"Kevin's Opportunity of a Lifetime"
"Son?" shouted Carl Henderson up the stairs. "Can you come down here? Your mother and I would like to talk to you!"
Kevin Henderson sighed. He had a sinking feeling in his stomach. Every time his mother or father said those words, he knew it was something serious. Kevin saved the fanfic he was typing on his upgraded laptop and shut it down. He got up and walked out of his room.
A large bay window greeted Kevin before he reached the stairs. Kevin briefly glanced out at his front lawn and beyond. The sun was peacefully shining down on the city of Kansas City, Kansas. Not too far away, to the east, the muddy Missouri River sent barges and other boats to their destinations. Beyond the river, the few skyscrapers of Kansas City, Missouri peeked over the smaller buildings.
When Kevin reached the stairs, he stopped and admired the ceiling. He remembered all the confusion and aggravation his parents went through when they all moved here a year ago. The retrieval of their furniture, property issues, problems with the mortgage payments…all that was soon ironed out, and they became used to the house. Most of the reward money from Stromwell's treasure was used for paying for the house. The rest went to Kevin and Katie's college funds, Carl and Diane's retirement account, and other areas of payment.
"Kevin?" called his father.
Kevin made his way down the stairs. His dark brown, almost black, hair was tinted with bleached blonde on the tips. His brown eyes stared down at his parents, who sat on the sofa. The coffee table, recliner, and big screen TV (bought with the reward money) stood nearby.
Carl and Diane Henderson both received well-paying jobs once they settled down in the city. They were always happy and optimistic, but now, judging by the looks on Carl and Diane's faces, Kevin knew something was up.
"What's going on?" asked Kevin as he sat down in the easy-chair. "Did someone die or something?"
"Oh no, Kevin," said Diane. "In fact, it concerns you."
Kevin looked curious and confused.
"You see, son," said Carl. Both parents looked like they had a hard time trying to speak. "We know you'll be heading for college next month."
Kevin was recently accepted into the University of Kansas last month and received a good scholarship. Nevertheless, his parents were hesitant about letting him live in Lawrence, Kansas, which was where the campus was located.
"Look, guys," said Kevin. "If it's about the distance, don't worry. I'll only be thirty miles away to the west. I'm sure you'll…"
"It's not that, sweetheart," said Kevin's mother.
"Kevin," said Carl. "You're eighteen now, and to us, that means you're an adult. You now have a wide range of opportunities available to you, and your mother and I want to see if you understand just how important that is. Do you think that you can be a responsible adult now?"
Kevin had never been asked a question like that before. He didn't know what to say. He looked at his parents with a look of seriousness.
"Yes, I know I have a huge responsibility now, and, well, I'm confident that I can…enforce it, or whatever."
"You sure, son?" asked Carl.
"C'mon, Dad," said Kevin. "You know I can. What's this all about anyway?"
"We want you to have this." Carl brought his hand from behind his back and gave Kevin an envelope.
Kevin looked at his parents for a moment before opening the envelope. Inside was a large greeting card that said "Congratulations!" on it in bright letters. Kevin opened the card. Inside was a bunch of hand-written praises by his parents about graduating from high school and entering college. Kevin suddenly saw a piece of paper in a pocket on the card. Kevin took it out and his jaw dropped. In his hand was a check for $1,000.
"It's what was left of the reward money," said Carl. "We want you to have it." He looked at his wife, who was nearly in tears. Carl continued, "Son, you know that childhood dream of yours? Well, since you're an adult now, we've decided to make that dream come true."
Kevin couldn't believe what he was hearing. Ever since he had been a little boy, Kevin had always wanted to take a cross-country car trip. Now his parents had given him permission to carry out that dream.
"You mean…" stuttered Kevin. "You want me to go anywhere in the U.S. I want? Even Hawaii?"
"Let's not cross any oceans, Kev," said Carl.
Kevin head was spinning. This was every teenager's dream! He looked at his parents and said, "Is this some sort of test? Like those Indian boys who go out in the woods and become a man?"
"It certainly sounds like it, doesn't it?" joked Carl. "Consider this your 'becoming a man', son."
"Yeah," agreed Kevin. He gave his parents a huge hug. His mother was crying and Kevin felt like crying himself, but he never was one to show his feelings much.
Just then, Katie came running into the room. She was 12 and starting seventh grade in the fall. "Can I come too?" she asked.
"Oh, sorry," said Diane to her daughter. "This is something Kevin wants to do by himself."
"Actually," said Kevin. "Can I bring Sandy with me, please?"
Carl sighed. "You two have such a close bond, don't you? I don't see why not."
Kevin smiled. Of course, he still hadn't told his parents that he could talk to Sandy, and Katie was smart enough now to keep that a secret.
"When can I leave?" asked Kevin.
"Whenever you're ready," answered Carl.
Three days later, Kevin took one last look at his room. His bed, his desk, and his beloved laptop… he would have to leave behind.
At his feet was Sandy. She was still the same pink-furred dog who was the same breed as Courage…except she was a bit more mature. She now wore a petite tank-top…for obvious reasons.
Sandy looked up and Kevin. Kevin looked down at her. "I can't believe this is really happening," said Kevin.
"I know," replied Sandy.
"Well, even though I had dreamed of going by myself, I'm glad I won't be alone."
"Yeah. It would get kind of boring here."
For the past few days, Kevin and Sandy had scoured the atlas, searching all over the United States for the perfect place to visit. After a lot of debate, they finally decided on the most thrilling, the most exciting, glamorous, and fun city in the entire country.
Las Vegas, Nevada.
Kevin grabbed his final piece of luggage and walked by his sister's room. His eye caught sight of Katie's closet. Somewhere in there was Mr. Furry, the teddy bear that had been at the center of "Operation Nowhere" eighteen months ago. Katie, of course, outgrew Mr. Furry and was placed on the top shelf of the closet…a final resting place, of sorts.
Kevin made his way down to the front door. When he emerged onto the front walk, his parents and Katie were waiting for him.
"Well, I'm off!" said Kevin. "Where's the car?"
"Ah, yes," said Carl. "There's something else we needed to mention. The day before yesterday, your mother and I traded in the car you took to Perfection. We still have the family car, but for you, we wanted to give you something special. Here."
Carl reached out and gave his son a car key on a ring.
"Wh-what's it for?" asked a bewildered Kevin.
Carl turned around and brought out the garage door opener. "See for yourself," he said. He pushed the button and the garage opened.
"Oh my god," whispered Kevin.
Standing in the garage, with its headlights reflecting the morning sun, was a red, 2003 Ford Mustang…Kevin's dream car. Kevin immediately went into a wild fit of whooping and hollering before running into his car and pulling out onto the driveway. After a volley of thanks to his parents, Kevin loaded up the car and said farewell to his family.
"Be sure to call us everyday," said Diane.
"I will, Mom."
"Think manly thoughts, son," joked Carl.
"Dad," groaned Kevin with a smile.
"Bye, Kevin," said Katie. She threw her arms around her brother's neck and patted Sandy on the head. "Don't let anything weird happen, okay?"
"Oh, I fear the best is yet to come," joked Kevin…even though he didn't know how right he was.
Once on the interstate, Kevin revved the engine on his new Mustang. It was an amazing sound. Kevin still couldn't believe this was actually his car.
"Las Vegas, here we come!!!" shouted Kevin, before letting out a howl. "Let's see, I've got my gas card, my traveler's checks, extra money, and…"
Kevin was suddenly stopped by the expression on Sandy's face. She had a look of loneliness and sadness on her face. It didn't take long for Kevin to figure out why.
"You miss him, don't you?" asked Kevin. "You haven't seen him in weeks."
Sandy nodded sadly. He cast her teary-eyed face at Kevin and asked, "Could we please stop at Nowhere and…?"
"Of course, we can let him come," said Kevin.
"Really?"
"Hell, yeah. Things would be kinda boring for you over there without some company."
Sandy leaped out of her seat and hugged Kevin.
"Whoa! Watch it, Sandy! You almost made me swerve."
"Sorry."
The red Mustang zoomed off towards the west. Destination: Las Vegas. Objective: To have as much freakin' fun as possible.
However, Kevin and Sandy had no clue just how much "fun" awaited them.