"So shall we head for home today?" Ryan asked as they got into the car in front of the resort.

"Sure," Kirsten answered hesitantly.

Ryan looked at her.  "What did you find in the tourist guide that looked interesting?"

"Lompoc is about an hour and a half away and it's the 'Flower Seed Capital of the World'.  Apparently, there are these large fields of flowers," Kirsten said enthusiastically.

Ryan looked wary.

"Actually, we don't have to get out of the car.  There's a marked route around this farm that you follow with the car."

Ryan knew Kirsten liked gardening and horticulture, and if he didn't have to do anything, then he could see no reason to deny her.  "Sounds OK to me."

They lapsed into an uncomfortable silence.  Ryan expected Kirsten to comment on his drawings and was surprised when she didn't.  He also knew he had to tell her about not going to San Francisco sometime today.  Kirsten wanted to comment on Ryan's drawings, but didn't know what to say about the empty house.

Finally, Kirsten said, "You know, I think there are still some of Seth's random questions left from yesterday.  Did you want to…"

"Yeah," Ryan agreed.  "Good idea."

Kirsten found the card from the day before and read the next question.  "Have you ever won a trophy?  You know," she said, "I never have.  I'm really not a competitive type of person."

Ryan shot her a look.  "You're not competitive?  Who was gloating when she won the first game of rummy last night, and pouted when she lost the last two?"

"OK," Kirsten relented, "maybe I'm a little competitive.  But I've never competed in events where trophies were involved.  And I didn't see any trophies being handed out last night."

"That's sad that you've never won a trophy."

"You have then, I take it?"

Ryan ducked his head a little.  "Yeah, a couple."

"A couple?  For what?"

"Soccer," Ryan answered.  "My first year playing soccer I got a Best Rookie trophy, and then a couple of years later I got an MVP trophy."

"Really?" Kirsten asked.  "I've never seen them.  Where do you keep them hidden?"

"I don't know.  They were in my mom's house when I left.  They're probably in the garbage now."

Kirsten could kick herself for being so stupid.  Even faced with the picture of the empty house that morning, she still forgot that Ryan didn't have all his life with him in Newport.

"I doubt she threw them out.  Wouldn't she want to keep them because they were a part of you?"

Ryan looked at Kirsten like she was crazy.  "My mom isn't really the sentimental type.  If they couldn't be sold for money, I'm sure she turfed them."  Ryan was done talking about trophies.  "So what's the next question?"

Kirsten read the card.  "What's the last song that was stuck in your head?"

"I plead the fifth on that one," Ryan quickly said.

"No way.  Come on.  What song was it?" Kirsten asked.

Ryan reluctantly said, "I was swimming this morning and, totally against my will, I got a song stuck in my head.  You know, you only get songs stuck in your head that are annoying – it's never a song you like."

"'Fess up, Ryan.  What song was it?"

"That stupid banana song," he muttered.

"Harry Chapin?" Kirsten exclaimed.  "You had a Harry Chapin song stuck in your head?"  She smiled.  "I knew you liked him."

"I don't like him.  It was a stupid song stuck in my head.  I didn't even know the words; I just had the phrase '30,000 pounds of bananas' continuously in my head.  Not an enjoyable experience.  What about you?  What was the last song stuck in your head?"

Now it was Kirsten's turn to be embarrassed.  "OK, don't laugh."

"Right," Ryan laughed at her.  "Like you were so kind when I told you my song."

"Taryn listens to this song all the time and it gets stuck in my subconscious."

"Stop making excuses and tell me the song," Ryan said.

"Fine.  'Achy-Breaky Heart' by Billy Ray Cyrus."

Ryan started laughing and Kirsten got defensive.  "It's not that bad of a song.  Besides, Taryn has a thing for guys in mullets."

"That, I didn't need to know.  Can we move on?  Please?"

"Have you ever worn a uniform to work?" Kirsten read.

"Well sure," Ryan replied.  "My Crab Shack T-shirt would be a uniform, right?"

"Sure it would.  And as uniforms go, that wasn't a bad one."

"I can't imagine you've ever worked anywhere that required a uniform."

"You forget, Ryan, that I had a few years where Dad wasn't supporting me.  I worked as a waitress for a very short while – I guess you could say I was never good with food."  Kirsten looked embarrassed.  "The uniform was a red polyester dress with a white pinafore over top.  It was most uncomfortable and extremely ugly.  But since I was determined not to ask my father for help, I tried to stick it out.  Eventually I got a job at a bookstore once I realized - well, Sandy convinced me - that I wasn't cut out for waitressing."  Kirsten smiled.  "The restaurant manager was pretty happy to see me go."

"Oh look!"  Kirsten pointed out the window.  "Lompoc's right ahead.  And there's the sign 'Lompoc Rainbow Farms'.  That's what we're looking for.  If we follow that, we'll find the flowers."

Ryan wasn't much into flowers, but even he had to admit that the Rainbow Farms were impressive.  Hundreds of acres of fields of flowers.  When they came to a field full of poppies, Ryan commented, "Just like 'The Wizard of Oz'."

"Do you like 'The Wizard of Oz'?" Kirsten asked.

"I watched it once when I was little with Mom and Trey.  It's all kind of fuzzy.  I remember being scared of the witch and her monkeys.  And I remember them seeing the Emerald City and running through a big field of poppies."

"It's too bad we can't get out and run through this field of poppies," Kirsten said.

"No, it's not," Ryan replied.  "You've convinced me to do a lot of things this trip, but that is one, I assure you, that I would not do, even if we could."

"Well, I guess we'll never know," Kirsten said.

"Yes, we do know," Ryan insisted. 

Kirsten smiled at him like she knew better, and Ryan just shook his head and rolled his eyes. 

"Oh, look, marigolds!" Kirsten pointed out.

Once they were headed towards Newport again, Ryan realized he had to tell Kirsten sometime soon that he didn't want to go to San Francisco.  He looked at his watch.  After lunch would be a good time, he decided.  "Any more questions on Seth's cards?" he asked.

"Have you ever broken a bone?" Kirsten read.

"I broke a couple," Ryan said.

"A couple?" Kirsten asked. "Really?"

"Well, my nose, obviously," Ryan said as he pointed at it.  "Though technically, it's made of cartilage so maybe that doesn't count," Ryan joked.  "And I broke my left arm what I was six and again when I was 10."

"Twice?" Kirsten asked.  "Really?"

Ryan shrugged one shoulder and stared ahead at the road.  "I was accident prone as a kid."

"Oh," Kirsten said, realizing what Ryan was saying.  She reached over and touched his shoulder.  "I'm glad you've outgrown it."

He gave her a half-smile.  "Me too."  He took a deep breath.  "How about you?  Have you ever broken anything?"

"Nope," Kirsten answered.  "Never.  I sprained my knee once, though."

"Yeah?" Ryan asked.

"I was sixteen, and turned wrong in dance class.  I didn't realize how much I had hurt it though.  Mom, Hailey, and I had a shopping weekend planned in LA and I didn't want to miss it.  I limped through the stores all day Saturday and Mom thought I was exaggerating.  That night in the hotel, she felt bad when she saw just how swollen my knee was."

"Sprained knees hurt.  You hobbled around on a sprained knee just to shop?" Ryan asked incredulously.

"I needed new shoes," Kirsten explained.  "And it was LA."

Ryan shook his head.  "I'll never understand girls and shopping and clothes," he said.

"What's a word or phrase that makes you laugh or smile?" Kirsten read.

"That's easy," Ryan said.  He looked at Kirsten pointedly.  "Quail."  He laughed at his own joke.

"Ha ha.  Very funny," Kirsten replied sarcastically. 

"Sorry.  I had to," Ryan replied.  "What's yours?"

"Something that makes me smile?  'My boys - Sandy, Seth and Ryan.'"

"That makes me smile too."  Ryan told her.  "It's nice to be included."

"I couldn't imagine not," Kirsten replied and Ryan smiled.

"What was your favourite childhood toy or game?"

"That would have to be my Power Rangers," Ryan said.  "I played with them all the time.  And Trey loved to steal them and hide them so I couldn't find them."  Ryan smiled.  "I don't know why.  If I was playing with them, I wasn't bothering him, but when I couldn't find them, I was always pestering him to play with me."

"Maybe he liked playing with you but didn't want to admit it.  I always complained about Hailey getting into my stuff, but I was secretly flattered that she wanted to be like me."

"Really?  I never thought of it that way.  I figured I was always just in the way, until I got old enough to hold my own with his friends."

"Well, I can't speak for Trey. It is tough to have to share your parents if you've had them to yourself for a number of years.  But it's nice to know there's someone who'll be around, even after your parents aren't."

Ryan was curious why Kirsten and Sandy only had one child if she felt this way, but he figured if she wanted him to know, she'd have told him.  And since Seth would have said something if he knew, Ryan figured it was something Kirsten had never told Seth.  And if Seth didn't know, Ryan didn't feel it was his place to ask.

"So what was your favorite toy?" he asked her instead.

"Actually, my favorite game was Candyland.  I would make my mother play that with me all the time. And when she couldn't play with me, I'd set up my stuffed animals and play with them.  I loved that game so much, I couldn't wait until Seth was big enough to buy it for him and play together.  But you know what?  It wasn't nearly as fun I remembered."

"That's kind of sad," Ryan said.

"The really sad part was that Seth didn't love it as much as I had.  You know, you really can't relive your childhood through your children."

"Fortunately," Ryan said, "my childhood is something I really don't want to relive, so I can't be disappointed."

Kirsten didn't know what to say to that.  Luckily, she saw a sign for Santa Barbara.  "Look," she said.  "Why don't we stop for lunch in Santa Barbara?  Gosh, I can't believe how close to home we are."

"Lunch sounds good," Ryan agreed.  Though he was running out of time to talk to Kirsten, he thought as he pulled into a restaurant parking lot.  He'd definitely have to bring the subject up after lunch.  He wondered what he could do to make lunch last longer.

TBC10