Ski Lodge

2// Where Do I Sit?

Sunday

Reader, Christmas came and past, and my mother never gave up on this trip. She presented the whole thing to my father like a Christmas gift, and my grandparents, who had been at our house for Christmas dinner, had readily approved of the trip. They get to house sit our mansion with a pool and a hot tub while we're gone!

So now it is December 26th, and I am sitting in the airport on a hot day in Texas on my cell phone with six excitable adults, two young children, and my mortal enemy... I mean Emmett Becker.

In between rounds of my puzzle games, I looked up to see Weston and Laura playing Angry Birds on their iPad. They looked so calm and considerate of each other, especially compared to the tooth and nail sibling fight that I'd had to break up when we were scrambling to find our terminal. Dr's Greene had decided they would separate the youngsters on the flight just in case.

"Flight D12 will be boarding soon" the lady at the front desk said over the intercom.

"Trish honey," my mom poked my arm, "did you pack gum? You know I always get those dreadful earaches whenever we go on planes."

"No, but I can go get some from that little shop we passed if you lend me five bucks. Stuff is expensive here," I sighed.

"Ok, take Laura with you, because her mom said she needed to go to the bathroom before we get on the plane," my mom smiled innocently as if that wasn't her purpose for asking me for gum.

"No problem, mom," I smiled, getting up from my seat and taking Laura's hand.

"Weston said that you can see the ocean from planes, so I'm going to sit by the window and see the ocean," Laura started.

"I don't think we are going over an ocean," I replied.

"But it's a plane," Laura said determinedly, as if being in a plane automatically meant we'd be going over an ocean.

"Well," I smiled, "you'll have to keep watch then."

She smiled up at me as if I'd just given her the greatest responsibility in the world. Kids are adorable.

"Weston isn't going to sit next to me because my mom thinks we'd get into a fight again."

"You probably would," I laughed.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean we don't love each other and don't want to sit next to each other and stuff."

"You are very insightful for a..."

"Can I buy candy?" she interrupted me, pointing to some candy bracelets sitting next to the gum at the store counter by the bathroom.

"Go to the bathroom, and I'll buy the candy and meet you right here. Don't go anywhere else," I said sternly but smiling.

Her little gel shoes squeaked on the laminate floor as she skipped to the bathroom, almost as if they were as happy to be getting a candy bracelet as she was.

I grabbed one for Weston as well, and after paying the clerk, I met back up with Laura who was holding a shiny quarter she found on the bathroom floor.

"That's gross," I looked at it as she held it five inches from my face.

"It's my lucky penny," she grinned, "I found it on the floor next to my stall, and I crawled under the wall, and the lady on the other side screamed, and then I crawled back, and left the stall, and washed my hands and the penny."

"Wow," I said, "also, that's a quarter."

"Really?" She held it back to her face, "How much is a quarter?"

"Twenty-five cents"

"Wow! I'm rich!"

"Yes," I chuckled, "c'mon, let's go show your mom."

We made our way back to the terminal to find our parents all sitting around a side table on which lay all of our tickets. They shuffled them around like playing cards.

"Weston should sit with you, Patrick, honey," his wife Dr Midge Greene said as she moved two tickets together on the left side of the table.

"I'm going to sit with my hubby," my mom moved her ticket next to my dad's on another two seater.

"We'll actually Betty honey, we were thinking," he pointed to Dr Eric Becker and himself, "that we'd sit together to have some guy time. And that you could sit with Midge and Erica in the three seat row towards the front of the plane." He pushed my mom's ticket forward before planting a kiss on her cheek and whispering, "we will have much time to ourselves later, my dear."

My mom was fine with the new arrangement and smiled as she moved Dr Greene and Dr Becker's tickets up with her own. "That leaves..." she started, "Laura to sit between Emmett and Trisha in the three seater by the back near the bathrooms and other little kids."

I looked at Becker who looked back at me just as disappointed. Laura looked at both of us and squealed. "This will be so much fun!" She screamed in my ear before dancing off to join her brother's intense Angry Birds game.