The Camp Of The Willows - Chapter 2
by Barbara Lynn Terry

(Author's note: I call this story The Camp Of The Willows, because I was fortunate enough to have gone there. This is not the real name of the camp. The camp is no longer there and it has been reforested. But while it was there, I had a lot of fun and learned quite a lot about who I am. ~Barbara~)

When I walked in the door, Sharon was sitting on the sofa talking on the phone. I heard her say, "all right, Miss Loretta". She saw me and hung up the phone.

"I thought you were going to come to the 'Tower' and join us."

"I was, then I got this phone call from Miss Loretta who owns the Camp of the Willows, and we had a nice talk. We actually talked about you, and I told her about the pranks you like to play. So dear sister, she is forewarned."

"Sis, if I tell you something, just between us, will you keep it a secret?"

"Yes. What you tell me, nobody needs to know."

"Even mom and dad?"

"Even mom and dad."

"Where are they?"

"Daddy is still at work, and mom went to store to get a few things for dinner. What is it you want to tell me?"

"When mom and daddy were telling me the rules I have to obey and that I have to go to this camp with you, I was only protesting for their benefit. See, sis, I don't want to be your sister just for the summer, I want to be your sister forever."

She looked at me to see if this was one of my panks. When she was satisfied that it wasn't because of my voice and sad face, she told me to continue. Sharon hugged Rachel in a tight sisterly hug. Rachel then broke down crying.

"Sis," Rachel said through her tears, "it isn't fair that I was born like this. I'm not really a man type boy, I'm more like a girl type girl."

Rachel was really crying and the tears from her eyes were dripping on Sharon's shoulder. Sharon held Rachel's head to look in her eyes, and saw the red and puffiness you get from crying too hard and a lot. It was then that their mother came back from shopping. She looked at Sharon as if to ask what was going on, and Sharon just shrugged and held her new found sister.

Their mother took the groceries in the kitchen and put them away. Then she want back in the living room and sat on the other side of Rachel.

"Rachel, what is wrong? Did something happen at the White Tower?"

"N..no...moth...er. It hap..pened here...here."

"Well, I will tell you what. Your father will be a little late tonight. One of the turbines broke down at the plant, and he has to be there until it is fixed. Why don't we all go in the kitchen, and have a nice glass of very sour lemonade, and talk about what is bothering you."

"All...All ri...right."

Cameron (Cammie) Davies was thirty six years old, had nice light brown hair with sparkling highlights. Her disarming demeanor and genuine smile was what made her a lot of friends. Not only because she wasn't snoopy, but she listened well to others, including her own children. When she told Rachel that morning to put on clothes that normally a girl would wear, he was secretly saying yes, while lightly protesting out loud.

They went in the kitchen and Sharon got out the lemonade, while their mother got three glasses. After the lemonade was poured, Cameron Davies asked Rachel what was the matter.

"Mom, I...I'm not...ever...going to wear my...my old...old clothes...again. I have this...this...inner...feel...ing that I... I should have been born a...a girl. I...I talked to my...my friends at the White Tower about this. But not letting on...that my body is male. Mom, did you ever have such a turning point in your life, where you knew the past was gone, and it was the first day of the rest of your life?"

"Yes, dear, I have."

"That is what I had today. When you told me this morning to take a bubble bath, and put these clothes on, I was verbally protesting, but inside I was jumping with joy. I am now a girl with my parents approval, even though my parents think it is a punishment.

"Mom, I know I have a lot to learn, and maybe by the end of camp, I will know what I need to know about being a girl. Will you love me as your youngest daughter forever, instead of the son I really can never be?"

Cameron Davies hugged Rachel in a tight motherly hug.

"Of course I can, sweetie. You just do your poor old mother a favor. You be the best girl you can."

"What will daddy say, when he finds out. He's liable to hit the roof and start yell...ing."

"I promise I won't yell, punkin," Richard Davies said, as he came in the kitchen.

Rachel ran to him and hugged him. Richard Davies looked in to Rachel's eyes.

"Punkin, you be whomever it is you want or need to be. You know, sweetie, it is every man's dream to be surrounded by beautiful women, and I have three of the prettiest women right here. But, I have one question. How do the other kids see you?"

"When they saw me at White Tower, Marie, she's the waitress and cook, told me it was about time I shed my tomboy image. Everybody said something like that, too. Louise Stark asked me if I am a girl and my name is Rachel, then why were my teachers calling me Roger. I said I didn't know but I bet it would be taken care of by the start of next semester."

"Well, your mother and I will see what can be done. Now, one more question. Is this what you really want?"

"Yes, daddy, it is. Today is the first day of the rest of my girly life." Richard hugged Rachel again, promising her that her name mixup would be taken care of.

"Sweetie, I will make an appointment with my doctor. If you are going to be a girl, you may as well get used to going to an OB/GYN. I will call tomorrow. You need a physical for camp anyway. So, you sir Richard, can head off to the wonderous land of the living room, while Rachel, Sharon and their mother get out all the things for dinner."

Tonight was burgers, cheese, french fries (baked), and lemonade made from the sourest lemons they could find. Cameron Davies never bought the cheese slices because she never considered it real cheese. She bought the brick of sharp cheddar, and sliced it with a wire cheese slicer. Sharon sliced the cheese, while Rachel buttered the buns and placed them on their electric grill to get nice and brown. Rachel then went in the living to ask her dad a question.

"Daddy, how many burgers are you going to want?"

"I think two will do it."

"Thank you, daddy."

She went back in the kitchen, and told her mother, who put five quarter pound burgers in the huge fry pan. Sharon sliced five slices from the brick of sharp cheddar and placed them on a saucer and set the saucer down on the stand next to the stove. Rachel heated up five hamburger buns, and set them on a platter. Her mother will place the cheeseburgers on the buns and let everybody make theirs the way they wanted. With the fries done at the same time as the last burger was, Cameron Davies called dinner, and set the lettuce, tomato, onion and Miracle Whip on the table.

Since dinner was just your basic cookout inside, they talked of camp.

"Rachel, you will love being there. Betty will be your cabin counselor, and I will be working with her. Betty's sister's name is Mary, and they divide the cabins between them. Miss Loretta helps out now and then, but she is busy with the administration of the camp. Now listen, sis, this is very important. There is a crafts contest every summer. The girl who does the best craft gets a free trip to camp the next year.

"When we get to the camp, I want to show you the rock garden that was made by one of the girls, several years ago. She got the whole camp to help her find rocks for the rock garden. They not only found the best rocks, but everybody had a hand in placing the rocks on the board and gluing them on. This rock garden not only got the girl who thought of the idea a free trip to camp the next summer, but the whole camp got to come for free too, because they helped make the best craft there was.

"See, sis, this camp doesn't care if you have a male body, as long as you act like the girl you are supposed to be. I don't know who the other girls in the cabin will be, but we have to ask them if they will be embarrassed having you in the same cabin with them. Some girls don't like male intrusion, even if you are going to be a girl for the rest of your life. If you had your surgery to make you female, then they wouldn't care. But they object to that gross thing that shouldn't be there."

"I understand. I will be the best girl I know how to be."

"Great."

"So, Rachel, dear, we need to go shopping again. I forgot that you will need good hiking boots. When I went to camp, we hiked through the woods, and we had to be careful, because the sides of the path were covered with poison ivy. So, I will get you a decent pair of hiking boots for those hikes, I know you are going to take."

"Actually, mother, they aren't hikes as such, but nature lessons. We learn about the difference between a mushroom and a toadstool. We learned the differences between poison oak, poison ivy and poison sumac. We learned the different kinds of birds that are always around the camp. If we're lucky, Rachel, we will actually get to see a hummingbird. They are little birds, and you can barely see their wings flapping. They go from flower to flower drinking the nectar.

"You're going to love this camp. They also have swimming lessons, too, and you need a gaff for your swimsuit. That way nothing embarrassing shows.

"Mom did you get her any camp clothes, yet?"

"No, not yet. I know she will need at least one party dress for the end of camp party. She will need shorts, and light tops, so she is cool when out of the cabin. It is funny, though. We called our cabins tents when I went to camp. She will need stockings for the party dress, light knee high socks and maybe a few pairs of shoes."

"Mom, they provide a uniform for the campers. that is shorts, and a light tee shirt. Both the shorts and the tee have the camp logo on them."

"Okay, I only need to pay for the camp uniform then as far as the shorts and light shirt goes. She still needs the rest though. Tomorrow we will go shopping. Sharon do you want to come along?"

"Yes, mom. I think Rachel is going to need at the support she can get."

"Yes, Rachel, we are here for you. Your father knows he has us to take care of him."

"Wait a minute!" Richard Davies exclaimed. "I thought I was the one taking care of you three."

"You are, dear, you are," Cammie Davies winked at her two daughters. Richard Davies didn't see the wink, so as Rachel said, he was clueless.

"Well, are we done?"

"Yes, mom," both girls said, in unison.

"Yes, dear," Richard Davies added. "For once I am full."

"Are you sick, Richard? Would you like me to call the doctor?"

"Oh! Funny, really funny. You outdid yourself, I could hardly taste any grease."

"That's because we boil the fat out of the burgers before we fry them. Just like mostly all the grease is gone when you cook them on the grill."

"I see. How do you boil hambrugers?"

"You places the raw burgers in boiling water, and let them cook until the fat comes to the top. You scrape away the excess fat, and fry them in a fry pan using nonfat cooking spray."

"Well, I will leave all the kitchen work to you ladies, since you know what you're doing."

"Honey, tomorrow Sharon and I are taking Rachel shopping for camp clothes. I'm going to need your credit card."

"Just don't buy the store out." The girls all giggled.

"I promise I will leave a few items for someone else." There were more giggles.

"I will leave it on the counter when I leave for work. You also need to get her school clothes, too."

"We will do that when she comes back from camp. She may lose a few pounds while she is at camp."

"That is true, dear. How long will you be at the mall?"

"Well, I was thinking of making a day of it and just taking our time. You can meet us at the food entrance, and we can go to a restaurant to eat. We have to stop at a theatrical store, too, and get Rachel about seven or eight gaffes. She is going to need gaffes for her swim suits, her jeans, her shorts, and her panties, when the girls are just relaxing in the cabin."

"Wait! He's going to be around naked girls at this camp?!"

"SHE is going to be around other girls in different stages of dress or undress and, yes, some of them may be nude. Is this a problem for you, dear?"

"I'm sorry, that just kind of got me off guard. I'm sorry, Rachel."

"That's alright, dad. Maybe there is a women's camp you can go to, so you can learn what it is all about."

"Uhm, no, that's fine. You just go and enjoy yourself.

"Are you sure, dad? I wouldn't want you to think I had an ulterior motive for wanting to go."

"Ulterior? Isn't that a big word for you?"

"Dad, please, I'm going on thirteen. How old do I have to be to know how to read a dictionary and know the meanings of the words?"

"You're right, I'm sorry."

"Dear, before you finally realize you lost this argument a long time ago, why don't go in your den. I'm sure you can't get in to any trouble in there."

"I suppose you're right, Cammie." He got up and gave Cammie and the girls hugs and left for his den.