Naptown 19 - Spring Break - 7. Epilogue - The Parents’ Pride - Rob

Spring Break

A Naptown Tales Novella by Altimexis & David of Hope

Epilogue - The Parents’ Pride - Rob

Lindsey and I were propped up in bed going over our company’s financials. The firewall breach in our largest client’s operation, as with so many things, had turned out to be a simple matter, but with far reaching consequences. In a cost-cutting move, the client had taken it upon themselves to install their own third party printer drivers rather than purchasing upgrades from the manufacturer. Had they asked, we would have gladly scanned the software for viruses at no cost, but they were too embarrassed to admit to trying to shave such an insignificant amount from their bottom line. The third party drivers were indeed infected with a Trojan horse and the end result was a complete breakdown of their security. Because all of their systems were infected, we had to do a clean system reinstall on every single computer in their operation and restore all of their data from backup. It turned out that even some of their kids’ computers were infected, which said a lot about how lax their procedures had been.

In the end, their attempt to save a few bucks ended up costing them several million dollars in added costs and lost revenue at a time when they could hardly afford it. We ended up doing the work at cost, as the long-term survival of our largest client was far more important to us than any possible short-term gain. More significantly, nothing could ever replace the time we had lost to spend with our kids during their spring break. It was late and we were elated with the success we’d had at work up to this point, but it was hard to concentrate as I thought about our boys, Trevor and Sammy, and the adventures they’d had during the trip to Washington.

I smiled, put aside my laptop, and looked at Lindsey. “Sweetheart, I’m so happy for the boys. They enjoyed something in their younger years that most adults will never have the privilege of coming close to. Actually I’m a bit jealous that I didn’t get to have something like that happen to me when I was their age.”

“You’re right darlin’,” she smiled as she lowered her papers. “Rob, I hope that this trip has been a bit of a stepping stone to their future. Imagine, our son, at his age being a page in Washington.”

“Yes and did you see how proud the Reynolds and the Kimballs were . . . their sons are going to intern at the White House! I couldn’t be happier for them.”

“Oh I saw it. Cynthia had to wipe a few tears when the boys were telling us, but it was cruel to tease the boys like that when we already knew what the score was from Calvin, Dick and their messages to Tom.”

“Ah come on love, it was all in good fun and we had to do something get them back to earth. They were right up there on cloud nine, not that I wasn’t too.”

“I was there too, right beside you on that, especially when I saw the change in Sammy . . . he has found an appreciation for art. I’ve never seen him glow like that.”

“He really is a beautiful kid . . . I wasn’t sure what we were getting into when we took him on, but he sure has made me happy and proud that we did. I hope he understands that I love him as much as Trevor.”

“Oh I’m sure he does,” Lindsey said as she gathered up her papers and put them into her briefcase. “I could tell by the way he hugged you before he went to bed.”

“Yeah,” I said as I put away my laptop and turned off the light. “I didn’t know how much we needed him in our lives.”

We snuggled close, me on my back, Lindsey with her head on my chest, my arm pulling her close. “I hope that Sammy will enjoy Disney World this summer while Trevor’s away in D.C.” Lindsey pondered.

“It’s OK, we’ll keep him busy and he’ll have Paul. I think that Disney World may be a bit of a let down for after the experiences of this spring break though. Another thing . . . we’ll have to plan that trip around all those extra classes he wants to take this summer. I hope he gets his schedule soon. I’m so proud of him.”

“You know, Rob, when we planned to take Sammy and Paul to Disney World, it was before we knew of his obsession with art,” Lindsey said as she got a huge grin on her face. “Do you thing that maybe he’d like to take a trip to New York instead?”

“Wow, that could sure be expensive . . . not that Disney World wouldn’t be expensive, too.” I thought aloud. “If Sammy went nuts over the National Gallery of Art, he’d go positively ‘ape’, as he puts it, over the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art, and all the art galleries in New York, but they aren’t cheap, and hotels are expensive.”

“And of course we’d have to take the boys to a Broadway Musical, or maybe two, and maybe to something Off-Broadway to give them the full New York experience,” Lindsey added. “In a way, it would be a shame for Trevor to miss out on all of that. New York’s a great town and it’s been so long since either of us has spent any real time there.”

“Hey, you know what? Let’s stick to the plans to take Sammy to Disney World this summer,” I said. He and Paul have never been, and everyone needs to go there at least once when they’re still kids. It’s not the same once you’re a grown-up. Let them be kids for a little while longer. They won’t be thirteen forever, after all.

“But I like your idea for a New York vacation for the boys. Let’s see if we can get the Kimballs to help us out again, and maybe plan a trip to New York for all the boys around Christmas Vacation.”

“That’s a wonderful idea,” Lindsey agreed, “and with any luck, the adoption will be final by then. Can you think of a better way to celebrate?”

“Christmas is a great time to visit New York, when everything is decorated brightly, and the stores are chocked full of the latest things, and the museums always have great exhibits on display. . . . They’ll love it. We’ll love it!” I exclaimed.

“Mmm,” Lindsey purred as she snuggled up to me. “Even if it does blow our budget, we’ll all have a wonderful time . . . and how hard can it be supervising eight teenage boys?” she said with a smirk.

“OK, it could be a bit of a challenge, but it’s one we’ll undoubtedly remember,” I agreed. “but we might want to stay away from Times Square on New Year’s Eve.”

“We’ve never done it . . . it might be fun,” she said.

Getting my laptop back out, I looked up the dates and my face lit up. “Hey, Christmas and New Years are both on Friday this year. What could be more perfect? We could fly out midweek and fly home on Saturday a week later, giving us Sunday to recuperate. And if we do decide to do the Times Square thing, we can!” I exclaimed.

“That’s the spirit,” Lindsey gave me a sweet peck on the lips.

One peck became two and two became something more, but it was late, and we were both pooping out very quickly. Indeed, I barely had the energy to stow the laptop without knocking it to the floor.

“Let’s not tell the boys until they return from Washington at the end of the summer,” Lindsey said with her last bit of energy. “One trip at a time is enough excitement for their young minds.”

“I agree,” I said with a prolonged yawn.

It was midnight, our eyes were closed, there wasn’t time for another yawn before we slept.

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