On the Road with Mallory

by Laurie Friedman

  But unfortunately, someone didn’t like hearing what Kate said next.

  “Who are you texting?” Kate asked Max.

  When Max didn’t answer, Kate asked him again.

  “Why do you want to know?” asked Max.

  I kind of don’t blame him for saying that. It wasn’t any of Kate’s business.

  But Mom turned around and said, “Max, be nice to your cousin.”

  “Kate doesn’t need to know who I’m texting,” he said in a really annoyed voice.

  I have to admit I don’t know why he was acting like it was a big secret. The only people Max ever texts are the guys on his baseball team and his girlfriend, Winnie.

  “I don’t want to have to ask you again to be nice,” said Mom. “We’re all on this vacation together, and everyone needs to make a special effort to get along.”

  “I can do that,” said Kate. Then she looked at Max. “Can he?”

  “Yeah,” grumbled Max. But I think he only said it because Mom was looking at him like she was waiting for an answer.

  “Let’s all play the Quiet Game,” said Dad. Then he smiled into the rearview mirror like he thought his idea was a good one and expected each one of us to play.

  So that’s what I’ve been doing. Sitting here quietly, staring out the window at mile after mile of road. The most interesting things I’ve seen are cows.

  And most of them have been sleeping.

  This car ride is taking forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  Mallory

  Oklahoma!

  WE’RE HERE!

  STOP #1

  Dear Trip Journal,

  We’ve arrived! We’re not at our final destination, the Grand Canyon. But we just got to the hotel in Oklahoma City. I’m very happy to be here, mainly because it means I’m no longer in the car, which I was in for a veeeeeeeeery loooooooong tiiiiiiiiiiime!

  G.2.G. (Got to go.) G.2.S.M.L. (Got to stretch my legs.) Then I have to find the pool which Mom and Dad said Kate and Max and I could go to for a before-dinner swim.

  Mallory

  SHORTEST SWIM EVER

  Dear Trip Journal,

  Swimming wasn’t as much fun as I thought it would be because we didn’t get to swim for long. Right when we got to the pool, Kate asked me if I had a boyfriend.

  I said no. Then, Kate asked Max if he had a girlfriend.

  “Why do you need to know?” asked Max.

  I don’t think Max asked the question in a very friendly way, and based on Kate’s response, I don’t think she thought so either.

  “I was just trying to be nice,” Kate said. Then she made a face like Max had hurt her feelings.

  I sent Max a just-tell-her-what-she-wants-to-know look.

  “I have a girlfriend,” he said.

  “What’s her name?” asked Kate.

  “Winnie,” Max said grumpily. Then he dove under the water.

  “Hmmm. Interesting,” said Kate, sounding like she wasn’t done exploring this topic.

  I knew Max wasn’t going to like it if Kate kept asking him questions about Winnie, so I decided to jump in. “Winnie is Joey’s big sister and Mary Ann’s stepsister,” I explained. I’d already told Kate about my friends and how they’d also been our neighbors until they moved across town at the beginning of the summer, so I knew she would get the connection.

  Then Max came up for air, and I tried to send Kate an it’s-time-to-change-the-subject look. Unfortunately, it didn’t work.

  Kate looked at Max and said, “I’m surprised your girlfriend’s name is Winnie. I thought it might be …”

  But before Kate could say anything else, Max cut her off. “I’m sick of talking about this!” he snapped at her.

  That’s when Kate got out of the pool and wrapped a towel around herself. “You’re not being very nice,” she said. Then she walked back into the hotel.

  “Do you think she’s going to tell on me?” asked Max.

  I could tell by the look on his face that he thought that’s exactly what she was going to do, and so did I. We both grabbed our towels and followed her into the elevator.

  “Sorry,” Max mumbled to Kate when the doors closed.

  The good news is that Kate said she accepted Max’s apology, but the bad news is that when Max suggested we forget about it and go back to the pool, Kate said it would be hard to forget about it and that she was going to the room with or without us.

  So that’s why our swim was so short.

  Mallory

  P.S. Kate was being pretty annoying about the whole what’s-your-girlfriend’s-name thing, But Max was kind of overly sensitive about it, which makes me wonder … WHY????

  A DAY OF PROBLEMS

  Dear Trip Journal,

  When I woke up this morning, I hoped the day would be problem free. But it was problem FILLED. The problems started this morning at the first place we visited, the Oklahoma History Center.

  It’s this huge museum all about the history of Oklahoma. A lot of interesting things have happened in Oklahoma over the years, and as you walk through the Oklahoma History Center, you can read all about them. As we walked through the exhibits, Mom, Dad, Max, and I were all reading to ourselves about different events.

  The problem was that Kate was reading everything out loud.

  Mom and Dad actually both asked Kate to try and read a little more quietly. I think they asked her because other people looked like they were getting annoyed listening to Kate read.

  Then Max said, “This is supposed to be a self-guided tour, which means you DON’T need to read to others.”

  I thought that did the trick because Kate stopped reading out loud, but she also stopped talking and didn’t say a word to anyone until we left the museum.

  When we were in the car on the way to our next activity, which was supposed to be to a place called Frontier City (a major theme park and major fun!) and then to an outlet mall (also major fun!), Kate got out her tablet. “We are very close to one of the biggest botanical gardens in the country,” she said. “It would be a shame not to stop there.”

  So we did.

  Mom and Dad both agreed it was worth a stop. So when we should have been riding roller coasters and buying cute clothes, we were looking at flowers, plants, and trees.

  That wouldn’t have been a problem, except that there were 17,000 acres of flowers, plants, and trees to look at, so it took a really long time, which meant that when we left, we didn’t have time to go to BOTH Frontier City AND the outlet Mall today.

  “You kids can choose which place we go,” said Mom.

  “I want to go to Frontier City,” said Max.

  “I want to go to the outlet mall,” I said.

  “Since no one can agree, why don’t we go to the Banjo Museum?” said Kate.

  “We’re going to have to draw straws,” said Dad. “That’s the only fair way. So we drew straws. And guess where we went?!?

  If you guessed the Banjo Museum, you guessed right.

  Even though I really wanted to go to the outlet mall or Frontier City, I learned two cool things at the Banjo Museum (and not because Kate told me either one of them).

  Cool thing #1: The Banjo Museum has over 300 types of banjos. I was surprised to learn that there were that many types. Seeing all of them was pretty interesting

  Cool thing #2: The Museum also has a gift shop that sells postcards. They had a lot of kinds (but not 300) that showed different pictures of Oklahoma. I bought one to mail to Mary Ann and one to put in here as a memory of my trip to Oklahoma City.

  When we got back to the room after dinner, Kate got out her tablet and read us a bunch of stuff about the state of Oklahoma.

  As Kate kept reading, I was having a hard time focusing on what she was saying because I kept thinking about the fact that Grandma’s nickname for me and Oklahoma’s state insect are one and the same.

  It was also hard because while she was reading about Sooners (which was a nickname for early Oklahoma settlers), Max was mumbling that he’d like
it if she’d stop reading sooner vs. later so he could focus on what he was doing, which was texting.

  Kate finally stopped, but I think that was only because Dad came into our room and said it was lights out and early to bed for everyone. We’re back on the road tomorrow. Goodbye, Oklahoma. New Mexico, here we come!

  Mallory

  On the Road Again

  ON OUR WAY TO NEW MEXICO MORE PROBLEMS

  Dear Trip Journal,

  I don’t mean for the theme of this journal to be “PROBLEMS.” But, we seem to be having lots of them on this trip.

  It’s only 8:15 a.m., and we’ve already had one.

  As soon as we got in the van, Dad said, “Good job getting up and out of the hotel so early. We have a long drive ahead of us. The trip from Oklahoma City to Albuquerque, New Mexico, is 500 miles.”

  When Dad said that, Kate got out her tablet. “Actually, it’s 544 miles, or 875 kilometers.”

  “Thanks,” he said like he appreciated that information. But I’m not so sure he did, because I saw him give Mom an it’s-a-little-early-for-facts-and-figures look.

  Kate didn’t seem to notice that look.

  When she finished reading, she actually held her tablet up in the air like it was a trophy she’d just won. “What would you all have done if I hadn’t come on this trip?” she asked.

  I couldn’t believe she’d actually asked that question.

  Max shook his head like he refused to answer (which was a good thing because I know Kate wouldn’t have liked his answer).

  Dad didn’t say anything either.

  I think Mom thought someone should say something, so she said, “We’re all glad to have you along.”

  But honestly, I don’t think she meant what she was saying.

  Mallory

  AFTER LUNCH

  Dear Trip Journal,

  We just stopped for lunch and when we got back into the van, the problems started again, but this time they were a whole lot worse!

  I was sitting by one window. I was sleepy, so I made a pillow out of my sweatshirt and leaned my head against it.

  Max, who was sitting by the other window, got out his phone and started texting.

  Kate was in the middle and she got out her tablet. I thought she was going to start reading something out loud and we were going to have a problem.

  But Kate surprised me. She didn’t read out loud. In fact, as Dad drove, she read to herself, and the three of us sat like that for a long time.

  My eyes were just starting to close when the problems started.

  “Who is Sam ?” asked Kate.

  My eyes flew open just in time to see Max snatch his phone away from Kate’s sight and stuff it into his pocket. “Are you reading my texts?” asked Max.

  Kate repeated her question.

  “It’s no big deal,” said Max. “Sam is just a guy on my baseball team.”

  Kate wrinkled her nose like something smelled funny. “That’s weird,” said Kate.

  “How’s that weird?” asked Max.

  “Because your last text said ‘I think you’re the best player on the girls’ softball team.’ Which makes me think Sam is a girl.” Kate shrugged. “And yesterday you told her that you think her freckles are cute. Thats why I was surprised to find out that your girlfriend’s name is Winnie.”

  I leaned forward. This sounded kind of weird to me too. Why would my brother be texting some girl named Sam to tell her that he likes her freckles?

  I looked at Max. His face was turning as red as his T-shirt. Then he exploded!

  “EVERYONE NEEDS TO MIND THEIR OWN BUSINESS!” he yelled.

  Then he looked at Kate like she was the main person he thought should be doing that, and he started yelling things like (but not limited to):

  “MAX!” Mom said his name like he’d better stop yelling immediately.

  Then she told Max (who looked very angry) not to yell at Kate. She told Kate (who also looked angry) to respect Max’s privacy. Then she told Dad to pull over, and she made Kate and me switch places.

  So now I’m in the middle of two angry people, which means a few things:

  Thing #1: Even though I can’t stop wondering about this girl Max has been texting, I don’t think now is a good time to ask about her. So I’ll just have to ask my questions in this Trip Journal instead of out loud. I mean, who is Sam? Why is Max so upset that Kate found out about her? And is Kate right that it’s weird for Max to be texting her like this? Why would he be flirting with another girl behind Winnie’s back?

  Thing #2: As much as I would like to keep writing in here, I don’t think it’s a good idea. The people on either side of me could (and I know at least one would) read what I’d be writing.

  Thing #3: Even though I’ve never been to Albuquerque and I have no idea what it’s like, I can’t wait to get there because anywhere will be better than being stuck in this car!

  Mallory

  P.S. I’m not at the wish pond but I’m making a wish: I wish everyone will get along and be happy when we get to Albuquerque.

  New Mexico!

  WISHES DO COME TRUE

  Dear Trip Journal,

  Wishes do come true and not just when you make them at the wish pond.

  When we got to Albuquerque, everyone’s mood improved. We stopped for dinner at the Route 66 Diner. It was a really fun place. We sat in an old-fashioned booth and listened to songs on the jukebox. There was a hopscotch grid on the floor, and we all (even Mom and Dad!) played while we were waiting for our food.

  We ordered cheeseburgers (my favorite, though it made me miss my cat and wonder how she was doing with Mrs. Black) and fries and milkshakes that were AH-MAZING!!!

  We were having such a good time. Kate seemed to realize that the-who-Max-was-texting thing was an off–limits topic. She didn’t bring it up again. And no one seemed to mind when Kate took out her tablet while we were waiting for the check and read all about the history of Route 66.

  Even if Kate hadn’t given us that last fun fact, I would have known about the song. It played on the jukebox three times while we were eating dinner. But it’s a good song, so I didn’t mind. We’re at the hotel now and about to go to sleep. I just have one more thing to do before I shut my eyes. I’m making the same wish I made in the car.

  I wish tomorrow when we see the sites of Albuquerque, everyone will keep getting along and that we will have just as much fun as we did tonight.

  Traveling is a whole lot more fun when everyone gets along.

  Mallory

  A DAY ON THE TOWN

  Dear Trip Journal,

  Surprisingly, my second wish came true, just like my first one!

  I’ll tell you about everyone getting along, but first, I’ll tell you what we did in Albuquerque, which is the coolest place ever.

  It’s nothing like Fern Falls. It’s in the desert, so the plants and the scenery and even the buildings look totally different from the ones at home. Plus, Albuquerque has lots of awesome stores, great food, and tons of fun stuff to do. I wouldn’t even be upset if Mom and Dad said we were moving here.

  Our day started at the Albuquerque Aquarium, which has over 200 kinds of fish. I can’t remember all the kinds but I know we saw eels, seahorses, sea turtles, sharks, and jelly (no peanut butter) fish.

  After we left the Aquarium, we went to Old Town Albuquerque. It’s a village that was built a long time ago but that has been improved over the years. So along with the original church in the city square and the other old, historic buildings, there are five museums, lots of restaurants, and over 100 shops!!!

  We spent the day walking around and going into little stores. Mom and Dad let us each pick out one thing to buy. I bought some turquoise earrings. I also bought postcards for Mary Ann and Joey and Chloe Jennifer (which technically means I bought four things, not one).

  When we finished walking around, Mom and Dad let Max, Kate, and me choose which of the five museums we wanted to go to.

  We were going to draw straws
, but Max really wanted to go to the Rattlesnake Museum, which has the largest collection of live (that’s right, I said LIVE) rattlesnakes in the world!

  Even though Kate and I were both kind of grossed out (and scared!), we agreed to go because Max really wanted to.

  After the museum, we went to dinner at a Mexican restaurant and ate tacos with rice and beans. When our waiter told us we were eating New Mexican food, I told him I was glad because I wouldn’t want to eat old Mexican food.

  That made everyone, including the waiter and Max (who almost never thinks my jokes are funny), laugh.

  It was a great day and not just because we saw sharks and rattlesnakes and bought earrings and ate new (vs. old) tacos. I liked it because everyone got along. Even Max and Kate. It was like she knew not to say things that would annoy him, and I think he appreciated it.

  Max didn’t even mind when Kate got out her tablet at dinner and read us some facts about Old Town Albuquerque.

  I feel like we turned a corner (an expression I learned in third grade and which means when things change for the better).

  We’re all going to bed soon. Tomorrow we drive to the Grand Canyon, and I can’t wait to get there!

  I’m just doing one last thing before we go to sleep.

  Since I’m on a wishes-coming-true roll, I’m making a third one: I wish the rest of the trip will be as great as today was.

  Mallory

  Van Troubles

  IN THE VAN

  Dear Trip Journal,

  Whoever made up the expression “good things happen in threes” (which is something Grandma likes to say) did not know what they were talking about. Good things don’t happen in threes, at least not on this trip.