“Exactly what happened?” I asked, after they’d given me a rough idea. “We told you,” Paul said. “No. I only know that Brian’s handcuffed out there – like Dan was on the basketball court.” “Less well dressed.” “Not half as well.” And everyone laughed. “Poor Brian,” I said. “He asked for it,’ Jim insisted. “Practically begged.” “I know,” I admitted. “And he probably deserved it. And if he’d been sober, he probably would’ve helped.” “He won’t be sober for a long
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“Do you know Roman Holiday?” Andy asked. “What is it?” “Obviously, you don’t.” “Well, if you give me some idea...” “It’s a movie.” “Never heard of it.” “I figured.” “Is it important?” We were lying on a king-sized bed in a motel room in Norwich. It was possibly the same one Brian and Julie had been on, and we were as reasonably dressed. “It just makes me think of the end of summer.” I thought about that for a moment, but it didn’t make sense. “You’ll h
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For the next week, we all had to live with Brian on the brink. “I’m so close,” he said. He was talking about both the end of camp and losing his self-control. “Breaking down isn’t even close. More like exploding.” “Braggart,” Nate said, now that he could use his full vocabulary in front of us. He was about to dive off the raft the three of us were on. “I know what I want to do,” Brian went on. “Probably everyone knows. But I’m not sure...” “You can always quit,” Nate sugg
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“We need to be outside for me to tell you this story,” Andy said, when he came into the Canteen. He wasn’t there the night before, but I hadn’t been following his schedule – or Nate’s. So the story could have been about a counselor, and I wondered why Andy hadn’t told me when we’d finished teaching the girls. “I wasn’t sure I was going to,” he admitted, as we started walking back to the boys’ camp. “That’s new.” “It’s pretty personal.” “Then don’t tell me... not if you’re unc
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Having failed to prank Steve, the guys turned on Nate. “Are you in this or not?” they asked Steve. “You plan. Let me see where it’s going. Then I’ll decide.” But almost immediately, he started helping out. “No, that’s not gonna work,” he advised. “You can be smarter than that.” “Maybe you can.” “None of you are stupid.” “Then you’re the least stupid of all.” “I’ll take that.” “Now, what could we do better?” “Well, for one thing, your choice of questions. Y
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“It’s good being out here,” Brian said. “Away from everything. Reminds me there’s a world.” We were speeding towards Binghamton – well, going as fast as the country roads allowed. It was just Brian and me, since the other guys weren’t interested in spending the afternoon hunting junk. “You’re running out on me?” Andy said, when I asked if I could take the day off. “I’ll see you tonight. Maybe I’ll bring you a present.” “Something with batteries,” he half whispered. I was standing
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After Julie left, Laura may have guessed right and figured that, instead of Brian being relaxed and comfortable for the rest of the summer, he was used to having sex again and might be interested in having some more. Or she might not have been thinking that at all. In any case, she just danced and let Brian come to her – if he was interested. As for Brian, “Well, here’s the problem,” he said. “I like her. I don’t really care what her reasons are for being interested in me. She’s just a lot o
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We didn’t see a lot of Brian that weekend – actually till Monday morning. He worked breakfasts and dinners but let the guys and me wait his table on Saturday and Sunday for lunch and reset it afterward. “I cleared it with Linden,” he told me Saturday morning, in the bunk, when he was packing clothes in his gym bag. “And I told him the truth – didn’t lie about my parents or sister or something. I just said my girlfriend was here for the weekend and asked if the guys could cover lunches for me
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Totally unexpectedly, on a Friday three weeks into July, Julie showed up. I’d just gotten back to the bunk, and we were all getting ready for general swim, when Brian got a call. He put it on speaker because he was changing. “Where are you?” Julie asked. She had a nice voice. “Where do you think I am?” “No, I mean specifically.” “You gonna ask what I’m wearing, too?” he joked. “Because at the moment, not a lot.” “Well, I’m at the front gate.” “Of what?” “Your camp.”
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Dan, Jim, and Paul pulled their next prank on Steve. But to do that, they needed Greg’s help. Besides the comedy troupe doing their weekend shows, the six actors also separately had other jobs – they hosted game and talent shows on the various nights of the week. One of the games involved anyone at camp being challenged to do something. If they refused, they had to pay the penalty. Some of the challenges, especially for the younger kids, were easy, but others grew increasingly ridiculous
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Laura and Brian kept it casual. Except when they didn’t. You could always tell there was something going on underneath. When they danced, they kept challenging each other, she with her restraint, he with his moves. When they sat with us talking, they often played with their words. It’s not like no one else noticed. The rest of us would smile at each other, when either of them scored. And they seemed to enjoy us watching. Greg was the actor, but Laura and Brian were performing. “Doesn’t i
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After I dropped Andy off near the HQ, I expected to slip into my dark bunk but instead found it all lit up. The guys were loose and laughing, and they’d had help getting there. The six of them were sitting around the table in their half of the cabin, cards out before them, but less playing than celebrating. “There’s beer,” Jim said, and Greg pointed to the table, where several wet cans sat. I opened one, took a gulp, then asked, “What’s up?” Since it was the last week of camp, and ev
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“Ready for another story about Nate?” Andy asked, when the girls we were teaching left for general swim. “Wrestle him off the bench yet?” “Oh, yeah.” I turned. “Now, that’s new.” He grinned. “Rolling around in the grass and dirt?” “A little further.” “Into the trees?” “More civilized.” “You didn’t bring him here? How’d you get past the...” “No. This place is just for us.” I smiled. “Thank you for that.” “But he does have a way with locks.”
