Chances and Changes: My Journey with Molly

I tell them that I honestly need a bit more time. I apologize to Linda, but I would hate to make them late. Linda sounds disgruntled, but says all right and leaves with Bobbie. Molly says that was a good start of speaking my mind. She tucks her shirt into her shorts.

After we change, we hang our bathing suits on a clothesline strung between two trees behind the tent. Molly says she knows a shortcut to the flagpole. The shortcut takes us behind the tennis court. We’re bopping along, and then suddenly I stop and point to a bush with raspberries. We’ll have to come back later to pick some. I walk on, but Molly heads over to the bush and kneels down to fill her cap with berries. I ask if we’re going to be late and Molly says that the bugle hasn’t blown yet. And even if we are late, it’ll be worth it. Everyone’s going to be very happy about the raspberries.

Molly goes on to say that hardly anyone has had any fresh berries since the war began. I ask why, and Molly looks at me as if I’m crazy. She says it’s because of the rationing. I look at her confused, but I kneel with her and begin filling my cap with berries, too. We’re both getting sticky and our knees are grass-stained. Molly explains that she doesn’t grow berries at home. Just a Victory garden with a bumper crop of turnips. I don’t know what a Victory garden is, or rationing, but Molly is sure excited about the raspberries.

Molly continues and says that at least we don’t have to ration our hot water. She read that apparently, the English princesses have to ration bathwater. There’s a black line around the bathtub in the palace, and they can’t fill the tub above that line. Rationing must mean limiting. And even the princesses have to do it? Wow. I tell Molly that I thought princesses live in luxury. Molly shakes her head. Not during a war. Everyone in England, and all over Europe, have been living without luxuries for a long time. They’ve had to sacrifice even more than the Americans have. Just then. The bugle blows. Molly says that we have to run.

We get to the flagpole just as the bugle call is ending, and we put our hats full of berries on the ground behind us. All the campers are standing at attention in two lines facing the flagpole. They’re holding their hands in front of them, palms up. Molly grimaces. She forgot about the inspection.

Sure enough, when Miss Butternut inspects us, she says that we must have forgotten our Camp Gowonagin motto: “Tidy and true.” Our shirts are untucked and dirty, our knees are grass-stained, and our hands aren’t clean. They’re pink and sticky. Molly picks up her hat and shows it to Miss Butternut. I found a raspberry bush. Everyone shouts happily for raspberries. The girls thump me in the back and say thank you and cheer my name. It’s amazing how excited everyone is about the fresh berries. Rationing must have been a big sacrifice.

Miss Butternut laughs. A raspberry bush is good news. She pops a raspberry into her mouth. She says she’ll let our messiness go this time because she’s glad about the berries, but she expects us to look ship-shape-sharp for inspection tomorrow and to wash our hands before dinner.