A Heartful Trip

"Baby, is that the last box?"

"Yes, we are now officially moved in!" I say to Gabriel as I put down the box.

"What's in that box?" he asks.

"Uhu, pictures I think," I say as I open the box. "Yup, pictures."

"Woho, Alosa remember this?" Gabe asks, picking up the picture on top of the pile.

"Of course I do. This is in Catalina, where we met," I say looking at the picture of us smiling by the ocean. "I remember it like it was yesterday."

------

"Alosa, come on, get out of the car, you're going to miss the boat!"

"Mom, I don't want to go! It's going to be so weird," I tell my mom.

"Oh, come on, it will be fun! Plus, you need to meet people that went through the same thing you did," mom says.

"I'm only going to meet little kids that are super sick and sad. Is that what you want?" I ask her.

"That's not true, there are other 15 year olds and kids older than you that are counselors. Everyone there had some type of heart surgery. See look here," she says pointing at the pamphlet. "Camp of the Heart is in Catalina and is for kids that have had heart surgery. It is completely free and is a great place to meet kids that are just like you same as you!" she says reading from it. "And make lifelong friends!" she says looking up from the pamphlet at me. She’s smiling like it's the best thing ever.

"But-"

"No, I don't want to hear it," she says, looking away from me back at the boat. "Ok, you're really going to miss the boat now," she says, pulling me out of the car and handing me my duffle bag. "Go now, and have fun! Make friends! Oh, and send me a postcard!" she says giving me one last hug.

"Ugh... I will," I mutter.

"I love you!" She calls after me.

"I love you too!" I yell back rolling my eyes as I board the boat.

------

"Good Lord, I'm going to puke," I say as I stamer of the boat and fall onto the sand.

"Here let me help you,” a voice calls from above me. 

I look up to see a girl with dark curly hair holding her hand out to help me up. She hands me a packet of dramamine after I'm on my feet. "Thanks, you're a lifesaver," I say as I take the drug.

"Don't worried about it. My name is Casandra. I'm a counselor here at Camp. You look about, Um” she thinks to herself. “16?" she asks.

"I'm 15 and almost 16. My name is Alosa," I say.

"Nice to meet you Alosa. Come with me I'll show you to your cabin," she says, starting to walk waiting for me to follow.

 "Ok, so what got you here?" she asks.

"I had ASD or Atrial Septal Defect," I say.

"Is that the one with the hole in the upper chamber of the heart?" she asks.

"Yeah it is," I say surprised. People never know what it is, after all it's very rare. But when you're at a camp with kids that have the similar things I guess it makes sense.

"Oh, cool! That's really rare. How big was the hole?"

I don't know if I would have chosen "cool" to describe it, but whatever. "Um, 35 millimeters large," I responded.

"No shit! That's the biggest I've ever heard of!" she exclaims.

"Yeah that's what I keep hearing. So what did you have?" I ask.

"I had Arrhythmias. It's when your heart beat is improper," Casandra says.

"Oh ok, did you need open heart surgery?" I ask.

"Yes," she says.

"Got the scar to prove it?" I ask jokingly.

"Yup, you?"

"Yeah," I say, sighing as we stop in front of a cabin.

"Well this is your cabin," she says, gesturing at it. ""I assume you had dinner on the boat, right?" she asks.

"Yes, I did," I say.

"Good. Then we'll see you later. At 8:00pm there will be 15 bonfires lit up. Feel free to sit at one with your friends," she says. "Any questions?" she asks.

Other than having no friends to sit with no. But I decided to just say "No, sounds good."

"Alright, then I'll see you later," Casandra says before marching off.

-------

It's 8:00pm, I think to myself. Should I go sit by a bonfire? And be that one kid by themself? No! "Make some friends!" my mother's words ring in my ears.

"Ugh," I sigh to myself. Fine, I'll go.

I walk out of my cabin, closing the door behind me. "Gesse, it's cold for the beach," I mutter to myself as I walk to the first bonfire I see. Is pretty dark so the light from the fires is the only source of light around. I go to the farthest one from the crowd of other campers and sit down.

"Don't like all the commotion, hu?"

"Aha!" I scream startled. I look over to see a boy sitting on the bench across from my side of the fire. He looks about my age, with chestnut hair and light blue eyes I can see even in the dark. He is definitely the most handsome guy I have ever seen. "S-sorry," I stutter. "I didn't know anyone else was her, I'll leave," I say getting up.

"No!" he screams, scaring us both. "Uh, just... Uh, you can stay," he says blushing and it has to be the cutest thing I've ever seen.

"Ok," I say, sitting back down.

He gets up from his bench and walks over to me and sits down. 

"I'm Gabriel," he says, extending his hand.

"Alosa," I say, shaking it.

"That's an unusual name," he says, staring at me. "I like it."

"Um, thanks," I say nervously. This guy is making me sweet in a good way, I think. I feel like I've known him forever. Like I can trust him.

"Before you ask what I had, it was ASD or Atrial Septal Defect," he says. I open my mouth it speak but he stops me. "No, before you say What? How it's so rare? Just don't that's all I've heard all day," he says, rubbing his temples.

I don't know what comes over me but I pull his hand down and stare into his eyes and say, "I was going to say that I had ASD too."

His jaw drops open. "You did?" he asks.

"Yes," I say.

"No," he says in disbelief.

"Yes," I say again.

"Ok, did you need open heart surgery or that other one where they do it without ripping you open," he says rolling his eyes.

"No," I say laughing. "I had open heart surgery," I say.

"No way!" he says.

"Way!" I say laughing harder.

"Prove it," he says standing up, crossing his arms, smirking to himself.

"Fine," I say. Good thing I'm wearing a bikini under this dress I think. And with that thought I stand up and take off my dress showing my bikini which reveals my long scar down the middle of my chest. "See," I tell him. "I wasn't lying," I say pointing to my scare.

He just stares for a long time before taking off his shirt showing his scare and toned abs. He looks down at his own chest then back at me. He then walks so fast I barely have time to comprehend what's happening. He gets to me and touches my scare, then his own. Then mine again. He looks at me shocked. He then takes my hand and puts it on his scar.

I'm so confused I just stare at him till he says "They are the exact same," he says breathing hard.

"I know," I say. "That's what I was telling-'' But he cuts me off with a kiss. At first I'm shocked but I quickly get over it and kiss him back letting my hand run up his neck and through his hair. His hands find my wais pulling me closer to him.

-------

"It still feels like yesterday," Gabe says, pulling me out of my flashback. I look away from the picture and at him.

"Yeah," I agree. "How was that already six years ago?"

"I don't know, I guess time flies when you're with the one you love," he says before kissing just like the first time.