The Big Cheese (A Story for Cameron)

The Big Cheese
By: Kay Olds

Cameron loved to hang out with his buddies, Dillon, William, Conner, Luke and Blade, but lately everything seemed to turn into a competition. If one boy said he was fast, the others were faster, if one was smart, the others were smarter, and so on.
One day at the playground, they wanted to climb on the rock wall. Dillon said, “I can climb fast.” William said, “Oh yeah! Well I can climb faster.”
“But I can climb faster and higher,” said Cameron. And that’s when the pushing and shoving began. They ended up pulling each other off the wall so that none of them could climb it.
“That’s okay,” said Luke, “I didn’t want to climb it anyway. I want to slide!”
They all took off running towards the big slide. But once again they started pulling each other and sticking out their elbows trying to stop each other from getting there first.
William was the first to reach the slide, but Dillon tripped him and Conner sat on him so he couldn’t be first. Blade laughed at them and said no matter who reached it first, he would be the quickest to climb it and the quickest to slide down. So as he climbed the ladder, William ran over and started to climb the slide so he block Blade’s path and he would not be able to slide down at all.
Their parents had to scold them about their awful behavior and said to straighten up or they would have to go home. The boys settled down for awhile and were playing in the sand box.
Blade mentioned that he could build a very high sand castle, but of course, Luke said that he could build one higher. William said that no one could build it higher than he could, and so on it went until as each boy would attempt to build one, the others would knock it down.
“Enough!” exclaimed their parents. They were taking them home.
The boys were kept apart for a week then another play date was scheduled. The mothers took them to the game room and they behaved so well the mothers were very proud of them. They parted with the promise of another play date next week.
This time the boys wanted to go to the bowling alley, so they met there and began to bowl.
Luke said he could bowl better than any of them. Dillon said he could throw the ball harder. William said he could throw it faster and knock down more pins. Cameron said, “Guys! We are not supposed to do this anymore. We are supposed to play together as friends. And as your friend, I have to tell you that I can throw the biggest ball faster and harder and I can knock down all of the pins. So just stop trying so hard.”
Conner got mad and said he wasn’t playing anymore, so once again a pushing and shoving match started and they argued so much they had to be separated.
That night Cameron’s dad was tucking him into bed, and he asked Cam why he and his friends can’t get along any more.
“They won’t believe me anymore, Dad.” Cameron said.
“What are they not believing?” asked his dad.
“That I am better and bigger and faster and stronger and smarter than all of those guys,” Cameron told his dad. “They all think they are, but they are not the best. I am the best.”
“I’m sure that if I asked each one of those guys they would tell me the same thing, Cam, that they are the best,” said Cam’s dad.
“But Dad! It’s me, just me. Cameron. And I am the best.”
“Good night, Son,” said dad.
“Good night, Dad,” said Cam.
Cameron’s dad had a thought. He would get the boys together tomorrow evening and let them compete against each other. Maybe if he let them race and toss an object fairly and if he let them climb and jump, they could settle it once and for all. He made a call to each of the other parents and they all thought in might be a good idea.
The next afternoon, the moms and dads set up a course for them at the park. They had to run a race and it would be timed. They had to climb the rock wall and they would be timed. They would have to lift a basket to their chests and each time they did it, a canned item would be added to the basket until one boy could lift the most. They would to toss a baseball to see who could throw the farthest. Other events were set up to test their skills.
The boys were all looking forward to showing everyone that each of them was the best.
Numbers were put into a hat and each boy was supposed to draw to see who would go first, but the boys started arguing about who should draw the first number. They pushed and shoved and elbowed and shouted until the parents had to put them in time out for awhile.
The boys were very angry by this time. Each one of them had their families there and everyone was looking at them. It seemed like they were ashamed of the way they had behaved.
Cameron got really mad and told the others that he was already the best, so why didn’t they just let him go first.
Dillon said, “ Yeah, you’re the best alright. The best L-O-S-E-R!”
William told them to just sit and be quiet because he was the best climber and he could go the highest so he was going to win.
Conner told them that he could throw the farthest and lift the heaviest load, so he was the best.
Cameron was going to say that he could eat the most macaroni and cheese so he should go first, but he got confused instead when he shouted it out and he yelled, “Oh YEAH!!! Well what do you think of THIS?! I AM THE BIGGEST CHEESE!”
No one said anything for several moments. Everyone stared at Cameron. He was trying to think of what he had just said.
Out of the crowd came Madison and she stood in front of Cameron with her hands on her hips and she cocked her head to the side and said, “Cam! Did you just say that you were the biggest cheese?”
Ahlanna stepped forward and said, “Cam! Why did you say that? ARE you the biggest cheese?!”
“No! No!” said Cam. “I meant to say that I can eat the most mac and cheese. I don’t know why I said that.” He made the funniest face.
All of a sudden everyone started laughing. They laughed so hard they were crying.
Each of the boys went over and patted Cameron on the back and hugged him and kept saying, “Good one, Cam.”
All of the parents told him what a great way to solve an on going feud……..to use humor to settle it.
His mom and dad hugged him and told him that they were very proud of him.
From that day forward, the boys not longer argued or competed to see who was best. They knew how silly it was. And if they even thought about arguing, they would simply think of Cameron and say he’s the biggest cheese and it would make them laugh. Cameron really was the best!!!