There Can Be Only One (#6)

The young man was surprised at how quickly it had become so automatic to turn the stream of ice cream into a neatly twirled work of art. His cones were the best if he thought so himself.

Phil and Daryl were now the two workers designated in charge of the snack stand at this campground where the inhabitants attended Bible camp for a good chunk of the summer.

He had gotten this job because of his interest in a girl. Her name was Andrea, and as Phil had worked to strengthen his friendship with her, she had tested him. Of course, she didn’t tell him it was a test, but that’s what he figured it was when she invited him to go to her church.

He had accepted the invitation with the idea that he would ride with her family to church. He had hoped this would be the chance to know her better, but she arranged for a slick-haired guy in cowboy boots to pick him up. He turned out to be the Sunday School teacher for the high school kids at the church. His name was Jack Turner, a well-meaning man who tried too hard to be Phil’s friend. That was how Phil saw it.

When he had been laid off from his job at the gas station, Jack Turner had gotten him this job at the campgrounds for the summer.

It wasn’t too bad a deal to be housed in a large storeroom with ten other male workers, take a place in the serving line at mealtimes, and then work for a couple hours in the snack stand after each chapel service. Break times were scattered throughout his day.

On the weekends, when there were no planned activities, almost everyone went home. Since Phil didn’t have a car, he was left to fill a lonely couple of days on the campgrounds as best as he could.

During one of these lonely weekends, he picked up a roommate’s guitar and found he remembered how to play. This brought back faint memories of playing guitar with a friend, but he couldn’t recall his name. As a result, the following Friday, he talked a co-worker into taking him into the nearest music store to purchase a guitar of his own.

The next week was for families to attend camp together. This was a little less regimented for the campers, but there were also plenty of activities. This required Phil to man the snack shop a little more often with Daryl. The following weekend would be a working weekend as well.

At the moment, the camp director had temporarily put Daryl on another job leaving Phil in the stand by himself. There were no customers at the moment and everything was stocked up and all he could do was wait for business.

Finally, a girl with large expressive eyes came up to the window. Phil smiled and asked for her order.

“I’m bored,” she said. “Just talk to me.”

Phil looked into her face and saw that she did have a bored expression. If he was right, she really didn’t want to be at camp at all.

He found out her name was Debbie and she lived in a suburb of Detroit. She and her parents hadn’t come to camp very often so she didn’t know anyone her own age here. The only reason they were here this year in her opinion was her father had just bought a camper trailer, and this was their first chance to try it out.

Later, when Phil was on a break, he went found her walking by the lake, and sat with her on the end of the dock. He thought she was pretty. She was pale-skinned and had mouse-brown hair. Though Phil had to work at it, when he made her smile, it was well worth the effort, because she lit up and became even prettier in his eyes.

Maybe this was his chance to have someone in his life to give it more meaning. He began to hope his relationship with her would ease the loneliness that never seemed to leave him alone for long. He had left an almost forgotten life at the bottom of a lake in Illinois. Being with her made him feel less like a ghost. He craved to spend more time with her.

Phil was very pleased when she agreed to meet him when he was done working that evening.