Growing Up Neighbors

by Frances Hoelsema

  Ms. Harrington gave the kids a last hug and kiss as they gathered their belongings and headed out the door. They put their luggage in the back of Mr. Harrington’s brown Chevy Tahoe, and then Ms. Harrington watched them leave through the windows of the screened-in front porch. She didn’t head back inside to get back to the dishes she was washing until the Tahoe was out of site.

  “So how long of a drive is it?” Alex questioned.

  “It’s a good few hours,” his dad answered. “So you might as well find something to do to kill the time.”

  Deborah and Robyn brought books or activity pads to keep them busy, while Alex didn’t think to pack anything. It was for the best anyway since he liked to watch the road.

  The drive went smoothly on that hot, summer Friday. They made it to the boat docks in decent time, only stopping to eat a quick lunch at McDonalds. Mr. Harrington helped his children unload their things so that they could put them on the boat to get to Tanhicky Island.

  None of the children had been on such a large boat before, and they enjoyed hanging on the railings, looking out at the lake as the slight breeze brushed against their faces. Slowly, but surely, Tanhicky Island was coming into view. Deborah’s highlight of the ride was when seagulls flew alongside the boat.

  “Dad, look! The seagulls are flying with us.”

  “I see that!” her dad exclaimed as he watched the seagulls with his children.

  When the forty-five minute ride ended, everyone disembarked from the boat. To Mr. Harrington’s delight, not many people were traveling today. It made it easier to keep a tab on the kids and to figure out where he was supposed to go and what he was supposed to do. He had been here before, but it was when he was a young child, which was many years ago he felt like.

  The first thing the Harringtons did was to find their hotel. All the main attractions were located at the outskirts of the island so they were able to walk to the hotel from the boat docks. They checked in, found their room and unpacked a little. Mr. Harrington didn’t plan on doing much that day as they had traveled and they had plenty of time to do everything they wanted to on the island in the coming days.

  After they unwound for a while, they searched through the hotel to see what it had to offer. The kids were super excited that the hotel came with an indoor pool, something they knew they’d make a lot of use out of while they stayed there. Mr. Harrington liked the fact that the pool was visible from the gym so he could work out while the children played.

  The only time they left the hotel that day was to venture out to find dinner. They stumbled across a little café that was close by. They all got a burger of some sort, and they all agreed that the burger they had was the biggest, juiciest and tastiest burger they’ve ever eaten. The fries that came with it were huge as well. Needless to say, they were glad they ate there and thought they might come back again before they left.

  The rest of the night they went in the pool and watched a movie from their room. Exhausted, they all fell asleep quickly.

  The remainder of their vacation was filled with a lot of activity. The first full day they spent there they did some horseback riding along the edge of the island for a couple of miles, led by a tour guide. Later, they took a carriage ride that brought them inside the island a ways. Deborah remembered what her dad said about the island being old fashioned and she couldn’t help but agree because the few cars anyone saw were an older style, the houses looked ancient, but not run down, and there just seemed to be hardly anyone around. All these things made Deborah feel like she was back in another time, a feeling she enjoyed.

  Alex’s favorite part was on the carriage ride when they passed an old cemetery. The monuments were huge in his opinion. Robyn’s favorite part was riding her own horse. She was getting into horses lately so it was fun to ride one all by herself. The carriage ride was good too of course because she got pulled behind two huge Clydesdales.

  The second full day they were there they rented bicycles and rode along the perimeter of the entire island. Tanhicky Island was approximately eight miles all the way around. For the tourists, there was a paved road that circled the island for anyone to ride bikes, walk, run or rollerblade on. No cars were allowed on that road.

  It took some time for all four of them to make it around the island, but they all had a lot of fun and saw some neat things. There were a couple of scenic outlooks that they stopped at, as well as they enjoyed a packed lunch along the shoreline that was crowded with seagulls and other seafaring birds.

  The last full day that the Harringtons spent on Tanhicky Island they went to some fudge shops and gift shops. Inside one store Deborah saw something that made her think of Nicholas.

  I think he’d love something like this, she contemplated.

  It was a model car that resembled what the vehicles looked like on the island. She knew for a fact that he did not have the one that she was holding on to, which was a black Ford Model T. She quickly went to find her dad to see if she could buy it.

  “Hey, dad, can we get this?”

  “What do you want a model car for?” her dad questioned, puzzled.

  “It’s not for me. It’s for Nicholas. He collects these things and I know he doesn’t have anything like this yet.”

  “Wouldn’t you rather get something for yourself? I don’t have enough money to spend on you and your friends.”

  “No, that’s okay. I didn’t see anything I wanted. Can I get this, please?” she begged.

  “Okay. If you don’t see anything for yourself then that’s fine.”

  “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!” Deborah exclaimed. She gave her dad a hug. “I know he’s going to really like it.”

  When they had finished shopping at all the specialty stores and sampling fudge at some of the fudge shops, they brought their purchases back to the hotel and rested the rest of the day. They packed some of their things before bed because they were leaving the next day right after the hot continental breakfast the hotel provided.

  The trip home was about as uneventful as the trip up to the island. They only stopped to eat lunch again and got home in the early afternoon hours. Mr. Harrington helped the kids unpack their things and then took off to head home.

  Ms. Harrington made sure she took the afternoon off of work so that she’d be home when the kids got back. Curious about the trip, she asked her kids what they all did and if they liked it as soon as they got home.

  “It was awesome, mom!” Alex piped up first.

  “We got to ride horses!” Robyn added.

  “I think we all had a lot of fun!” Deborah shared.

  Ms. Harrington could see that her kids were beyond excited. She listened the whole half hour or more while her kids shared what they did while they were there.

  “Well, I’m glad you had a lot of fun. Did you get any souvenirs?” their mom asked.

  Robyn showed her the horse collection her dad bought for her while Alex went upstairs to show his mom the Swiss army knife he got.

  “What about you, Deborah? What did you get?” Her mom turned to Deborah to see.

  “I didn’t get anything for myself, but I got this model car for Nicholas since he collects them.” Deborah took the car out of the box for her mom to see.

  “Oh, how nice of you!”

  “Actually, is it okay if I bring it over to him right now?”

  “Sure, I guess. Don’t stay too long though.”

  “Okay,” Deborah assured her mom. She then put the car away and headed out the door to give Nicholas his gift.

  ---------------

  Ms. Michaels went to answer the door when she heard the doorbell ring. Seeing who it was, she immediately called Nicholas downstairs to let him know he had company.

  Nicholas rushed down to the kitchen and saw Deborah.

  “Hey, Debbie, welcome back,” he said with a smile.

  “Thanks.”

  “How was the trip?”

  “Really fun!” she replied and then told him about some of the t
hings they did, what the hotel offered and the different types of fudge they sampled.

  “Sounds fun!” Nicholas agreed. “Did you just get back then?”

  “Sort of. Maybe just over an hour ago I think.”

  “Cool. Well, I’m glad you guys are back,” he said.

  “Yeah, it’s good to be back. Hey, I got you something by the way.”

  “Really? What is it?” Nicholas was a little surprised that Deborah got him something.

  Deborah took the Ford Model T out of its box and put it on the table for Nicholas to see. As soon as he saw it his eyes bulged to the point that it looked like they were going to come out of their sockets.

  “Wow! This is cool!” he exclaimed.

  “So you like it?”

  “Of course! You know I collect these things. Thank you so much!” he said as he picked up the model car and looked it over.

  Deborah smiled, glad that Nicholas liked her gift.

  “Do you want to help me find a spot for it in my room?” Nicholas asked.

  “Sure.”

  The two of them headed upstairs to figure out the best spot to display the new model car. After seeing what was available, they both thought the best spot was towards the front on the middle shelf so that it could easily be seen.

  “Thanks, again,” Nicholas said as he put the car in place.

  “No problem. I thought of you right away when I saw it because I knew you didn’t have anything like it.”

  "No, I didn't," Nicholas smiled.

  The two kids went back downstairs.

  “Look, I have to go. My mom said I couldn’t stay too long,” Deborah stated.

  “Yeah, we are actually going to take off soon so I can check out the high school and see where my classes are.”

  “Really? Have fun with that. Are you excited?”

  “I guess. It’ll be different than before, but it’s still school, you know?”

  Both of them let out a laugh.

  “I know what you mean. I can’t wait to get to high school though.”

  “Why’s that?” Nicholas wondered.

  “I don’t know. It just sounds fun.”

  “Well, you’ll get your chance in a couple of years.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m going to go.”

  “Okay. See ya,” Nicholas said with a wave as she headed towards the front door. “And thanks again.”

  Deborah left the house to get back home. Nicholas, on the other hand, went to find his mom to show her the gift Deborah brought for him.

  “Wow, that’s really nice. She must really like you, huh?” his mom said half teasingly, which made Nicholas blush a little.

  “Quit it, mom. We’re just friends.”

  “Okay. If you say so. Are you ready to go soon?”

  “I think so. Let me just grab my schedule and I’ll be downstairs.”

  He found his schedule and started heading towards the stairs. As he was about to leave his room, he double checked the Ford Model T to make sure it was still in a good spot. He smiled as he moved it just a tad to the front.

  There, he thought. Perfect.

  5

  “Nice job, Nicholas. Now go ahead and park over there,” Mr. Brenton, Nicholas’ driver’s training instructor, directed as he pointed to the spot in front closest to the main entrance of the school building.

  “Okay.”

  Nicholas focused on steering the white, compact car to where it needed to go and effortlessly parked the vehicle directly in between the yellow lines and just before the car’s bumper hit the cement.

  “Perfect!” Mr. Brenton praised. “Now all you have to do is go inside to take the written test. Once you pass that, you’ll be able to get your license.”

  “Sweet! Thanks.”

  Nicholas headed inside the school building and found the room where he was to take his test. For the last few months he had been taking driver’s training and he was glad it was almost done. He’d have so much more freedom once he could drive on his own.

  Nicholas sat down and took the test. No more than a half hour later he found out that he had passed it with flying colors.

  I can’t wait to share the good news with everyone! Nicholas thought enthusiastically.

  Waiting outside to pick him up was his mom. Immediately when he hopped into the car, she had asked him how it went.

  “Fine,” he answered her.

  “So you passed?”

  “Yep! When can I go get my license?”

  “Whoa, hold your horses. I know you’re excited, but I’m not sure yet. Maybe, and this is a big maybe, this weekend sometime. We’ll have to wait and see how things go. I’m so proud of you by the way!” Ms. Michaels gave her son a little pat on his left knee.

  “Thanks!”

  Nicholas couldn’t wait to get home so he could share the good news with his brother and Alex. Now that he was old enough to drive, he and Alex could hang out somewhere other than at each other’s houses. He thought about the ability he’d have to go out for lunch during the week while school was on break or to go to the movies with his friends on the weekends.

  Life is so awesome! he thought.

  As their black SUV pulled up into their driveway, Nicholas noticed that none of the Harringtons were home so he wouldn’t be able to share his exciting news with Alex.

  Oh, well, he contemplated. I’ll just wait until this weekend when I can hopefully get my actual license.

  Robert was home so Nicholas told him first thing when he got inside the house. Robert was happy for Nicholas and gave him a little play punch in the left shoulder.

  “Way to go, man.”

  “Thanks,” Nicholas responded as he instinctively rubbed his shoulder as if the punch Robert threw him actually hurt.

  “Now we just have to find a car for me to drive,” he added as he turned to face his mom with a smile on his face.

  “Already have it covered,” Ms. Michaels replied.

  “What? You do?”

  Nicholas was in shock.

  “Yes. A teacher friend of mine has a vehicle she’s looking to get rid of. She offered it to me for a very reasonable price so I took it. We’ll be getting it this weekend sometime. I just have to make the final arrangements and then we’ll be all set.”

  “Really? Awesome! What's it like?"

  “Well, it’s not a sports car or anything, but at least it’s something that will get you from point A to point B.”

  “I can’t believe I’m going to have my own car! Thanks, mom!”

  Nicholas hugged his mom and then ran upstairs to put his things away. Now all he had to do was wait a couple more days until he’d be able to do what he wanted when he wanted.

  ---------------

  When Saturday morning finally came, Ms. Michaels found herself having to rush Nicholas to get out the door on time.

  I thought he’d be so excited to get his car today that he’d be rushing me, she thought.

  “Come on, Nicholas,” she yelled up the stairs for what seemed like the one-hundredth time.

  “Hang on. Almost ready!” he shouted back.

  A few more minutes had passed and Ms. Michaels finally heard him coming down the stairs.

  “Well, it’s about time. I told my friend we’d be there by ten o’clock. What took so long?”

  “It’s so early,” Nicholas mumbled.

  “It’s eight-thirty, which isn’t that early. You want to get your license and car today don’t you?”

  “Yeah, but it’s just so early,” he repeated himself, still mumbling.

  “That may be, but I’m not sure how long it’ll take at the Secretary of State office so we have to get there early enough so we hopefully get out early enough to get the car on time.”

  “I know.”

  The two of them headed out the door. To Ms. Michaels’ surprise, it didn’t take as long as she expected at the Secretary of State office. They were in and out within a half hour, Nicholas having received his temporary license. They told him
his actual license should arrive in the mail within a couple of weeks.

  Next they went to pick up the car that Ms. Michaels had promised her son. When they arrived at her friend’s house, they saw the car sitting on the front lawn completely clean on the inside and washed on the outside just waiting to be picked up.

  “Is this the car, mom?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “Wow! It’s not half bad. Thanks!”

  “You’re welcome.”

  The two of them went to the front door to pay for the car and get the keys and important documents needed for the purchase. Once Nicholas had the keys, he went to his car to go and check it out. It was a pewter-colored Chevy Impala. There was nothing fancy about it like Nicholas was hoping to have. But seeing how basic it was, he was thankful that it at least had everything powered.

  At least I don’t have to move the seats, windows or locks manually, he thought. That would be horrendous.

  Nicholas decided to set the radio presets to all his favorite stations. He left the last two open so that his mom, brother or friends could have a station of theirs on it if they wanted to. Having completed that, he took some time to get used to his car, figuring out where everything was so that he could find it easily if and when the time came for him to use it.

  All of the sudden Nicholas was startled from a tapping on the window. He didn’t realize that he was so entranced with what he was doing. He peered up and saw his mom standing there.

  “So how do you like the car?”

  Nicholas looked up at his mom with a smile and said, "It’s not bad. It’s definitely something that’ll work.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. Hey, I think we’re all set to go. I’ll follow you back to the Secretary of State office so we can change the title of the car into your name, okay?”

  It sounded much more like a command than a question in Nicholas’ opinion.

  “Okay.”

  I hope it goes quick again, Nicholas silently wished. I want to show off my new ride!

  Ms. Michaels hopped in her car as Nicholas started his. When he was buckled up, had his mirrors in place and radio on to his number one station and had checked the road for any traffic, he slowly pulled out and started to head back to the Secretary of State office.