Bonnie

Once the dish-washing machine was fixed and loaded with dishes, there wasn’t much left for Bonnie to do in the kitchen. She helped with putting the food from lunch away and sweeping the floors before she left. Chef had her promise to stop in and say hello on a regular basis, but then promptly shooed her out of the kitchen to go explore the camp.

Chef had mentioned multiple times how nice the camp pool was after a hard day’s work. Now that her background check had cleared, Bonnie felt like she could go to the pool and not be afraid of interacting with the campers. Up until today, she didn’t want to go where she wasn’t allowed, but with the job offer, the camp opened up to her.

She put on her favorite one-piece swimsuit, a pair of sweatpants, and a light jacket and began to wander the ranch looking for the famed pool.

She found the barn where Laura was teaching some of the older kids how to groom horses. She waved, but since she wasn’t dressed for working with animals, continued on her way. She promised herself that she would convince Laura to give her riding lessons one of these days, though. It was too good an opportunity to pass up.

She found the ropes course, a fire pit, a badminton court, a horseshoe pit, and several other outdoor games, but no swimming pool. It was a great camp for the foster kids to gain life skills and have an amazing week where they were special. The more she walked around the camp, the more she shared in Mia’s vision to make this place a sanctuary for kids who didn’t have families.

Mia’s statement the night they met about this being a place to help people, really sunk in. This was a place for hope. This was a place for dreams and love.

She was about to give up and ask for directions when she finally saw it on the far edge of the property.

It was a beautiful pool. There were two lap lanes on the far edge, but the main pool area looked like something out of a travel magazine. The clear blue water had a beach entrance and a small slide shaped like an octopus. A larger yellow slide dropped into the deep end. There was also a hot tub nestled off to the side that bubbled and beckoned her to come and relax.

Two boys jumped into the deep end with a splash. They looked to be around five to six, and both shrieked with delight as they flew through the air and into the water. Elena laughed as the two of them came to the surface and asked her which splash was bigger.

Elena raised a friendly hand in greeting as Bonnie approached. She was busy watching the two boys, so Bonnie didn’t want to bother her. Besides, she was more interested in scoping out the pool for a sensory activity. The gentle slope of the beach entrance was perfect for kids afraid of the water. She wondered if they had some pool noodles as well. Pool noodles would be perfect for what she had in mind.

She set her towel on a chair by the edge of the water and walked over to the pool shed. It was just a small building off to the side of the pool that she figured housed the pool supplies. If there were pool noodles, they would be inside.

She pulled open the heavy wooden door and looked around. The inside was neatly organized with pool cleaning equipment on one side and toys on the other. There were some arm floaties hanging on the wall, a couple of deflated beach balls, and about half a dozen pool noodles.

Bonnie grinned. There was so much she could do with this. Her brain buzzed with sensory activities that would help the camp kids feel comfortable in the water and learn to swim. She loved working with water because most kids ended up loving it.

That’s when she heard the sniffle.

It was small, but it made all thoughts of pool noodles and activities vanish. She looked around, closing the door and searching for whoever was crying.

Behind the pool shed, sitting on a smooth gray stone was a little boy. He was small and thin with shaggy blonde hair and big brown eyes. As soon as he saw her, he wrapped his arms around himself and shrunk down. His swim trunks were sun-bleached and worn, but the turtles decorating them were still visible. His dark blue sweatshirt was a size too big.

“Hi,” she said, taking a step forward and then crouching down, so she was at his height. He looked up at her and then quickly back down at the ground. He wiped his nose with the back of his hand.

“My name’s Bonnie. I’m new here.” Bonnie gave him a small wave. “What’s your name?”

“Tyson,” the boy replied, still looking at the ground. “T-Y-S-O-N.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Tyson. You must be, what? Eight years old?” She purposefully guessed high. The boy couldn’t be more than five or six, but kids always seemed to like that they looked older.

He smiled a little. “I’m five. My birthday is next month, and I’ll be six then.”

“Well then, happy early birthday, Tyson,” Bonnie told him.

The boy risked a quick glance up at her before returning his gaze to study the rocks in front of him. He had the longest eyelashes.

Bonnie wasn’t sure exactly what question to ask. Many of the kids at this camp were in the foster system, and all of them had a different story. Instead of simply asking “What’s wrong?”, she decided to go with a gentler question.

“Are you going swimming, Tyson?” Bonnie asked, keeping a friendly smile. “I was going to get in the water, but I’d love to have someone to play with. Would you like to join me?”

The little boy’s brow scrunched as he thought about it. He swallowed hard and kept looking down, never meeting her eyes.

“I don’t know how to swim,” he said quietly. “The other kids just want to jump in.”

“Oh, that’s okay,” Bonnie replied. “I was just going to go in the shallow end anyway.”

Tyson fiddled with the string of his hoodie. He looked over at the pool, his eyes focusing on the pretty blue water and then filling with tears he tried to blink away. He obviously wanted to swim but was afraid of something.

“Would you like me to teach you how to swim?” Bonnie asked. “I used to give lessons, and now I teach kindergarten. I can give you my resume if you want.”

Two brown eyes flickered up to look at her for a split second. They were the biggest, most beautiful eyes Bonnie had ever seen on a child. The sadness in them broke her heart, and all she wanted to do was scoop up the boy and hug him until his eyes sparkled with joy rather than tears.

“Are you going to make me go underwater?” Tyson asked. His voice was uncertain. “I don’t like the way it feels on my ears.”

“If you don’t want to, then no,” Bonnie promised. “You get to be in control of the lesson the whole time.”

The boy thought for a moment. “Okay.” He wiped at his nose again.

She stood up and stepped over so the boy could walk beside her on the path back to the pool. Together they headed toward the water. It was then that she noticed that someone was now swimming laps at the far end.

A someone with a great male body. And dark hair. A someone named Dylan.

The idea that he was going to see her in her swimsuit made the color rise in her cheeks. She was glad she’d worn the suit that made her feel pretty. He probably wouldn’t even notice, she told herself, so she decided to ignore him.

She slipped out of her sweatpants and jacket as Tyson took his jacket off and left it on the chair next to hers. She offered her hand, and he took it as they walked to the edge of the water. He held on tight, betraying just how nervous he felt about this.

“Okay, are you ready?” she asked, the boy. “We’re going to jump into the water and make the biggest splash we can. Do you think you can make a bigger splash than me?”

A flicker of a smile crossed his face. “I’m gonna win.”

“Okay.” She took a deep breath and made a big show of jumping into the shallow water. Since it was a graded beach entrance, she only landed in about six inches of water but managed to make a decent splash. She was pleased to find the pool was heated to a comfortable temperature. “Beat that.”

Tyson let out a whoop and used every ounce of his small frame to propel himself up and into the shallow water. His splash was messy, but he grinned as he looked at her. He wasn’t so afraid. She was going to make sure he kept this new confidence.

“That was awesome!” she told him. “I think you beat me. Are you sure you don’t know how to swim? You seem like a natural.”

He smiled wide and shook his head.

“Okay. Let’s go a little deeper.” She took a couple of steps until the water lapped at her mid-thigh.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Dylan stop at the end of his lap and take his goggles off. His eyes were a warm heat on her back, and she tried not to let it fluster her. Just because he was looking didn’t mean anything.

“Come to me, Tyson,” Bonnie encouraged. She dropped to her knees, so the water hit her upper stomach.

Tyson’s smile faded a little with every step into the deeper water, but he made it to her. The water lapped at his chest. He smiled weakly as he came to a stop.

“You’re doing great,” she told him. “The next step to swimming is to blow bubbles. Like this.”

She took in a dramatic breath and put her mouth and nose in the water and blew out a steady stream of large bubbles.

“See? And my ears didn’t go in the water.” She showed him her dry ears. “Your turn.”

Tyson frowned, but he took a deep breath and put his chin in the water. Immediately, he pulled up and away from the water. “I can’t do it.”

“Are you sure? I think you can,” Bonnie replied. “What if we just made little bubbles first?”

“You can do it because you’re a girl,” Tyson told her, crossing his arms. “It’s harder for boys.”

“Oh. So you need a boy to show you how it’s done?” she asked.

“Yeah.” He looked pleased with himself, thinking that he had found a way to keep from doing something difficult.

“Okay.” Bonnie turned to the lap lane where Dylan was watching the two of them work. “Hey, Dylan? Will you come blow some bubbles with us?”

Dylan grinned and ducked his head under the lap lane rope. He quickly crossed the length of the pool to join them in the shallow water. He knelt next to Bonnie. She had to tell herself not to stare at his chest and abs. He definitely worked out, and it showed. She was just glad that most of him was underwater.

“So, we’re blowing bubbles?” Dylan asked. “I’m a bubble master.”

He took a deep breath and put his mouth in the water and blew an impressive stream of bubbles. Tyson watched him, but his worried expression didn’t change.

“See? Boys can totally do it,” Bonnie told him. She watched him for a moment and remembered that Tyson didn’t like water on his ears. “Are you scared of the water getting on you?”

“What if it gets in my eyes and I can’t see?” Tyson asked. “This water hurts my eyes.”

“I bet Dylan will let you borrow his goggles,” Bonnie told him.

“Of course,” Dylan said. He pulled the goggles off is head and helped Tyson put them on. “Plus, these are magic goggles.”

“Magic goggles?” Tyson asked. He looked like an adorable water creature with big eyes wearing Dylan’s goggles.

“Yup.” Dylan nodded solemnly. “They let you hold your breath for three seconds longer underwater. I got them from a mermaid.”

Tyson felt the goggles with his fingertips and grinned. “Okay.”

He took a deep breath, hesitated and then touched the goggles before putting his face in the water and blowing. Bubbles came fast and short, but he managed to get bubbles under the water before quickly standing again.

“Fantastic!” Dylan and Bonnie both praised him. “Do it again!”

Tyson grinned, looking back and forth between the two of them. “Okay!” His confidence was multiplying, and Bonnie was pleased.

This time, Tyson didn’t hesitate. He blew a great stream of bubbles into the water, his fear lessening with every second. He lifted his head, pride at his bubbles radiating of his small frame.

“You’re doing great,” Bonnie praised. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen better bubbles.”

“Tyson?” Elena called from the edge of the pool. The two boys who were jumping in earlier were wrapped in towels next to her. “Are you ready to come get some dinner?”

Tyson looked over at Bonnie and then to Dylan. “Um... no.”

“We got him,” Dylan said, putting his arm around Tyson. “We’ll make sure he gets to the cafeteria for dinner.”

Something about the way Dylan said, “we” made Bonnie’s insides flutter. She liked being a “we” with him.

“Okay. We’ll see you guys there. Thanks, Dylan. Bye Bonnie.” Elena waved and then began to guide the two boys with her toward the kid’s cabins.

“How’d they get Tyson in the water?” one of the boys asked Elena as they walked. “He’s scared of it.”

“I don’t know,” Elena replied. “But isn’t it great?”

“Yeah,” the other boy replied with a grin. “We need another person to play Marco Polo with. It’s no fun with just two.”

Their voices faded as the three of them got further and further away from the pool. Bonnie turned back to focus on Tyson. He looked so happy with his goggles taking up most of his small face.

“So, bubbles are how we talk to the fish of the pool,” Bonnie explained. “Next, we have to work on catching them!”

Tyson giggled. “But there’s no fish in the pool.”

“Are you sure?” Dylan asked, looking around and pointing to invisible fish. “You don’t see them? I see a rainbow fish and a dinosaur fish. I’m going to catch a... hippopotamus fish!”

Tyson laughed, getting into the game. “Okay. How do we catch a hippo-ta... a hippotatumus... hippopotamus fish?”

“Like this.” Bonnie put one arm out in front of her and dove it into the water, repeating the motion on the opposite side. It was basically the doggy-paddle. “You try.”

Both Dylan and Tyson mimicked her motions, with Dylan splashing as much as possible.

“I’m going to catch a Tyson fish!” Bonnie called out, moving to tickle Tyson. The boy giggled and used the new swimming motion to move away from her.

“I’m going to catch a Dylan fish!” Tyson yelled. He moved his arms through the water and Dylan let him catch him. He ducked under the water and then came up, his dark hair wet. With an easy motion, he pushed his hair out of his eyes and Bonnie had a hard time not looking at the way his biceps flexed when he did it.

“Bonnie fish!” Tyson and Dylan yelled at the same time. She tried to get away, but they both caught her and dunked her. She came up laughing.

They played this game for a while. Dylan and Bonnie took turns going underwater if Tyson caught them, but they never dunked him. They had him blow bubbles and practice putting his face in the water, but they didn’t push him past what he was comfortable with.

Bonnie loved it when Dylan caught her. His hands on her shoulders as he pushed her into the water were strong and gentle. He didn’t force her, but rather guided her down. She was enjoying having him touch her. It was a long time since anyone had touched her, even as a friend and it felt nice to be close to someone.

“Okay, who’s hungry?” Dylan asked, coming up after being caught. “It’s time for dinner, and I’m hungry. Tyson fish and Bonnie fish are fun, but I need food!”

Tyson retreated slightly. He wasn’t about to give up on this game without a fight. “I’m not ready to eat yet. I’m having fun.”

Bonnie glanced at her watch. It was almost past when Chef made food. They needed to get Tyson to the cafeteria soon if he was going to eat tonight.

“How about another lesson tomorrow?” she offered.

“Promise?” Tyson asked. He pushed the goggles from his eyes and onto the top of his head. Red rings circled his eyes like a raccoon’s markings, somehow making him even cuter.

“Promise,” she replied. “Same place, same time.”

“You too, Dylan?” Tyson asked, turning to the man next to him.

Dylan looked up at Bonnie and grinned. “If you want me to, I’m here.”

“I want you to come too,” Tyson told him.

Bonnie’s heart skipped a beat. She wanted Dylan to come too.

“Then I’m here,” Dylan told him.

“Okay.” Tyson nodded, handed Dylan his goggles and got out of the pool without further pushing. He wrapped himself up in his towel and looked at the two of them like they were crazy for still being in the water.

“Are you two coming or what?” Tyson asked, slipping on his sandals and starting to walk toward the cafeteria. “It’s dinnertime.”

Dylan looked over at Bonnie and laughed. “I guess he’s hungry.”

Bonnie chuckled as they both hurried out of the swimming pool to catch up with Tyson.