Authors Notes
Hey folks, apologies for the short chapter, but I just thought the end would be a great place to break it off. I have the next one halfway written, so it should be released shortly.
Without further ado, here we go!
Chapter 14
In a few short hours the night had come and gone. The sun had risen around three hours ago, ushering in the day the Rethink avenue teenagers had been waiting for; the day they would disembark on their long anticipated cross country tour.
As promised the previous day, Rod had spent the last hour preparing the Kanker's trailer for departure, checking the pressure in the two tires, the integrity of the tow hitch, and the continuity of the cables servicing the brake lights. After ensuring everything was in order, he attached the trailer to his truck, moved it to the center of the cul-de-sac, and, with Chuck and Zeke's assistance, attached it to rear of the large RV parked outside of the Van Bartonschmeer residence.
Keeping up with the statement made by Zeke the previous afternoon, the RV was quite massive indeed. It was a ten foot tall, box shaped vehicle, around thirty five feet in length, sky blue in color, and recently polished. The morning suns bright rays reflected off of its metallic surface with a glaring sheen, as well as its chrome bumpers and budd wheels.
With only fifteen minutes left until the were set to disembark, the teenagers of Peach Creek devoted the remainder their time saying goodbye to their loved ones. Outside of Eds residence, Ed and Sarah's parents bid their son and daughter goodbye with hugs and kisses; an action which drew playful teasing from Eds peers. Likewise, after wishing his parents farewell, Double Dee emerged from his home, precariously balancing several sleeping bags in his left arm, while trailing a wheeled luggage container behind him; the handle of which was grasped in his right hand. In addition, the ever prepared and uptight boy carried a large, overstuffed backpack on his shoulders, containing his important stash of sunscreen, bath soaps, and other toiletries.
On the sidewalk, in the vicinity of the Kankers house, Lindsay and Chuck had begun the process of sharing their goodbyes. While Lindsay had already eclipsed the 5'5" Chuck by the age of 11, her towering, fully grown height of 6'7" completely dwarfed her youthful appearing father, who appeared quite nervous regarding his daughters departure.
"Are you sure you are going to be okay Tiffany?" asked Chuck, "This is the first time you've been away from home for this long..."
"Daddy, don't worry I'll be fine," said Lindsay as she placed her hand on Chuck's shoulder, "Tabby's coming with us, so you know I'll be in good hands in the unlikely event something goes wrong."
"I know," said Chuck as he slowly glanced up into his daughters eyes, "But...I'm going to miss you..."
Lindsay adopted a teary-eyed expression, leaning down towards her fathers face as she did so.
"I'm going to miss you too Daddy," said Lindsay, "I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little nervous that I'm going be homesick, but I have to do this. It's time that I branch out on my own, try some new things, and see the world. Who knows, I might come back with a brand new hobby!"
At that point, Lindsay reached upward taking hold of a golden locket secured near her chest by a matching necklace.
"Don't worry," said Lindsay, "I'll have Mommy with me, and watching over me from heaven!"
She proceeded to open the small, circular piece of jewelry, while simultaneously turning it towards Chuck to display the picture within; a small portrait of her smiling mother, taken as a publicity shot for her company.
Chuck smiled as Lindsay closed the locket and adopted a serious expression.
"As for the serious stuff," said Lindsay, "The house is clean, and all the bills are paid for the month. There's three packs of frozen waffles in the freezer for breakfast, your lunch money for the campus food trucks is in your drawer, and the fridge is fully stocked for dinner. I pressed and cleaned your suit for your big conference, and matched all of your dress shirts and ties so that you don't look like a dork. The only thing I need you to do is make sure Chubbs takes his ear drops, and get the new upholstery for the Nova from Grampy, k'?"
"You are just like your mother, did you know that?" asked Chuck.
"Well that's a good thing, isn't it?" asked Lindsay, after which she embraced her father in a tight squeeze. After a quick kiss on the cheek, Lindsay took hold of her purple luggage container and began making her way toward the RV.
"BuBye Daddy I love you! I'll call you every night" said Lindsay, "You got the house all to yourself, so have some fun!"
"Love you too Babygirl!" yelled Chuck, "Have fun!"
Chuck watched Lindsay make her way to the RVs side door, and disappear from view as she climbed the stairs leading to the vehicles upper deck. The small man appeared to adopt an expression of sadness; uttering a few words to himself as he turned towards the Kankers house.
"The house all to myself...fun" said Chuck in a sarcastic, yet melancholy manner.
As these events unfolded, Tabby, dressed in a black t-shirt, capri jeans, and a pair of black flip flops made her way towards the rear of the RV, where Rod had just completed the electrical connections between the RV and the trailers tail lights. As he examined his work, Tabby approached from behind, delivering a playful punch to his arm.
"So handsome?" said Tabby, "Do you think you can stand your four girls being gone for three weeks?"
"You kiddin?" asked Rod, "I've been waiting for this moment for two years! I would have never thought I'd be able to escape this sea of estrogen."
Tabby delivered a much harder punch to Rods arm, causing the blond haired man to slightly wince.
"Hey, that smarts," said Rod, "You know I'm kidding right?"
"Jesus Christ, you run into burning buildings for a living!" said Tabby, "And you mean to tell me you can't take a punch from a woman!?"
There was a slight pause, after which Tabby took hold of Rods shirt collar. In one fluid motion, she pulled her husbands face towards hers, delivering him a quick kiss on the lips.
"Better?" asked Tabby with a smile.
"Better," said Rod.
At the conclusion of her playful statement, Tabby turned her attention toward the vicinity of her house. It was there that she spotted Chuck, appearing quite disheartened and conveying a general sense of loneliness.
"I do have one thing I want you to do for me," said Tabby, turning her attention back towards Rod, "Chuckie Stat hasn't been alone for this long since Tiff passed, and I'm afraid the loneliness and missing Tiffany is going to eat away at him. I know you and Paulie have your guys nights planned this week, would you mind including Chuck in your plans?"
"Way ahead of ya Hun!" said Rod, "We already invited him this morning! It's gonna be a blast!"
"Thanks," said Tabby as she hugged her husband once more, "I love you, see you in a few weeks."
"Love you too," said Rod have fun.
After saying their final goodbyes, Tabby, along with her daughters and the remaining teenagers boarded the RV. After placing their luggage in the sleeping quarters in the lower deck, all of the occupants took their seats in the passenger compartment of the upper deck, buckling their seat belts as they did so. After ensuring all was set and ready, Zeke took his place in the driver's seat, started the engine, and released the parking brake. In a flash, Zeke piloted the RV, with the Kankers trailer in tow, around the cul-de-sac and down the inlet towards the cross street; with the occupants waving goodbye to their families through the windows as the vehicle disappeared around the corner.
