May 2020-The Land of Fun and Sun

When they touched down in Orlando the boys excitement heightened to a near fever-pitch…if that was even possible. And the waiting was almost too much to bear…for everyone.

First they had to wait till everyone got off the plane…Kelly couldn't risk the crowded aisle, with everyone twisting and turning to get luggage out of the overhead compartments…bumping into one another. When the aisle was finally clear he took Andy by the hand and Alyssa grabbed hold of Jesse.

They stepped off the plane and went through the tunnel…into a place that looked an awful like the one they had just left.

Where was Mickey? And Donald? And Goofy?

Andy was confused…and he said so.

"No, Andy…" Alyssa said. "The plane has to fly into an airport. It doesn't drop you right off at Disney World."

Kelly was biting the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. His sons said the cutest things sometimes.

"So when can we go to Disney World?" Jesse asked.

"First we need to get our luggage." Kelly told him. "Then we're gonna go pick up the car we're gonna use down here."

"And then we'll go to our hotel. That's where we're gonna sleep." Alyssa added.

That sounded like a lot of stuff to do before they could see Mickey Mouse…

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After they stood around the suitcase merry-go-round…the grown-ups called it a luggage carousel…they had to stand in another long line…to get a new car.

And the twins were getting impatient.

Andy and Jesse were reaching around Kelly, trying to pinch each other, diving out of the way, laughing…

"Hey! Take it easy, guys!" he warned when they almost bumped his arm for the fifth time. "What'd I tell you about takin' it down a notch?"

Finally…they got their rental car…and Alyssa got in the driver's seat…programmed the GPS…and they were off to the Caribbean Beach Resort.

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Once they had checked in a bellman helped them with their bags.

He opened the door for them and Andy and Jesse just stood there and stared.

"C'mon guys…" Kelly said, nudging them from behind. "Go on in…"

The boys still weren't sure as they stepped inside.

There were two big beds…like Mommy and Daddy's bed at home…a dresser, a table and a couple chairs.

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Kelly tipped the bellman…and he hauled the first suitcase onto the bed so Alyssa could start unpacking. Then he took off the sling and stretched out on the bed closest to the door.

Alyssa came to his side immediately and rearranged the pillows so his arm was supported.

"Do you want ice for it?" she asked. "The machine's like…two doors down."

He nodded and she went to grab the ice bucket.

Kelly patted the spot beside him on the bed…and Andy and Jesse climbed up.

"What's this place, Daddy?" Jesse asked.

"This is our hotel." Kelly answered. "This is where we're gonna sleep and keep our stuff while we're here."

"Are we all gonna sleep in one room?" Andy asked.

He was used to sharing with his brother…but not Mommy and Daddy. And he never had to share a bed.

"Yeah…we're not gonna be in here much…trust me, when we get back after a whole day at Disney World…you're gonna be so tired you won't care."

Alyssa came back with the ice bucket, transferred it to a plastic bag…and wrapped it in a towel. She brought it to Kelly and carefully put it on his shoulder.

He caught his breath…it was really sore.

"What we gonna do now?" Andy asked.

Alyssa and Kelly looked at one another.

"We're gonna let Daddy rest for little while…and I'm gonna put our things away. Then maybe we'll go down to the beach." She said.

"There's a beach here?" Jesse asked. "Like North Avenue Beach?"

"A whole lot smaller…" Kelly said.

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They stayed on the bed for a while…all four of them. Alyssa gently rubbed her hand up and down Kelly's left arm while the ice numbed the aching pain in his right. Once he was all right he had Andy bring his backpack over…and he read the boys a couple stories from their new books while Alyssa unpacked their clothes and got their swim suits out.

After they changed they headed to the food court for a late lunch…

Andy had a cheeseburger in a sand pail…Jesse got chicken nuggets in his.

Now they had some toys to play in the sand with.

Then they went down to the little stretch of sand along the Barefoot Bay. The boys headed right for the water's edge.

"Just up to your ankles, okay…" Kelly told them. "This isn't a lake for swimming."

Alyssa had dragged a double chaise down to the edge of the bay…and she and Kelly settled down about five feet from Andy and Jesse, already happily at work on a sand castle.

He held out his good arm and Alyssa snuggled in beside him. She turned up her face…and he gave her a little kiss.

"Are you okay, Baby?" she asked him quietly.

"Better…" he told her. "It's a little better."

She held him for a while…just enjoying the security and the warmth of his strong arm around her…listening to their sons chatter back and forth as they played…and marveling at the fact that they were really here, away from Chicago, on their first vacation as a family.

They hadn't planned on waiting so long to do this…they'd had invitations to join Tony and Sherrie in Door County, or Nicky and Kathy at the Indiana Dunes. But when they were having their troubles, going away just seemed like an impossibility. So Alyssa had always made the excuse that Kelly was working.

She had never told her family all that had gone on…it didn't seem right. She knew they'd all take sides…most likely hers…and Kelly was so close to Nicky and Joey, and now Jimmy. They truly regarded him as a brother. She couldn't ruin that for him. Especially after she learned why he never told Renee's family the real reason for their break-up. Kelly had had one family disappear after another. First Benny…then his grandparents…Grandma and Grandpa Kelly. He never even mentioned Benny's side of the family. Alyssa wondered if he even knew them.

His mom had passed just before he had entered the Academy, and Kelly had pulled himself away from his Aunt Kathy (Auntie K as the twins called her.) and his cousins.

The Whaley's had become a surrogate family for him…and then they were gone too. It was hard for him to take their hatred, but he knew that's the way things had to be.

He'd talked about all that in counseling…over a course of several months…and to hear the pain in his voice…to see the look on his face…had only strengthened Alyssa's resolve that she wouldn't do that to him again. She knew she loved him…and that he loved her…and that eventually they'd be okay. But it was hard.

The sound of her boys laughing brought her back to the present.

They were going to have such a good time tomorrow at the Magic Kingdom!