“Autumn mentioned Disneyland. And that’s not all. There are so many other theme parks and studio parks as well.
“Not to mention major league baseball games, professional football and soccer games and tours to the movie stars homes.
“Concerts. All the big boy bands and that girl singer you have a crush on, Sam… what’s her name again?”
Sam didn’t answer, but he did sulk. His crush on Allyssa Stewart ended at least six months before when she appeared at an award show with another guy and Sam realized he didn’t have a chance with her.
Jenn continued, “And when we get away from Los Angeles it’s even better. Autumn mentioned the desert and how beautiful it is. Flowers blooming there which can’t be found anywhere else… the wildlife…”
Meadow grumbled, “Yeah. Rattlesnakes and scorpions and coyotes…”
“Among others,” Jenn went on. “Also foxes and rabbits and desert tortoises and such.”
“That’s way more than one, Mom,” Autumn said.
“Hush, you. It’s all part of the same thing. Seeing all there is to see and doing all there is to do in southern California.”
Chapter 32
“Now then,” Jenn continued. “Let’s look at some of the cons… the bad things about each place.
“Sam, your turn again. Tell me two bad things.”
“Oh, goody. Two bad things about Alaska.”
“Not so fast. I meant two bad things about living in southern California.”
“Mom…”
“No ‘mom’… Two bad things about living in southern California, please.”
“Well… it does get pretty hot there in the summer time. Like way over a hundred degrees. And what Meadow said was right. There are a lot of rattlesnakes and scorpions and coyotes and mountain lions.”
“Very good, Sam. It takes someone very mature to admit that his nirvana isn’t absolutely a perfect place.”
Sam didn’t have a clue what a nirvana was, but he caught his mother’s drift.
He could have left it alone and accepted the compliment, but then Sam wouldn’t be Sam.
“Only ‘cause you made me,” he grumbled.
“Okay, Autumn. Two cons about living in Alaska.”
“Ummm… number one, bears don’t play. They’re big and mean and scary. And they sometimes eat people. Only they wouldn’t eat Sam because he’s too disgusting. They’d spit him back out.”
“Okay, enough of that. One more, please.”
“I read on the internet that it’s very expensive to live up there. So we probably wouldn’t be able to buy as many shoes and purses and stuff as we could buy in California.”
“I know, right?
“Okay, Meadow. Your turn. Two bad things about Alaska.”
“Any chance I ever had at marrying Billy Ingols would be gone.”
“I’m sorry, who is Billy Ingols?”
Autumn, ever the busybody, answered before Meadow could explain.
“He’s the boy who asked her to the dance last week. She told her BFF Rebecca she could see herself falling for him because he has dreamy eyes and curly blond hair.”
Meadow reached over and punched her sister in the arm.
“Shut up, twerp.”
“Hey, I didn’t say he had dreamy eyes and curly blond hair. You did.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I heard you. When you took your cell phone into the bathroom so you could talk to Rebecca in private.”
“You eavesdropped, even after I turned on the bath water and flushed the toilet so nobody could hear?”
Sam said, “I was wondering what was going on when I heard the toilet flush sixteen thousand times in a row…”
Autumn said, “I was just walking by the bathroom. I can’t help it if I have good hearing.”
Jenn sensed a bloodbath in the making.
“Okay, you two. No more about Billy Ingols and his dreamy eyes. We get the point. You’ll all be leaving behind good friends and/or potential boyfriends, and some of them might have dreamy eyes and curly hair.”
“Curly blond hair,” Autumn corrected.
“Enough. One more thing, Meadow.”
“I was on line too, and most of the vehicles up there are big monster pickup trucks. Everybody has them because they’re the best vehicles to have in the winter. But I don’t want to have to drive a huge truck when I get my license next year. I want a Camaro or a Mustang. Maybe a Challenger. They’re way cooler.”
“Are not,” Sam said. “Big trucks are awesome. Especially when they’re four-wheel drive with jacked-up suspensions and monster tires. And they’ll go anywhere. Straight up a mountain, even.
“That’s definitely what I want when I get my license.”
“Keep interrupting me, butt brains, and you won’t live long enough to get your license.” Meadow threw a pillow at her brother, but he deftly ducked out of the way.
The pillow landed harmlessly in Autumn’s lap. She picked it up and placed it behind her head.
“Now can we vote?” she asked her mom. “This is getting kind of boring.”
“Yes indeed,” her mother agreed. “It is indeed time to vote. Now that we’ve been forced to say some good things about the place we don’t want to go, and some bad things about the place we do want to go, we have a better picture of both.
“Who wants to move to Alaska?”
Only one hand went up. Meadow’s.
“Who wants to move to southern California?”
Sam’s hand went up immediately. Autumn hesitated just a tiny bit, then raised hers as well.
Something somebody said changed her mind.
She wouldn’t tell anybody what it was, but it was related to a teenaged boy.
It wasn’t until she started making fun of Meadow and her crush’s dreamy eyes that Jason Pickard crossed her mind. For quite some time Autumn had had recurring fantasies of marrying Jason some day and having fourteen of his children.
In her mind it was all planned out. They’d wed the day after they both graduated from college.
He’d be a computer scientist and she’d be Hollywood’s latest new thing, and together they’d make the most awesome children.
All of them… every single one, would have Autumn’s looks and Jason’s wit and personality. How could they possibly go wrong?
They’d have a huge mansion in the Hollywood hills and chateaus in France and Switzerland. The whole world would adore them.
As it turned out, Autumn had her own crush with eyes at least as dreamy as Billy Ingols'.
Calling Meadow out reminded Autumn that, as unlikely that it was for her fantasies with Jason Pickard to come true, that they’d have even less chance if the family moved all the way to Alaska.
She’d never tell anyone, not even her mom, why she changed her mind.
And in the end it didn’t matter. She’d made her brother very happy and her sister furious. Her mother was puzzled, but wouldn’t pry.
After all the dust settled, only one thing was certain: the vote had been cast and the decision made.
They’d be moving to the high desert of southern California.
Chapter 33
The rains came early in the morning, as they should always come but seldom do. It was a day when people could wake up to their patter against the window panes, as opposed to having to rush through them on their way to their cars and drive through them on their way to work.
By eight, when most Germans were starting their days, the rain was gone, instead cursing France with a rush-hour downpour.
But that was okay; the French deserve it, after all
By early afternoon even the puddles were gone, having soaked into the rich soil, and making the German landscape even greener than before.
Julie’s fears… that the early morning rain might spoil their plans for the day, were totally unfounded.
That made her wonder if she was a woman who spent too much time stressing and not enough time saying, as the old
Doris Day classic goes, “Que sera sera.”
She’d always been, as her mother used to call her, “a worry wart.”
Dr. Wayne Hamlin leaned back in his lounge chair and tried to get comfortable.
“This is kinda nice,” he whispered to Julie. “I could get used to this. Where are we going next?”
She looked at the pamphlet.
“Burg Eltz. The Eltz Castle. This says it’s a medieval castle built in the 12th century and is one of only three castles in all of Europe which is still occupied by the original family.
“It says that thirty three generations of the Eltz family have continually resided in the castle and it was one of just four castles along the Mosel River that wasn’t destroyed by allied bombing during the Second World War.”
That was as far as she read.
She stopped when Wayne started snoring.
This was Wayne’s first cruise, and he’d been going on and on about what a great time he was having, and how he was learning so much about German culture and history.
Now granted, this was a river cruise and not an ocean voyage.
But river cruises can be absolutely amazing too. A lot of people prefer them. The boats are smaller, there are fewer passengers, and they have more frequent stops.
Oh, and seldom any hurricanes or bad Atlantic storms.
It had been several months since Yellowstone blew its top.
With the exception of the United States, the whole world was more or less over it. Nations had healed their scars and moved on.
And the oddest thing happened.
The four wars which had been going on in various places around the globe had all wound down and were brought to their ends in the wake of Yellowstone.
For the first time in recorded history there wasn’t a single war going on anywhere in the world.
Yellowstone showed the world that fighting and killing one another for political reasons was just stupid. The earth had the power and ability to wipe out all of mankind in a single act.
The world’s population knew that now.
They were awakened to the fact that man is a very frail creature.
And that they had better things to do than fight wars.
Instead, most of the nations of the world banded together.
Most, because there were a few which just stood back and watched.
There are always a few nations which just stand back and watch while stronger, more willing nations carry more than their fair share of the burden.
It’s always been that way.
So some of the weaker nation-states watched from a distance as the rest of the world worked together to bring mankind back from the brink.
They developed new ways to grow valuable food sources; developed new ways to rid the soil of the poisoned ash. Worked together on the relocation of millions of volcano refugees.
Now, after just a few short months, the world outside the United States was more or less back to normal and humming along again.
As for the United States, that was ground zero.
Getting the United States back to normal would take longer.
But it was making good progress.
Wayne and Julie Hamlin hadn’t been back to the states since they flew to Germany just after the eruption.
They were still in tourist mode.
They were still visiting every city in Europe which struck their fancy.
Oh, they’d eventually go back to the good old U.S.A.
But there was absolutely no hurry.
But wait a minute… what’s that loud screeching noise?
It’s the United States government, putting the brakes on the Hamlins’ plans to stay away from the land of their births.
Wayne got maybe two hours’ sleep in his deck chair when the cell phone in his pocket started ringing.
It was the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Washington, D.C.
“Hello, Dr. Hamlin?”
“Yes. Yes, this is Dr. Hamlin. Who am I speaking to?”
“This is Robert Taylor. I’m the lead volcanologist in FEMA’s risk assessment division.
“I wonder if I might have a couple hours of your time, perhaps the day after tomorrow?”
“I’m afraid not, Mr. Taylor. I’m not in Washington. I’m not even in the states. I’m on a cruise ship on the Mosel River in the Eifel region of Germany.
“Further, I have no desire to come running back to Washington and cut my vacation short.”
“No sir. I don’t blame you. And I’m not asking you to.
“What I’m advocating, doctor… well, with your permission, I’ll come to you.”
Chapter 34
The trans-Atlantic flight into Germany’s Frankfurt International Airport was a bear for Robert Taylor.
It wasn’t the time change, necessarily. Europeans flying into the states gain several hours of “magic time” they can use for extra sleep or whatever else they choose. It’s not as easy flying east, losing six hours, and having to play catch-up. Yet thousands of people are able to manage it each and every day.
Jet lag wasn’t a problem for Mr. Taylor. He was an experienced traveler with several hundred flights under his belt.
No, what made his trip miserable was an unexpected thunderstorm over the mid-Atlantic which hadn’t even started to form before he left Washington. The airline couldn’t warn the passengers there might be rough weather ahead so they could prepare for it.
The flight crew didn’t bother making an announcement the skies ahead were going to get choppy.
The first indication there might be turbulence was when the plane dropped straight down several feet.
Everything went flying through the cabin. Drinks which had been sitting on trays were suddenly airborne.
Flight attendants in the aisles found themselves sprawled across the laps of startled businessmen. A serving cart lost all its snacks and canned sodas.
A passenger on his way to the lavatory slammed his head into the bulkhead and opened a bleeding wound which would require three stitches upon arrival.
Only then did the captain come across the intercom to share this little gem:
“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re going to turn on the fasten seatbelt sign, as we’re expecting a bit of turbulence. If you’re up and about, please return to your seats.”
A man seated directly behind Taylor muttered, “Now you tell us.”
The flight attendant who’d just picked herself up after tumbling headlong into an empty row of seats said, “Thanks a lot.”
As for Taylor, he was busy trying to wipe spilled coffee from the front of his shirt. Luckily it was an older shirt. If it stained too badly he could toss it.
Or maybe he’d keep it despite the stains.
On the “Dapper Dan” scale of well-dressed men, scientists ranked somewhere close to the bottom. Maybe a two or a three. They were almost expected to be just a tad bit slovenly and more than a little bit eccentric as well.
Unfortunately, the sudden drop of the jumbo jet wasn’t at the end of the ocean crossing. It was in the middle, and what followed was three sickening hours of choppy air and churning stomachs.
By the time the crew announced their approach to Frankfurt International in English, German and French, Taylor had gone through several shades of green and had thrown up twice.
And he was far from the only one.
When the doors opened the entire lot was desperate to get out of the plane, where many of them would go directly to airport restrooms to wash themselves of their own (or somebody else’s) vomit.
But they had to wait, for the flight attendants made everyone else stay in their seats until they evacuated the injured and by now very bloody man.
As he was helped down the aisle toward the exit someone had the nerve to imply that he was the lucky one. Head wounds heal, and his got him out of this nightmare sooner than everyone else.
On the gangway, on his way to baggage claim and to customs, Taylor found his legs were as limp
as wet spaghetti noodles and he was a bit lightheaded.
He’d eaten just before boarding his flight, as he’d learned years before that having something on his stomach helped stave off air sickness. Many people thought the opposite was true: that they should fly with their stomachs empty. But a wise doctor once pointed out to Taylor what should have been very obvious: food in the stomach absorbs much of the stomach acid which would otherwise be free to jostle around and work its way up to the throat.
The real fact, the doctor maintained, is that an empty stomach means a green traveler has less to throw up, sure. But it also makes him much more prone to throwing up what little he has. Empty stomachs frequently lead to dry heaves.
Taylor was skeptical but took the doctor’s advice. It worked like a charm, and this was the first time he’d thrown up in years.
While he waited for his bags he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and called the Hamlin home in Wittlich.
Wayne had offered to come to the airport to pick him up, but he wasn’t due to arrive until ten p.m. That wasn’t a problem for Taylor, since he hadn’t planned anything big just after his arrival anyway. He’d likely just go to his hotel and relax.
No sense dragging Wayne and Julie out late for no reason.
He’d found over the years, that when one asks someone else for a big favor, it helps to butter him up a bit.
The bigger the ask, the saying goes, the more the butter.
It just wouldn’t do to keep Hamlin up way past his bedtime, make him a little bit grumpy, then ask him to do something incredibly difficult.
Instead, he told Dr. Hamlin he’d prefer to stay the night in Frankfurt, then rent a car and drive himself to Wittlich. He preferred not to be a burden to his hosts.
Hamlin assured him he wouldn’t be a burden, but that he certainly understood. He and Julie preferred to have their own transportation whenever possible, so they weren’t at the mercy of taxis or the train schedule.
So they agreed on a phone call instead of a late-night car trip to Wittlich.
“Hello, Dr. Hamlin,” Taylor said as he watched the baggage carousel go round and round. “I’ve made it.”
“How was your flight?”
“Absolutely terrific.”
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