23. First day of Summer
The Ross family loved holidays. Winterfest was their favorite, but from the time the kids were small, Dan and Courtenay marked every seasonal holiday with special activities.
In the loneliest moments after Cameron first moved into his grandparents’ house, he wondered if his family would forget him at holiday time. Would they celebrate without him, assuming he now felt too independent to spend the day with them? As time went on, Cam worried less about such things, but he still wanted to make sure his parents and siblings knew how much he valued family traditions. That’s why he told them he wanted to host a family gathering on the First Day of Summer.
“I knew Cam usually works on Sundays, so I figured he would come over after his shift finished and do something small-ish at the house with us,” Courtenay recalled. “Then he told us he was taking a day off, and that we were all EXPECTED to come over.”
Cameron was, in his words, “crushing it at work.” His supervisor agreed. Cam had just received another raise; he was earning §78/hour now. And, his boss tossed in a §1,811 bonus, to boot! No wonder his boss had no problem with Cameron taking a day off to spend the holiday with his family.
All four seasons can be rainy in Brindleton Bay. The sky was cloudy that day, but the rain wore off, and it was warm enough for the Rosses to enjoy the swimming pool. There was someone enjoying the pool much of the time, as Cameron and his family came and went.
Cameron had the chance to talk to Halle about how things were going in her life. They had always been close, and they didn’t have nearly as much time to talk as they once had. Cam sat on the pool deck while Halle splashed around in the water.
“Do you like living here by yourself more than you did before?” Halle asked him.
“I never told you I didn’t like it here.”
“You didn’t have to tell me. I could tell,” Halle knew her big brother well.
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“It’s a lot better now,” Cameron assured her. “If I start feeling lonely, I go to the gym, or I come see what you’re all doing at home. It doesn’t happen as much as it used to.”
Halle smiled bashfully at him. “I know I mess with you a lot…”
“You always have.” Cameron interrupted her, but he was smiling.
“OK, I always have. But I really miss talking to you and all. Would…you mind if I came over sometime? I’ll text you to make sure you’re home.”
Cameron smiled warmly at her. “I’d like that a lot, Hal.”
Dan saw his older children chatting, so he walked over to the pool to join them. “What are you two up to?” he asked them.
“No good, of course,” Halle quickly replied.
“We’re sharing some First Day of Summer spirit,” Cam added.
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Halle pulled herself out of the water so she could go inside and raid Cam’s fridge for a snack. Cameron took her place in the pool, tumbling off the side into the cool water.
“I’m really glad you invited us over today, Buddy,” Dan told his son. “How many hours did you need to spend cleaning up the place?”
“Honestly? Not long at all,” answered Cam. “I figured out pretty quickly that if I make a mess, it takes twice as long to clean it up than it would take to keep things clean while I go.”
“You’ll make some lucky woman a fine husband someday.” Dan was teasing him, or was he?
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Cameron laughed. “That’s a long way off, Dad. I’m not even dating anyone right now.”
Right now, Dan thought. If Halle is to be believed, that status is probably about to change…
The youngest of the Ross “children” had somehow managed to sneak away to mess around on Cameron’s computer. “It’s way better than mine,” Patrick said. “Cam told me he bought it himself, but I’m not sure I believe him.”
Cameron was telling his brother the truth. The Immersive Bend he’d bought set him back §3,600 Simoleons, but he considered it an investment. “I don’t need it for Lifeguarding, but I’m not planning on doing that for the rest of my life. Having a good computer will help me in a lot of different careers, and if I go to UBrite, I’ll need it even more.”
Eventually Patrick joined the gang beside the pool. Halle had already changed out of her bikini–she’d brought a bag with a variety of outfits to this one-day event–and Cameron put his shorts and polo shirt back on too.
“I’m going to grill later. I don’t know why, but I think it’s kinda gross to grill people’s food without a shirt on,” he said with a laugh.
“Are you sure we want to eat anything Cameron cooks?” Patrick inquired. “I mean, shouldn’t you let Mom or Dad handle that? Or Halle? Or me?”
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“It can’t be worse than that mess you made the other night,” Halle countered.
“What are you talking about? You can’t insult my Pão de Queijo like that!” Patrick crossed his arms indignantly.
“Those were cheese-covered hockey pucks,” Halle declared.
“You do not appreciate fine cuisine.”
“You do not cook fine cuisine.”
Dan only chuckled. It was fun to hear his offspring tease each other good-naturedly.
Behind the scenes, Courtenay was quietly taking one last look at Cameron’s dinner prep. He was serving Churrasco tonight, which was a bit of an adventure for him.
“I’m not a very confident cook yet,” Cam admitted. “I secretly told Mom what I wanted to make, and…well, I asked her if she’d check it to make sure it looked OK before I tried grilling it.”
Courtenay examined the strips of pork, beef, and chicken Cam had prepared. She came outside, beckoned to Cameron, and leaned in to whisper in his ear.
“Looks like it’s good to go,” she assured him.
Halle figured out what her mother must have been doing. “I have to say I do feel better knowing Mom was in there fixing everything.”
“Halle Nicole Ross! I was most certainly not doing anything of the sort,” Courtenay admonished her daughter. “Cameron, your Churrasco looks delicious, and I can’t wait to eat it.” She winked and smiled at Cam.
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Armed with the confidence Courtenay had given him, Cameron stepped behind the grill and got to work. His grandparents had bought The Incendiator, a top-of-the-line piece of equipment, and Cam had, in fact, acquired a decent amount of skill with it. Everyone but Cameron got back into the pool, and while they splashed around, the backyard was filled with the delicious scent of grilling.
“I gotta admit, that does smell pretty good,” Patrick confessed.
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It tasted just about as good as it smelled, too.
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Now that the meal was over and declared a success, Cameron could relax a bit more. “I won’t lie. I was worried about pulling that off,” he admitted with a laugh. “Now it’s time to sing.”
“No, it isn’t,” said Patrick.
“Yes. It is.” And then, Cameron and Dan broke into a fairy melodious rendition of “Maizy Grobe,” a Ross holiday favorite.
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Patrick winced, but what else would you expect the little brother to do? He was, however, a good enough sport to join his siblings in “Bor Simsa Yebsy Da Zurzoh.” Every member of Clan Ross could at least carry a tune; Cam and Halle were especially good singers, and they harmonized quite well together.
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Cameron set off a firework he had bought at the Humor & Hijinks Festival, and then it was almost time to go. Dan, Courtenay, and Patrick said their goodbyes, and Cameron walked them back around to the front of the house.
“This was a great evening, Son,” Dan said. “Thanks for having us over.”
“You’re welcome, Dad. I’m glad y’all had a good time.”
When the other Rosses left the backyard, Halle had not gone with them. She remained out back by the pool, enjoying a quiet, reflective moment. Halle had always felt her emotions deeply, and she dearly loved her family and their traditions. All the Rosses missed Cameron, but it was quite possible that Halle missed him the most.
Cameron found her standing beside the pool when he came back around the house. “Are you OK?” he asked her.
“I’m fine. I’m…This was just really fun. Thank you.”
Halle wrapped her arms around her brother and squeezed him tight.
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