Robert awoke from his deep sleep to hear crying. He slid out of bed. "Sam?" He whispered. He made his way over to Sam's bed.
Sam was sitting up in bed with tears streaming down his face. Robert climbed into the bed. He hugged him. "Hey... what's wrong?" He asked
Sam sniffled. "I had a nightmare." He replied. Robert nods. "Aww.... it's ok. I have nightmares too. What was it about?"
Sam became upset again. "My dad." He cried, waking everyone in the cabin. "What's going on?" Chandler asked tiredly. Robert looked up.
"Oh. Nothing. I'm gonna take Sam on a walk. He's just a little upset." He replied. The two teens get their shoes on and promptly left the cabin.
Robert and Sam stopped walking when they came to a small bench next to the river. "You told me your dad died..... but not how. What happened?" Robert asked.
Sam wiped his tears away. It was a moonlit night. The river was still and quiet. He took in this beautiful scenery for a moment.
Soon, he began to speak. "When I was 6 years old my mum and dad took a vacation. It was around this time of year. Dad was swimming in the ocean. At one point he went under and.... he never came back up." He told him.
Robert grew quiet. The two sat in silence for a while. Sam spoke once again. "After that, I started to struggle in school. When I started high school I was a partier. I turned to alcohol to numb the pain of losing my dad."
Robert was stunned. "Alcohol? Really?" He asked. Sam looked back. "Don't look at me like that. I've stopped drinking now. Mum got me help."
Robert nodded. "There are better ways to handle grief. I suppose neither of us really know how to handle it though. I'm not sure anyone does."
The two laid in the grass. They looked up at the stars. Pondering life, Sam turned to Robert. "Hey.... what's the meaning of life?" He asked.
Robert shrugged, still looking at the stars; he said "Mum always says that the meaning of life is unconditional love. For years I've believed that and I think I always will."
Sam ran his fingers through his brown hair. "How can you believe in something that doesn't exist?" He asked.
Robert laughed softly. "True love exists. As does unconditional love. You just have to know where to find it." Robert got off the ground. He held out his hand for Sam.
Sam took it. Robert helped him up. "Come on. Life's not so bad. Just look on the brighter side of things." He said.
"How do you KNOW true love exists?" Sam asked. Robert laughed before responding. "Oh I KNOW! My mum married my dad after less than a year of dating. And they only had like... 2 dates. My dad proposed after only 4 months. They were married for 14 years before he passed away. She's told me she will never marry again."
Sam and Robert continued to talk as they walked back to the cabin. The sun was coming up. They watched it rise over the horizon. "True love exists?" Sam asked again.
"True love exists. I'm still looking for my true love.... but it exists." Robert replies.
YOU ARE READING
Summer Camp
FanfictionCamp. A word Robert loved. Ever since he was a little boy he had loved an adventure and the outdoors. So when his Mom Terri told him he'd be going to camp this summer, he was thrilled. But it doesn't turn out quite as he expected.
