THE INCIDENT – CHAPTER 4

“It’s amazing how much junk there is in this house,” says Mom.

I’m the one helping her sort through stuff in the attic, so she’s not going to get any argument from me. Rose is at Laurie’s.

“When did Dad’s parents move here?” I wonder how long it takes to collect this much stuff.

“Before he was born. Your grandfather always said it was the year Kennedy was assassinated.”

“Which Kennedy? Weren’t there a couple that got shot?”

“JFK, the President. 1963.”

“So this is fifty years of stuff.” That explains it.

Mom nods. “Thank goodness your grandmother wasn’t a saver. She threw out a lot of things. It could be worse. But I don’t think she ever came up here.”

I take a swig from my water bottle. “She’d have died of the heat.”

Mom smiles. “You’re right.”

“Most houses around here don’t even have attics.”

“True. This place was probably built by someone who moved here from back East. Most of the older houses back there have attics. I think it was the sixties when they started building one-story houses without them.”

“So there are a lot of older houses back there? Is our new house an old one?”

“You saw the photos online, Tina. It’s a very nice house built about ten years ago.”

“Does it have an attic?”

“Just an airspace, but it does have a basement.”

“We’ll have to make sure we don’t collect this much stuff in the basement.”

“You’re absolutely right!” says Mom. “You’ve been helping all morning. Do you want to go spend some time with Mary now?”

“No, I’ll stay and help you. She’s going to Grand Junction with her mom today, to get school clothes.”

“If you’d said something, I could have let you go with them with my credit card.”

“No, I think I want to wait until I see what people wear at my new school, before we go buy a bunch of clothes. What if it’s majorly different, you know?”

“Good thinking.”

We finish cleaning out the attic half way through the afternoon.

“I think we deserve a break.” Mom goes through our to-do list. “We have cleaned, taken carloads of stuff to the thrift store, done repairs and painting according to the realtor’s directions, and this place is ready for the open house this weekend. Let’s throw the cooler into the car, the kayaks onto the roof, get your sister, pick up some deli food for dinner, and spend the rest of the day at the river.”

“You weren’t expecting me to argue, were you?”

So that’s what we do. It’s a beautiful hot August day. The river is low, so the water is pretty warm and the current’s slow enough that I can paddle upstream far enough to have fun coming back down. It’s calm enough, I even tie a rope to the second kayak and help Rose get upstream far enough to ride down.

It’s a great day.

We head home when it starts to get dark. Rose is bushed and zonks out in the car. Mom carries her to bed while I take the kayaks off the car. Then Mom and I sit on the back deck in the dark, drinking sodas.

“I love the stars here,” Mom says.

“The stars will still be above us. Same ones, right?” I joke. “We’re not going to the Southern Hemisphere or anything.”

“No, but they won’t be as bright, even on dark nights. Altitude really does make a difference.”

“For real?”

“For real,” she says. For the first time she sounds sad that we’re leaving.

“Is this job really that important to make us all move like this?” I ask. “State colleges are good enough, and they’re not so horribly expensive.”

“That’s not the only reason for your father to take this job. He’d hit a dead end here. His work was beginning to bore him to death. He needed this challenge, and the promotion is giving him the recognition and reward that he’s deserved for years.”

“Good. I thought it was all about college, and I didn’t want you two to be miserable on my account.”

She puts her arm around my shoulder. “We’re not going to be miserable, not any of us. It’s a new type of adventure, that’s all.”

“When’s the moving van coming?” I ask.

“Monday. The realtor wanted furniture in place for the open house, but we need to pack up everything we can and stack it all in the garage before Saturday.”

“Thanks for the afternoon off.”

“I needed it, too.”

Her cell phone rings.

“Hi honey,” she says. “We’re almost ready for the movers, and we had a wonderful afternoon down at the river. Has the deal closed on our new house?”

She walks inside as she continues chatting with Dad. I stay in the yard, enjoying Rocky Mountain stars while I still can.

The next days go quickly. I go over to Mary’s and see all her new school clothes, and hear all about the shopping trip with a couple of our other friends. Then she comes over to our house and helps pack stuff. Mom says the movers wanted too much to do all of that. Even with Dad’s new job, she can’t see spending money on something she can do herself. She even priced renting a truck and towing the car behind it, but Dad talked her out of that. I think he felt guilty he wouldn’t be here to help with the lifting and loading.

Friday night, I stay over at Mary’s and we sneak out to a party down by the river. Someone hands me a beer and I take a tiny sip because I’m thirsty, but I don’t really like the stuff, so mostly I just hold the bottle.

“Shoot,” says Tim, the boy who took me to the dance. “Thought you were going to be designated driver for everyone once you got your license.”

“I’m not really drinking. But I don’t have my license yet, either.”

“Are you really moving? That’s what people have been saying.”

“Yeah, we leave Monday.”

“That sucks,” he says.

We end up walking away from everyone and kissing some, but he’s really not that great a kisser, or maybe I’m just not into it tonight. When we get back to the group, I find Mary.

“You ready to go?” I ask, even though she’s standing in a group with Ronny, the guy she’s been crushing on for the last six months.

“It’s your last night. You sure you want to leave?”

I can tell she wants to stay, so I stick around until she’s ready to go.

Saturday morning, once Mary finally wakes up, we walk over to my house, where the realtor has everything ready to start the open house at noon. Mom takes us all back to the river for the day, Mary and Laurie, too. We have fun, but all day I’m thinking about people walking through our house, about how Mary’s already moving on to new friends, and the fact that Monday evening I’ll be on my way to a new life I didn’t ask for.

Sunday there’s nothing to do. Mom complains she’s crazy to drive anywhere when she’s got such a long drive ahead of her, but the three of us get into the car and we go to the closest easy fourteener and walk it with her. At the top, she looks across the mountain ranges and breathes in deeply. I look away when she blinks a few times. I know it’s tears. I so hope this new place works out for all of us.

The movers are there first thing Monday morning, loading up the truck amazingly fast. They make Mom sign papers listing everything they’re packing into the truck, because they have other people’s things in there, too. That’s why we’ll probably get to our new house ahead of them. They have to unload some stuff in Kansas on their way. I hope they don’t mix up our stuff with the other people’s things. Mom’s not really happy about that, either.

When they’re gone, we walk through the house one more time, top to bottom, inside and out, to make sure there’s nothing of ours left behind. Then we drive by the realtor’s office to drop off the key and meet Mary, Laurie, and their mothers at Jack’s for a goodbye ice cream. They surprise me with a cake and birthday presents from Mary and Mom.

“You didn’t really think I forgot tomorrow’s your birthday, did you?” asks Mom.

Actually I had thought exactly that, but I grin as if such a thought never crossed my mind. I tear into my presents, even though it means I won’t have anything to open the next day. Mom’s is a big photo of the view from our deck. Mary’s is a cool book with pictures of us growing up together, our families camping together, and all the places we really love. I get a little weepy at first, then we look at the photos together and remember good times and laugh.

“Skype me as soon as you have internet,” Mary says as she hugs me.

“I will.”

I’m about to get weepy again, so I get into the car. It won’t be the same, of course, and I know she’s already getting closer to the other girls. Hopefully, I’ll make some good friends, too.

www.sherimcguinn.com www.amazon.com/author/sherimcguinn

The Incident is contemporary YA (Young Adult). Following time-honored tradition, I’m publishing it here in installments. To be alerted when the next segment goes online, “follow” this blog. The entire story will be published here. You are welcome to share this link with others, but please respect copyright by contacting me for permission if you want to publish the story elsewhere. Thank you.

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The Incident – Chapter 3

Mary and I try to pretend we’re too old to be impressed by Disneyland, but it’s really amazing. The rides go on so much longer than anything I’ve ever been on before, and we aren’t the only teenagers there.

The lines suck, though. It’s summer and crowded. My parents insist we all stay together. Fortunately, the little girls are both tall enough to ride anything, and my parents let Mary and me pretend we’re not with them while we wait in lines, so other teenagers talk to us. Some cute boys flirt with us for over an hour while we wait for the Space Mountain ride. They’re from Arizona, and their parents let them do some of the rides on their own because they’ve got really little kids with them and because they’ve been there a bunch of times.

“It’s better to come when school’s in session,” says the one who’s been focusing on me. “The lines aren’t nearly as bad then. That’s when the locals come.”

“Local kids come here?”

“Yeah, they get season passes and treat it like any other amusement park.

That idea floors me. Maybe there will be benefits to living somewhere new, though it’s going to be a small town again. But maybe we’ll go into Chicago sometimes. Or maybe Rockland, where my dad’s going to work, will be big enough to have interesting stuff happening.

We stay at this condo right by the park. It’s some kind of perk from Dad’s new position. Once we’re back at the condo, Mom and Dad let Mary and me hang out in the public areas by ourselves. There’s a big pool and two whirlpools and a recreation room with a big flat screen, game tables, and some video machines. There’s a workout room, too. We’re supposed to be sixteen to use any of this without adult supervision, but no one questions us. Mostly it’s older people, but there are a few other teenagers there and we have fun flirting with some college guys, too.

After three days at the theme parks, my parents can’t take it anymore. We get into the rental car and head to the beach for the next three days. Now THAT is awesome. It’s my first time seeing the ocean. We drive past beaches with huge waves and lots of surfers to a beach they recommended at the condo, where the waves are a lot smaller. We’re all good swimmers, from the river, but Dad makes us watch awhile before we go in with the boogie boards we borrowed from the condo.

“You have to keep alert,” he says. “Sometimes there’s a rogue wave a lot larger than the others, for one thing. Also, when you’re in where the waves break, you have to dive under so they don’t pound you into the ocean floor. See how those kids are doing it? Use the leash and let go of the board.”

“Okay, I got it,” I say. The other girls echo the same.

“You actually want to go out past where they’re breaking, but it’s likely to be over your head. The salt makes it easier to float and tread water, even if you lose your board, but be careful not to stay out so long you have trouble getting back in past the breakers.”

“We’re coming out with you,” says Mom. “But we’re going to be riding waves, too, so stick with your buddy and watch out for each other.”

That’s my parents, super careful. But I don’t mind, because I know that’s why they’ve never had a serious accident with all the mountains they’ve climbed and the rapids they’ve run.

In spite of Mom demanding we keep slathering up with sunscreen all day, we all get burned where our swimsuits expose more skin. My stomach’s still hot when we fly back to Denver. Dad walks us out to the car and gets his business stuff out of the trunk. He packed his work clothes in a separate suitcase and left it in the car when we left for California. He gives us hugs, then heads back into the airport for his flight to Chicago.

It’s late and the little girls and Mary are all asleep before we get to the tunnel above Golden. It’s a quiet three-hour trip home. This is really happening.

www.sherimcguinn.com www.amazon.com/author/sherimcguinn

The Incident is contemporary YA (Young Adult). Following time-honored tradition, I’m publishing it here in installments. To be alerted when the next segment goes online, “follow” this blog. The entire story will be published here. You are welcome to share this link with others, but please respect copyright by contacting me for permission if you want to publish the story elsewhere. Thank you.

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The Incident – Chapter 2

Chapter 2—Dinner

At least the secret seems to be something that makes both of my parents happy, so they can’t be telling us they’re getting a divorce or anything awful like that. I’ve heard kids talk about stuff like that happening.

When we get to Jack’s, Rose wants pepperoni pizza and I want veggie. Usually we end up with a large half and half, except the grease from the pepperoni leeches over onto the veggie side, too. It’s cheaper to order one extra large than two mediums. Dad usually has us drink water, too. He says drinks are overpriced when you eat out.

Tonight, however, is different.

“Two mediums,” he says. “And a glass of soda for each of the girls, and a pitcher of beer for us.”

My parents don’t drink a lot, usually at parties or a couple beers on hot days at home, so his ordering a pitcher is really strange. We get our drinks and sit down to wait for the pizza. Dad clears his throat.

“I know you’ve been wondering about our trip,” he says.

Then he stops and takes Mom’s hand. They give each other a look like newlyweds or something.

“So, what is it?” I demand. “What’s going on?”

“Several things,” says Mom.

“First of all,” says Dad. “The reason we went to Chicago is that I had a job interview. The company is bumping me up.”

“That’s why we’re getting two pizzas?” I ask. “You’re going to make more money?”

“A lot more,” he says.

“Cool,” says Rose. “Can I get a new bike then? The one that was Tina’s is too small for me now.”

“We can do that,” says Dad. “When we get back from California.”

“California?” I’m suspicious. “When, why are we going to California?”

“Well,” he says. “My new position is going to be very demanding. I won’t have much time with you while I’m learning all the ropes. But they’re giving me a couple weeks to make the transition, and your mother and I decided we’d take one week of that for a family vacation to Disneyland.”

“Disneyland?”

I can’t believe this is the big surprise. I’m fifteen. I’ve been learning to drive for six months. So my parents have decided it’s time to go to Disneyland? Rose is the perfect age for that, and she’s bouncing all over asking them a million questions, but I quit wanting to go there a long time ago. Mom picks up on this.

“We’ll spend some time at the beach, too,” she says. “You’ve never been to the ocean. And Mary and Laurie are going to come with us.”

“When?” asks Rose.

“We’re leaving tomorrow morning,” says Mom.

“You’re flying all of us there?” I ask.

“Yup,” says Dad.

This new position must really make some bucks. But something is bothering me.

“Why are they giving you two weeks off to transition into a new job?” I ask. “That doesn’t make any sense. Shouldn’t they want you to start right away?”

They look at each other again. This time it’s not that newlywed thing, this is my parents worried about delivering bad news.

“The transition time is so we can make moving arrangements,” Mom says.

“When we get back from California, I have to go on ahead and start in my new job,” says Dad. “Last week was the first of my two weeks and your mom and I found a house. The closing date’s the week before school starts, so that gives you and your mom the rest of the summer to pack up and get our old house ready to sell.”

“We’re moving?” Rose finally catches onto that. She doesn’t sound so excited anymore.

I’m speechless. Sell our house? I’ve never lived anywhere else. Even when I was a baby, we lived there with Dad’s mom, until she passed away when I was four and left the house to Dad. Mom’s parents live in Arizona. I haven’t seen them since I was ten, except for Skype. All of our friends live here, too. Mine, Rose’s, our parents’ friends all live here. But they’re still acting happy about this.

“Aren’t you going to miss your friends?” asks Rose.

Good question. Why are they so happy to move?

“Where are we going to live?” I finally find my voice to ask.

“Jackson, Illinois. It’s a small town, about the same size as ours, but a reasonable commute from Rockford. That’s where I’ll be working. It’s about an hour west of Chicago.”

“There aren’t any mountains in Illinois,” I say.

Dad looks sad for a moment. “True. But it’s really green and pretty out there, and there’s a lake not far from the house we’re buying where you’ll be able to swim and kayak.”

“On a lake?” I ask.

Besides climbing mountains, my parents have always done whitewater kayaking. They’ve always taken us rafting once the spring melt is done and the rivers are milder, but last summer I got my own kayak and practiced enough that they let me do a few runs this spring while there was still some Class Three whitewater. I’m not interested in being a fourteener, but kayaking those rapids was a rush.

“What about skiing?” asks Rose.

She’ll be in fourth grade next year. In sixth grade, Colorado kids get free passes to world-class ski areas.

“I can’t kid you on that one,” says Dad. “There are some ski areas close enough to go to, but they measure vertical drop in feet, not meters.”

“That’s because Illinois has no mountains,” I say.

Dad’s not looking nearly as happy as he was, and that obviously bothers Mom, so she starts talking it up.

“It’s going to be an adventure,” she says. “We’ll have to try out cross-country skiing. I’ve only done it a few times, but it’s a real workout. And I’m sure with all that water we can find some rivers for the kayaks. It doesn’t have to be Class Four to be fun. And we’ll be meeting new people, making new friends. And while your father may not be able to get away much, I’ll bring you girls back here to visit in the summers.”

“Are you going to work?” I ask.

Mom’s had a part time job at the elementary school since Rose started kindergarten.

“I’m going to look for something once we’ve settled in,” she says. “We have two kids to put through college, you know.”

“We’re leaving for Disneyland tomorrow?” asks Rose.

“Yup,” says Dad. “Your friends will be ready for us first thing in the morning.”

It’s dawning on me that the main reason for Dad to take this job is money for college for me and Rose, so I need to stop whining and get with the program.

“With internet and Skype, it’ll be easy to keep our friends here,” I say. “It’ll be cool, trying out a new place and making new friends.”

Mom looks relieved. Dad gives me a big grin.

“Yup,” he says. “This way you won’t be so lost when you go off to college, either. I was miserable my freshman year, because I’d never had to make new friends before and I’d never lived anywhere but here. There’s a whole world out there and lots of different kinds of places.”

There are a lot of things I think, but do not say, like he chose to come back to his home town. So did Mom. Neither of them has ever shown interest in travel outside Colorado. That’s part of why their trip seemed so strange. They don’t even go into Denver much. We go to Grand Junction for school clothes and special stuff like my dress for the dance, and Grand Junction may be a city, but it’s not a big one.

Of course, they say we’re moving into a town not much bigger than ours, which means about seven thousand people, so it shouldn’t be that crazy. My school should be about the same size. Maybe it won’t be that bad. And meantime, we’re going to California!

www.sherimcguinn.com www.amazon.com/author/sherimcguinn

The Incident is contemporary YA (Young Adult). Following time-honored tradition, I’m publishing it here in installments. To be alerted when the next segment goes online, “follow” this blog. The entire story will be published here. You are welcome to share this link with others, but please respect copyright by contacting me for permission if you want to publish the story elsewhere. Thank you.

#freefiction #teenintrouble #YA #YoungAdultFiction