She made her way down the aisle, asking if they were comfortable, maybe needed a pillow or a drink, the words rolling off her tongue in familiar cadence. Her passengers were some of the quietest she had served in years. Eyes scanning the rows, she saw closed lids and vacant looks, certainly not what she expected, given the destination. A small hand raised, fingertips barely visible over the tall seat backs, a tiny voice asking, “Are we there yet?” “No dear. But soon, we’ll be there soon, just in time for lunch. Can I get you something?” Eyes in dark, sunken circles blinked as the smooth head carefully signaled no. She wondered just what had made her volunteer for this trip. It was not her usual crew of A-list passengers winging south to sun-drenched islands. But then that was over and she’d best get used to it, as air routes were being cut by the dozens, and given her advancing years she was not likely to be called back into service. Wondering was just a way of hiding the old pain; she knew of course why she had offered. The twins had been on a similar school bus many years ago, headed for the same destination. She knew that when these kids today saw the sparkling waters of Keuka Lake, through the trees as they were wheeled, carried or walked on their own to specially outfitted cabins, they would be transformed. She knew the dullest eyes would begin to light up and long forgotten smiles would tug at the corners of mouths, and by the end of the week, they would feel that kid-tired feeling of having fun, not just the mind-numbing-tired of pain and treatments. They were going to a real summer camp with other kids, just like them, who were walking in similar shoes. These kids, more sensitive than many, also knew that this camp program would not cost their financially strapped families a single dime. They were definitely winners, as shown by the Double Ace name cards proudly hung around their necks. “Look! We’re here, Camp Happy Days” Bodies squirmed for a better view, eyes widened and the chatter began. Note: I had no idea when I began, where this story was going. Somewhere on the bus, this vignette stirred a long ago memory. The circumstances and people in the story, , are completely fictional. But there is a real happy camp called Camp Good Days and Special Times on Keuka Lake in Western New York State. It was founded by Gary Mervis in honor of his daughter Teddi, who was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in 1979. It is a gift for children and families touched by cancer, AIDS and other tragedies, to experience a brief stint of normal, at no cost, in a beautiful lake setting, for a too-short week during the summer. | by Rose Ann Penney |