The waves were softly crashing upon the warm and soft sand along the private beach owned by the Gummers in the cape. It was the perfect place to go for a family getaway and Meryl was so excited that the family would be all together finally for a whole week before they all got back to their hectic and crammed lives. Meryl wanted to get there a day ahead of the all the kids to get everything straightened out and just to have some time to relax and get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. So, her and Don headed up there Friday afternoon. They pulled into the vacant driveway at around 4 and emptied the car of their belongings and brought them into the house. Surprisingly, the house was extremely neat and pristine considering it had been nearly a year and a half since they'd been there. Meryl immediately drew back the white curtains hanging in the family room to let the sunlight sweep over the hard oak floors. Don proceeded to put all their luggage into the bedroom, to be unpacked later. Meryl walked through the kitchen and went directly onto the patio to look at the beach and get some fresh air. She looked out and saw some kids playing and what looked like a small family party at their neighbors just beyond the jetty and couldn't help but become anxious thinking about all of her children arriving tomorrow. She could hear Don in the kitchen and decided to go in and start prepping everything so it would be out of the way for tomorrow. She walked in to find Don retrieving a glass from the cabinet for some water, "Want a glass?" he asked.
"No, thanks. I can't believe how clean this place is, I thought it would've been a mess!"
"I know! Well, looks like we have more time to relax now."
"Good," she said while she rolled her shoulders back and gently dropped her head to relieve the tension in her back. "I think I'm going to get some sun and probably take a quick nap so I'm all rested for when the kids get here." Don nodded as he walked into the family room and turned on the TV to watch some football. Meryl went to the bedroom, propped her suitcase on the bed and rummaged through it to find her shorts and a baggy tee-shirt, as she wanted to be comfy for once. She got dressed, grabbed her straw hat, and headed for the beach, in hope of getting the chance to totally unwind and de-stress.

It felt as if she had just fallen asleep when the beeping of her blackberry startled her awake causing her to get up abruptly, knocking her hat off of her face that was protecting her from getting burned. She grabbed her phone off of the table next to the lawn chair and saw that she had a text from Grace that caused her face to light up immediately,
"Hey mom, I'm so sorry but I just got a call and I have an urgent meeting tomorrow
in LA, and I don't think I'll be able to make it this weekend. Love you and dad lots, give everyone my love x x x."
The smile on Meryl's face vanished quickly and she was so upset that she wouldn't be able to see her daughter tomorrow, but she understood that Grace's job was important, and at least she'd be able to see the rest of her children tomorrow. She glanced down at her diamond studded wrist watch and noticed that it was already 5:30, she picked up her hat and phone and made her way back inside. She placed her hat on the counter and headed into the family room to tell Don, who was still watching the game, about the text she just received. She sat down next to him on the couch and folded one leg under herself and let the other one hang over the end of the couch. He glanced at her quickly and saw the look of anxiety on her face and quickly muted the TV. "You okay?" he inquired in a comforting tone.
"Grace can't come tomorrow, she has a meeting in LA and she sends her love," Meryl replied looking off into space.
"Wait, Grace can't come you said?"
"Yes... why?" Meryl said with a hint of annoyance in her voice, and gave her a husband a weird look.
"Well, Henry just called me and said he tried calling you but you didn't pick up -"Don started.
"I fell asleep," Meryl butted in, remembering she hadn't bothered to check her missed calls before.
"Yeah, that's what I told him. He said that him and Mamie's flight was cancelled due to some problem with the plane and the next flight flying into Barnstable isn't until Friday."
With this news Meryl couldn't believe her ears, Mamie, Henry, and Grace all couldn't come, which left Louisa who had already told them that if her work load was too great, she might not be able to make it. Meryl looked down at her hands in her lap and then back up at Don, who had a sympathetic look on his face, and just shrugged not knowing what to say. He grabbed her and pulled her into him, so her head was resting on his shoulder. "So much for our family vacation." Meryl said with a sigh.


More to come! Reviews :)