Mental Games - 26. Freedom

After getting a good night’s sleep, everyone was refreshed and raring to go on Sunday morning. Mike and Adam were mildly surprised, however, that Jack and Megan weren’t knocking on the cabin door already. After thinking about it for a while, the boys decided it was possible that since they weren’t giving the kids formal swimming lessons this year that maybe Jack and Megan were giving them a break. For that reason, they put the thought out of their minds.

When Mike and Adam went outside a little while later, they discovered Jack and Megan waiting for them on the porch. The kids were both in their swimsuits and jumped to their feet the minute the door to the cabin opened.

“It’s about time!” Jack groaned. “What took you so long?”

“We didn’t know you were waiting for us,” Mike replied. “We talked about it and were surprised you hadn’t come over to get us already. We thought maybe you felt you didn't need to improve any more.”

“Nah, that's not it, because we know we have a lot to still learn," Megan informed them. "It's just that Mom and Dad told us we needed to be more considerate this year, seeing you’ve done so much for us already.”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Adam countered. “We don’t mind if you come over in the morning, if it doesn't bother you that you might have to wait for us once in a while.”

“No, that's not a problem,” Megan confirmed with a sweet, innocent smile, as they all made their way down to the dock.

While the four of them were swimming, Jim and Melinda came down to the lake to watch. Jim was in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, while Melinda wore a swimsuit, which surprised Mike and Adam. Jim must have noticed the expressions on their faces as well, because he addressed their confusion.

“We thought we’d see how this puppy handled in the water,” he announced, while flashing a grin.

Jim then wheeled his wife into the lake, but only until she was buoyant. He had made sure she was strapped securely to the chair first, so she wouldn’t accidentally float away or slip off the seat. Melinda, on the other hand, was flailing her arms around and splashing in the water, much like a baby taking a bath and having a great time. It was a freedom and exhilaration she hadn’t experienced in ages.

"This is fun," Melinda squealed. "I forgot how different this was from taking a bath. The cooler water is invigorating and it almost made me forget about my other problems." Jim and the kids all had big grins on their faces after hearing her say this.

After spending about a half-hour doing that, Melinda asked her husband to pull her onto the grass again. Then, she sat and sunned herself, while she watched her children frolic in the lake. A short time later, the other adults came down to join them and Melinda eagerly explained what she had done. She even had her husband wheel her out into the lake again so she could also show them.

Everyone stayed in the water or relaxed on the bank for the rest of the morning, until it was time for lunch. Then, George and Dave went to set up the grill. After they got a good fire going, they brought out the meat and began cooking it. While they were doing that, Rita and Judy went inside and pulled the salads they'd prepared out of the fridge and carried the bowls out to the picnic table. They then sent Mike and Adam inside to get the rolls, paper plates, plastic utensils and napkins. Now, they were ready to eat.

George and Dave took turns manning the grill while the other one ate, because they wanted to make certain there was plenty to go around and the others were satisfied first. Once everyone was full, they put the leftovers on a paper plate and then they all, except for Melinda, grabbed something and carried it inside. Once everything had been taken care of, they went back to the picnic table again and chatted for another half-hour.

“Why don’t we go for a walk now?” Adam offered, while looking from one face to another. “We can take one of the trails into the woods and Melinda can join us this time. I think it would be fun.”

“It sounds lovely, but just give us a little while longer to let our meal settle first,” Judy replied. “I’m still too stuffed from lunch to walk very far.”

The boys agreed, but once the others were ready, Mike and Adam led them out on a trail they had never taken before. The boys were looking forward to seeing what it was like and if there was anything new to explore, but the others were merely enjoying the scenery and leisurely stroll. When they started out, Jim was pushing his wife in her new wheelchair, but soon Jack and Megan were begging to take a turn at helping their mother. She was thrilled that they wanted to do this for her and impressed that they actually could. It seemed to prove something to each of them.

It was a beautiful day and the trail was shady, which was perfect for this activity. Unfortunately, Jack and Megan were doing a lot of talking, both with each other and with their mother, so they scared away most of the animals, except for the birds. It was an enjoyable experience though and Melinda seemed to enjoy doing this more than anyone else. In fact, once they got back to the cabins she had something she wanted to say.

“This is so much more fun for me than last year,” she began. “Thank you so much for getting me this wheelchair.”

“You’re very welcome and I’m glad we could do it for you,” Adam assured her.

“Don’t be so modest, Adam,” Jim stated next. “This is a major thing that you’ve done for us and we’ll be forever in your debt.”

“That’s not necessary,” Adam countered. “I’m just happy I was able to find the people with the resources.”

Mike and Adam then went inside to change. Once they were away from the others, Mike spoke.

“See, I told you you’re being too modest about all of this and now Jim agrees with me,” he stated, looking smug.

“Yeah, yeah. Are you ever going to cut me any slack over this?” Adam teased.

“Sure, just as soon as you’re willing to admit how many people you've helped and how many lives you’re affecting,” Mike responded. “Even if you don’t want to admit it, you’re changing the world, or a little part of it, in more ways than you realize.”

Once the boys went back outdoors, the three families spent the rest of the day together. They stayed outside until it started to get dark, and when that happened the Kritzers started to head toward their own cabin.

“Why don’t you come over to our cabin and play some games for a while?” Rita offered. “There are quite a few in the cupboard in the storage room and we’ve gotten used to playing at least one game before we go to bed most nights.”

“Can we, please?” Megan immediately began to beg her parents.

“Ok. Let me go get your mom’s other chair,” her father replied.

“I can help you carry this one up the few steps to the porch or you can just carry her inside and set her on a dining room chair, if that’s easier,” Adam offered.

“That would work,” Melinda agreed, before her husband could respond. “I could sit in a chair at the table.”

Once that had been agreed to, Jim carried his wife inside and placed her in the captain's chair at the head of the table. Everyone else sat on the benches located on either side.

“We have all sorts of games,” Adam’s mother announced. “So we’ll let you choose. I even brought an extra game of Racko and an Uno deck, so they’re available too.”

“And I brought the Looney Tunes Monopoly game,” Mike’s father quickly added.

“What’s Looney Tunes Monopoly?” Megan asked, looking intrigued.

The boys quickly explained the difference between it and regular Monopoly to them and then Melinda made a comment. “How about something simpler?” she countered.

Rita then explained Racko to Melinda and she agreed to play that instead. Tonight, it would be one family playing another family, as a husband and wife team took on another couple.

“While you’re doing that,” Mike announced, “Adam and I will sit at the kids’ end of the table and play Looney Tunes Monopoly with Jack and Megan.” The boys then took the same pieces they had used before, while Jack selected Bugs Bunny and Megan chose to use Tweety.

Believe it or not, the games were actually played for fun and no one really cared who won. There was a lot of other banter going on during the various contests as well, so the games turned out to be a perfect social interaction between the families. In fact, Melinda seemed to laugh and joke around more this evening than either the Bermans or Washburns could remember her doing in all the other times they had been together.

When everyone finally agreed it was time to quit, Mike and Adam followed the Kritzers as they walked back to their cabin. There was a three-quarter moon out and the sky was clear, so there was plenty of light to see by. The boys weren’t worried about the family losing their way, but thought it would be nice to do this for them as a friendly gesture. Once they got there, Jim carried his wife up the steps and placed her in her normal wheelchair, before saying goodnight and going inside. Once their parents were no longer around, Jack and Megan gave Mike and Adam each a hug.

“Thank you for everything,” Jack told them before they also went inside. “I haven’t seen my mom this happy in a really long time. I could tell she was having fun and felt like she was part of everything we did today. That hasn’t happened since she started using the wheelchair to get around. Today was really great and you guys are awesome.”

The boys looked at Jack in awe, since they hadn’t expected him to be so moved by his mother’s reaction to everything they had done today. Once Mike and Adam regained their composure, they told Jack he was very welcome and they were glad they had been able to help. Then, Mike and Adam walked back to their own cabin feeling really good about the vacation so far.

“I’m really glad you came up with the idea to get that new wheelchair for Melinda,” Mike told Adam before they went inside. “I wasn’t sure how they were going to react to the gift, but it sure made her and the rest of her family very happy.”

“That’s one thing I’ve done so far that will pay dividends for a very long time,” Adam agreed. “I’m glad I was able to figure out how to do it too and none of the donors are going to miss $1,000.00. To them, that’s just spare change, but to Melinda it was a gift from heaven.”

The boys told their parents about what happened when they got back, which prompted them to make similar positive comments about Adam's gift. After they finished their conversation, they decided to turn in for the night. Mike and Adam cuddled together on their bed and both slept very soundly that night, but Adam also experienced some extremely wonderful dreams.

Monday morning, Jack and Megan showed up fairly early at the other cabin, as they had done the previous summer. Once the boys joined them, they went down to the lake to swim for a while. After about an hour, Megan asked the boys a question.

“Can we go out in the canoes again?” she wanted to know.

“If your dad says it’s ok,” Mike answered.

Hearing his response, Megan raced over to ask her father and then came back to let the boys know what he'd said. No one was sure what to expect when they saw her heading toward them, because she looked slightly disappointed.

“He says it’s ok, but he still wants Jack and me to wear the life jackets, even though we can swim now,” she whined.

“That’s shouldn’t be a big deal,” Adam responded, in an effort to soothe her bruised ego. “Mike and I will go get what we need and come right back.”

The boys then jogged over to their cabin, grabbed two life jackets and the canoe paddles, and carried everything back to where Jack and Megan were waiting for them. The pair then rolled the canoes over, since they had been kept upside down, and asked the kids to help them carry them down to the lake. Once the canoes were in place, the boys had Jack and Megan put on the protective devices before loading into the front of one of the canoes. After the kids were in place, the boys pushed the canoes out a little farther into the water before Mike and Adam got in the back. Then, they signaled the other pair to start paddling.

"Let's go all the way around the lake," Jack and Megan began to tease Mike and Adam. They were surprised the kids wanted to do this, but it was also fairly obvious they had planned it before they set out.

"It's a long way and you'll probably get really tired," the boys pointed out, but Jack and Megan were insistent they could do it.

After hearing their impassioned assurances, Mike and Adam decided to let them give it a try. Although the boys watched them both very closely, Jack and Megan didn’t seem to tire or complain, so Mike and Adam kept going. Once they got to the other side of the lake, the older pair looked around to see if the boy and his father from the previous summer were there, but they didn't spot them. Possibly they hadn't come this year or had chosen a different time to do it instead.

When the two canoes arrived back at the dock they had started from, the kids were beaming, since they were extremely proud of their accomplishment. "See, we told you we could do it," Megan boasted, once they were back on shore.

"Yes, you did and we're very proud of you," Mike and Adam readily agreed, before they told their protégés what a great job they had done. About the same time, Mike and Adam realized it was nearly lunchtime, so they dragged the canoes up the bank and turned them over so the open side was facing the ground. They also took the other items and placed them on the porch, before the four of them went to their own cabins to eat.

Later that afternoon, the boys got everyone to agree to go on another hike, but they took a couple of minutes to slip into a comfortable pair of athletic shoes first, since they had only worn a loose fitting pair of deck shoes while they were out in the canoes. This time they chose a different trail and Jack and Megan got their father to agree to let them push their mother the entire time. Megan was in charge of doing it on the way out and Jack would take over on the way back. It appeared as if this meant a great deal to the kids, but it seemed to mean even more to Melinda - maybe more than any of the rest of them could possibly understand.

It was another lovely day, but everyone was fairly quiet this time and it proved to be an asset. A little while later a deer wandered across the trail ahead of them, so they all came to a complete stop and just stared at the graceful creature that was paying them no heed. When it eventually wandered off into the woods on the other side of the path, the boys looked at each other for a few seconds and then one of them spoke.

“I wonder if that was the fawn we saw last year, but it’s all grown up now?” Mike whispered to Adam as they watched the deer disappear.

“It might be, but let’s not follow it this time,” Adam quipped with a grin. Mike nodded in agreement, but also gave Adam a playful punch in the arm before they continued on.

The walk in the woods was lovely and proved to be very entertaining. In addition to the deer, they also saw a number of squirrels and a couple of rabbits. Jack also used a stick to chase a snake off the trail and into the undergrowth. He did this because his mother hated snakes and the other women weren’t overly fond of them either, but he didn't want to hurt the snake. He just wanted to coax it into the undergrowth were it wouldn't bother the women.

"Thank you, dear," Rita told him, once the snake was taken care of. "That was very brave of you."

Jack tried to stifle a laugh and hide his smile after hearing this, because he nearly picked the snake up to toss it out of the way. He wondered how the women would have reacted if he'd done that.

By the time the group returned to the lake, everyone was sweaty and ready for another swim. Even Mrs. Kritzer stripped down to her swimsuit again, so her husband could wheel her into the water. They did this for about an hour and then they all took a break to have dinner.

After they finished eating, the kids brought out the bocce balls they'd used the previous summer, but they also had a horseshoe set this time. It was slightly different from a normal set though, because the horseshoes were made of rubber, instead of metal, which meant they were much lighter. The stakes were also attached to a fairly thick rubber base to keep the peg stable, but it also meant that they didn't need to pound it into the ground. Jim had purchased this and brought it with them, because even Melinda would be able to toss these horseshoes around and play along. Everyone quickly paired up and took turns playing against each other and rotating between the two games until it was too dark to continue.

At that point, they all agreed to play board games in the cabin again. This time, the three married couples decided to play clue, followed by a game of Uno, while the younger set played the game of Life. Once again, this was just for fun and there was a lot of playful banter going on throughout the evening, until the Kritzers returned to their own cabin for the night.

Tuesday morning, Jack and Megan showed up early again and knocked on the cabin door until Mike’s mother let them in. The kids then waited patiently for Mike and Adam to get ready, before Jack and Megan grabbed the boys by the hand and literally dragged the pair down to the lake so they could swim.

The four of them stayed in the water until Mike and Adam's parents came out to join them. Then, they all stayed in the water together for about an hour, before the older group decided they had been in the water long enough. After getting out, they sat on the bank and watched the younger group until Jack and Megan also began to grow tired. When that happened, the rest of them climbed out of the lake as well.

As they were resting and chatting, Rita and Judy made the next request. "We want to go out in the canoes again," Judy teased, as she eyed the men and boys' reactions. "We really enjoyed that."

"And we'll even help to paddle," Rita quickly offered, since she realized that was probably the only way George and David would agree to their request.

Somewhat reluctantly, the men relented and went along with their wives' suggestion. Once this was agreed to, Adam looked over and noted the disappointed looks on Jack and Megan's faces, so he pointed this out to Mike. The boys then promised to take the kids out again later as well and the younger pair eagerly agreed. Jack and Megan then sat on shore and watched the two families load into the canoes and take off.

The woman started out doing the paddling and made it half way around the lake before they started to tire. After switching places with their husbands, they sat in the middle and dangled one of their arms in the water as the men took them the rest of the way around the lake. Once they got back to the dock, each one commented about how they'd enjoyed themselves and even agreed to do it at least one more time before they went back home.

After they pulled the canoes out of the water, Adam and Mike noticed that Paul was sitting with Jack and Megan on the porch of the cabin the Kritzers were renting. As the boys were walking back to their own cabin to rest, they noticed the kids were waving for them to come over and join them. Mike and Adam quickly decided it would be rude to refuse, so they went over to chat with the other three. They'd only been there for about ten minutes when Paul stood up and shouted to someone.

"Don, I'm over here," he yelled, while waving his arm so the other person could see him.

When the rest of them looked up, they noticed another boy about Paul's age walking toward them. He climbed up the stairs to the porch and then Paul introduced him.

"This is my best friend, Don," Paul announced. "We've been friends since kindergarten. Don, this is Jack and his sister Megan, and this is Mike and Adam."

"Are you all related?" Don asked, looking between them.

"Jack and Megan are, but we're not related to them," Mike answered. "Adam and I are best friends, like you and Paul."

Mike figured this was the best way to answer his question, without mentioning they were boyfriends or lovers. He wasn't sure how any of them would have reacted to that news, especially after having heard Paul's comments about the guys in the meth house never having any females around and thinking that was strange.

"That's neat," Don agreed, before they began talking about other things.

They spent some time getting to know each other better, before the kids decided they wanted to swim again. "Come on. Let's go in the lake again," Megan urged Mike and Adam.

"I don't know. Maybe we'll just stay behind" Adam replied. "Why don't we let the rest of you enjoy some time with each other?"

"But Dad says we can't go swimming unless you're there too," Megan countered. "He doesn't think we're good enough yet, if you're not there with us."

"I didn't know that, so we'll go with you then," Adam agreed. "We were just trying to give you some time alone with others your age."

"I know, but we want to be with you too," she added with a wink.

They all jumped off the dock and stayed in the water for nearly another hour. The four kids seemed to be getting along quite well, but Jack and Megan made sure to include Mike and Adam in on everything as well. The boys wouldn't have minded being ignored, because they thought it was nice to see Jack and Megan spending time and enjoying themselves with others closer to their age.

Once Jim came out and announced it was nearly dinnertime, they all decided to quit for the day. After Don and Paul took off and before the Kritzers went back to their cabin though, Jim had something to say.

"Jack and Megan, say goodnight to Mike and Adam now, because you're going to bed early tonight," he announced, while trying to stifle a grin.

"Why?" Jack challenged, since he didn't understand.

"You need to get a good night's sleep, because you're going to be getting up very early tomorrow," Jim answered.

"Why? What are we going to do?" Megan demanded, while looking as puzzled as her brother.

"Mike and Adam have offered to take you to an amusement park tomorrow and your mother and I have agreed to let you go with them," Jim admitted, and then the news began to sink in with his son and daughter.

"Really? We're going to an amusement park? Aren't you coming?" Jack wondered aloud.

"No. we're not," his father replied. "You know your mother can't do those types of things, but she didn't want to keep you two from going and enjoying yourselves. Once Mike and Adam asked for our permission, your mother thought it would be a great opportunity for you to get to do some of the types of things you've been missing out on. We'll stay here and I'll take care of your mother, but we'll have Mike and Adam's parents to keep us company too. We just want you to have a good time and don't worry about us."

After hearing this, Jack and Megan began jumping around in joy and they thanked their father. Then, they went over to hug and thank Mike and Adam next. It appeared as if their parents weren't going to have any trouble getting them to go to bed, but falling asleep might be an entirely different matter.