The Sierra sun caressed Caleb's face as he watched the torrents of water cascading before him. The roar of the waterfall echoed the cacophony already bouncing around his brain. He stared at the tumbling water, thinking about what had transpired that summer. His life would never be the same. Because of her. Because of what happened.
Caleb had taken a job in the Sierras working as a camp counselor. He had just finished his junior year in film studies at Berkeley and was on his summer break. He needed a summer job to help pay for his college expenses. Besides, he thought some time in the mountains would be a nice respite from school and city life. He might even meet some interesting people. That turned out to be the understatement of his life.
Working as a counselor at Camp Golden Bear was a popular job among students. The pay wasn't half-bad and it was in a great locale — the Lakes Basin, some fifty miles north of Lake Tahoe. Caleb was hired, in part, to shoot and edit the camp video which would be distributed to the campers at the end of the session. He'd use his own equipment and edit the film on his laptop. It was a good way for him to practice his craft and get paid at the same time.
In the parking lot where the bus stood waiting to transport them, Caleb got his first look at his fellow counselors. There were about a dozen in all, a mix of local and foreign exchange students. The government subsidized the foreign students as part of a good will program.
As Caleb scanned the group, he wondered about each of their stories. Where were they from? What were they like? He'd find out soon enough.
That's when he saw her for the first time.
She was standing by herself—a stunning woman in her early 20s with dark hair and green eyes. She was slender and exotic-looking with discerning, intelligent eyes. She had an amazing body too. He took in her pert breasts and round ass. He gazed at her long, slender legs.
Suddenly, he looked up to see her looking back at him, a look of mock admonishment on her face. Caleb smiled sheepishly and nodded. Oops. Busted.
After loading their gear into the luggage compartment , Caleb worked his way over to where she was standing.
"Hi, I'm Caleb."
"Monique," she answered, simply.
She had an accent. One of the foreign students, he thought to himself.
"Where are you from, Monique?" Caleb asked, making conversation.
"From France," she answered, warmly.
She was even more beautiful up close. Beautiful skin and sparkling, cat-like eyes.
"I'd love to go there someday. I've never been. I was hoping to study there but ... I didn't get in."
She made a sympathetic face.
"Tant pis!"
"Merci," he answered, smiling back at her.
She raised her eyebrows.
"Alors, tu parles Français?"
"Non, malhereusement. Seulement un peu," he replied.
"Non, c'est pas mal!" she answered. "Ton accent est très bon."
"Tu es gentille," he laughed. "I'm sure your English is much better than my French."
"I don't know about that," she answered with a laugh. "English is ... very mysterious to me. I'm still learning."
"To be honest," he said under his breath, "sometimes it even baffles me."
She laughed again. It was an honest laugh and he liked it. She leaned into him, conspiratorially.
"We'll have to practice together," she said with smiling eyes.
Caleb smiled back. He could feel his heart thumping in his chest.
As he boarded the bus, Caleb was hoping to sit with Monique but she was already sitting with another counselor from the U.K. named Caitlin. Instead, he sat next to Zach, a gregarious American with shoulder-length hair. Zach was quick-witted and Caleb liked him immediately.
A fine arts major, Zach was a sculptor with a ready and raucous laugh. He noticed Caleb glancing over at Monique and Caitlin.
"Wasting no time, Dude!" he said to Caleb. "Hey, if I had your swarthy good looks, I'd be going for it too."
Caleb was indeed blessed with good genes. He was of Black Irish descent and had strong, dark features, dark curly hair and kind, brown eyes. Bedroom eyes, he was told. He was athletic with broad shoulders and a toned, sinewy body.
"I'll tell you what," Zach said, leaning in. "I can make it happen. Who do you want to sit with."
"No, that's okay," answered Caleb.
"No, don't worry about it," said Zach, waving his hand. "I'll be subtle."
Caleb relented.
"The dark one. Monique."
Zach turned to look at the two women.
"No problemo."
Zach stood up and walked over to the women, leaning against the backrest. Caleb couldn't hear what he was saying. In a moment, Monique was standing, letting Zach sit in her seat, and moving over to sit next to Caleb.
"Zachery said you wanted desperately to speak to me?"
Caleb closed his eyes.
"So very subtle," he muttered.
"Pardon?" she said, sitting next to him.
"Nothing. Ça ne fait rien."
He smiled and she smile back.
"So," said Caleb. "Tell me about you."
They spent the next two and a half hours talking about everything under the sun. Their families, their interests, music, movies, politics. He learned she was the oldest of five kids, an environmentalist, and a lapsed Catholic. She learned he had an older brother and sister, that he played Ultimate Frisbee and was really into indie film. She found him interesting, passionate about his art, and very attractive. He found her smart, easy to talk to, and incredibly sexy.
"OK, listen up guys!" a voice blared over the bus public address system. It was Steve, the coordinator. He was in his late 20s and strapping.
He welcomed everyone, went over the schedule, the housing details, and what needed to get done before the campers arrived in a few days. He reviewed the rules and regulations (no fires outside of fire pits, no illegal drugs, no conduct unbecoming, etc.) and generally let it be known in no uncertain terms that he was, in fact, the boss.
Arriving at Lakes Basin, Caleb was unprepared for how beautiful it was. Pristine High Sierra lakes of azure water nestled between chiseled grey granite cliffs. Occasional dashes of green conifers and white snow and adorned the peaks. He was excited to shoot footage of this remarkable place.
The camp itself was situated in a grove of redwoods on the southern shore of Gold Lake. A smattering of buildings, a fire ring, and a volleyball court overlooked the lake and the backdrop of craggy peaks. A small dock with canoes and rowboats lay below at the lake's edge.
There were two bunkhouses for male and female counselors but many counselors set up their own tents to sleep outside. Caleb picked a secluded spot to pitch his two-man tent. Out of earshot from the others, it afforded a nice view of the lake and mountains and was protected from the wind. A full-sized air mattress covered much of the tent floor and provided a soft bed for his down sleeping bag and pillow.
Later that afternoon, there was a barbeque on the dock for the counselors to get acquainted. The campers wouldn't arrive for a couple of days yet, giving the staff time to get the camp ready. This was their chance to hang out, swim, and get to know each other.
Caleb walked down to the dock in his baggy swim shorts and flip flops. The other counselors were sitting in the late afternoon sun in their bathing suits, dangling their feet in the water. The light reflecting off the lake cast them in a golden glow.
Steve was manning the grill, an apron tied around his incredibly buff body. A picnic table held a cooler, some plastic cups, chips and salsa. Caleb poured himself some punch and joined Zach, Caitlin and Monique sitting on the dock.
