Summer Camp Love (Essay)

It all started when their eyes locked for the first time. The two knew they had to get to know each other. She was the “camp girl” and he was the “New York boy”, and they hit it off right away. After that first week of camp, the two lost contact, but the next summer the two met again. This would lead to a long, complex relationship between the two named Ashton and Duncan.

            Ashton, “the camp girl”, was the daughter of the camp director. She was around all the time and met many new people. Her hair was brown and long. She was only thirteen years of age. She was beautiful and had many of the younger boys admiring her and her personality. Laughter was one of her best qualities, but her attentiveness to people drew others to her.

            Duncan, “the New York boy”, had an energetic personality. He talked to anyone and everyone that would listen. He was handsome as could be and all the girls knew it. They flirted and giggled trying to get his attention. Duncan, a loyal friend to everyone, was one of the sweetest boys you would ever meet.  

            By the next summer, the two had talked and hung out more and more. This led Duncan to realize what a catch he had found, so he went to find Ashton’s dad to request permission to further communicate with her after summer camp ended. The answer given was that letter writing was only permitted at first. Disbelieving that any fourteen-year-old boy would actually write letters to a summer camp crush, Ashton lost hope. On the other hand, in the next few weeks a letter addresses to Ashton arrived from Jamestown, New York. Thrilled, she ripped open the note and quickly read the contents. The two continued to stay connected through letters the entire school year.

            Fast-forward to the next summer. The two could not wait to hang out again. As the two continued to talk, the attraction grew and grew. They spent as much time as they could together, whether it was playing on the playground or dominating at tetherball.  One day, while playing at the playground, the two stopped to talk. After a long conversation, the two expressed their interest in each other. From that point on, the two knew that something bigger was happening. Going home that night Duncan expressed his opinion to his dad. “Dad, I found the girl that I’m going to marry.” Shocked his dad replied, “Son, you are only 14 there is no way you can know that now, give it a couple years and you will find someone else. Ashton is not the only girl you will come across in your life.” Duncan, not discouraged, continued to get to know Ashton and asked her dad again if he could call her during the school year. Mr. Palella responded with only calls with either him or Mrs. Palella in the room.

            Through phone calls and letters, Duncan and Ashton could tell there was way more than a normal connection between teenagers. The Lord had brought something between them that no one could understand, not even the two of them. Trusting that it would all work out, the two just enjoyed the time they had together each summer. Through the years the two would change a little. He grew taller than she did. His voice got deeper, while hers stayed the same. No matter how much they changed the affection was still there. Though the two wished for more than a friendship, they accepted their parent’s wishes not to date.

            Three years later, the two were eighteen and finally able to date. Duncan made many treks to Michigan to visit Ashton. The seven-hour dive lagged on but with each passing minute he came closer to seeing his favorite girl. While he was on his way the two would talk on the phone and plan what they would do together. Some times he would be there for two days. Other trips it was maybe a week.

            One of the trips, he decided to ask her to be his girlfriend. The day started out normal with just a little twist, because Ashton had no idea he was in Michigan. The family ushered her into the car to start the journey. The adventure led all around Kalamazoo with special prizes at each stop. After reading a red bandana with a clue on it, they started off to the first destination. By the end of the treasure hunt, Ashton had gotten: a sweatshirt, a Pairs bag, pizza, and a Noodles gift card. Coming back to camp they talked about all that she had acquired. What she did not realize was that the journey had not ended, there was still one bandana left to read. Ashton got out of the car and was ready for her next task.

            Through the day, Ashton had gotten a star at each station with a letter on it that spelled a message. The puzzle of letters took some time to figure out but the message said; It rained, We danced, First kiss. This led Ashton to Duncan by the fire pit by the lake and on his head was the last red bandana and he sang a song to her then pulled her close to ask the question. “Ashton, we have known each other for a long time.” Taking a breath he continued. “You are everything to me and I want to further pursue a relationship with you. You are beautiful inside and out and I love you, would you become my girlfriend?” Nervously he looked at her. Ashton exclaimed, “Yes! Of course I will be your girlfriend!” Both laughing they shared a special kiss, under the trees as the water crashed against the shore. Little did the two know that Ashton’s sisters and friend where hiding in the bushes taking pictures of the sweet moment.

            This is where the story takes a disappointing turn. The first couple of months were amazing, and the two enjoyed chatting over Skype and having the title of more than friends. And with every relationship, especially long distance, comes their own problems. Part of the problem was failures in communication, and not being able to see each other enough. These and many other reasons led to breakup number one. Summer after summer, when camp would begin, and Duncan’s family would arrive the two would claim they would not hang out. However, they would gravitate towards each other and get back together. Then the Oleshake’s would leave and the school year would start. After a couple of weeks, it would become too hard to keep in touch so the two would break up. After about two years of misery, it was decided that they would be done once and for all and lots of tears and heartache followed. It ended so badly that they deleted each other’s contacts and everything was sent back to their original owners.  

            Ashton and Duncan spent the next four years growing spiritually and in their walks of life. Over a snap chat message the two reconnected and it took them both by surprise. Talking led to face timing one night, and then it progressed to two nights, and by the end of the week it had been everyday. Through face time the two talked of old times and marriage was a quick topic. The two did not need the “favorite color talk” or the icebreaker conversation, because they knew each other so well. They were more of old friends just scraping off the dust.

            On September 3, 2017 Duncan proposed to Ashton at the same spot that six years before he asked her to be his girlfriend. He surprised her again by not telling her he was coming to Michigan. He told her that he was going to India for work and would be gone a week with no access to Wi-Fi. To further the scheme of him leaving he drove to the Philadelphia airport, about an hour away, when he face timed her to say he was about to board his plane. That night he and two friends hopped in the car and drove all the way to Michigan arriving at 5 A.M. The next morning, Ashton went to lunch with her mom and got another letter with her next clue. This clue led her to her youngest sister in which, they got ice cream at an ice cream shop they both worked at. The next clue was to her brother who was stationed at a local park with a custom made checkerboard. After playing a game, she headed to the mall with her other sister and got a big hanging star from Vitoria’s Secret. Her dad was the second to last stop with dinner at a tiny restaurant named Ned’s. Last but not least, Ashton was led to the fire pit where Duncan came out to surprise her with a song he had written. Then he dropped to one knee and sang the last words of the song, “Will you marry me?” and Ashton not believing it could possibly be happening shrieked and shouted “Yes!” The two married on May 28, 2017. In May of 2018 the two will welcome a new addition to their family.

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