My mom dropped a giant pile of mail onto the kitchen counter as she walked in from the garage. Her purse was next; it testing the strength of one of our kitchen chairs under its heavy weight. I was always both baffled and amazed at how much my mom’s purse weighed. She would ask my dad to carry in heavy boxes or large packages, but could somehow toss her purse over her shoulder like it was nothing. For the first few years of my life, I’m pretty sure it weighed more than I did.

She dumped her keys into a small glass bowl near the phone that also rested on the counter and began flipping through the mail, casually tossing out random pieces into the recycling bin.

"Hey, Ryleigh!" she called loudly.

"I’m right here, mom,” I said from behind her.

She jumped, startled, and then laughed.

"Oh, sorry, hon." She smiled and waved a piece of paper in the air. "Here, you might like this."

I took the paper from her hand as she continued going through the rest of the stack. I glanced at it quickly. It was a flyer for a summer camp that I hadn’t heard of before.

"Camp Firestone?" I asked aloud.

My mom glanced up. "You’ve heard of it?"

I shook my head. "No, I think it’s new."

I had done my fair share of online research of summer camps every year around the same time. I always went to a different camp each summer, and thought I knew of all of them. I hadn’t recalled hearing about this new one. The flyer didn’t give much information. I folded it and shoved it in my pocket.

"The rain finally stopped," I said casually.

"Don’t I know it!" my mom replied with a sigh. "I was getting a little nervous though. Some of the roads were slightly flooded and that was this morning!"

We lived in a suburb outside of Houston, Texas. The weather was the same every year, yet for some reason my mom always seemed utterly surprised by the amount of rain we got. I just laughed and shook my head.

"I brought the plants inside," I told her as I walked to the kitchen window and peered outside. "You think I can put them back out?"

"Yeah, it looks like the sun is coming out. Thanks, hon," she said and smiled.

My mom and I have always been close, but had grown even closer recently. I don’t mean this to sound mean, but I think the reason for my mom and I becoming closer was due to my sister being gone.

My sister, Rachel, was away at college and wouldn’t be coming home that summer. She had secured a job as an intern at a law firm and sounded ecstatic. Her dream was to become a lawyer and live in a high rise building in the heart of NYC. As much as I looked up to my older sister, we were total opposites. She liked being indoors, reading or on her laptop. I hated being confined to four walls. Put me in the open air with mountains to hike or a lake to swim in, and that was my paradise.

Rachel was exactly like our mom. Short with a narrow build, hazel eyes, and mousy brown hair. They both burned under the sun unless they slathered on sunscreen every hour. I took after our dad. We were both tall with broad shoulders and muscular legs. My brown hair turned a blonde shade at the tips in the summer; my skin a deep bronze tan. I had my dad’s green eyes and thick eyelashes. My dad had been athletic when he was younger, and would still play a game of basketball with me occasionally.

He had traded in his shorts and t-shirts for dress slacks and button down shirts when he and my mom got married. They lived in a tiny apartment when my mom was pregnant with Rachel, and my dad got an office job with a computer parts sales company. I suspected he hated sitting at a desk all day, but he never complained. But as soon as he came home from work, he’d already be unbuttoning his shirt. It would take only a handful of minutes before he was in basketball shorts and a comfy t-shirt, his slacks in a pile somewhere on my parents’ bedroom floor.

My mom and Rachel liked to stay indoors. They both hated the humidity and heat in the summer, and then also complained about the cold in the winter. Since it rained randomly throughout the year, it wasn’t uncommon to see them peek out of the window, inspecting the sky, and determining that it was best to stay inside since it might rain.

But now with Rachel away at college, my mom and I had more of a chance to talk and just spend time together.

That night after dinner, I looked up Camp Firestone online. Their website indicated there still wasn’t much they could show since it was brand new. This would be their first summer. The camp was located in New Mexico, a state I hadn’t yet been. With hiking, swimming, river rafting, canoes, wood cabins, and camp fires, it had all the things I usually looked for.

I knew there was a chance my mom would say I was too old for camp that summer. I had turned sixteen and my mom was already dropping hints about me getting a part time summer job. The last thing I wanted to do was get a job and spend my summer sitting indoors somewhere uttering "Thank you, come again" or "Would you like fries with that?"

This would most likely be my last summer to go away to camp. I had to make it count. Plus, this camp was specifically for teenagers my age, which I thought would prove useful in convincing my mom to let me go. Also, this camp started right after school ended in June and went all the way until August. That’s longer than any camp I had ever been to before.

It would be fun to check off another state on my map that I had hanging on my wall. Bright red push pins were stuck into the spots of the map to indicate the cities I’d been to. New Mexico was completely bare. I looked at it closer, picturing a red pin stuck in it after I’d returned home from camp in New Mexico. It sounded so exciting!

I scribbled down the camp’s phone number onto the flyer and would give it to my mom. She’d call and ask her usual list of questions (like cost) and then report back to me.

A few days later, my dad found out he had to travel to Asia for six weeks in June and July for business. He hated sitting in an airplane for hours on end, saying his legs were too long to adequately fit in those ridiculously small seats. But, I knew he’d like being out of the office and traveling around another country. My mom, on the other hand, looked disappointed. My dad never traveled too much in general, and when he did, it was never for that long of a period. My mom pouted as she finished cooking dinner. I guessed she would miss my dad while he was away in Asia for the whole summer. I set the table and casually brought it up.

"When does dad have to leave again?" I asked her as I placed silverware onto folded napkins.

"The end of June. Why?" She was busy stirring a wooden spoon in a large metal pot that sat on the stove.

"Just wondering. You don’t want to go with him? Asia would be pretty cool!" I mentioned.

She shrugged. "Of course I want to go, but I can’t leave for that long. Who would stay with you?"

"Me?" I asked innocently. "Didn’t I tell you about Camp Firestone? That flyer you gave me the other day? It starts in June when school lets out and it goes until August."

I watched her from the corner of my eye. She stopped stirring and froze for a moment. Her head tilted to the side. I knew that was a good sign. Anytime she’s seriously considering something she’ll freeze, tilt her head, and say hmmm in a low hum.

"Hmmm," she muttered to herself.

Yes!

Since the camp was brand new, they were offering an exceptionally low fee, which my parents were happy about. After speaking to my dad, my parents decided to send me to Camp Firestone and my mom would accompany my dad on his trip to Asia. He had to go for six weeks, but they added another two weeks so they could sightsee. With Rachel in New York, our whole family would be gone for the summer, each of us off having our own adventure. Our neighbor, Mrs. Avery, would keep an eye on our house and water the plants. My mom had everything covered.

We were all three excited. My parents would get to travel through Asia, and I would get to go away to New Mexico for the summer. I couldn’t wait to lie under the stars at night, roasting hot dogs over an open fire, hike the trails all day, and meet new friends. I barely asked any questions, I was so ecstatic. My mom rambled on about what I should pack, but I didn’t pay much attention. I just wanted summer to hurry up and start already.

Finally school ended, officiating the start of summer. My parents’ flight was the day after I left for camp. I hugged them both at the airport and then boarded my plane for New Mexico.

Next Chapter: Three