As could be expected...

"And Robert Washington?" Said Big Frank.

"Here. And it's Bobby if you don't mind."

"No problem. Bobby it is." He set down the clipboard and clapped his hands together. "You can call me Big Frank! Or at least while the kids are here. 'Coach' will work too. Now! In 2 short weeks we are going to about 100 5th graders all ready to be entertained." Chris let out a barely stifled sigh, which was ignored. "You will have 2 weeks to complete the prep work. 4 weeks of attending the kids. And that is 24/7! Finally, 1 week of clean-up. The last week, if everything goes well, will be up to you. Go home. Stay a while and have fun. Up to you."

The teens were fidgety, most of them having just met that morning. Frank was taking mental notes as the group sat in the commons room. Ahiri and Jill seemed close, sitting together on a love seat. Cindy and Bobby he knew were brother and sister. They didn't sit together, but stayed within orbit of one another. Alan he knew from the high school. Good kid, and was surveying the others the same as he was. Chris had troublemaker written all over him, considering he wasn't exactly a volunteer like the others. Steve kept glancing at the girls, like he wasn't sure if they were paradise or plutonium. The others seemed to be excited, nervous, but eager to start.

"You each are assigned 1 cabin. There will be 11 bunks. Boys on the south fork of the main path, girls on the right. Today will be easy. You will claim a cabin, clean it, check the screens, and pull the bunks and mattresses from storage. You can arrange things however you want. Just don't block the door, obviously. Any questions?"

Chris' hand shot up. Frank knew this was coming. Better to establish the pecking order now. "Yes?" he said.

"Why can't I get any bars on my phone?" the blond stated, with just the right amount of boredom in his voice to get under Frank's skin.

"You are in a valley. Signals don't reach here. You have someone you need to call?"

"My lawyer, to get me out of here."

There it was. First signs of defiance, testing the boundaries. Time for the speech. Frank stood up and seemed to swell a bit. "As I understand, your attorney is overworked as it is."

The boy blinked at that. Obviously he didn't think Frank knew as much as he did. "Here it is! While you are here, you will answer to me, then God. When the campers are here, they will be right below me. If you don't like that arrangement, go home now. I do not have the time nor patience to be nice to anyone who can't or won't handle the responsibility being given to them. Are we clear?"

A few of them looked at him a little bug-eyed, as he had gone from a friendly uncle to Sgt. Badass in a blink. Always good to keep them a little off balance. He was mildly shocked when the blond raised her hand, without any hesitation. "Yes Toni?"

"What if there is a medical emergency? " she said, matter-of-factly.

He smiled, back in uncle mode. "The are 3 land lines. One in the nurses office, one in the main office, and one in here, on that far wall," he stated, pointing to it. "Emergencies or collect calls by very homesick kids, only."

The skinny kid that wasn't making eye contact suddenly piped up. "Now don't you worry little missy," he saiid, in a near-flawless John Wayne impersonation.

Frank was on him in a flash. "PRIVATE JOKER! IF YOU DONT SHUT IT, I WILL SCREW OFF YOUR HEAD AND SHIT DOWN YOUR NECK!"

The poor kid looked as if he was going to pass out. But Frank slipped him a wink. The black haired youth caught on and slowly broke into a grin. "That was awesome! Full Metal Jacket! R. Lee Ermry was the best!"

"See? I like to have fun too." He pulled a keyring out of his pocket and tossed it to Alan. "You remember where the storage building is?" The tall youth nodded. "Brooms,trash bags, bunks and mattresses are in the building. Let me know if anything turns up damaged. Start a list, and bring it too me at dinner. Lunch is at noon in the mess hall. Let's go!" He clapped his hands to move them up an out. "I'll be in the office if you need me."

As the kids filed out, lugging their bags with them, Frank turn to go out the back door to the office cabin at the entrance of the camp. He always hated the paperwork part of doing this.