Jimbo - 4. Another Week of Camp

My body and mind were restless all day. There was frisson with everything I touched. My senses were in overdrive. I was waiting for Mason and his parents to arrive. I had showered and put on my best uniform. First impressions were important. Actually, it was too late for a first impression but in some ways this was the first time his parents would see me as a partner to their son. I had been pacing the parking lot for an hour waiting for them. At last, I saw their car pull into the lot so I squared my shoulders and was ready to take on whatever happened. Mason bounded from the car and ran to me. We hugged and he whispered in my ear that we would not get any sleep all night. There was no kissing in front of other people but the hug went on and on. We separated and he grabbed my hand. Mr. Jenner opened the trunk and pulled out a trunk and a knap sack. There was also a suitcase. Apparently, Mrs. Jenner had made Mason pack for every contingency.

While we men carried the portage to the campsite, Mrs. Jenner chose a picnic table and started to unpack containers of food and set places for six people. When we arrived back at the picnic area, I saw that my parents were talking with Mrs. Jenner. My stomach flip flopped. What was happening? I wasn’t expecting them. I put on my game face and walked up to hug my mother. My father extended his hand and greeted Mason and Mr. Jenner. We sat at the table and mom said that we always said grace at home. Dad then led us in a good Southern Baptist grace. The food was passed and everyone filled their plates. From an outsider perspective it looked like three same sex couples sitting at the table. Mr. Jenner was sitting next to my dad. The women sat together while Mason and I squeezed together. It was hard to see air between us.

“What church do you go to?” Dad asked Mr. Jenner.

There was a moment of silence and Mr. Jenner said they went to synagogue because they were Jewish. Dad was shocked and looked at me; his mouth was hanging open. I don’t know if he had actually ever met someone who professed to being Jewish. I didn’t miss a beat however and asked Mason about their synagogue. Mason told us about their youth group and the activities he was involved with. Mrs. Jenner spoke up and said that she was involved in the Jewish women’s group. Dad mentioned that I was involved in the Baptist Youth League.

An uncomfortable silence settled at the table until Mr. Fish plopped himself down. He looked at the fried chicken and reckoned he wouldn’t get any dinner that night since the Assistant Camp Director was taking the night off. He winked at me when he said this. I asked for another plate and Mr. Fish led the conversation for the rest of the meal while he devoured the home cooked food. Any tensions soon disappeared because of Mr. Fish’s ability to bring light and laughter to any situation. He then looked at me and suggested Mason and I get ready for the evening presentation. We thanked Mrs. Jenner for the food and told everyone we would see them at the amphitheater.

We ran to the camp site, went into our tent and immediately started kissing. We ripped each other’s clothes off until we were naked and in an erect state. Mason immediately dropped to his knees. He was moaning and begging for more. After I reached completion, Mason leaned back and said it seemed like forever since he had tasted me. I said I needed to help him reach completion and he smiled and said it was too late. There was a huge amount of boy seed on the ground. We both laughed to relieve the tension.

Mason suggested we catch a quick shower before the other staff returned. When we returned from the shower, we left the tent flaps open and started pulling out our regalia for the Order of the Arrow tapping ceremony later that evening. The other staff returned, saw the two of us dressing each other and went to their own tents to relax before the evening activities. We each took all of the parts of our outfits and placed them on the bunks. We stood naked in front of each other and placed our foreheads together. Our fingers were intertwined. We did not speak. I moved and picked up Mason’s loin cloth and gently fastened the cloth and made sure it hung properly around his hips. Mason did the same for me. Then we put the arm bands, ankle rattles and moccasins on each other. I picked up a jar which held face paint. I painted stripes across Mason’s face and a long red slash from his throat to his navel. Afterwards Mason held a mirror as I painted myself with the exact same pattern. The painting was an extra adornment that I decided to add tonight. We placed the headbands with one feather on each other. Finally, we put the sashes over each other’s shoulders. More time was spent adjusting the strap across our chests and nips than was actually necessary.

The need for each other challenged us to stay in the tent, close the flaps and make love. However, we stepped out of the tent. The other staff came and stood in front of us. I told them that each troop would march into the amphitheater and then Mason and I would enter. This was different from the norm. I quietly briefed Mason on how the evening would progress. Troop reps left the staff area and I told the rest of the staff they could go to the amphitheater. Mason and I stood at the top of the arena and watched each troop pass. There were many looks of awe and apprehension as the scouts saw two Indian braves standing still and were quietly silhouetted against the evening skies.

We paused after the last troop entered to give the audience time to settle. We then walked down the hill into the arena. The rattle from our anklets alerted everyone to turn and look at us. I saw Mr. Fish smile at me. He knew the importance of an entrance. There was a hush which pervaded the amphitheater. Mason and I stood in front of the bonfire with our arms across our chests. I held the tension as long as possible and then said, “We welcome you to Camp Falls.” We then sat down and Mr. Fish took over the program until it was time for the OA inductees to be announced.

I stood in front of the fire. Mason stood to the side and in a loud proclaiming voice announced each inductee. There were cheers after each boy was called forward but neither Mason nor I joined in the celebratory machinations. We stood as sentinels to our Order and to the Ceremony. After the last Scout moved down and stood in line, Mason said, “Follow me.” They left the amphitheater and then I announced that the evening ceremony was over. I then walked up the hill and disappeared into the trees. It was full of drama and very mysterious.

Parents, of course, were looking for their sons who had been chosen to be in the Order of the Arrow. We had the boys stand in a line in the parking lot. They were to wish their parents goodbye but not to say anything more. After the last boy bade his parents good night, we took them back to the amphitheater. Mason told them that he would meet with each of them to prepare for the Friday night induction ceremony. That was all he said. Mason and I then walked out of the arena and left them there to make their way back to their campsites.

We had completely forgotten our parents.

We reached the top of the hill and Mr. Fish called out to us. As we approached, he suggested that we adopt Indian names after that night’s induction. He said it felt odd to call us such Anglo names after such a powerful ceremony of calling forth inductees. He said it was the most powerful tapping ceremony he had ever attended.

Mr. Fish had our parents waiting in the dining hall. We walked in to find Mr. and Mrs. Jenner sitting. They stood and their mouths were hanging open. They waited for Mason to approach them. It was as if they did not know this person who was their son. Mason walked over and gave them hugs and told them to have a good trip. He then kissed them on their cheeks. There were lots of tears. They told Mason how much they loved him. My parents stood in an uncomfortable silence because we did not display any public affection.

Mr. Jenner came up to me and said, “Take care of our boy. He is yours for the next few weeks and we know how much you love him. We now love you as a son and our son’s partner.” He then hugged me and kissed me on each cheek. My father did not hear our conversation but I could see my father’s mouth hanging open from the kisses.

Mrs. Jenner grabbed me and held on for dear life. Tears were running down her cheeks. “We love you and will miss the two of you. Take good care and we will see you soon. Thank you for choosing Mason. He is our life and love.” She then kissed me on each cheek. She held my hand and would not let go.

My dad stood by the side and didn’t know what to say. Finally, he said it was good to see me again and told Mason he would see him soon. My mother nuzzled my cheek and said good night. As all four parents prepared to leave, Mr. Jenner pulled me aside and put an envelope in my hand. “Open this only if there is an emergency. I will get it from you when we return. Remember, if something happens open the envelope and do exactly what is written.” He then left and joined the others as they walked toward the parking lot.

Mason and I were both stunned by the ceremony we had conducted that evening and by the farewell from his parents. I had the envelope from his father and Mason gave it an inquiring look. “What is that?”

“I don’t know, your dad told me to open it only if there was an emergency.” I gave him an assured look even though I was curious as to its contents. I couldn’t open it because Mr. Jenner would know that when they returned. We walked to the camp office and I put it in my desk drawer.

“We need to choose names. I would like to choose a name for you and for you to choose a name for me. We will tell each other the names before the Friday evening induction ceremony. After that we will always use those names when we are in our ceremonials.” I could only nod in agreement at Mason’s suggestion. It made perfect sense.

He then smiled, grabbed my hand and said it was late and we needed some personal time. We bumped shoulders and smiled at each other as we walked to our tent. Not a word was spoken. There were no words in our vocabulary to describe what had happened to us and what we were feeling. It was one of those time when language failed.

Mason closed and tied the tent flaps. He reached down and pulled out a candle. I had chills thinking of the last time we made love. He lit the candle and very slowly started undressing me. I stood bare, with my cock fully erect. He took a finger and put it to my lips so I would understand that I was not to speak. He undressed and was fully tumescent. He laid me down on my cot and stretched his body so that his head was on my shoulder. In a very quiet voice he whispered, “We have had too much stimulation today, let us leave these (grabbing our cocks) until dawn. We will go to the lake to bathe together.” He then blew out of the flame of the candle. My rapidly beating heart slowed as Mason put his hand on my chest. “Let us sleep together.” We did.

I was awakened by Mason kissing me on the lips. He gestured that we were to be silent. We put on shorts and grabbed toiletries and towels. Our moccasins were on the floor and our feet slid into them as we headed to the waterfront. It was still dark. We waded into the water and slowly started cleansing each other. I kept washing Mason and kissing him. I put my arms around him and pulled him to me. Our erections were fighting each other. We looked up and saw the sun rise across the tree tops from the east. The world was illumined by the bright orb that announced another day. Mason then turned and had me enter him from behind. We were standing in water up to our knees. One hand held his torso as my other stroked his cock. Mason threw his head back on my chest and said, “I love you, James Robert Ward. Make love to me lover. Make me yours.” I did as he requested. We both experienced explosive climaxes. I gently lowered us into the water. Our knees could not support our quivering masses of male flesh. We rolled around in the lake and kissed each other. I then whooped and pushed a wave of water towards him. He did the same to me and we laughed and had playful moments and were able to laugh as we dunked each other.

We held each other’s hand as we walked out of the lake. We toweled the other dry and then we put on our clothes. We walked up the trail to our campsite. The staff were starting to get up and watched us as we moved across the clearing hand in hand. I suppose we were smiling like fools. I know that I was. The staff were pretty cool to be young guys from southern Virginia. No one said a negative word to us.

When we got to the dining hall, the spell was broken by a hundred boys who were having a rambunctious time. We joined them in their bountiful joy. We sat together at the staff dining table. It was each man for himself as platters of pancakes were passed around. Syrup was quickly depleted and Mason jumped up and walked to another table and appropriated a jug that was not being used. He thanked the Scouts and said he was particularly hungry that morning. We all laughed as we stuffed pancakes in our maws.

I looked at Mason and asked what he wanted to do that day. He actually didn’t start work until Sunday so this was free time for him. He said he had decided to do waterfront activities all day. You could have blown me over. We went back to the tent and he put on an orange speedo. I decided that he was a paradox. First, he decided to spend the day at the waterfront where he struggled during his week at camp and now he was wearing a speedo. An orange one at that. He grabbed a towel and sunglasses as he put on flip-flops. He looked me in the eyes and said, “See you later, alligator.”

Where the fuck did that come from?

I just laughed and said, “After a while, crocodile.”

We parted company. I had a quixotic look on my face.

At lunch time, Mason sat with the waterfront staff. Lester, the waterfront director, looked over at me and winked. They were having a great time and teasing Mason about his tiny orange swimsuit. “I know. It is a wonder I can fit everything into such a little suit. It is not my fault. My dad would not buy me another jock strap and swimsuit because I lost his. I snagged this from a member of my troop who is also on our school swim team.”

At once, I was jealous as hell that Mason had fit in so easily with the waterfront staff. Then I thought about it for a few seconds and was proud as hell. He knew that Mr. Fish would be asking the regular staff who should be offered jobs for the following summer. Mason took the area where he had the most trouble and had the staff wrapped around his finger. Actually, he was pulling his swimsuit away from his body and the guy next to him was looking at his junk. He looked up and saw me frowning and he just grinned from ear to ear. He then made a deal of letting the waist band snap back in place.

I didn’t see him again until the day’s activities were done and everyone was preparing for dinner. I was a jerk. The big green monster had taken over my body. Mason came back to the staff campsite really jazzed. He stopped and talked to the other staff. I mean he talked to each and every one of them before arriving at our tent. He came in and dropped the flaps. I just stared at him. He stared back.

“I don’t want a screaming match right now but we will talk about this later.” I could barely get the words out. Mason grabbed his clothes and headed to the shower. After that we walked to the dining hall and sat beside each other. It was like I had lost my ability to speak so Mason engaged everyone with stories of his first day at the waterfront. He had the guys laughing and joking about his rookie mistakes. They were laughing with him instead of at him.

Mr. Fish made announcements and then said the Assistant Camp Director had information to share about the next two days. I was caught off guard. I looked at him with a stare that was asking what he wanted me to say. He then said, “the floor is yours. Tell them about tomorrow night and then what to expect on Saturday morning.” My usual humor was missing and I instructed the boys in the way that everything was to be done. It was like I had dumped ice water on them. The boys left quietly. Mr. Fish then said to me that I had done a great job keeping their spirits up. He was being sarcastic.

“Listen Jimbo, if there is a problem I will move Mason to another tent.” I was startled by his statement.

“No sir, I am just off balance right now but I promise I will be back on my game by tomorrow morning.”

When I walked out of the dining hall, I found Mason waiting for me.

“Follow me,” was his order to me.

We walked down to the lake front. We talked and Mason explained his motivation to be on the staff and had learned from me how to enjoy time with the other guys.

“I don’t love you less because of me being independent today. You don’t want the guys saying that I am getting special treatment. I don’t want to be seen as an appendage of you. We have ‘our time’ and ‘camp time’. Let’s keep them separate and we will be better off. I can’t stand you being jealous because I love only you and am not looking for anyone else.”

I hung my head. Then looked up. “I guess I feel really stupid right now. When did you become my teacher?”

“Lover, we are both learning how to do this. We are going to make mistakes so we have to learn to forgive each other but more importantly to forgive ourselves. We are going to be together long after camp is finished for the summer, so let’s have fun and show the guys how two guys can be all gooey for each other but also have a lot of fun with them. Alright? I need to hear you say we are ok.”

I looked at Mason and was astounded by his wisdom. “Lover, I am alright. Love, we are alright. I apologize.”

“Good, because I need to meet with the guys about the ceremony tomorrow night.” He leaned over, kissed me, then turned and told me that he would see me naked in our tent in two hours. “Be on time.” Off he went.

I wondered how he became so emotionally intelligent in less than two weeks. He was an amazing boy.

It was time to get ready for breakfast. I woke first and did my daily ablutions. I woke Mason and told him of my plan. He laughed and laughed. We were the last to arrive in the dining hall. I was wearing Mr. Jenner’s Hawaiian Jams and I was leading Mason by a rope. I had tied his wrists, arms and legs together using different knots. He even had a rope around his head with a sheepshank knot on his forehead. I led Mason to the table and told the guys that Mason would need assistance eating his breakfast. They were good sports and fed him oatmeal, eggs and toast. One of them held a glass of orange juice to his lips so he could drink. We all laughed including Mason who had strawberry jam smeared on his cheek where one of the guys was teasing him with toast. Mason finally got tired and lunged for the toast. In the process the strawberry laden toast smacked across his face before falling to the floor.

When we finished eating, Mr. Fish stood and said he was actually speechless and would ask the Assistant Camp Director to explain what was happening. Did I mention that I didn’t have on a shirt? Anyway, I stood and flexed my muscles. There were lots of hoots from the campers. I then pretended like every thing was normal and had them psyched about the activities for the last two days of camp. Finally, I told them that I was taking a day to observe waterfront activities and the troop that could dunk me without anyone in their troop getting dunked would get a special award at the closing ceremony. I then lifted my arms and did a muscle pose. I pretended like I had finished and then looked over at Mason. I had given one of the staff a piece of duct tape which he had placed over Mason’s mouth.

“Would you mind standing Mason?” One of the guys had to help Mason stand. Using my best Camp Director voice, I asked, “Why is that tape on your mouth?” He shrugged his shoulders like he didn’t know. He pretended to try to talk and only garbled language came out. The campers were loving every minute of this.

I pointed out that all of the required knots were demonstrated on Mason’s body. I reminded the scouts that each boy had to pass their knots exam by the end of the day and that they could practice on Mason. The only condition was that he would not be able to say anything so they had to help each other tie knots. The guys were ecstatic. I finally reminded them of the ceremony for the evening. The guys were flying out of the doors, laughing about how they were going to dunk me in the lake and couldn’t wait to tie up Mason with knots he would never unravel.

Mr. Fish came up and said, “that’s why I chose you to be Assistant Camp Director. Good work. By the way, I am not retiring any time soon.” We both laughed and hugged as we left the dining hall.

I headed to the waterfront. I knew that I would be toast by the end of the day. Foolish thinking on my part. I could give in and let them dunk me immediately which would take all of the fun out of the game. This was their last day of waterfront activity and we wanted it to be fun. I chatted with the waterfront staff and we came up with a plan. When each troop got to the lake we were already in the water. We invited them in and then we jumped out of the water so they could see we weren’t wearing anything. We said it was a condition that they all get rudie nudie. It turned into a row with each side defending its leader. Of course, we set it up so that each troop finally got to me and dunked me. We wanted them to win. It was important for them to take away that feeling of being winners. The staff and I had also set it up so that the smallest, most incompetent scout would be the one to dunk me. Some of the smarter guys from the troops realized what was happening and played along. They understood the psychology of what we were doing. I had decided we would bring each of those boys down front on Saturday morning to be honored among their peers and parents.

I was exhausted and sun burned when I finally returned to the tent at the end of the day. Mason was sleeping on his cot. Someone had removed all of the ropes but I could see the rope burn. I went to the First Aid cabin to get some lotion for the burns. I returned to the tent and tried to wake Mason for dinner. He asked that I let him sleep so he would have energy for the ceremony. I went to the dining hall to eat and the kitchen staff made a salad for me to take to Mason. When I got back to the tent Mason was sitting on the edge of his cot. I pulled out the salve and gently rubbed it on his burns.

“I apologize, I didn’t think of the possibility of rope burn. We won’t do that again.”

“Oh, yes we will. The guys were great and had so much fun learning.” Then he grinned from ear to ear. “Plus, they were touching me all over. A couple of them made comments about my big rope that needed attention.” He grabbed his crotch when he said that. “They laughed but of course someone made sure I had duct tape on my mouth (he gave me the evil eye) so I couldn’t say anything. It was great.” We both grinned.

“Are you ready to start?” Mason nodded.

We understood that there would not be any more extraneous talking. We communicated by look, touch and body movement. The camp site had grown quiet. We gathered in the center of the camp site and I sent different staff to each campsite to collect their inductees. The rest of the staff knew to wait 15 minutes and then gather the troops for a presentation on the waterfront. Mason and I stood side by side until everyone had left. He leaned into me and practically fell over from exhaustion. I put my arm across his shoulder and told him that in a few short hours we would have a break. He leaned up and kissed me.

“What name did you choose for me?”

Mason looked me in the eyes and said, “You are named Degataga which means standing together. We stand together for the rest of our lives.” Mason then pulled out a bracelet that had two male figures hanging from it. He tied it to my wrist. “This is an outward and visible symbol of our being together.”

I looked at Mason and said, “I am naming you Chea Sequah which means red bird. I love your red hair and that you had the audacity to fly into my life. We stand together and we fly together.” He wasn’t aware that his mother had told me about the bracelet and then mailed me one to give to Mason. She was very taken with the idea. I put it on his wrist as he stood shaking. I then leaned over and kissed his eyelids. We had applied charcoal around our eyes so my lips were black from kissing him.

“Come Chea Sequah. Let’s give these inductees a ceremony they will never forget as they undertake this new life.”

The amphitheater easily held all of the scouts who were already Order members and those to be inducted. Some of the senior Order of the Arrow leaders from the Council office had come to the camp for the ceremony. They all sat front near the fire. After the last scout entered the drum beat stopped. The only light was from the bonfire. Mason and I stepped from the shadows and stood in front of the fire. Some of the people were talking and then quietness overtook them as they saw us standing in silence. As each inductee was brought forward, Chea Sequah stood behind him and placed his hands on the inductee’s shoulders as I recited the induction pledge. Chea Sequah placed the sash over their shoulder and I attached it at the waist. After the last scout had been inducted, Chea Sequah announced that he had been designated their mentor and they would share a meal in the morning. Chea Sequah walked to the center of the arena and stated that Degataga had duly inducted new members of the Order of the Arrow chapter and they had all of the rights and responsibilities as duly inducted members. Then, he and I then disappeared into the darkness. Mr. Fish told me the next day that the mystery of the ceremony was completely overwhelming to the inductees and that the OA leaders who had come were very impressed with the changes we had implemented. They said the ceremony now had gravitas that had been missing.

We got back to the tent and slowly undressed each other. We then laid down and immediately fell asleep. I remember saying, “I love you” and hearing the same from Mason. The sun was up when I opened my eyes. There was lots of scurrying in the staff area. We quickly jumped in the shower and got to the dining hall just as everyone was seated. Mason sat at a separate table with the new inductees. They were like puppies following him around. After breakfast the only activity left was the closing ceremony. Parents were already starting to arrive.

I was stunned when it was time for the troops to cross the rope bridge heading to the final assembly. Each troop presented and whistled the Colonel Bogey March and snapped their fingers. They saluted me as they crossed the bridge. I looked at Mason. He shrugged his shoulders and pretended to be innocent. How had he managed in two days to teach this to every troop in the camp? Somehow, he had worked his magic. I had a huge lump in my throat. I could not talk but saluted each troop.

The most exciting time during the closing ceremony was when we called each of the boys forward for the Waterfront Competition Award. Lester, the waterfront director, spun a line of bull hockey for parents to think this was one of the most coveted awards of the week. For the most part, these were the guys who would not be recognized for anything else. The entire waterfront staff were down front and said something complimentary about each of the boys. Each boy was given a lanyard with a life guard whistle attached. It was worth a mint to each of them. Their parents glowed with pride and were quick to say their progeny would be returning the following year. Mr. Fish grinned knowing that he was already filling the campsites for the next season.

After saying good-bye to the staff who were going home for the weekend, Mason and I realized we would be alone for the next 24 hours. Mr. Fish had told me that he had to “go to town” and for me to look after everything. He laughed and said, “I bet you want to give back that promotion, don’t you?” I smiled and told him to have a good time.

Sheer exhaustion overtook us and we both fell asleep with our arms wrapped around each other. We awoke late afternoon. The only sounds were from the crickets and wild life at the camp. We walked to the shower and scrubbed each other. Mason said, “Please, make love to me right now. We are the only ones here so we can enjoy our time together.” I took him in my arms and proceeded to love him. By the time we finished we were exhausted lying on the deck of the showers. When the water turned cold, we jumped up and turned it off. We then dried each other. As I was walking out of the shower, I felt a sharp smack on my ass. I turned and saw Mason with his towel in his hands. He had formed a rat tail and had smacked me. He grinned widely. I then created a rat tail. Mason was screaming after realizing he was trapped inside the shower building. He ran past me as I smacked his butt. We chased each other through the woods smacking each other.

“I give up. I give up. Don’t smack me again, please.”

I had a triumphant look on my face that was mixed with a lop-sided grin. I ran forward and tackled him. We both fell on the ground and rolled around. I starting tickling his side and he did the same to me. We were laughing fools.

“I think we need another shower.”

We got to the shower and the water was still cold. It didn’t take long for us to head to the tent. Our towels were covered in dirt and mud so we ran trying to dry off. We returned to the tent and Mason grabbed the jars of body paint and said he was going to paint me. I said the image had to be related to my name. He then drew Keith Haring type figures all over my body. The figures were two men holding hands. His talent in drawing and painting was astounding. I then used red paint and drew primitive birds all over Mason’s body. I enjoyed painting a particular bird using his butt cheeks as the wings. I didn’t have the same finesse as Mason but it was beautiful. We then walked back to the showers where there was a full-length mirror. We admired the art decoration. Since there was no one else around we didn’t need to dress.

We entwined our fingers and walked to the dining hall. I knew that food was left for staff to cook their own meals on Saturday night and Sunday morning. We prepared finger foods that we could take as we walked around the camp. We ate and walked from camp site to camp site. We prepared each site for the incoming troop. We ended up at the waterfront but decided we didn’t want to destroy our body art by going in the water.

Mason started running in circles, swooping his arms like bird wings, and he would peck on my cheek as he passed by. I sat on a bench and enjoyed his freedom. His arms flapped, his voice was squawking, and he looked ready to escape the bounds of earth. Finally, he flew a circle and landed sitting on my lap. He put his arms around my neck and planted a kiss on my mouth. The kiss led to a full make out session and I ended up taking him again on the bench. Afterwards, I lay my body on his and wrapped him in my arms. We squirmed and smeared the paint all over each other. It was the perfect release needed for us to relax in each other’s presence. The painted figures were now smeared together and our bodies were a mess of paint, sweat, and man juice.

I stood up and walked to the water’s edge. I called out, “I LOVE you Mason Jenner.” The sound reverberated across the lake.

Mason walked up and stood by my side. “I LOVE YOU JIMBO WARD.” We just grabbed each other and twirled around laughing. A sliver of the moon had come up and was reflected in the water. I pulled him into the water. The body painting be damned, we had already ruined the images. We waded out and then dropped to our knees. Just our heads were above the water. We stared at each other. There was only silence.

“I, Mason Abraham Jenner, take you James Robert Ward to be my lover and my partner.” I was taken aback at the forthrightness of his unexpected statement but then said, “I take you, Mason Abraham Jenner, to be my life partner because you are the love of my life.” We were coupled. I think we were both stunned that we had just committed ourselves in a way that felt religious and forever. We stayed in the water just looking at each other. At some point, we stood and took each other’s hands and walked back to our tent.

Our sleep was restful and full of renewing strength, energy and love. When we woke in the morning, a buck and doe were standing at the entrance to our tent. They were looking at us. The buck then nodded his head and he and the doe turned and ran from the campsite.

We were ready for another week at Camp Falls and another week of love.