That Summer
Orientation
My night with Jackson was much-needed. We spent most of the time catching up with our lips, but we did talk a little while we watched the sun retreat behind the horizon until it had disappeared completely.
Lizzy and Cala hadn't waited up for me, but I knew from my talk with Krista that Wranglers and Guest Services had early mornings; at least, earlier than mine.
I had gotten up at 7:00 am successfully, and made it on time to breakfast after Lizzy and Cala had burst into the room at 7:30 and led me to the Lodge. It was actually a bit of a miracle that I made it on time, especially since I was renowned for owning those phones whose alarms crapped out when you needed them most. When we got to the lodge, Lizzy had to go back to the kitchen and get her apron so she could start taking orders and bringing out the meals. But Cala and I sat down at a table filled with all my new co-workers right as the bell rang to announce employee breakfast. It was a little awkward since I can be shy in front of new people, but I felt better sitting next to Cala, and the rest of them put me at ease quickly by introducing themselves.
I met so many people that my head was spinning by the time Krista picked me up in her old truck.
The crew seemed to be pretty great with the exception of one or two, but that's to be expected, I guess. In order to remember them, I had to categorize them according to their jobs. I'd met Ryan, Hugh, Patrick, and Austin who were kitchen staff. Ryan was a red-head from New Mexico, and a total frat boy. Hugh was also a red head, but her was a little taller and bigger than Ryan, and he was from California. They were already calling themselves the Ginger Twins.
Patrick was the oldest crew member. He was from a place in Indiana which was ironically near my home town. He was in his forties at least, but he seemed like a really nice guy. Apparently he was newly divorced and on an adventure. Then there was Austin, he was short and brunette, looked a little like John Mayer, and was from Texas. He had a fortunate southern accent and said charming things like, “Would you pass the butter, ma’am?”
Then came the wranglers: Trista, Stephanie, Cala (of course), Michelle (my other Wrangler roommate), Spencer, and Laurel. Trista was a blue-eyed blonde from Colorado. Her last name was Bird, and she went by “Birdie” instead of Trista. She was friends with Stephanie who was a snobby brunette from Michigan. She showed me which city she was from (Grand Rapids) by using the “hand map” that all Michigan-goers used. They were both back from last summer, so they were the only ones who already knew each other. Laurel was really short, with blue eyes and super long black hair which she wore tied up in a red bandana. She was also from California and I got the distinctive feeling that she was a hippie.
Michelle, my roommate, was from Montana. She had blonde hair and brown eyes, was a little on the heavy side, and could apparently shoot a gun in a way that would shame any man. Lastly in the Wrangler group was Spencer. He was from Ohio and as blonde and blue eyed as a German. He was extremely sarcastic and funny, and I could already tell we were going to be friends.
Next, there was Michael who was the Naturalist. He led hikes and gave presentations on animals and birds native to the area. He was from Virginia originally, but he attended the University of Wyoming and lived nearby during the winter. This was his 4th year on the ranch, and I noted that he seemed really close to Krista and the boys by the way he talked. Also, he was ridiculously tall. He to be at least 6'6" and skinny as a bean pole.
After Michael was Lauren, she was a tall, slender blonde who also from Indiana. Lauren was the Children’s Counselor, which meant that she took care of the guest’s children while they were busy hiking or riding. She also took care of the lawn and flowers in front of the lodge. Lauren was recently engaged, and a graduate of IUPUI in Indianapolis.
Last, but not least came the Guest Services Crew. There were Lizzy and Esther, my roommates, and two others, Alyssa and Kira. Alyssa was a short curvy blonde from Utah; she wore glasses, and came off a little on the shy side. I liked her. Esther, I discovered, was a Lakota Indian from a reservation in Illinois. She had dark golden skin, and wide-set eyes. Lizzy, I had met last night, and finally there was Kira, a short brunette from New York City.
There were sixteen of us in all, and with the exception of Stephanie, all of them seemed really friendly.
Like I said, my head was spinning. Krista seemed to notice my preoccupation when she picked me up.
"You just met all the crew, didn't you?" She laughed at my expression as I climbed into her truck.
"I did. There are a lot of them, but they seem really nice."
"They are a good group. You'll catch on pretty quick." Then, wasting no time, she moved onto her true purpose in picking me up.
"Orientation." She said it as a sentence. "Are you ready?"
"I sure am! Hit me again!" I said, and she laughed with me.
"Well, there's not as much to it as you'd think. Basically, we have 6 rooms in the lodge that guests occupy, and 6 cabins behind the lodge in the willows that they can also occupy. Altogether our ranch can host 32 guests. We have a herd of 74 horses, many of which you'll be able to recognize by name by the end of the summer. We have 5 crew cabins and one crew lounge for you guys to hang out in during your free time. You're also free to do whatever else you can find to do in your free time, including swimming, hiking, fishing, etc. – Basically whatever the guests do, although, because of legal reasons horseback riding is limited to our scheduled rides during the day. I presume all of the crew told you their positions on the ranch?”
I nodded.
She took a breath as we were pulling around the corner of the dirt road and pointed at a large cabin-style home, "That's my house! The boys and my husband Bill will be home this afternoon after school."
I tried not to tune her out, I knew I needed to know this stuff, but the scenery was so pretty that I had to refocus on what she was saying to catch it all.
"We're going to go in the house and we'll go over the daily routine for you and the boys, and then I'll show you what needs cleaned before they get home today."
* * *
The day went without a hitch. I cleaned that house top to bottom, eating lunch with the crew during a break, and got the house was sparkling by the time the boys arrived. They were cute. Chris had long brown hair that hung over his hazel eyes in a typical teenage fashion; but he shook it out of the way and grinned at me when Krista introduced him. Alex had spiky blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Bill seemed nice enough, although a little aloof. He was definitely not as bubbly as Krista, and he snuck off to his office after an awkward introduction. The boys hung out with me until dinner time.
Dinner was easier than breakfast and lunch had been, and I was learning names and faces quicker than I'd anticipated. I'd already made fast friends with Spencer, like I'd thought. Lauren and Esther hadn't been far behind, and Hugh and Michael had also jumped into our conversations. By the end of dinner time, we had all agreed to go camping together some night this summer.
It was a long day, and I was dead tired by the time nightfall hit. It was only 9:30 when my head hit the pillow, but a knock came at the door minutes after I'd laid down, and Cala bounded off the futon and away from her book when it sounded. Her smile told me she thought it was Michael, (I'd sensed a crush at her nervous giggles when he spoke to her at dinner) and my suspicions were confirmed when her face fell ever-so-slightly at Jackson standing at the door. I shot up out of bed when I realized it was him, my sleepiness forgotten for the moment. Cala recovered her good manners and welcomed Jackson, waving him inside.
"Hey Jackson! Good to see you again. Your woman was about asleep, but I think she'll wake up for you." She winked at me as she said it, and Jackson smiled softly.
"I thought we could hang for a while, if you're not too tired honey. Do you girls was to join us? Maybe a movie? Do you guys have a lounge?"
Before 5 minutes had passed, we had decided to go over to the crew lounge and watch a movie together, and I encouraged Cala to ask Michael to join us, Lizzy decided to ask Hugh, and before we knew it, nearly all of the crew had crowded into the lounge in front of Scream 1.
I snuggled into Jackson's arms and watched the opening credits roll.
A hush fell over the room during the first murder scene, but after that small conversations broke out among the crew. In between important scenes I could hear Cala flirting quietly with Michael, Lizzy laughing at Hugh's jokes, and Esther giggling at Ryan's frat boy stories.
About halfway through the movie Spencer popped his head in the door and asked to join us. Jackson made room on the couch and Spencer captured his attention with details about his new trap-shooting hobby. My eyes drifted shut to the hum of voices that were so out of turn with the screams emanating from the TV. Jackson's lips pressed to my forehead reassuringly and I heard Lizzy crack a Minnesota joke. This was going to be a summer to remember.
Lizzy and Cala hadn't waited up for me, but I knew from my talk with Krista that Wranglers and Guest Services had early mornings; at least, earlier than mine.
I had gotten up at 7:00 am successfully, and made it on time to breakfast after Lizzy and Cala had burst into the room at 7:30 and led me to the Lodge. It was actually a bit of a miracle that I made it on time, especially since I was renowned for owning those phones whose alarms crapped out when you needed them most. When we got to the lodge, Lizzy had to go back to the kitchen and get her apron so she could start taking orders and bringing out the meals. But Cala and I sat down at a table filled with all my new co-workers right as the bell rang to announce employee breakfast. It was a little awkward since I can be shy in front of new people, but I felt better sitting next to Cala, and the rest of them put me at ease quickly by introducing themselves.
I met so many people that my head was spinning by the time Krista picked me up in her old truck.
The crew seemed to be pretty great with the exception of one or two, but that's to be expected, I guess. In order to remember them, I had to categorize them according to their jobs. I'd met Ryan, Hugh, Patrick, and Austin who were kitchen staff. Ryan was a red-head from New Mexico, and a total frat boy. Hugh was also a red head, but her was a little taller and bigger than Ryan, and he was from California. They were already calling themselves the Ginger Twins.
Patrick was the oldest crew member. He was from a place in Indiana which was ironically near my home town. He was in his forties at least, but he seemed like a really nice guy. Apparently he was newly divorced and on an adventure. Then there was Austin, he was short and brunette, looked a little like John Mayer, and was from Texas. He had a fortunate southern accent and said charming things like, “Would you pass the butter, ma’am?”
Then came the wranglers: Trista, Stephanie, Cala (of course), Michelle (my other Wrangler roommate), Spencer, and Laurel. Trista was a blue-eyed blonde from Colorado. Her last name was Bird, and she went by “Birdie” instead of Trista. She was friends with Stephanie who was a snobby brunette from Michigan. She showed me which city she was from (Grand Rapids) by using the “hand map” that all Michigan-goers used. They were both back from last summer, so they were the only ones who already knew each other. Laurel was really short, with blue eyes and super long black hair which she wore tied up in a red bandana. She was also from California and I got the distinctive feeling that she was a hippie.
Michelle, my roommate, was from Montana. She had blonde hair and brown eyes, was a little on the heavy side, and could apparently shoot a gun in a way that would shame any man. Lastly in the Wrangler group was Spencer. He was from Ohio and as blonde and blue eyed as a German. He was extremely sarcastic and funny, and I could already tell we were going to be friends.
Next, there was Michael who was the Naturalist. He led hikes and gave presentations on animals and birds native to the area. He was from Virginia originally, but he attended the University of Wyoming and lived nearby during the winter. This was his 4th year on the ranch, and I noted that he seemed really close to Krista and the boys by the way he talked. Also, he was ridiculously tall. He to be at least 6'6" and skinny as a bean pole.
After Michael was Lauren, she was a tall, slender blonde who also from Indiana. Lauren was the Children’s Counselor, which meant that she took care of the guest’s children while they were busy hiking or riding. She also took care of the lawn and flowers in front of the lodge. Lauren was recently engaged, and a graduate of IUPUI in Indianapolis.
Last, but not least came the Guest Services Crew. There were Lizzy and Esther, my roommates, and two others, Alyssa and Kira. Alyssa was a short curvy blonde from Utah; she wore glasses, and came off a little on the shy side. I liked her. Esther, I discovered, was a Lakota Indian from a reservation in Illinois. She had dark golden skin, and wide-set eyes. Lizzy, I had met last night, and finally there was Kira, a short brunette from New York City.
There were sixteen of us in all, and with the exception of Stephanie, all of them seemed really friendly.
Like I said, my head was spinning. Krista seemed to notice my preoccupation when she picked me up.
"You just met all the crew, didn't you?" She laughed at my expression as I climbed into her truck.
"I did. There are a lot of them, but they seem really nice."
"They are a good group. You'll catch on pretty quick." Then, wasting no time, she moved onto her true purpose in picking me up.
"Orientation." She said it as a sentence. "Are you ready?"
"I sure am! Hit me again!" I said, and she laughed with me.
"Well, there's not as much to it as you'd think. Basically, we have 6 rooms in the lodge that guests occupy, and 6 cabins behind the lodge in the willows that they can also occupy. Altogether our ranch can host 32 guests. We have a herd of 74 horses, many of which you'll be able to recognize by name by the end of the summer. We have 5 crew cabins and one crew lounge for you guys to hang out in during your free time. You're also free to do whatever else you can find to do in your free time, including swimming, hiking, fishing, etc. – Basically whatever the guests do, although, because of legal reasons horseback riding is limited to our scheduled rides during the day. I presume all of the crew told you their positions on the ranch?”
I nodded.
She took a breath as we were pulling around the corner of the dirt road and pointed at a large cabin-style home, "That's my house! The boys and my husband Bill will be home this afternoon after school."
I tried not to tune her out, I knew I needed to know this stuff, but the scenery was so pretty that I had to refocus on what she was saying to catch it all.
"We're going to go in the house and we'll go over the daily routine for you and the boys, and then I'll show you what needs cleaned before they get home today."
* * *
The day went without a hitch. I cleaned that house top to bottom, eating lunch with the crew during a break, and got the house was sparkling by the time the boys arrived. They were cute. Chris had long brown hair that hung over his hazel eyes in a typical teenage fashion; but he shook it out of the way and grinned at me when Krista introduced him. Alex had spiky blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Bill seemed nice enough, although a little aloof. He was definitely not as bubbly as Krista, and he snuck off to his office after an awkward introduction. The boys hung out with me until dinner time.
Dinner was easier than breakfast and lunch had been, and I was learning names and faces quicker than I'd anticipated. I'd already made fast friends with Spencer, like I'd thought. Lauren and Esther hadn't been far behind, and Hugh and Michael had also jumped into our conversations. By the end of dinner time, we had all agreed to go camping together some night this summer.
It was a long day, and I was dead tired by the time nightfall hit. It was only 9:30 when my head hit the pillow, but a knock came at the door minutes after I'd laid down, and Cala bounded off the futon and away from her book when it sounded. Her smile told me she thought it was Michael, (I'd sensed a crush at her nervous giggles when he spoke to her at dinner) and my suspicions were confirmed when her face fell ever-so-slightly at Jackson standing at the door. I shot up out of bed when I realized it was him, my sleepiness forgotten for the moment. Cala recovered her good manners and welcomed Jackson, waving him inside.
"Hey Jackson! Good to see you again. Your woman was about asleep, but I think she'll wake up for you." She winked at me as she said it, and Jackson smiled softly.
"I thought we could hang for a while, if you're not too tired honey. Do you girls was to join us? Maybe a movie? Do you guys have a lounge?"
Before 5 minutes had passed, we had decided to go over to the crew lounge and watch a movie together, and I encouraged Cala to ask Michael to join us, Lizzy decided to ask Hugh, and before we knew it, nearly all of the crew had crowded into the lounge in front of Scream 1.
I snuggled into Jackson's arms and watched the opening credits roll.
A hush fell over the room during the first murder scene, but after that small conversations broke out among the crew. In between important scenes I could hear Cala flirting quietly with Michael, Lizzy laughing at Hugh's jokes, and Esther giggling at Ryan's frat boy stories.
About halfway through the movie Spencer popped his head in the door and asked to join us. Jackson made room on the couch and Spencer captured his attention with details about his new trap-shooting hobby. My eyes drifted shut to the hum of voices that were so out of turn with the screams emanating from the TV. Jackson's lips pressed to my forehead reassuringly and I heard Lizzy crack a Minnesota joke. This was going to be a summer to remember.