Well, Bev, it ain't Thankless Tasks, but I will assure you that a new
chapter is forthcoming. Here's a little bit of fluff that came along
during the writing process.
I hope you guys enjoy. Let me know if you want me to keep going.
Disclaimer- Not making money, don't want money. I will take Gordon tho if Carlton is willing to offer him up.
The Shining Sea By Dawn
There went another. Oop, there was another one. And again. According to his older brother Scott, these 'palm trees' were a sure sign that they were getting closer to the ocean. It would only a little while longer until they could finally get out of the van and stretch their legs.
As he watched the next tall, frondy tree pass by the window, he concluded that Scotty's watch was apparently broken. By Gordon's six-year-old reckoning, Scott had said that a forever ago.
Of course, it didn't seem to be bothering him. His thirteen-year-old brother had his nose buried in one of the fat mystery novels he was so taken with of late. Beside him on the bench seat sat John, who was also engrossed in a book, though his more likely dealt with the stars and other space stuff.
Gordon wished desperately that he could read like his older brothers. Scott and Virgil talked about books all the time, either Scott's mysteries or any of the books that talked about planes that they both enjoyed reading. Once, Gordon had taken a look at one of Scott's big books and was shocked to find that they contained no pictures. Now, how could a book with all words possibly be that interesting? Gordon couldn't wait to find out the answer to that question.
With a heavy sigh, he looked to the floorboards at the thin picture books beneath his dingy white sneakers. He knew them all by heart at this point, memorizing them quickly after so many readings. They were boring, especially if no one was around to read them and add in all the fun little voices.
A glance at Virgil who sat beside him on the last seat of the minivan quickly dashed any hope. His second-eldest brother was sound asleep near the window. Both he and Scott had been up early, helping their parents pack and get together their younger siblings for the flight from Kansas to South Carolina. Virgil had fallen back to sleep as soon as they piled into the rented van acquired at the Columbia Airport.
Besides, Gordon had overheard him telling Scott that if he read 'The Cat in the Hat' one more time, he was going to have a psychotic episode. Gordon wasn't quite sure what that meant, but it didn't sound good.
Nearest the window in front of him sat Gordon's younger brother Alan, strapped into a booster seat and snoring. As he repositioned himself, his little blonde head lulled to the side and he snorted. John looked quickly at him and made a face. "That's gross."
"What?" Scott inquired not looking up.
"He's drooling. Ewww, he got it on one of my star charts!" John swiped angrily at the seat beside him.
"Don't wake him up." Scott seethed as he turned the page. "This is a lot more peaceful trip with him unconscious."
Gordon couldn't help but giggle at that. Alan wasn't exactly a great person to take a trip with.
"True." John conceded. "We haven't had to stop for food for an hour."
"Or a drink."
"Or a bathroom break."
"Hey," a lovely lady with short, dark brown hair turned around in the front passenger seat. "Alan wasn't the only one who went running for the bathroom on the last stop. You moved pretty fast there yourself, Mr. John."
"Yeah, Mom," John grinned, "but I hadn't gone since we left home. Alan has to go every five minutes."
"Well at least he's a boy and we don't have to find a restroom every time." She grinned. "Maybe he likes peeing beside the road or something."
John tried to snicker quietly as Scott went back to his book, shaking his head. With a laugh of her own, Lucille Tracy turned to face front again. "Jeff! What are you trying to do? Push her down the road?"
"I don't think she can see over the steering wheel." Gordon's father had been driving for two hours now, in a minivan. Jeff Tracy hated minivans. He sounded a little stressed out. "Why do they let these people on the road?"
"Would you relax? There's nothing you can do about it. Ease up."
"Would you like to drive?" He sounded a little less angry.
"Yes, but you're never going to let me." Lucille smiled and winked at her boys. "You, my love, are a control freak."
"Luce, I am not a control freak."
"Oh, you are and you know it."
"Give me one example."
"How about last week when Mark called for that contract with the World Space Agency? You just had to go to Florida yourself to make sure everything went smoothly."
"Florida," Jeff began, matching her teasing tone, "is lovely this time of year."
"And what about the time the new jet fighter brakes for the Navy turned out to be faulty? Who took over the supervising of the new spec designs?"
"That was he largest contract of my life."
"Who ruled my T-ball team with an iron fist?"
Jeff looked in the rearview mirror at Scott. "You won, didn't you?"
"Dad, you made Amanda Turner cry."
"But look at her now. One of the best softball players in all of Kansas."
"You're hopeless." Lucille laughed.
Before everyone could settle back into the quiet, Gordon decided to speak up. "Mom, are we there yet?"
Scott closed his eyes and looked as though he were in pain. His mother however answered plainly. "A little bit further."
"How far is that?"
"Little bit further."
This was fun! Even if John looked slightly annoyed. "How far in minutes?"
"A few more minutes."
"How many exactly?"
"A few."
"Moo-oom." Gordon tried to laugh and whine at the same time. "How many miles?"
"A few."
"How much farther?"
"A little bit further."
"Lucille!" Jeff finally yelled exasperated. "You're encouraging him."
"I should hope so." She unhooked her seatbelt, and skirting a still- sleeping Alan, made her way to the back of the van. "You bored, honey?"
"Yeah," he snuggled against her as she sat down next to him. "Virgil's pretty boring when he's asleep."
"He can be pretty boring when he's awake . . .ow!" John exclaimed as his mother slapped him lightly on the back of the head. "Mom!"
"Shhh! Don't wake Alan." She turned back to Gordon. "Are you excited to go see Gram and the ocean?"
Gordon shrugged. "I guess."
"You guess?"
"I really wanted to go to Disney World instead."
She laughed. "Oh really?"
"Scott and Virgil have been and say it's great." He grumped. "Could have gone last year if stupid Alan hadn't gotten the stupid chicken spots . . . and then given them to me."
"And me." John chimed in.
"First of all, it's chicken pox and second, Alan didn't mean to give them to you."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive."
Gordon wasn't convinced but decided to take his mother's word for it. "Couldn't we have gone this year?"
"I thought since Gram didn't get to come visit us at Christmas, perhaps we should visit her. Don't you think?"
"I guess."
"And I promise. We will get to Disney World this year." She nudged him. "Hey, what about in November? Dad can take off from work, you guys can miss a little school."
"Yeah!" The thought of missing a few days of school sounded highly appealing.
"And who knows, love. Maybe you'll like the ocean. I do."
"Mom, its just water, just like the lake at home." He hated the lake that sat a mile from their house. His brothers loved to swim in it, but Gordon didn't. He couldn't see his feet in there and Brian Garvick at school had told him all about snapping turtles and their fondness for toes.
"But you can swim in it; play in the sand, fish in it."
"I hate fishing."
"Oh because of what happened the last time? Honey, Virgil didn't mean to hook your ear."
"Fish are mean. They have those spikes on their backs. . ."
"Well, that's how they defend themselves." Lucille tried to explain.
"It still hurt."
"Well, maybe this week will change your mind."
Gordon simply shrugged in answer.
The minivan turned. "Here we are." Jeff announced.
"C'mon Gord. Let's go see Gram." Lucille said as she roused Virgil
I hope you guys enjoy. Let me know if you want me to keep going.
Disclaimer- Not making money, don't want money. I will take Gordon tho if Carlton is willing to offer him up.
The Shining Sea By Dawn
There went another. Oop, there was another one. And again. According to his older brother Scott, these 'palm trees' were a sure sign that they were getting closer to the ocean. It would only a little while longer until they could finally get out of the van and stretch their legs.
As he watched the next tall, frondy tree pass by the window, he concluded that Scotty's watch was apparently broken. By Gordon's six-year-old reckoning, Scott had said that a forever ago.
Of course, it didn't seem to be bothering him. His thirteen-year-old brother had his nose buried in one of the fat mystery novels he was so taken with of late. Beside him on the bench seat sat John, who was also engrossed in a book, though his more likely dealt with the stars and other space stuff.
Gordon wished desperately that he could read like his older brothers. Scott and Virgil talked about books all the time, either Scott's mysteries or any of the books that talked about planes that they both enjoyed reading. Once, Gordon had taken a look at one of Scott's big books and was shocked to find that they contained no pictures. Now, how could a book with all words possibly be that interesting? Gordon couldn't wait to find out the answer to that question.
With a heavy sigh, he looked to the floorboards at the thin picture books beneath his dingy white sneakers. He knew them all by heart at this point, memorizing them quickly after so many readings. They were boring, especially if no one was around to read them and add in all the fun little voices.
A glance at Virgil who sat beside him on the last seat of the minivan quickly dashed any hope. His second-eldest brother was sound asleep near the window. Both he and Scott had been up early, helping their parents pack and get together their younger siblings for the flight from Kansas to South Carolina. Virgil had fallen back to sleep as soon as they piled into the rented van acquired at the Columbia Airport.
Besides, Gordon had overheard him telling Scott that if he read 'The Cat in the Hat' one more time, he was going to have a psychotic episode. Gordon wasn't quite sure what that meant, but it didn't sound good.
Nearest the window in front of him sat Gordon's younger brother Alan, strapped into a booster seat and snoring. As he repositioned himself, his little blonde head lulled to the side and he snorted. John looked quickly at him and made a face. "That's gross."
"What?" Scott inquired not looking up.
"He's drooling. Ewww, he got it on one of my star charts!" John swiped angrily at the seat beside him.
"Don't wake him up." Scott seethed as he turned the page. "This is a lot more peaceful trip with him unconscious."
Gordon couldn't help but giggle at that. Alan wasn't exactly a great person to take a trip with.
"True." John conceded. "We haven't had to stop for food for an hour."
"Or a drink."
"Or a bathroom break."
"Hey," a lovely lady with short, dark brown hair turned around in the front passenger seat. "Alan wasn't the only one who went running for the bathroom on the last stop. You moved pretty fast there yourself, Mr. John."
"Yeah, Mom," John grinned, "but I hadn't gone since we left home. Alan has to go every five minutes."
"Well at least he's a boy and we don't have to find a restroom every time." She grinned. "Maybe he likes peeing beside the road or something."
John tried to snicker quietly as Scott went back to his book, shaking his head. With a laugh of her own, Lucille Tracy turned to face front again. "Jeff! What are you trying to do? Push her down the road?"
"I don't think she can see over the steering wheel." Gordon's father had been driving for two hours now, in a minivan. Jeff Tracy hated minivans. He sounded a little stressed out. "Why do they let these people on the road?"
"Would you relax? There's nothing you can do about it. Ease up."
"Would you like to drive?" He sounded a little less angry.
"Yes, but you're never going to let me." Lucille smiled and winked at her boys. "You, my love, are a control freak."
"Luce, I am not a control freak."
"Oh, you are and you know it."
"Give me one example."
"How about last week when Mark called for that contract with the World Space Agency? You just had to go to Florida yourself to make sure everything went smoothly."
"Florida," Jeff began, matching her teasing tone, "is lovely this time of year."
"And what about the time the new jet fighter brakes for the Navy turned out to be faulty? Who took over the supervising of the new spec designs?"
"That was he largest contract of my life."
"Who ruled my T-ball team with an iron fist?"
Jeff looked in the rearview mirror at Scott. "You won, didn't you?"
"Dad, you made Amanda Turner cry."
"But look at her now. One of the best softball players in all of Kansas."
"You're hopeless." Lucille laughed.
Before everyone could settle back into the quiet, Gordon decided to speak up. "Mom, are we there yet?"
Scott closed his eyes and looked as though he were in pain. His mother however answered plainly. "A little bit further."
"How far is that?"
"Little bit further."
This was fun! Even if John looked slightly annoyed. "How far in minutes?"
"A few more minutes."
"How many exactly?"
"A few."
"Moo-oom." Gordon tried to laugh and whine at the same time. "How many miles?"
"A few."
"How much farther?"
"A little bit further."
"Lucille!" Jeff finally yelled exasperated. "You're encouraging him."
"I should hope so." She unhooked her seatbelt, and skirting a still- sleeping Alan, made her way to the back of the van. "You bored, honey?"
"Yeah," he snuggled against her as she sat down next to him. "Virgil's pretty boring when he's asleep."
"He can be pretty boring when he's awake . . .ow!" John exclaimed as his mother slapped him lightly on the back of the head. "Mom!"
"Shhh! Don't wake Alan." She turned back to Gordon. "Are you excited to go see Gram and the ocean?"
Gordon shrugged. "I guess."
"You guess?"
"I really wanted to go to Disney World instead."
She laughed. "Oh really?"
"Scott and Virgil have been and say it's great." He grumped. "Could have gone last year if stupid Alan hadn't gotten the stupid chicken spots . . . and then given them to me."
"And me." John chimed in.
"First of all, it's chicken pox and second, Alan didn't mean to give them to you."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive."
Gordon wasn't convinced but decided to take his mother's word for it. "Couldn't we have gone this year?"
"I thought since Gram didn't get to come visit us at Christmas, perhaps we should visit her. Don't you think?"
"I guess."
"And I promise. We will get to Disney World this year." She nudged him. "Hey, what about in November? Dad can take off from work, you guys can miss a little school."
"Yeah!" The thought of missing a few days of school sounded highly appealing.
"And who knows, love. Maybe you'll like the ocean. I do."
"Mom, its just water, just like the lake at home." He hated the lake that sat a mile from their house. His brothers loved to swim in it, but Gordon didn't. He couldn't see his feet in there and Brian Garvick at school had told him all about snapping turtles and their fondness for toes.
"But you can swim in it; play in the sand, fish in it."
"I hate fishing."
"Oh because of what happened the last time? Honey, Virgil didn't mean to hook your ear."
"Fish are mean. They have those spikes on their backs. . ."
"Well, that's how they defend themselves." Lucille tried to explain.
"It still hurt."
"Well, maybe this week will change your mind."
Gordon simply shrugged in answer.
The minivan turned. "Here we are." Jeff announced.
"C'mon Gord. Let's go see Gram." Lucille said as she roused Virgil