Secrets 2: Looking Through Different Eyes - 45. Chapter 45 S2

Chapter 45 – Spring Break

After Devin and I returned from the dog park, we spent the rest of the day studying. I was hitting the books pretty hard, because I’d fallen behind while I was taking care of Devin, although I wouldn’t admit it to him. At the same time, Devin was re-watching the videos of the classes he’d missed and reviewing the notes he’d taken so he could make a list of the questions he wanted to ask the various professors. He was eager to finally be able to ask them in person after attending his first classes since he was injured.

He did that for the first time in person on Monday, and two days later he made a comment while we were on our way to the dining hall for supper. “I want you to know that each of my professors said they were glad to finally see me in class and that they were glad that I was completely healed after my unfortunate accident.”

“I’m sure they were, and part of that may have something to do with the fact that they can eliminate some of the extra work they had to do to keep you up with the rest of the class.”

Now that things were basically back to normal, the days started to fly by for us. In fact, almost before Devin and I realized how far into the semester we were, it was nearly time for spring break. With that in mind, we started making plans for the trip back to my house so we could spend the week with my parents. It was the compromise I’d made with them so they wouldn’t be quite as upset that I was going to be away for most of the summer.

My parents are under the impression that Devin and I will be going with Gramps to Missouri to learn more about the family business, while we’re actually going there to look for treasure. We hope that we’ll be able to make our way through the man-made barrier and discover something of value on the other side. We also hope we’ll gain some insight into why the barrier was created in the first place.

We had a lot to do the week before we left on Spring Break. In addition to our classes, we did our laundry and then each of us packed a duffle bag to take with us. We also tidied up the entire house, just in case the caretaker stopped by to check things out while we were away. We certainly didn’t want him reporting back to Gramps and Pops that we weren’t taking care of the place.

When we finally started out on the trip to my house, I let Devin drive first, so he could stop and let me take over if he got tired or was experiencing any difficulty. It had been a while since he’d had a chance to drive a long distance and I was worried it might put a great deal of strain on his injured shoulder or that he might tire more easily. If that happened, then I could take over the driving, otherwise we’d merely stop at the same location where we always changed drivers.

The trip started out smoothly and we talked about the sort of things my parents might have planned for the week. We both agreed that they’d be taking us on nearby sight-seeing excursions that could be done in a single day or an overnight trip. We were also making conjectures about which direction from my house they’d take us, and we quickly agreed that we wouldn’t be heading east, since we’d seen nearly everything in that direction already.

Now that we’d eliminated going in one particular direction, we attempted to determine if they’d be taking us to indoor locations, such as museums or historic sights, or if they’d planned something outdoors instead. We hadn’t yet agreed on which type of trip they’d be taking us on when Devin unexpectedly pulled over and parked.

“Why are you stopping here? Are you having difficulty driving or are you noticing problems with the SUV?”

“No, nothing like that. I just decided to stop here.”

“I don’t understand why you chose this location. We don’t usually stop at this diner when we’re on the way home, only when we’re heading to campus.”

“I know, but I thought I’d do it now, since we haven’t stopped here on the way to campus recently. I’m just curious to see if anything has changed since we were last here. We don’t have to order much, so maybe we can just have some fries and a drink to tide us over until we get to your place.”

“Well, we did get a late start and it’s already past lunchtime, so it probably would be a good idea if we ordered a burger or a sandwich to go along with the fries and a drink.”

“Ok, that sounds good to me.”

As we walked into the diner, we quickly spotted an open booth and sat down, and then we began to look around. The diner looked pretty much the same as it always had, but we only recognized about half of the people that were working there. It appeared as if there had been a big turnover in employees since the last time we’d eaten here.

When a waitress came over to take our order, we immediately recognized her. She had been here for quite a while and actually waited on us the first time we’d stopped here. That was when Devin had transitioned into a much larger guy so he could stop an asshole from harassing a girl that was leaving the diner. The waitress didn’t seem to recognize us, though, but we certainly remembered her.

“Can I help you boys?” she asked briskly.

“Yes, I’ll have a hamburger, fries, and a Coke,” Devin replied.

“Do you want cheese on your hamburger?”

“Not today, but thank you for asking.”

“Ok and I’ll just have the cook place the lettuce, pickles, and slice of tomato on the side, so you can pick and choose what you want to use on your hamburger,” she replied and then she glanced at me.

“I’ll have a turkey club, fries, and a Coke,” I responded.

“Do you want it on white, wheat, or rye?”

“Rye please.”

“And do you want the bread toasted?”

“No thank you.”

“And do you boys what me to bring you water as well?”

“No, that won’t be necessary.”

“Ok, then your order should be out in a jiffy.”

She then walked away and placed the slip on a spindle for the cook, and then she went to check on another customer.

“I’m surprised they’re this busy, since it’s well past the normal lunch hour.”

“I’m just surprised she took the time to ask us all of those questions.”

“She’s just as professional and thorough as the first time she waited on us, but back then she seemed friendlier,” Devin stated.

“Nah, she’s the same as she was back then.”

“Maybe you’re right about that or it might have something to do with the fact that she hasn’t slowed down even once since we walked in here.”

She returned several minutes later with our food and it was actually quite tasty. We had just about finished eating when she returned again, and we thought she was merely going to leave our check, but she asked a question instead.

“Would you boys like some dessert today? Our sundaes are half off this week and that includes the hot fudge, butterscotch, and strawberry sundaes.”

“It sounds good to me, so I’ll have a hot fudge sundae,” Devin stated.

“And I’ll have a butterscotch sundae,” I followed.

She returned a couple of minutes later with our sundaes, and we totally enjoyed them. I hadn’t had a butterscotch sundae since I was a little kid and it brought back some wonderful memories. I think the first time I ever had a butterscotch sundae was when I was either five or six-years-old and my parents bought it for me when we stopped to eat after spending the day at the zoo. I haven’t thought about that since then, but eating the sundae brought all of those wonderful memories flooding back to my mind.

After we finished our meal, we left the waitress a nice tip when we paid the bill. And as we were leaving the diner, Devin handed me the key and suggested that I take over the driving when we resumed our trip.

“Are you sure you’re ok? Were you experiencing problems before?” I asked.

“I’m fine. It’s just that if we change drivers now then we won’t have to stop again until we reach your house.”

I mentally questioned the sincerity of his explanation and thought he might have been having a problem before he stopped here this time. I didn’t press the issue, though, but in the end I concluded he might only be able to drive short distances, like around campus or Fort Collins, but longer trips were much harder for him to handle. I determined that by stopping at the diner he could suggest that I take over the driving when we were leaving without having to admit that he was having a problem. If that was the case, then I wish he’d be honest with me about it, but instead of saying anything, I simply got behind the wheel and got us back on the road.

Since my mom and dad were still at work when we arrived at the house, Devin and I carried our duffle bags up to my room, and then we returned to the living room to relax. We found a movie on TV and cuddled on the love seat to watch it. When my parents pulled in the driveway about an hour later, we quickly grabbed our coats and went outside to see if we could give them a hand with anything. They didn’t have very much with them, so we all hurried inside, since it was cold out and starting to rain.

“Devin, I’m so glad you could join us,” my mom said once we were inside and had taken our coats off. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine, and I take it that Mac must’ve told you about what happened to me. I’ll admit that it wasn’t easy for me to deal with at the time, but I’m doing much better now. In fact, I’m pretty much back to normal.”

“Yes, Mickey mentioned what happened to you during one of our phone conversations. He was really worried about you and concerned that you might not be able to come here during Spring Break, so we’re pleased to see that you’re doing much better now.”

“Yes, I’m back to normal and everything is good.”

“I’m glad to hear that as well,” Dad added, “and now you and Mickey will be able to enjoy your time with us.”

“What are we going to do?” I asked.

“We’re going to start by taking you boys out for supper, so let’s take a few minutes to freshen up and get ready. You might want to change your clothes as well.”

“I think that’s our cue to put on something nicer than what we’re wearing,” I told Devin after I’d nudged him with my elbow, and then we headed upstairs.

When we were ready, we came down to join my parents, and then we went out to get in my family’s SUV.

“Are you boys up for going to a steakhouse this evening?” my dad asked.

“Yeah, that sounds good. We don’t get a chance to eat steak very often while we’re at college, unless it’s Salisbury steak, and that’s not really steak at all.”

“Ok, then the steakhouse it is,” Dad concurred.

After we ordered, my parents started asking the usual questions. “How are you doing in your classes this semester?” Dad asked first.

“I’m doing just fine,” I replied.

“Yeah, even though he spent a lot of time taking care of me,” Devin added. “He had to bring all our meals to the house, drive me to all of my appointments, and he even arranged it so I wouldn’t have to drop out of college for a semester.”

“It doesn’t surprise me, since it’s obvious how much he loves you. And that answers another question for me, because I was wondering how you were able to keep up with your studies after you were hurt.”

“Mac arranged it so my professors would take a video of each of their classes and send it to me so I could keep up. I’d do everything else online, so it really worked out great! I’ve just started to attend my classes again.”

“That’s great and I’m proud of Mickey for doing those things for you. Now, I’d like to know how the accident occurred in the first place. He only told us that it was a freak accident, but he didn’t go into detail as to how it had occurred.”

“Well, it was snowing pretty hard when we were on our way back to campus, and even the following day. Mac and I decided to go check out the park to see what it was like there and if anyone had cleared off more than just the parking lot. While we were there, we got into a snowball fight and I’d just moved to an area near the tree line, thinking I could always hide behind a tree if I was losing. I’d just thrown a snowball at Mac when I heard a loud cracking noise. I turned around to see if one of the trees was falling when a large branch fell on me.”

“And it was a good thing he’d turned around, because it got his head out of the way enough so the branch only gave his head a glancing blow. Most of the force of the falling branch landed on his shoulder instead of landing directly on his head; otherwise we’d have been dealing with a totally different problem.”

“Yes, that was very fortunate,” Mom agreed. “Sometimes you boys seem quite mature; while at other times it’s as if you’re still little boys again getting into trouble. This time you were merely fooling around and got into trouble.”

“Hey, we’ve got to have some fun and the snowball fight was fun until that damn branch fell and knocked me out. I appreciate that Mac was able to get help and have me taken to the hospital, but I felt guilty that he had to do so much for me while I was recovering, instead of using that time to study.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” I interjected, “and I’m doing fine with my studies. You’ll see that when we get our grades.”

“I hope you’re right or I’m going to feel shitty,” Devin mumbled.

“Is this going to affect your plans for the summer?” Dad asked next, ignoring Devin’s last comment.

“No, I’m all healed now, so this won’t impact our trip to Missouri with my grandfather.”

I had a feeling my dad was hoping we might have to reconsider our summer plans, but at least now he knew it wasn’t about to happen.

“I might as well tell you now,” Dad stated after recovering quickly from his disappointment. “I was trying to plan a couple of day trips that we could take you on, but we’ve already taken you to see most of the things of interest within a short drive from here.” I could tell he was trying to hide his embarrassment for failing us.

“So, we won’t be taking any trips?” Devin asked.

“No! I looked for other activities we could do, but the ski season is ending and it isn’t warm enough for water activities, such as white water rafting or swimming. I’m afraid I couldn’t find any other places we could explore within a reasonable distance from here, unless you want to go to the Denver Museum. We could also revisit some of the places we already took you to, but I wanted to get your input before I did anything like that. Otherwise, we could just try to find things to do locally, such as playing laser tag again or going to see a couple of movies, because the miniature golf course and go kart track haven’t opened for business yet”

“Don’t worry about it! The main reason Devin and I came here during Spring Break is so we can spend some time with you and Mom,” I replied. In fact, we actually came here to appease my parents so they wouldn’t be upset that we’d be spending so much of the summer away.

“So, when do you two plan on returning to campus?” my mom asked after she’d given us some time to eat without having to answer any questions.

“We haven’t decided yet, but we’ll probably go back on Friday or Saturday. There’s even a chance that we might wait until Sunday before we leave, because we just have to be back when classes start on Monday.”

“Ok, then please let us know in advance about which day you’re planning to return.”

“Of course we’ll do that.”

The meal was delicious and we were all full. When we returned to the house, we all sat down together to watch a movie, and I quickly noticed that Dad had his arm around Mom and she was learning against his shoulder. I thought it was very romantic, so I placed my arm around Devin and gave him a little squeeze, and without any hesitation he leaned against me. It was almost as if it was a double-date night, but we didn’t do much more than that, except for a few kisses, at least until we turned in.

The minute the door to my room was closed, Devin and I got even more intimate and engaged in some serious foreplay before we eventually got down to making love. We even made more noise than usual, and I’m not sure why my parents didn’t hear what we were doing. Was it possible that they just didn’t care, since Devin and I are engaged and plan to eventually get married? No matter the reason, the thought of them knowing what we were up to didn’t bother me nearly as much as it once had.

As we were lying there afterward, it dawned on me that my parents might have been doing something similar in their bedroom, and that could be why they didn’t hear us. I quickly wiped that thought from my mind, because nobody wanted images of their parents having sex seared into their cerebral cortex.

When we woke up on Saturday morning, we discovered it was raining, so after breakfast my dad made an announcement. “It looks like the weather is narrowing our choices, so what would you boys think about going bowling or seeing movies?”

“Yeah, we can do that,” I agreed.

“Or we can all go to my family’s cabin for a few days.”

“Won’t your parents be working?”

“It’s the weekend, so they should be home now.”

“They may be home, but I don’t want to interfere with any plans they might have or create a whole lot of extra work for your mother,” Mom replied.”

“We could always pick up some things on the way there and then Devin and I can fix the meals, so Ma won’t have to do any extra work.”

“What if we just pick up the things we’d need for breakfast and lunch, and then I’ll take us all out to eat each night,” Dad offered.

“Won’t that be expensive?”

“Considering what I was planning on paying if we’d gone on a trip, I’ll be getting off cheap. Devin, do you think your parents will have enough refrigerator space that we can use, if we pick up some things at the grocery store on the way there?”

“Yeah, we’ve got a large refrigerator and a separate chest freezer.”

“What about sleeping arrangements?” Mom asked.

“You and Pa can have my bedroom,” he offered, “and Mac and I will sleep in the family area on the bearskin rug.”

“Won’t you boys be cold doing that?”

“Heck no! We’ll just help my dad build a roaring fire in the fireplace that we can all enjoy after we get back from eating supper. We’d usually let the fire burn down before we went to bed, but instead we’ll just get it going really good again so it will keep us warm throughout most of the night. We’ll also use a couple of the sleeping bags too, so we should be fine.”

“Ok, if you boys don’t mind doing that, because I’ll admit that it will be nice to spend some time with Doris and Aaron again.”

“Then it’s all set. You and Pa can go up to your room and pack a suitcase with whatever you’ll need, and Mac and I will just take the duffle bags we’d brought with us for the week.”

“Ok and maybe we can make a few short trips around that area while your mom and dad are at work during the day.”

As soon as my parents had packed a suitcase, we loaded it and our duffle bags into my parents’ SUV, and then we drove to the grocery store to do some shopping. After we’d completed that task, Devin gave my dad directions on how to get to the cabin, since my parents had never been there before.

We arrived at the cabin about an hour later and we saw Ma looking out a window to see who’d just pulled in. As we were taking the groceries out of the back of the SUV, Ma came out on the porch to greet us.

“Welcome to our humble abode,”

“I hope you don’t mind the intrusion, but the boys suggested we might spend some time out here with you,” Dad stated.

“No, I think it’s wonderful, but why are you carrying all of those grocery bags?”

“They’re to make sure there’s enough food for breakfast and lunch while we’re here,” Ma responded.

“And then I’ll take us all out to eat supper every night,” Pa followed.

“No, you don’t have to do that, it will be too expensive.”

“It will be cheaper than if we took the boys on a trip or two, and it will be my way of paying for our room and board while we’re here.”

“But you brought everything for the other meals with you as well.”

“That’s ok, and it still amounts to considerably less that if I had to pay for two rooms at a hotel. As the old saying goes, ‘it would be cheap at twice the price’.”

While Ma and Mom were putting the groceries away, the rest of us went out to the SUV and grabbed our luggage. Devin then led Dad up to his room, and since Ma had already made his bed in case we spent part of the break there, it was all set.

“By the way, where’s Aaron?” Dad asked when he came downstairs again. I was downstairs already, since I’d taken Devin’s and my duffle bags to the family area and stashed them out of the way, since we’d be sleeping there.

“This is a busy time for him, being tax season, so he went into work for a while. I expect he’ll be returning here sometime after lunch, though.”

“I look forward to seeing him again.”

“Unfortunately, we’ll both be working during the week. I wish the school district was on vacation during the week, because then I could spend a little more time with you guys.”

“Yeah, we would have liked that too,” Mom agreed.

We all sat around the dining room table after Ma had poured each of them a cup of coffee. Devin went out to the kitchen and got us a drink as well, and then we all chatted until Ma and Mom got up and began preparing lunch. We were halfway through our meals when Pa showed up.

“Mike and Cindy, it’s so nice to see you again and welcome to the cabin. I thought that was your SUV outside, but I figured Devin might have had a problem with his SUV and Mac had borrowed your vehicle to drive him out here.”

“No, it was just that I couldn’t find anyplace of interest to take the boys this week, so Devin suggested we could come out here and spend some time with you.”

“I’m not sure how much time I’ll be able to spend with you, because this is my busiest time of the year.”

“Won’t that all end on April 15^th?” Dad asked.

“I wish it did, but it only slows it down a little. From the 15^th on I’ll be dealing with the returns for late filers or those that had requested a filing extension. It’s also the time when I’ll be busy boxing up the copies of my client’s federal and state tax returns for last year, along with copies of all the supporting documentation. As soon as the files are empty, I’ll have to prepare new folders for my regular clients for the current tax year.”

“I hope we won’t interfere with your work in any way?”

“No, I may bring some work home with me, but I’ll enjoy having a distraction for even a brief time. I usually don’t get home until 7:00 or 8:00 most nights, but I’ll try to get here by six this week and then work a little later next week.”

“As long as it’s not a major problem for you, but I promise we’ll wait until you get here before we go out for supper.”

“I can just make something here,” Ma offered.

“No, the only reason we agreed to come is if I could take everyone out to eat each evening while we are here. First of all, we want to do this, and we also don’t want to create more work for you.”

“Thank you for your consideration, but it wouldn’t be very much extra work. I’d have to fix something for Aaron and myself anyway, and feeding a few extra mouths is no big deal.”

“But this way you’ll get each night off from having to fix a meal and doing the dishes afterward,” Mom offered, “so just allow us to do this and you can enjoy a few nights off.”

“Ok, I graciously accept your offer then.”

“And you guys will have to choose the restaurant, once we agree on what type of food we want to eat, because I’m not familiar with this area.”

“We’ll be happy to do that, and we’ll also take my SUV to get there, since it has more room than yours does, I’ll also split the bill with you,” Pa offered.

“Like hell you will. This will be my treat.”

“And they brought food for breakfast and lunches too,” Devin quickly chipped in.

“In that case, I insist you let me split the tab with you.”

“Just consider it similar to what you did at Christmas and New Year’s, so there will be no splitting the bill.”

“I’m not sure which of them is more stubborn,” Mom said, “although I’ll bet Mike will win this disagreement.”

Once that had been settled, we began to chat. “I’m just glad Devin was able to continue his studies while he was healing,” Ma said. “I just hope he was smart enough to thank his professors for helping to make it possible.”

“Yes, I already did that.”

“Then I guess we must’ve raised you right,” Pa stated as he smiled at Devin.

Ma and Pa asked how we thought we were doing this semester, and we gave them the same answers that we’d told my parents. Pa then asked Devin a question.

“Did anyone make any comments about you healing more rapidly than others with the same type of injury?”

”Not really. The doctor and my therapist just said they were surprised by how fast I had healed, and I just told them it must have been due to all of the vitamins I’ve been taking since I will little.”

“The vitamins you’ve taken since just before the accident and while you were healing might have helped,” Dad concurred. “However, the vitamins you’d taken prior to that, especially when you were younger, would have long ago been used up by your body.”

“Yeah, the doctor said the same thing.”

As it grew later, we all agreed that we should probably get cleaned up and change before we went out to eat. Prior to doing that, however, we agreed on the type of cuisine we wanted. After some discussion, we finally all agreed on Italian.

It took a while for us to get ready, since there was only one bathroom at the cabin and we all had to take turns using it, but the bathroom was large enough so each couple could share it. As soon as each of us was ready, we went out and loaded into Pa’s SUV, and then he drove us to his favorite Italian restaurant.

It was a typical Old World environment, since the plastered upper portion of the dining room walls had been painted with easily recognizable scenes of Italy through the centuries. There was the Colosseum, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Grand Canal in Venice, the Vatican, the Trevi Fountain, and Michelangelo’s statue of David. They also had red and white checkered table cloths on each of the tables and a candle in a traditional fiasco, which is a type of bottle that was formerly used for Chianti.

The food was just as wonderful as the ambiance, and just as soon as we finished eating, Dad insisted that we each order something for dessert. At first, we all replied that we were too full to have dessert, and Dad countered by saying we could take home the portion we couldn’t eat. As a compromise, each couple agreed to select one dessert and share it, and Mom insisted that she and Dad do the same thing. This was because she didn’t want him to have more than just half of what they agreed on.

After we finished our desserts, Ma and Pa thanked Dad for taking them out to eat, so Devin and I did the same. After Dad took care of the check, Pa drove us back to the cabin, and then we helped him start a fire in the fireplace. As soon as that was going, we agreed to play a couple of board games together, since none of us wanted to go to bed until our meals had a chance to settle.

While we were playing the games on the dining room table, our parents chatted about memories of doing things like this when Devin and I were younger. Of course, many of those memories would be better off forgotten, since they usually put Devin and me in an awkward or embarrassing situation, but I believe that was their intention. And when the last game ended, we all got ready for bed and turned in.

Of course, Devin put some more wood on the fire so it wouldn’t die out quite yet, and then we zipped the two sleeping bags together. As soon as we felt our parents were all asleep, we made love by the waning light of the fireplace.

Devin and I woke up in the morning to have breakfast with our parents, although I’ll admit getting up this early was mostly due to the amount of noise that Ma and Mom were making while fixing breakfast. They’d joined forces so they could do it for all of us and they did a great job.

After we finished eating, I was expecting that we’d probably go for a hike in the woods, but it was starting to rain. That’s when I noticed Ma heading up to her room, and when she returned, she was carrying a CD and a portable stereo system. After she plugged the stereo into a wall socket, she placed the CD inside, pressed ‘play’, and we heard a soothing male voice start to sing. “Moon River, wider than a mile, I’m crossing you in style someday…”

“I haven’t heard Andy Williams sing this song in years,” Mom stated. “Where did you get this?”

“The stereo, or boom box as Jacob called it, was given to me by Jacob and his wife for my birthday about ten years ago, along with some CDs, and this was one of them. Before they gave me this present, I’d been playing records on my old turntable, but the records were getting pretty worn out and scratched, so it was getting difficult to enjoy any of the songs.”

“My mother used to play this album on her record player, on her and Dad’s wedding anniversary every year, and then they would dance. But what made Jacob buy you this particular CD?”

“Jacob and Isaac were always complaining about my taste in music, so they gave me this CD by Andy Williams, two CDs by Tony Bennett, his “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” and “I Want to be Around” albums. They also gave me two classical CDs, “The Best of Beethoven” and “The Best of Tchaikovsky”. At first, I would only play the CDs when they were here, but then I began to slowly fall in love with each of them.”

The Andy Williams “Moon River” CD and almost any song Tony Bennett sings are great for dancing.”

“You know, that’s an excellent idea. We can move the table and chairs into the kitchen temporarily and make enough room so we can all dance in the dining room and family area.”

“That’s an excellent idea, so Aaron and Mike will you help to clear the dining room?” Mom asked.

“Sure,” Dad agreed. “I was wondering what we were going to do today.”

“We’ll dance for a while and then we can all play Uno and board games next,” Ma stated. “And while you’re making room for us to dance, I’ll run up to my bedroom and get the two Tony Bennett CDs.”

“This will be a real throwback Sunday,” Mom stated as Ma started up the stairs on the way to her bedroom. “It reminds me of things my parents might have done when I was a child.”

As soon as Ma returned with the other CDs, the six of us danced to all ten songs on the Moon River album, and then Ma asked a question. “Which Tony Bennett CD would you like to hear, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” or “I Want to be Around”?” Ma asked.

“Play the “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” CD,” Dad suggested. “But don’t you have anything from when we were younger instead?”

“Yes, I have Bon Jovi’s album “Slippery When Wet”, and Phil Collins’ “No Jacket Required”, U2’s “The Joshua Tree”, as well as two Michael Jackson CDs, “Bad” and “Thriller”. Which would you prefer?”

“They all sound great, but I think the Phil Collins’ album would be the best one to dance to,” Mom replied. “You can bring the other CDs with you when you come to our house for various celebrations and we can dance more then.”

“Welcome to the MTV generation,” I whispered to Devin.

“Huh?”

“Haven’t you ever heard of MTV?”

“Is that a new cable or streaming service?”

“No, it was a really popular TV channel when our parents were younger. It played music videos all day long, so this is going to be a music video history lesson for us,” I joked. “I just hope they’re songs we can dance to and not just a lot of screaming, because I’ve heard there were groups that were famous for also doing that when our parents were younger.”

Devin and I were ready to leave the cabin if that was the type of music they chose, but we lucked out and could actually dance to the songs on the album that my mom selected. I believe our parents were also happy to see the two of us joining in.

When those albums ended, we played Uno and board games until it was time for supper, and afterward we all sat in the living area and chatted until we opted to turn in. That’s because Ma and Pa had to work the next day and the rest of us didn’t want to worry about accidentally making too much noise and either keep them awake or wake them up, if they’d already fallen asleep.

I set my alarm this time, so we could have breakfast with our parents before Pa left for the office. Devin and I said goodbye to him as he was leaving, and then we told Ma not to worry about the breakfast dishes, because we’d do them for her. She thanked us for taking care of that, and then she went up to her room to get dressed. When she came down again, Devin and I gave her a hug before she left for the school where she worked as a teacher’s aide.

Dad seemed to be having a problem finding something to do, since there was no TV there for him to watch and his phone was useless as well. Not knowing what else to do, he took us all to see a movie where, as he put it, we’d enjoy a more ‘civilized environment’ for a while. It made me wonder if he was going to do this every day while we were here, unless we suggested something else to keep him occupied.

He even took us out to eat lunch before we returned to the cabin, and then we played gin rummy until Ma arrived home from work. This time, Dad had a few questions for her to answer.

“How do you and Aaron survive out here without TV, the internet, or any phone service?”

“It’s not really much of a problem, once we got used to it, since there are so many things to do out here when the weather isn’t too bad. Besides, we can always use our phones and the internet at work, at least when it doesn’t interfere with our other duties, even if I have to stay later to do it. Anyway, we got used to not having TV years ago.”

“It drives Mike crazy, but I don’t have a problem with it. If I was living out here, I’d have plenty to do just keeping up with the housework, laundry, and fixing meals. If I had any free time, I could fill it by catching up on the sewing or I could even learn to knit or crochet.”

“And it obviously doesn’t bother the boys, since they seem to enjoy spending time out here,” Dad added.

“That’s because there’s lot for us to do out on the trails and in the woods,” I answered. “We can fish, hunt, or even use the row boat or canoe on the pond. When we fish and hunt, Ma always incorporates those items into our meals.”

Dad didn’t seem interested in those things, but he was happy to take us out for supper again, as soon as Pa arrived home from work. This time we all agreed on Chinese, and of course we had to rely on Pa to drive us to a suitable establishment. It was all working out quite well, and when we finished eating we’d play games before turning in. Pa skipped the games, because he’d brought some work home that he needed to finish before morning.

On Tuesday, Dad took us bowling in the morning, and then out for a late lunch at a restaurant before we went back to the cabin. When Ma arrived after her day ended at work, we would chat for a while first, and then we’d play games until Pa arrived. As soon as he had a chance to freshen up, we’d go to another restaurant to eat. When we arrived back at the cabin afterward, we’d play games again, but once more without Pa.

After we’d finished eating breakfast on Wednesday, we discovered that the weather was a little warmer, in the high 60s (20.0-20.5 C) and it appeared that it would be getting even warmer. Since it was going to be a fairly nice day, we took Mom and Dad for a walk on the trails before lunch. They didn’t exactly have the right clothes for it, but at least they’d brought athletic shoes with them, instead of the shoes they wore to work or around the house, so we took them on a fairly lengthy hike.

“Wow, it’s really nice out here,” Dad said, “and this reminds me of some of the hikes I took when I was a boy.”

Of course, Devin and I each carried a backpack with bottles of water that we could use to keep hydrated, but that wasn’t a major problem, since it wasn’t extremely hot out. We also made sure that we each carried one of the walking sticks that we used when we went hiking with Ma and Pa, because they kept them on the porch when not in use.

We saw plenty of tracks left by various animals that inhabited the woods, but Mom and Dad were talking loudly enough so we didn’t see any of them. That didn’t seem to bother my parents, though, and when we finished our hike, we ate lunch at the cabin using some of the items we’d purchased on the way here. Ma and Mom used some of the other items when they made breakfast each morning, so we were glad we’d bought those things with us. And then that night, Dad took us out to a restaurant featuring southwestern cuisine for supper.

On Thursday morning, after we’d finished eating breakfast with Ma and Pa and they’d left for work, Dad surprised me with a comment.

“Do you think we can go on another hike again today?”

“Sure, and we can take you on different trails this time so you can see more of the wooded area,” Devin quickly agreed.

“And if you’re quiet, we might even see some animals this time,” I added.

“Are you saying we talk too much?” Dad asked.

“Maybe a little, but you talked way too loud and it scared the animals away.”

“Ok, I promise to be quieter this time.”

“Is going on another hike ok with you, Mom?”

“Yes, I thought it was lovely out there, and your dad and I can use the exercise,” she stated while looking at Dad. In returned, Dad glared at her before he spoke.

“Speak for yourself, honey,” he spat back.

“I did! I said we both could use the exercise. Maybe then you won’t have to buy a new belt, since you’re currently using the last hole on your belt to keep your pants from falling down.”

After Devin and I stifled our giggles, we grabbed our backpacks again and put bottles of water and some snacks in them, in case we stayed out longer this time. We each carried a walking stick as well, and then we set off on our hike. As Devin had told them, we went on different trails this time, and my parents were merely looking around and not talking at all. Because of that, we got to see a couple of deer, a few squirrels, and even a rabbit.

We had just rounded a bend on the trail when we happened to startle a lone mountain lion. At first it backtracked slightly, and then it began to hiss at us. Finally, it started to growl and looked as if it might be getting ready to attack.

“Do exactly the same things that we do,” I quickly told my parents.

At first we lifted both arms high over our heads, to make ourselves look larger, and then we began shouting at the mountain lion as we held our walking sticks out in front of us, like weapons. It only took a few seconds after we did those things before the mountain lion decided to hightail it into the woods, but it left behind one casualty.

“That hurt,” I said as I turned around to see who was behind me. “You were only supposed to use the walking stick to scare the mountain lion, not to impale me in the back with it.”

“I’m sorry about that,” Mom apologized, “but I was afraid it was going to attack us so I used the walking stick to scare it, but you moved just as I was about to do that.”

“That’s why we lifted our arms high above our heads, to make ourselves look larger, and we shouted to frighten it. You only had to hold the walking sticks out to look like a weapon, not use it as one.”

“What if we were alone when we ran into that thing?” she asked.

“The same tactic would work just as well, as long as you sounded aggressive and not scared, but don’t ever try to run. Mountain lions are very fast and could easily catch you from behind in no time at all, and bring you down.”

“I’m glad you were here to tell us to do those things, because I would have tried to run back to the cabin.”

“We wouldn’t have let you come out here by yourselves, at least not before we taught you a bunch of things to do in order to protect yourself from the different animals you might encounter.”

“Don’t worry. Your father and I won’t be trying this by ourselves. Besides, we might not have encountered it if we’d been talking, like we did yesterday.”

“Yes, you might be correct about that.”

That night, Dad took us out for supper again, but this time to a steakhouse. After we’d ordered our meals and while we were waiting for the food to be delivered, he made a comment to Ma and Pa.

“We’ll be leaving in the morning, after breakfast. I’m not sure if the boys will be going back to campus later in the afternoon, on Saturday, or even on Sunday morning, but Cindy and I have things to do before we return to work on Monday. I just want to thank both of you for letting us spend time out here with you.”

“You spent most of it with the boys, since we were working most of the day and weren’t much company, especially me,” Pa replied. “And we want to thank you for taking us out to eat each evening.”

“I got off cheap on this vacation, and you’re very welcome. The boys took us out on hikes the past couple of days and now I can see why you like it out here. I’d still miss my TV, the internet, and being able to use my phone, though.”

“And we ran into a mountain lion earlier today,” Mom added, “and the boys taught us what to do to scare it off.” Suddenly, Ma and Pa looked wide-eyed at Devin and me, and we knew exactly what they were thinking.

“Yeah, we had them do exactly what we did. We used our arms to make us look bigger, yelled at it, and pointed our walking sticks at it like they were weapons.”

“Yes, doing those things will definitely scare a mountain lion off,” Pa concurred, and I knew he and Ma were both breathing a sigh of relief. I knew they first suspected that we might have done some minor transitioning to scare the mountain lion off, or maybe just growled like a bear, but we were smarter than that.

We decided to play UNO when we went back to the cabin, and then we turned in after the game ended.

In the morning, we all had breakfast together, and then we said goodbye to Ma and Pa before they left for work. After they had gone, Devin and I washed the dishes quickly, and then we all packed up our belongings and carried the suitcase and duffle bags out to the SUV so we could head home. It had been an unusual vacation with my parents, but it accomplished what we wanted. By spending this time with them, they wouldn’t be as upset that we were going to be away for most of the summer attempting to find out if there’s any treasure hidden in the cave we found the year before.