"No," I said. I was talking to my mom. She had just told me that she was forcing me to go and live with my Aunt Christine for the whole summer! I wasn't going, plain and simple. My Aunt not
only lived in a little redneck town all the way across the country, she also still thought I was 7 years old and liked to play with Barbie's. "I am not going to Aunt Christine's. Why don't Joe and Kevin have
to go! They make just as much trouble here as I do!" Joe and Kevin are my little brothers.
" You know that's not true. They are going to Grandma and Grandpa's house, and they do all that stuff with you because they don't know any better," said my mom. She was lying through her
teeth. She had asked my grandparents to take me too, but they said I was too much trouble. We're all trouble, but Joe and Kevin get away with it because they are younger.
"They do to know better! Kevin is 12! He wouldn't T.P. the bathroom without knowing he could get in trouble, and I'm sure Joe didn't just think 'Hmm? Maybe if I throw this rock at the truck they won't get mad.' I just have to go there because Grandma and Grandpa wouldn't take me. You don't even like Aunt Christine1" I yelled. Nobody liked Aunt Christine. She was annoying. She was married to my mom's brother.
"Of course I like Aunt Christine. I just don't agree with her child-rearing techniques. However, In this case I think her over-protectiveness may be good for you. It will keep you from getting in trouble," my mom said. She thought that would work? Aunt Christine is so passive I will flatten her like a bug. " Fine, I'll go, but only because I get to ride an airplane. Don't think your little plan is going to work. I'll find a way around this," I replied. I walked up to my room to get packed. I was going,
but I wasn't giving up this fight.
Then I had to pack. I hated packing, it was so boring and I didn't like to squish my stuff into a bag. I didn't even have enough bags to bring enough stuff for the whole summer. All I had was a Vera Bradley duffel, a red rolling thing that was so small it could be a carry on, and my school back pack, which was actually another Vera Bradley thing, but a messenger bag. My Aunt Sue bought all Vera Bradley stuff for me. She was always making attempts girl-ify me, but not annoyingly. If it wasn't for her I would probably have no luggage. I basically dumped all my drawers into the duffel, put a couple books and shampoo and stuff like that in the rolling bag, then the book I had to read for English next year, my laptop, i-Pod, and chargers into the messenger bag. As an afterthought I stuffed my flip-flops into the duffel, but I knew I'd probably be wearing Chucks or no shoes all summer. "Hey Ally, can you come help me pack?" asked my brother Joe. He was only 8 and didn't know what was appropriate to bring on a trip yet. He always asked me to help, then I ended up doing all the work while he wrestled with Kevin.
" Fine, but you have to actaully do some of the work this time." I said.
"O.K." answered Joe. He probably intended on helping, but would end up not just like always. I helped him, then went to bed. I had an early flight. Apparently my mom had decided not to tell me I was going until the day before I had to. Oh joy, this is going to be an awful summer.
I had to wake up at frickin' 5 o'clock in the morning today. Apparently in order to get to my 7 o'clock flight this morning I have to be there an hour early to get through security. Stupid heightened security. It takes a half hour just to get through the metal detectors. You also can't take food from the airport onto the plane. For some reason I find it less fun when I can't take my Propel on the plane with me. My mom said good-bye to me at the metal detectors. She acted sad but really I'm sure she was happy to be getting rid of me, and Joe and Kevin. We were just trouble for her.
The guy who checks the boarding passes seemed a little colder to me than to the rest of the people. Probably because my ticket said 'Unaccompanied Minor'. Everyone does that, xcept for the flight attendents who are really nice because they think your scared to be traveling alone. The flgiht was four hours to an airport in Colorado, then a connecting flight to an airport in San Francisco. My Aunt me at the thing that lets people out of the terminal.
"Hi, honey. How are you?" she asked, and she hugged me. I kind of hugged back, but stiffly.
"I'm fine, Aunt Christien. How are you?" I asked. I was using what Joe called my baby voice, which I only uused with people I don't know and people I hadn't seen in a long time. I hadn't seem Aunt Christine in a year. " I'm great, thanks. I'm happy to haev you here. The summer has quite boring so far," she said, in a very cheery voice.
"I can imagine," I muttered. She lived in Boringville, U.S.A. We drove to her town, New Milford, CA. It was small, it probably only had 1,000 residents. My city in Ohio had at least 1,000,000.
We were driving down Main St. We passed some drug store called Vincent's Drug Store. On Angell Rd., where my Aunt lived, we passed a sort of baseball diamond. There were nine boys playing on it. I thought I might go over there one day. I loved playing baseball. I started learning when Kevin started Little League, and I was pretty good. They probably wouldn't let me play though.
" Well, here we are," said Aunt Christine as we pulled into the driveway of an old Tudor style house. They had moved from Main St. since the last time I was here. Their old house was small, one of those box-y ones built in the 60's. This one was big and brick and had a tower in the front. We walked in to the kitchen.
"Where's Uncle Jack?" I asked.
"Oh, didn't your mom tell you? He is on a business trip until September," she said. " No, she didn't," I said, trying to cover up my annoyance. She didn't tell me on purpose. She knew me well enough to know I wouldn't have gone if I knew I'd be here alone with her all summer.
"Oh, that's odd," said AuntChristine, oblivious to my anger at my mom. She took me up to my room. It was in the tower. It was actually kind of cool to have a circular room. The walls were plain white with a light green stripe on the top border. There was a wrought iron twin bed, a desk, dresser, and bedside table. The room was fine. Inever expected it to be bad, Aunt Christine was nothing if not a great decorator. It was only eleven here because of teh time change so I went downstairs to have some lunch. So far it was okay here, but it was only a matter of time before I got into trouble and ruined everything. I always ruined everything by getting in trouble.
"They do to know better! Kevin is 12! He wouldn't T.P. the bathroom without knowing he could get in trouble, and I'm sure Joe didn't just think 'Hmm? Maybe if I throw this rock at the truck they won't get mad.' I just have to go there because Grandma and Grandpa wouldn't take me. You don't even like Aunt Christine1" I yelled. Nobody liked Aunt Christine. She was annoying. She was married to my mom's brother.
"Of course I like Aunt Christine. I just don't agree with her child-rearing techniques. However, In this case I think her over-protectiveness may be good for you. It will keep you from getting in trouble," my mom said. She thought that would work? Aunt Christine is so passive I will flatten her like a bug. " Fine, I'll go, but only because I get to ride an airplane. Don't think your little plan is going to work. I'll find a way around this," I replied. I walked up to my room to get packed. I was going,
but I wasn't giving up this fight.
Then I had to pack. I hated packing, it was so boring and I didn't like to squish my stuff into a bag. I didn't even have enough bags to bring enough stuff for the whole summer. All I had was a Vera Bradley duffel, a red rolling thing that was so small it could be a carry on, and my school back pack, which was actually another Vera Bradley thing, but a messenger bag. My Aunt Sue bought all Vera Bradley stuff for me. She was always making attempts girl-ify me, but not annoyingly. If it wasn't for her I would probably have no luggage. I basically dumped all my drawers into the duffel, put a couple books and shampoo and stuff like that in the rolling bag, then the book I had to read for English next year, my laptop, i-Pod, and chargers into the messenger bag. As an afterthought I stuffed my flip-flops into the duffel, but I knew I'd probably be wearing Chucks or no shoes all summer. "Hey Ally, can you come help me pack?" asked my brother Joe. He was only 8 and didn't know what was appropriate to bring on a trip yet. He always asked me to help, then I ended up doing all the work while he wrestled with Kevin.
" Fine, but you have to actaully do some of the work this time." I said.
"O.K." answered Joe. He probably intended on helping, but would end up not just like always. I helped him, then went to bed. I had an early flight. Apparently my mom had decided not to tell me I was going until the day before I had to. Oh joy, this is going to be an awful summer.
I had to wake up at frickin' 5 o'clock in the morning today. Apparently in order to get to my 7 o'clock flight this morning I have to be there an hour early to get through security. Stupid heightened security. It takes a half hour just to get through the metal detectors. You also can't take food from the airport onto the plane. For some reason I find it less fun when I can't take my Propel on the plane with me. My mom said good-bye to me at the metal detectors. She acted sad but really I'm sure she was happy to be getting rid of me, and Joe and Kevin. We were just trouble for her.
The guy who checks the boarding passes seemed a little colder to me than to the rest of the people. Probably because my ticket said 'Unaccompanied Minor'. Everyone does that, xcept for the flight attendents who are really nice because they think your scared to be traveling alone. The flgiht was four hours to an airport in Colorado, then a connecting flight to an airport in San Francisco. My Aunt me at the thing that lets people out of the terminal.
"Hi, honey. How are you?" she asked, and she hugged me. I kind of hugged back, but stiffly.
"I'm fine, Aunt Christien. How are you?" I asked. I was using what Joe called my baby voice, which I only uused with people I don't know and people I hadn't seen in a long time. I hadn't seem Aunt Christine in a year. " I'm great, thanks. I'm happy to haev you here. The summer has quite boring so far," she said, in a very cheery voice.
"I can imagine," I muttered. She lived in Boringville, U.S.A. We drove to her town, New Milford, CA. It was small, it probably only had 1,000 residents. My city in Ohio had at least 1,000,000.
We were driving down Main St. We passed some drug store called Vincent's Drug Store. On Angell Rd., where my Aunt lived, we passed a sort of baseball diamond. There were nine boys playing on it. I thought I might go over there one day. I loved playing baseball. I started learning when Kevin started Little League, and I was pretty good. They probably wouldn't let me play though.
" Well, here we are," said Aunt Christine as we pulled into the driveway of an old Tudor style house. They had moved from Main St. since the last time I was here. Their old house was small, one of those box-y ones built in the 60's. This one was big and brick and had a tower in the front. We walked in to the kitchen.
"Where's Uncle Jack?" I asked.
"Oh, didn't your mom tell you? He is on a business trip until September," she said. " No, she didn't," I said, trying to cover up my annoyance. She didn't tell me on purpose. She knew me well enough to know I wouldn't have gone if I knew I'd be here alone with her all summer.
"Oh, that's odd," said AuntChristine, oblivious to my anger at my mom. She took me up to my room. It was in the tower. It was actually kind of cool to have a circular room. The walls were plain white with a light green stripe on the top border. There was a wrought iron twin bed, a desk, dresser, and bedside table. The room was fine. Inever expected it to be bad, Aunt Christine was nothing if not a great decorator. It was only eleven here because of teh time change so I went downstairs to have some lunch. So far it was okay here, but it was only a matter of time before I got into trouble and ruined everything. I always ruined everything by getting in trouble.