Tender Love. Irene Brand
in a small river valley, with woodlands along its banks. A dozen log dormitories were scattered among the trees, and one long building with a wide veranda, that Alice took for the dining hall, was situated beside the swimming pool. A badminton court and a softball field were beyond the pool. From one point, they had a good view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Kristin placed a trembling hand on Alice’s arm, and she knew that the child feared this new experience.
“I don’t see Susie anywhere—she said she’d be here to meet me. She came to camp last year so she knows what to do.”
“I’m sure she’ll arrive soon, and we won’t leave until she does come. I remember the first day I came to camp, and it was scary, but in a few hours, I felt right at home. You’ll enjoy yourself.”
“I’ll miss Daddy.”
“He’ll miss you, too, but you’ll be so busy with crafts, hiking and sports activities that the week will pass before you know it.”
They entered the open door of the rustic building crowded with girls and their parents. One child detached herself from a group and ran toward Kristin.
“That’s Susie,” Kristin said in relief.
“Hi, Kristin. I’ve already registered and I was watching for you. We’re assigned to Bear Cabin—it’s a nice one. Come on, I’ll show you what to do.”
Alice placed the suitcase in a corner where a lot of other luggage was stacked, and queued up with the two girls to wait their turn at the registration table. A young woman joined them and, with a broad smile, said, “I’m Susie’s mother, Erin Saberton. You must be Mrs. Larkin.”
Alice shook hands with her. “Yes, I’m Kristin’s nanny. I’m glad to meet you. I hope you’ll let Susie visit Kristin when they return from camp. The house is too quiet.”
With a laugh, Erin said, “It won’t be quiet if Susie is visiting.” She lowered her voice. “Susie’s wanted to visit, but Mark has been so withdrawn since Clarice’s death that I thought he didn’t want visitors.”
“He’s gone so much that he does like to have evenings alone with his kids, but there’s no reason Susie can’t come during the daytime. I’ll be glad to have her.”
“When the Tanners had only part-time nannies, I hesitated to send another child for them to oversee. But thanks for your invitation—Susie will telephone before she comes.”
It was almost noon by the time Kristin was settled in Bear Cabin—a small cottage with five sets of crude bunk beds. There were a couple of lavatories in the cabin, but a central bathhouse would take care of their other needs. Alice helped Kristin make up her bunk bed, which was right below Susie’s. Mrs. Saberton had to return home, so Susie ate with Kristin and her family in the long dining room.
As he watched the campers, Eddie’s spirits improved a little, showing interest in the place his sister would be living for a week. While they ate hot dogs, potato chips and cookies, Eddie said, “When can I come to camp, Alice?”
“Not until you’re as old as Kristin.”
“I doubt you’ll be able to be a camper, Eddie, so I wouldn’t count on it,” Ethel said.
Eddie turned a piteous look in Alice’s direction, and she patted him on the back. She was too angry to answer Ethel, but she had her emotions under control when they were driving back to Richmond. Gran settled down for a nap, and when Alice saw that Eddie was sleeping tight in his seat belt, head leaning forward, she said to Ethel, “Why do you persist in making an invalid out of Eddie? I talked with his pediatrician, and he said that Eddie’s health problems have been corrected. He told me to encourage Eddie to live like any other five-year-old boy. I can’t do that if you keep telling him he’s sick.”
Anger flashed from Ethel’s black eyes. “I’ve been looking after Kristin and Eddie since their mother got sick. It’s none of your business how I treat them.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. Mark has hired me to look out for his children, and I’m going to do that to the best of my ability.”
“But you’re only a stranger—how can you know what’s better for them than I do?”
“A stranger can often see things that others can’t. For instance, Eddie has made a slave out of Kristin—she runs at his beck and call, and it isn’t necessary. There isn’t any reason he can’t get a drink of water when he wants it, why he can’t go up and down the stairs without help, and I hope to instill some independence in him this week. Gran isn’t able to wait on him, I’m not going to, and I’ll appreciate it if you don’t interfere.”
Ethel didn’t respond, but the look she cast in Alice’s direction was venomous, and Alice was convinced that she’d report the conversation to Mark.
The cleaning women were just finishing when Alice returned. Even from the outside, the house looked better because the windows were clean and shining, and the lemony fresh smell inside the house was stimulating. After she settled Gran and Eddie in their rooms for a nap, Alice went to the porch where the women were washing the paneling.
“The house looks great,” she said. “It won’t be so difficult to keep everything tidy now.” When she paid them before they left, she tripled the amount that Mark had laid aside for them, and the woman to whom she gave the money, stared at her speculatively. Apparently this was more money then they usually received, and she hoped she hadn’t overdone it. Since Mark was known to be hard up, people might start wondering where he was getting so much money.
The next night, Alice asked Mark to help her set up the computer, and he readily agreed. Since she wanted to supervise the children’s use of the computer, they put it in her room.
Mark protested a little. “Maybe we’d better set this up in the dining room—you could still keep your eye on them when they’re using the computer. They’ll want to use it all the time, and you won’t even have any privacy when you go to your room.”
“We’ll see how it goes first.”
Since she knew Eddie would want to try it out at once, Alice had stopped by the video store and rented an educational game. While Mark played the game with Eddie, Alice sat in the rocker and picked up her sewing basket. She hadn’t accomplished much on the tablecloth she was making for her sister since she’d come to the Tanners.
“Time for bed, Eddie,” Mark said. “We’ll get your shower, and I’ll tuck you in.”
Eddie went without much protest, and he came over to Alice, and kissed her cheek. “Thanks for bringing the computer, Alice. It’s been a fun thing to do with Daddy.”
Alice laid down her embroidery and hugged him tightly, shutting her eyes to keep any tears from escaping. “You’re a good boy, Eddie,” she said. “I’m glad you’ve had a nice time.”
“I’ll come back down after Eddie’s in bed, Alice. I noticed you have a Scrabble game on the hard drive. Can I challenge you to a game?”
“But, Daddy, I’m afraid to go upstairs without Kristin. Won’t you stay upstairs with me?”
Mark hesitated, but he said, “Not tonight, Son. You’ll soon be asleep, and I’ll hear you if you call.”
Alice had always enjoyed playing Scrabble, and had been good at it, but she was no match for Mark. She could readily understand Betty’s comments about his superior intelligence, for he quickly spelled out a word clue. They played two games, and Mark won both of them. But Alice excused herself, for she couldn’t concentrate on the game, finding it difficult to think of any words. Mark’s name rolled over and over in her mind excluding all others, and of course, in Scrabble, she wasn’t allowed to use given names. They sat close together to have a good view of the screen, and when their shoulders touched or hands collided as they typed in their answers, Alice’s pulse raced and her temperature soared.
“That’s not very