Page 49 of Capture the Moment
Waiting for Coop, he tipped his head toward a bench. She took that as a bona fide invitation. She had to remember this moment. Someday she would tell their children about their firstdate. “You know what I love most about being here? The fresh air.” She took in a deep breath. “I haven’t had to use my inhaler once.” She lifted up her leg to reveal a lump in her sock, where she kept her inhaler in case of an asthma attack.
He glanced at her sock.
“Fun fact. String Lake got its name because it looks like a string.”
He shrugged, likebig deal.
Okay. She had more. “Another fun fact. Jenny Lake is named after the Shoshone woman who married Beaver Dick.”
“Who?”
“I told you about him. You know, String Lake? Beaver Dick was an Englishman named Richard Leigh. He was a guide and a settler and a trapper. That’s how Leigh Lake got its name.”
Frankie didn’t respond, but she could tell he was interested. Sort of.
“So Beaver Dick and Jenny had this super happy marriage and a bunch of kids, and they were really popular. Everyone talked about their generosity and hospitality and kindness.”
“Why do I get the feeling there’s going to be a terrible end to this story?”
“Because you’reright. They invited this sick guy into their home and he got everyone sick, including Jenny. Not Dick. They all died, one by one. Not Dick, but everyone else.”
He looked at her, astounded. “That is incredibly tragic.”
“I know!”
“Where do you learn this stuff?”
“I read a lot. There was a kid in my math club who gave me a book about Jenny. And Pops tells me a lot.”
He grinned. “By Pops, you mean”—he made his voice deep and authoritative—“Ranger Tim Rivers?”
“Yes. He knows everything about the park. About all of the parks.” She looked at him with sincerity. “I hope you realizehow lucky you are to have both Coop and Pops looking out for you this summer. They’re wonderful men. True heroes.”
For a brief moment, Frankie’s face lost his bravado. Then back it came. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Speaking of, here comes the warden.” Coop was heading toward his truck and motioned to Frankie to come join him. “I’d better go.” Frankie gave her a high five. “Thanks for the janitor help.”
Maisie could’ve hugged him. Their first date! And it was a great success.
He stood up and took a step, then turned to her. “How old are you again?”
“Almost fourteen.”
“So let me get this straight. You keep an inhaler stuck in your sock. You’ve got a mouth full of metal. And you’re in math club.”
She nodded, delighted he had been listening to her.
“When you get to high school, if you want to keep your cool on, you might want to space out nerdy things.” He sauntered off to Coop’s truck.
And just like that, Maisie’s happy feelings popped like soap bubbles.
She heard a text come in from her phone and pulled it out of her backpack to read.
Mom
How’s everything going?
All good! How ’bout you?
Not so well. This spiritual retreat isn’t what I expected.
