IT was a year ago here when I went to a summer camp at Porter here in Maine. It was really very enjoyable because there are lots of activities to choose from. And it was there that I met Erin.

Erin was enjoying her swimming while I was enjoying my boating when we happened to meet. I believed there was instant chemistry between us and she hopped in my boat and we continued our way toward rendezvousing with other students. I intentionally paddled slowly so we could talk and talk and talk about various things for a long time. Upon reaching the rendezvous point, I almost had reached first base. But things were already bustling as the camp master directed us to other activities already. Erin and I were forced to separate so to speak. You know, the other camp participants here are busy with various features the camp can offer – horseback riding in both English and Western style, skating, trampoline, trapeze flying, softball, basketball, hockey, trail hiking, soccer, tennis, rock climbing, zip lining, paintball, photography, video production, rocketry modeling, gymnastics, woodworking, mountain biking, dancing and other martial arts, cheerleading, weightlifting, guitar, keyboards, volleyball, rafting and then some.

The hang of this summer camp though is that it is so strict that promiscuity is really not tolerated as long as the camp master or his ever alert lieutenants can see you. That’s why Erin and I are really careful of our actions lest we be reprimanded. And we don’t want that because reprimands are usually carried out in front of other camp participants and we’d then be subject to ridicule.

In my first evening at the summer camp, all 50 of us participants gathered around in groups of small campfires. I slowly inched up to Erin in one of the groups and we resumed our chatting. Time passed by so slowly that I drifted to sleep literally on her lap. When I woke up at about two in the morning (thanks to my reliable wristwatch), I found she was asleep leaning on a tree trunk. I slowly carried her back to her tent where her tentmates were in deep REM. Then I went back to my tent where my tent mates were still wide awake, playing cards and murmuring that beer could not be served. I slowly went back to sleep, smiling that there is more to life than beer.

The next day was a rigid day of activities. I could not approach Erin anymore as the camp master’s lieutenant assigned to us strictly divided us camp participants by gender. We were shuttled to a waiting bus on the way to another area in the humungous camp. After arriving by the area, we were then told to wear closed-toe shoes so our feet wouldn’t get wet as we must cross about four streams. (Actually, that was just one stream but the trail was concocted in such a way that we must cross it four times.) In the melee, I was able to sneak past the camp master’s lieutenant and get to Erin. I helped her cross one stream after the other. That was the last time I got close to Erin during the camp. Now we’re seeing each other every week and if not for the summer camp, we wouldn’t have met.