It has been almost a decade since my time as director of a summer camp ended so some of the memories may have faded a little. Others are as clear as if they happened yesterday.
I am reminded of certain occasions by a name on Facebook or a chance meeting with an ex-counselor or camper but for some inexplicable reason other incidents come to mind and make be giggle suddenly.
One such occasion involved a serious little girl from Quebec. On this particular day she was taking her riding lesson in the ring when she lost her balance and fell heavily to the ground. The impact caused the wind to be knocked out of her, considerably frightening her. The resulting screams brought people running from all directions including the camp nurse and me. On further examination it appeared the pain in her back was of significant concern to request an ambulance to transport her to the nearest emergency room.
While waiting for the ambulance to arrive we kept our patient immobilized in the dusty arena. Once the initial shock of the event had worn off she wanted no part of being taken to hospital. Now the second round of screaming commenced and continued through the back-boarding exercise and into the ambulance.
Once in the emergency room she calmed down but remained seriously ticked off. Finally the nurse arrived to take the particulars. “What is your name, dear?” the nurse asked sweetly. “Janet” our little camper spit back. “and your last name, Janet?” “Duncan” was the sharp retort.
To give the nurse credit, she remained pleasant. I was ready to strangle her. “When is your birthday, Janet?” “December 12th” she begrudgingly replied. “what year?” the nurse persisted. With her teeth clamped tight and a look that could drop a grown man at 20 feet, she hissed “every year.”
The nurse caught my eye and bit down hard on her lip to keep from laughing. I was ready to burst but we both managed to retain our professional demeanor just long enough to escape the room.
Fortunately there was no serious injury and Janet came back to camp that evening with stories to tell. I had a different story to share!
