Georgie; Revisited

Chapter Two: One for the Road

Andrew Sherwin listened to the obnoxious voice coming Sue's toy. "The cow goes moo, the pig goes oink, sheep goes baaaa". He looked over at Carla, and she had fallen asleep with her head in her hand. The unfamiliar roads and turns had made him interested in where they were going, as far as he knew he had never been to this campground. The triathlon was usually held at the same place, but sometimes it was different. It was nice knowing what you could do there, where you could go. "Andrew, what would you like to do this weekeed". He snapped out of his gaze to see his father looking in the rear view mirror. "What is there to do?". Zach put his eyes back on the road. "Well we can canoe, kayak, hike...". Andrew liked hiking. His family was the sort of athletic type. Both of his parents had shared their love of running and swimming together, and intended to carry it on with their children. He could recall the countless trips to Utah and Maine, exploring the forest and rock climbing was definitely a past time. "Hiking sounds cool" he said, keeping an eye on the moving road. "I've heard they have nice trails down there, I've never been but". He stopped. Andrew went from looking at his father, to looking at his mother in the passenger seat. He knew something was horribly wrong, but never talked about it. For the past month, she was out of touch from Carla, Sue, and himself. When she woke up, she didn't go on runs with her mom friends. She simply told no one she was leaving, and would go by herself. Andrew would have to be the one to help Carla and Sue get cereal, which threw his mornings off a bit. His father worked in an office for a concert company, and would have to go everyday at 6am. On the other hand, his mother was a science teacher at a college nearby, so she had summers off. He knew she had a tendency to push herself in situations where she didn't need to. She hadn't been as nice either, sometimes you just know what someone is going through. You just know. He knew something was off as he stared at his mother who was leaning with head in her hand, on the window. She had always been a little distant with the kids, but all in all an excellent mother. He knew she always meant well, even if she was wrong. Yes, Andrew knew something was wrong. He wasn't sure how to fix it as they drove on the windy roads, into the hills of Virginia. His mother looked sicker by the minute.