Sunday, June 12, 2012

Driving toward Ride ‘Em Cowboy Ranch Camp in the car that he'd received as a gift for his high school graduation, Kurt couldn't tell whether he felt more nervous or excited.  This was the first time he'd be back at camp in nearly six years.  More importantly, it was the first time he'd be seeing Blaine.

Kurt tried to keep his feelings in perspective.  Yes, Blaine had been the best friend he'd ever had, but that had been a long time ago.  They'd been children the last time they'd seen each other, and now they were both 18 – legally adults, even if Kurt still had a hard time wrapping his head around that fact.  They were two totally different people now, and he couldn't expect to have the same kind of relationship with Blaine that they'd shared during those childhood summers.

Over the years, Kurt had become very adept at concealing his feelings, even from himself.  He hid behind a biting wit and an aloof attitude, channeling all of his energy into his drive to be successful as a performer.  Now, Kurt felt like the best thing he could do was to keep Blaine at a comfortable distance so that they could work together smoothly this summer.    

Following David's directions, Kurt drove slowly along the camp's dirt road, then turned off onto an even narrower dirt track that led to the secluded bunkhouse he'd be sharing with Blaine.  Parking next to another car, Kurt figured Blaine must have already arrived.

Kurt had barely gotten out of his car when Blaine came flying out of the bunkhouse and threw his arms around him.  “Kurt!” he cried.  “You made it!  It's so great to see you!”

Kurt stood stiffly in Blaine's arms for a moment.  It had been so many years since he'd been hugged by another boy that he didn't know how to react.  Come to think of it, it had been nearly six years, and the other boy had been Blaine.

As Blaine squeezed him tighter, saying, “I can't believe you're really here.  Wow, I've missed you!” Kurt tentatively returned the hug, then quickly stepped back.

“Come on inside,” Blaine said, beaming at Kurt.  “It's kind of small, but we've got the whole place to ourselves.  This is gonna be amazing!”

Kurt followed Blaine into the bunkhouse.  Aside from the requisite twin-sized bunk bed, there were two dressers, two desks, and an open door leading to the bathroom.  “I put my stuff on the top bunk for old time's sake,” Blaine said.  “But I'll switch if you want.”

“No, that's fine,” Kurt said, realizing with a start that these were the first words he'd spoken to Blaine.  “I'm used to being on the bottom.”

Blaine looked at him closely.  “Are you okay?” he asked.  “You seem tired, or something.  I know it's a lot longer drive from Lima than from Westerville.  Do you wanna take a nap?”

“No, I'm okay,” Kurt replied, making an effort to smile.  

“The rest of the summer staff won't be arriving ‘til later,” Blaine said.  “David and Ryan told me they left a few horses in the corral, if we wanna go for a ride.  What do you think?”

“Sure.  Just give me a minute to bring my stuff in from the car and go to the bathroom.”

Fifteen minutes later, Kurt and Blaine were walking along the once-familiar path to the corral.  Blaine kept up a steady stream of excited chatter.

As they neared the fence, Kurt's eyes were drawn to two of the horses – a bright chestnut and a golden palomino.  He thought he recognized them as two of the young horses he and Blaine had worked with during their final summer at camp.  “Is that Copper and Nugget?” he asked.

“Sure looks like them,” Blaine answered, getting a scoop of grain from the barrel and opening the gate so that he and Kurt could enter the corral.

Kurt noticed the way Blaine's energy immediately shifted as he approached the horses.  His almost manic giddiness was replaced with a calm, gentle confidence.  He shook the bucket slightly, causing the grain to rustle enticingly, and the horses pricked their ears and ambled over.

Kurt took a handful of grain from the bucket, allowing Nugget to nibble it gently from his flat palm before haltering the gelding.  He passed a second halter to Blaine, who placed it on Copper.  Then they led the horses out of the corral and over to the hitching post.

Kurt felt his tension ease as he and Blaine groomed and tacked up the horses.  Both boys spoke to their horses as they worked, and by the time they had mounted up and were heading out on the trail, they had fallen into an easy conversation with each other.

They began by talking about their horses, reminiscing about what they'd been like the last time they'd seen them, when Copper was only a two-year-old and Nugget was three.  They laughed together about how Kurt had spent a week calling Nugget “Puppy Chow” and threatening to sell him to a dog food company if he didn't learn how to back up without rearing.  Then they went on to a discussion of all of the other horses they'd known and loved (some definitely more so than others) over the years.    

By the time they returned from their ride, Kurt had let his guard down enough to say, “I can't believe I'm going to get paid to do this all summer.  And I'm really glad I get to do it with you.”