by Amy Braat
“Yeah, then Caitlin tried to help. I ended up with a very static laundry sheet over her head and when she pulled if off her head, her hair was sticking out all over the place! It was so funny!” I was trying so hard not to break out laughing while trying to tell this story.
“That sounds hilarious!” Dan said with a chuckle.
My parents came in, grabbed a cup of coffee and dishes for cereal and sat down. “So, what is so funny?” Tony asked.
“I was just telling Dan about Caitlin's frizzy hair yesterday,” I told my parents trying to keep my laughing in.
“It was funny. Kennedy had to braid it to keep it under control, but it kept falling out of the braid, and sticking out everywhere. It was not a winning battle,” Andra remarked, chuckling.
“Do you think Kennedy would braid my hair if I asked her?” I asked.
“Well, why don't you ask her?” Dan said as Kennedy came into the room.
“Kennedy, would you braid my hair today?” I asked her as she put a sleepy Caitlin into her chair at the table.
“Sure, we can after breakfast is cleaned up and before we go out today,” Kennedy promised. I was excited since my mom did not know how to braid, I never had my hair braided.
“So, what is the game plan today?” Dan asked as Kennedy was getting Caitlin's cereal ready.
“We are going to drive out to my parents’ graves, clean them up and put some flowers on them. Dinner tonight will be leftovers because we will get back later,” Kennedy replied as she sipped her cup of coffee. “Andra, did you want to drive or I can drive Dan to work and we can take our car?”
“I'll drive, it is a rental with unlimited miles so we might as well use them,” Tony offered with a smile.
“Great, I have an extra car seat in the garage we can put in your car for Caitlin. Dan's parents use it when we want to take her somewhere,” Kennedy mentioned.
“Okay, then I am off to work, have fun. See you all tonight,” Dan said as he gave his wife a goodbye kiss and then his daughter one before leaving.
After breakfast everyone got ready to go. Kennedy braided my hair, making me feel so grown up. It looked really great. I couldn’t stop looking at it in the bathroom mirror until my mom yelled at me for the third time that we had to go. They had already grabbed cleaning supplies, and packed a cooler with some snacks for Caitlin and drinks for everyone and finally, we were off. Andra offered to take them out to their parents’ favorite restaurant for lunch if it was still in business. Kennedy thought that sounded like a great idea. I made sure to bring my tablet and phone, just in case things got really boring.
The drive would have been better if Caitlin wasn't sitting between Kennedy and me. Otherwise, I could have talked with Kennedy on the drive, but every time I did Caitlin would kick me and fuss. I thought, she is such a baby. Then, my mother suggested watching a movie, so I logged on to my tablet and looked at what movies I had stored on it. Caitlin was quiet while the movie was playing. She was so enthralled with the movie, she didn’t make a peep or even notice when we stopped at a local florist where Andra bought the flowers Kennedy had ordered the other day.
Once there, Kennedy directed Tony where to park and how to get to the gravestones. They were dirty with bird droppings, dirt and grass clippings. It took a while to get them cleaned. Though, with a lot of scrubbing, they sparkled in the sunlight. Andra and Kennedy secured the flower arrangement into the ground by the headstones and stood there looking at their work.
I noticed that the last date on both headstones were the same. The date was also before I was born. So I asked, “How did Grandma and Grandpa die?”
“They died in a car accident,” Kennedy responded quietly.
I just stood there with them, waiting.
Andra and Kennedy came over and asked, “Ready for lunch?”
“Famished,” Tony said as Caitlin nodded.
Tony put in the diner's address into his phone's GPS and off we went. Caitlin was bored and kicked her feet, but since I wasn't being kicked, I just ignored her. I was checking my phone to see if Mia had emailed me back yet; still nothing. I was a little worried. Normally Mia and I emailed daily, but I had not heard anything from Mia since two nights ago. I would call her later tonight if I did not get an email by then.
When we arrived at the restaurant, Andra commented, “Wow, I cannot believe the place still looks the same.”
“Me neither,” replied Kennedy.
We were seated at a round table. They brought Caitlin a booster seat and gave me and Caitlin a picture menu. “I can read, you know,” I told the waitress, who looked confused. Seriously, wanting me to order off the baby menu when I am eleven, which is close enough to being an adult.
Andra clarified, “My daughter likes to order off the adult menu, please.”
“Oh, not a problem,” the waitress said as she grabbed an adult menu. “What can I get you to drink?”
“Strawberry shake,” I said very quickly before my mother could order me something healthy like milk.
“You know a shake sounds good. I'll take a vanilla,” Andra said, surprising me.
“Chocolate,” said Kennedy “with a little cup to share with Caitlin.”
“Oh, it is a hard choice, but I think vanilla it is,” added Tony.
After the waitress left to get our drink order in, Kennedy could not help razing her sister, “Andra, are you feeling sick or something? Do we need to get a doctor?”
“What do you mean Kennedy?” Andra asked confused.
“You ordered something that is not on your healthy list,” Kennedy joked.
“I remember how wonderful their shakes were. Mom and Dad would bring us here as a special treat to get them when we had been good. It is almost like they are here with us. Thank you for suggesting we come here. Why don't we drive around the old neighborhood after lunch?” Andra suggested.
“That sounds like a terrific idea.”
After checking to make sure the recipe had not changed, Andra ordered the meatloaf dinner and we all followed suit. “This diner was known for the best meatloaf around. It was so good our parents would get extra to take home and make sandwiches from it the next day,” Andra announced and then did the same.
The waitress brought four huge shakes with whipped cream and cherries on top. They were so tasty that I believed that this was the best, most unhealthy item I had ever had. I was getting full when the meatloaf dinner came out, and it was amazing that it came with mashed potatoes, bread and corn. It was so good that I ate until I was stuffed and a little sleepy. We then packed up the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Caitlin loved the shakes and was pleasant throughout the whole meal and ate her whole lunch. I was starting to nod off as we left the diner.
It was Caitlin's normal nap time, so she slept as we drove around looking at their old school and houses. I was getting sleepy also, from all the sugar I just ate. The scenery did not look like anything special, so I dozed off. Even with all the stories and laughter the adults shared in the car, Caitlin and I did not wake up until we were home.
It was past dinner time by the time we had returned home. Dan had reheated the roast and veggies and the casserole from the previous night's dinner and had it ready when we arrived. Kennedy had called to let him know their expected time of arrival. Dinner was a joyous time, laughing about how much everything had changed, what had been torn down and what had stayed the same. One of their old schools was still there, but the high school was gone and had been replaced with a monster of a school.
Dan joked, “The high school was ancient when we went to it.”
I was bored with the adults talking about things I did not understand; inside jokes from their childhood and memories. It was great to see everyone enjoying themselves, but I was worried that Mia had not emailed me back yet, so I asked to be excused and checked my email. “Finally,” I said as I saw Mia had emailed me back. The email said, “Right after I emailed you last time, there were strong winds the other night knocking most of the tow
n’s power out. We just got our power back a few hours ago, so now I could email you.” Mia went on. “My mom still made me do schoolwork, although it was a real challenge to try to read by the windows or flashlight. My mom would not let me play with real fire, so no candles. It wasn’t fair that everyone else had the day off from school except those who were homeschooled. Plus, we could not go anywhere because there was a downed wire across our driveway so if cooking class had not been canceled I would have missed it. Thought it has not been much fun since you left.
Mom would not even let us play outside because she was afraid we would get to close to the wire and get killed. I got a huge lecture, when she overheard my idea to move the wire with a long stick so we could run errands. She went on and on about how downed wires were not toys and how they could kill me blah, blah, blah. Then, she mixed safety and education together. Having us measure out the 30 feet we had to stay away from a wire if we ever saw a downed wire in real life. And she wasn’t there to yell at us, but rather to keep us safe.
She then had us estimate what other things were about thirty feet long. She got mad at me for suggesting upset mothers. Two cars parked end to end was an okay answer, the height of a tall tree was a good answer. My brother got a stern look with answering the distance he can jump. I couldn’t help laughing at that one, which upset her more. So, we realized that safety is not a joke lecture. It was horrible that we were stuck in this house for days! I was just glad to hear from her, knowing that she was safe which gave me a happy, warm feeling. I emailed her back complaining about how we were supposed to be on vacation, but my mom still made me do my homeschooling, and that I was getting really close to finishing this set of school books. I asked her if there was much damage to the trees around her house? Then, I got ready for bed.
Chapter Ten: Family Sharing Time
Friday morning, I had the coffee brewing as Dan entered the kitchen. “Smells good, so you got the coffee routine down?” Dan asked.
“I think so. Taste it and let me know what you think,” I said as I poured him a cup.
“Thank you,” Dan said as he tried it. “Perfect, great job.”
I beamed as I took the orange juice and milk out of the fridge.
Dan grabbed the bowls, spoons, sugar and box of cereal. We sat down to have a quiet breakfast waiting for everyone else to get up. I asked Dan about what he does. My parents only told me he was a RND engineer, but I did not know what that meant.
“I work in Research and Development called RND for short. I design new products for our customers and improve the existing products to meet their needs. Sometimes I just need to engineer a new part to add to our product so the customer can use it. While other times, I am redesigning the whole unit. To simplify what I do, the customer tells us what they want and we make a product to do that.”
“That sounds so cool. Could I do something like that?” I asked.
“Sure, it takes a degree in engineering and a lot of creativity and problem solving. How are you at those?”
“I’m missing the engineering degree, but I am good at problem solving and creativity. I do that all the time when I am programming apps for my phone,” I explained.
“Great, now all you need are good grades in school and an engineering degree.”
“Oh, that will take years,” I complained. I was not even in middle school yet, then there was high school and college. It sounded like so much fun that I wanted to start doing it now, but it will be forever until I will be able to do this. I started to pout.
“Well, maybe I can take you to work sometime and see if you really like what I do for a living,” Dan promised me.
“That sounds awesome,” I replied, but knew it would never happen since we would be leaving in a little over a week.
Just then my parents came into the kitchen. “So what are you two talking about?” Tony asked while he got a cup of coffee and cereal.
“Dan was telling me all about being a RND engineer, and now I want to be one!” I said excitedly.
“I thought you were going to be an electrical or mechanical engineer like your dad and me, and follow in our footsteps?” Andra remarked as she sat at the table with her coffee and cereal.
“Oh yeah,” I said although I really liked programming, but making new products to better people's lives sounded awesome also.
“Roe, you do not have to decide today. You have a few years to make up your mind. So, why don't you explore all your options and pick the best one for you, okay?” my dad suggested encouragingly.
“Okay, I will do that Dad. Dan said I could go to work with him someday. Do you think that would be okay?” I asked.
“I am sure we can figure something out to make that work,” Tony said with a wink. “Just don’t try to fix anything while you’re there.”
“Really, awesome,” I said. “I promise I won’t.” I did not even blush from him referencing me fixing the machine at my parents’ last job, because I was so excited!
“Roe, just remember that electrical engineers are the best,” Andra joked.
“Andra, don't be an engineering snob; the world needs all kinds of engineers,” Tony scoffed.
“Yeah, but electricals are the most important,” Andra countered with a devilish grin at Tony.
“Rub it in, rub it in,” Tony remarked with a bit of annoyance in his voice. Tony had a mechanical engineering degree with a minor in computer, focusing on programming and controls. This was why he took care of the mechanical side of the business, the controls, installing hardware and computers whereby Andra did more of the programming and designing the electrical components. I then remembered my mom saying, “We both could do either side of the business, but Tony just enjoyed ‘getting his hands dirty’ as he called it and building something, even if it was just a control unit. I loved coding. I was a natural whiz at it. To get a job done on time, we would both do either job; it did not really matter. We just enjoyed one task more than the other. This was just one example of how well we complemented each other, at work and at home. We are a team.” They really did work well together, I realized, having enjoyed watching them work. They had been working together for so long it was almost like they could read each other’s mind. I wish someday to have a friend like that.
Then, Kennedy entered the kitchen with Caitlin saying, “Seriously, Sis, you have got to get over yourself. There is more to life than a double E degree. There are a lot of great people who have done a lot for society without an engineering degree. Thomas Edison comes to mind right now.” Kennedy then turned off the light to the hallway; she seemed to always be attempting to save electricity.
“Before the sisters start fighting and stop talking to each other, what are your plans for the day?” Dan asked the group.
“We are going to run to the grocery store this morning, and then Caitlin has her speech appointment this afternoon before her nap,” Kennedy confirmed.
“I need to grab a few personal things that we are running low on,” Andra stated.
“Great, can you drive or I'll have to drop Dan off at work,” Kennedy asked.
“I'll drive, plus Caitlin's car seat is still in my car,” Tony offered.
“Can I go?” asked I.
“Yes,” stated my mother.
“I was going to stay home and get some work done. Some of us have to work for a living,” Tony kidded with a chuckle, although he still got a dirty look from his wife.
“Speaking of work, I have to get going,” Dan announced as he put his dishes in the dishwasher and then gave his wife a kiss goodbye. “Try to get along with your sister; they are only here for another week. See you guys tonight.”
Once Kennedy was done cleaning up breakfast, she took their shopping list off the fridge and took stock of the kitchen items and added those items to the list. She checked her meal plan for the next week and added missing items to the list. It was giving me mom vibes since she was acting so much like my mom that it was almost scary. When everyone was ready, we headed out.
Kennedy grabbed a shopping cart and put Caitlin in the kid’s seat. Andra got a hand basket. My mom asked me, “I am going to grab a few things for your dad and me. Did you want to go with me or your aunt?”
“I'll stay with Kennedy if that is okay,” I declared.
“Sure you can be my helper,” Kennedy agreed.
I thought I was too old to be called a helper, but let it slide because I wanted to see what it was to really shop in a grocery store. My parents would run in to grab a few quick personal items like toothpaste or deodorant. We never cooked, so we never shopped for food. My mother thought snacking was not healthy, so we seldom bought snacks. Soda was totally out of the question which really included any flavored drink. My mom would use only one water bottle for months. She would wash it every night in the hotel sink and leave it to dry for the next morning, and then refill it. So I was interested in anything that seemed normal since my family was anything but normal.
“Well Roe, I normally start in the middle isles and then do the outside ones last. This way I first get shelf items, then fruits and veggies and finally the items that need to be kept cold,” Kennedy suggested.
As we were walking thru the aisles looking for items on Kennedy’s list, Caitlin pointed to a box of fruit snacks. “Not today Caitlin, they are not on sale.” Then, she moved the cart away from them. Caitlin still was pointing at them with tears in her eyes. I kept looking at the colorful cereal with marshmallows in it across the aisle wishing we could get that cereal, but it was expensive. With how much Kennedy was trying to get the cheapest option and not buying the fruit snacks for her daughter, I knew there was no way and it would be rude to ask. So, I watched Kennedy pick out the three cheapest boxes of cereal that were healthy but also on sale when my mom showed up with a few personal items in her basket.
I knew my mom had seen Kennedy going through the coupons and figure out which box of cereal was the most economical. I remembered overhearing my parents talking about how Kennedy and Dan had spent at least the last six months scraping every last cent to try to get Caitlin into a special experimental therapy for her speech problem which was not covered by their insurance.