instantly.
“Okay, guys, let’s get on with it.” Jeremy is all business now.
“What did your girlfriend want?” Sandy asks, not knowing when to cut it out.
“She’s not my girlfriend. Sarah’s my girlfriend. Can we just continue playing?”
The rest of the game is not much fun. Jeremy looks angry, Dad has lost all of his properties and is now sitting with Mom, and I am starting to emerge as the winner. Winning isn’t as fun, however, when I can’t get a rise out of my brother, or when I haven’t really won by myself.
Later that night I see Jeremy and ask him if he wants to talk about it. I am surprised when he says that he does. “I wasn’t really thinking about anything last night when she kissed me. Maybe I should have. Now she wants to tell her boyfriend. She said she thought maybe we’d start dating or something.”
“Do you like her, Jer?”
“No. Not like that. Not really. I wasn’t lying to you when I said that she wasn’t my type. I wasn’t thinking, and now she’s pissed.”
“So what did you say to her tonight?”
“I told her that I am with Sarah and that I am not planning on telling her about what happened last night. I tried to make it sound like it couldn’t work between us because we are at different schools, but the truth is, I don’t really want anything with Tina.”
“I guess you’re lucky we’re leaving tomorrow, eh?”
“Yeah, but I feel bad about it. She’s nice. I didn’t want to hurt her. I have never looked forward to school so much in my life.”
The thought of school makes me feel a pit in my stomach. I like school, but after two months off in the summer, it’s always the same. I have gotten used to being on vacation and the thought of starting a new school year with new classes and new teachers makes me nervous. I am really looking forward to being home, though. It’s been fun at my cottage, but I miss Amanda and Kaitlyn, and I wonder if Shane will still want to go see a movie.
“Can everyone come here for a minute?” We hear Uncle Jack call from the living room.
We gather and Uncle Jack begins, “Seeing as this is our last night, I wanted to make a toast to all of you for including me in your family vacation, which has become my family vacation too. I appreciate you always making me feel welcome. I wanted to thank you in some special way, so I’d like to give you this.”
Dad takes the envelope from Uncle Jack and opens it. “This is too much and not necessary at all. We love having you come with us.”
“What is it, Dad?” Sandy asks what we all want to know.
“It’s a gift certificate to Nonna’s Italian Restaurant—for all of us.”
“Jack, you really shouldn’t have,” Mom says. She goes over to hug him.
We all go up to hug Uncle Jack after our mom gives us “the look.” I wonder if Jack misses his kids or how often he thinks about them. They are eleven and thirteen. The eleven-year-old, Joey, is in Sandy’s class. She says he is quiet and is often taken out of the classroom by another teacher. She thinks it’s to work on his reading, but she’s not sure. None of us really knows Lydia, who is in eighth grade. I wonder if being around us makes himunhappier about his situation; we must remind him of the family he doesn’t have. I look at Uncle Jack. He was probably a good-looking man in his younger years. I don’t think the years have been kind to him. He’s a lot greyer and looks a great deal older than Dad, but he is actually a few years younger.
When we finish in the living room, we all go about packing and cleaning so that we are ready to leave in the morning. Jeremy, Sandy, and I pull out the dresser drawer and sign our names on the inside for another year, which has become a tradition. Sandy signs her name in her “new” signature, Jeremy writes “till next year,” and I write, “The Summer of ’89,” like the Bryan Adams song.
We are happy and together, which we know is about to change in a matter of
“Okay, guys, let’s get on with it.” Jeremy is all business now.
“What did your girlfriend want?” Sandy asks, not knowing when to cut it out.
“She’s not my girlfriend. Sarah’s my girlfriend. Can we just continue playing?”
The rest of the game is not much fun. Jeremy looks angry, Dad has lost all of his properties and is now sitting with Mom, and I am starting to emerge as the winner. Winning isn’t as fun, however, when I can’t get a rise out of my brother, or when I haven’t really won by myself.
Later that night I see Jeremy and ask him if he wants to talk about it. I am surprised when he says that he does. “I wasn’t really thinking about anything last night when she kissed me. Maybe I should have. Now she wants to tell her boyfriend. She said she thought maybe we’d start dating or something.”
“Do you like her, Jer?”
“No. Not like that. Not really. I wasn’t lying to you when I said that she wasn’t my type. I wasn’t thinking, and now she’s pissed.”
“So what did you say to her tonight?”
“I told her that I am with Sarah and that I am not planning on telling her about what happened last night. I tried to make it sound like it couldn’t work between us because we are at different schools, but the truth is, I don’t really want anything with Tina.”
“I guess you’re lucky we’re leaving tomorrow, eh?”
“Yeah, but I feel bad about it. She’s nice. I didn’t want to hurt her. I have never looked forward to school so much in my life.”
The thought of school makes me feel a pit in my stomach. I like school, but after two months off in the summer, it’s always the same. I have gotten used to being on vacation and the thought of starting a new school year with new classes and new teachers makes me nervous. I am really looking forward to being home, though. It’s been fun at my cottage, but I miss Amanda and Kaitlyn, and I wonder if Shane will still want to go see a movie.
“Can everyone come here for a minute?” We hear Uncle Jack call from the living room.
We gather and Uncle Jack begins, “Seeing as this is our last night, I wanted to make a toast to all of you for including me in your family vacation, which has become my family vacation too. I appreciate you always making me feel welcome. I wanted to thank you in some special way, so I’d like to give you this.”
Dad takes the envelope from Uncle Jack and opens it. “This is too much and not necessary at all. We love having you come with us.”
“What is it, Dad?” Sandy asks what we all want to know.
“It’s a gift certificate to Nonna’s Italian Restaurant—for all of us.”
“Jack, you really shouldn’t have,” Mom says. She goes over to hug him.
We all go up to hug Uncle Jack after our mom gives us “the look.” I wonder if Jack misses his kids or how often he thinks about them. They are eleven and thirteen. The eleven-year-old, Joey, is in Sandy’s class. She says he is quiet and is often taken out of the classroom by another teacher. She thinks it’s to work on his reading, but she’s not sure. None of us really knows Lydia, who is in eighth grade. I wonder if being around us makes himunhappier about his situation; we must remind him of the family he doesn’t have. I look at Uncle Jack. He was probably a good-looking man in his younger years. I don’t think the years have been kind to him. He’s a lot greyer and looks a great deal older than Dad, but he is actually a few years younger.
When we finish in the living room, we all go about packing and cleaning so that we are ready to leave in the morning. Jeremy, Sandy, and I pull out the dresser drawer and sign our names on the inside for another year, which has become a tradition. Sandy signs her name in her “new” signature, Jeremy writes “till next year,” and I write, “The Summer of ’89,” like the Bryan Adams song.
We are happy and together, which we know is about to change in a matter of
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