Chapter 14: A Day at the Lake

Written by Vincent B. Berkan and Heather Trousdale

Friday, March 29th, 1957

It had only been a few days since Lincoln sent that message. Now all he had to do was hope that his sisters would come and rescue him. But now he was starting to feel a bit down. He was worried that his family didn't receive the message. Vincent and Heather noticed this. On that specific Friday, Vincent found Lincoln on the couch looking miserable whilst Julie, Stanley, and Averell were watching "Sheriff of Cochise" on TV. "You alright bud?" he asked. "Not really, Mr. Perkins", said Lincoln, "I'm a little worried. What if my family doesn't receive the message? What if I'm stuck in the past for the rest of my days. Not that I mind being under your and your family's care, but I miss them".

"I know how you feel son", said Vincent, "I felt the same way not only during my service years in the war, but I also felt homesick whilst bumming freight trains in the 30s." He patted Lincoln's back. "I know what would cheer you up? A day at the lake". "Really, you mean it?" said Lincoln. "Darn tootin' son", said Vincent, "I've already turned in my slips for the next week, so I figured I'd take you and the family out to the lake. Won't that be nice?" "Yes it would dear," said Heather as she walked in , "Did your family ever go to the lake?" "Yes indeed", said Lincoln, "I got some pics on my phone".

Lincoln pulled out his phone and showed both Vincent and Heather some photographs, Julie, Stanley and Averell also came over and looked. Lincoln scrolled through the photographs and showed them to the Perkins family. When he got to a photo of Lori in her blue bikini, Vincent was indignant. "Good lord, does your parents allow your sister to wear something that skimpy to the lake?", asked Vincent. "Yep." said Lincoln. "If I was your father, I would tell Lori to wear something more covering." said Vincent. "Oh come on Daddy'', said Julie, "I think it's swell". "Oh, Julie, really it looks really revealing." said Heather. "Do they really make skimpy swimsuits like that in the future?" asked Vincent. "Not all of them are like that", said Lincoln.

"You guys had a lotta fun that day", said Stanley. "We did", said Lincoln. Then Stanley noticed one photo, it looked like a figure in some kind of Squirrel Suit. "Well that guy will steam up in that suit." "That was me", said Lincoln. "We were you wearing a Squirrel suit at the Lake?" asked Julie. "It's a long story, but it went like this…" Lincoln said as he told the Perkins about the Squirrel Suit incident.

"...So your folks made you wear that thing because they thought you were bad luck?", asked Vincent, "Not only that, they also threw you out? They do know that's child abuse right?" "I'm getting to that", said Lincoln, "But it ended like this…"

Royal Woods Lake, sometime in the Spring-Summer of 2016…

"LINCOLN! KEEP THE SUIT ON! WE NEED IT FOR GOOD LUCK! WE COULD GET EATEN BY SHARKS!", said Lynn. The Loud Family were enjoying a day at the Lake. Ever since Lynn Jr. won the softball game, the family made him wear that stupid Squrriel Suit for good luck. "Lynn! How could you get sharks in this part of the country?!" Lincoln asked. "JUST KEEP THE STUPID SUIT ON OR ELSE I'LL KNOCK YOUR HEAD CLEAN OFF! NOW PUT IT ON!" yelled Lynn. It was at that moment, Lincoln had enough. "No!". "I beg your pardon!?" Lynn was now steamed. "You heard me! I've had it! I'm tired of being treated like an object! Lemme tell you something Lynn-!" "NO LEMME TELL YOU SOMETHING STINKOLN! EITHER YOU PUT THAT STUPID SUIT ON OR ELSE YOU'RE GONNA MEET YOUR MAKER!"

Lynn suddenly grabbed the headpiece of the suit and tried to put it on Lincoln's head. But by now Lincoln had enough of this escapade and they began to wrestle. "Okay you guys! Quit it! Lynn! Get off your brother! Lincoln, put that mask back on before-''. Suddenly, Lincoln grabbed Lynn by the hair and it came off, revealing that the 13 year old had BLONDE hair! Needless to say, the whole Loud Family was completely surprised. "Uh-oh", said the blonde haired Lynn. "Junior? Since when did you dye your hair blonde?" "I...uhhhhh...well...uhhhh...IT WAS LINCOLN'S BAD LUCK! HE CAUSED ALL THIS! HE'S NOTHIN' BUT BAD LUCK! HE'S MAD I TELL YOU! I-"

At that moment, the whole family was distracted by the sound of a police siren. They watched as a police car came onto the scene. "Ah good! The police! Officer! Thank god you came here! This white haired freak was about to jinx my family with his...bad….luck-uh-oh!" The girl and the whole Loud Family gasped in shock as a girl that looked exactly like Lynn Jr, but completely shaggy and looking dirty climbed out of the police car with two officers and their grandfather Albert. The girl then pointed at the blonde haired Lynn. "THAT'S HER, OFFICER! That's the crazy nutcase who locked me up in the basement at Summer Camp and stole my life!" She then turned to the Louds. "She fooled all of you! I'm the real Lynn Loud Jr.! She's an imposter, a fake, and worse, she's no Loud!"

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" The Loud Family shouted as they turned to the blonde haired girl they thought was Lynn. The fake Lynn just stood there, nervous. "Uhhhhhhhh…...well yeah! So?" Suddenly one of the officers walked up to the blonde haired juvenile with a straight jacket. "Hey! What're you doing!?" Then the officer, along with the help of his partner, tackled the adolescent and applied the straight jacket onto her. Albert meanwhile walked up to Lynn Sr. and Rita. "Lynn just walked up to my room at the retirement home. I was surprised to see her, I thought you guys went to the beach. So she told me what had happened and I got a call from Mr. Grouse telling me about this Good and Bad Luck hoo-hah. I called the police to straighten the whole mess out" "Oh", said Rita as she turned to Lincoln, "Sorry honey". "Yeah, we've been very selfish lately", said Lori. "Can you forgive us?" asked Luna. "Of course I can. after all, you guys are family," said Lincoln. "Son, if you wanted to have some time to yourself, just ask me or your mother", said Lynn Sr. Meanwhile, the two cops began to drag the fake Lynn towards their patrol car. She eyed Lynn with anger. "I'll get you for this Loud!" she said. "That's Lynn Loud Jr. to you!" said Lynn.

The two cops then loaded the fake Lynn into their patrol car as she continued to rant. "IMMA GENIUS Y'KNOW! I'M A GEEEENIUUUUUUUUUUUSSSS!" "Bye fake Lynn!", Leni said as she waved goodbye, "Well I think that went well". "Leni", said Lola, "We just made fools of ourselves, committed child neglect, forced our brother to wear a stupid costume, and the girl we thought was our sister was actually an imposter just got hauled off as a deranged lunatic to the funny farm". "The Funny Farm? Oh, can I come? There must be a lotta funny things over there", said Leni. "Oh there are", said Lola. "Well, at least things can't get any weirder", said Lynn Sr.

Back to 1957…

"So the girl you thought was your sister was actually a lunatic disguised as Lynn?" asked Vincent. "Yup", said Lincoln, "We later found out that her name was Candace Marlow. She was a little person who had escaped the lunatic asylum a few months ago. Around the same time Lynn was coming back from camp. She had locked up Lynn and took her place, she even had plastic surgery to pass off as her". "So what happened to her after that fiasco?" asked Heather. "She's still in the nuthouse, but I don't think she'll ever be left out", said Lincoln, "Anyway, after we got home. Pop-pop gave my sisters a talk about how they treated me during the bad luck incident. He even gave Mom and Dad a good lecture, saying how it was illegal to throw out a minor under 18, and over a stupid superstition, and if it happened again, he would have their parental rights taken away".

"Well I hope your parents learned their lesson from this", said Vincent as he looked at the clock, "Well great cheese! It's almost 10:00. Time for bed". "Aw dad, come on. Can we stay up a little bit longer?" asked Stanley. "Sorry boy, after all, we have to get up early to eat and pack up for the lake", said Vincent. "Alright Pop." said Stanley heading upstairs. "Make sure to set the time on your alarm clocks," said Heather. "We want to get there early." "Got it Momma", said Julie. After the kids went upstairs, Vincent and Heather went into the kitchen to start packing the lunch for tomorrow. "Alright, how does Ham and Turkey sandwiches sound, honey?" asked Heather. "Sounds good dear. Hey I think there are outdoor grills at the Lake, is it okay if we stop by the supermarket to buy some burgers, tomorrow?" "Sure, we can," said Heather. "Thanks dear. Can't wait to see you in your old suit tomorrow", Vincent said as he played romantically towards his wife. "Awww thanks, hon," said Heather, blushing a bit.

The next morning, Lincoln and the Perkins got up early and had a quick breakfast. After they ate, they quickly packed up the Plymouth with the necessities. Food, toys, beach balls, towels, the works. Then Lincoln had a thought. "Wait, I don't have any swimming trunks!" "It's alright, you can swim in your jeans", said Vincent as he picked up a hamper. Then he noticed Lincoln grab a pencil and a piece of paper. "Whacha doin' son?" "Another thought came to me, just in case if my family did receive the letter and come to get me, I have to let them know where we are", said Lincoln. "Ah", said Vincent. Lincoln wrote down a letter and left it on the coffee table. A little bit later, everyone piled into the Plymouth. After driving a bit, The Plymouth pulled into the supermarket parking lot. "Why did we stop here, Pop?" asked Stanley. "I'm goin' in to buy some burgers", said Vincent, "We'll be back in a moment". With that, he and Heather climbed out of the Plymouth and walked in.

The 4 children waited and waited. But a little bit later, an all too familiar black Ford Thunderbird convertible pulled into the parking lot. "Oh no!", said Lincoln. "Quick duck!", said Julie. The four children did just that. "Is the coast clear yet?" whispered Stanley. "No it ain't!" said an all too familiar voice. The children froze and slowly looked up to see Bull McCann with the most sadistic grin on his face. "Well well well, what do we have here?" he said slyly. "Uh, we're just sitting here?" said Stanley. "And you know what you guys are?...Sitting Ducks!" "Yeah, what's it to you?" said Julie, crossing her arms and giving Bull a look, preparing to protect the younger children. "Well, why doncha open the door and I'll show you doll!"

Quick as a flint, Julie locked the front doors of the Plymouth whilst Lincoln and Stanley locked the back doors. "HEY! LET ME IN!" "Not on the hairs of our chinny chin chins!", said Stanley. "WHY YOU LITTLE SON-OF-A-!" "Leave 'em alone Bull!" said a voice. Both Bull and Lincoln turned to see a young Albert looking at Bull dead straight in the eyes. "Well well well, if it ain't my favorite target". "Look Bull, just leave them alone", said Albert. "Oh yeah, well what's it to ya?" asked Bull as he suddenly pulled out a switch blade. Albert then began to back away. Whilst Bull wasn't paying attention, Lincoln quickly unlocked his door and got out. "Lincoln! What're you doing?!" whispered Stanley. "Watch", said Lincoln.

"Yeah, I thought as much", said Bull as he began getting closer to Albert. Albert then noticed Lincoln sneak up behind Bull and give him a kick in the crotch. KICK! "AAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!", cried Bull, "Why you little motherf-" "WHAT'S GOIN' ON HERE!?" Everyone turned to see both Vincent and Heather running towards them. "Are you kids alright?!" asked Heather. "Yeah Ma", said Stanley. Vincent then grabbed Bull by the collar. "Listen up and listen well, McCann! If I catch you near my kids ever again, I will mess your pretty face up so bad, you'll look like the Hunchback of Norte Dame! Understand!?" "Y-y-y-yes sir!", said Bull. "Good! No beat it!" And Bull did just that. "This isn't over!" said Bull as he ran into the parking lot.

At that moment, a fertilizer truck came rushing into the parking lot. When the driver saw Bull run in front of him, he hit the brake pedal and the truck swerved a full 180 degrees before stopping a few inches from a flinching Bull McCann. Bull opened his eyes and gawked. "Ha! I didn't get hurt! Take that, Buttbrain!" Suddenly, the tailgate of the truck broke loose, and a huge pile of fertilizer piled onto Bull, burying him completely. Bull quickly spat out the dirt in his mouth. "G'augh! Not again! I hate fetilizer!"

"Thanks, kid", Albert said to Lincoln. "No problem sir", said Lincoln. "Call me Albert", said Albert. "Lincoln". Then the two parted ways and Lincoln climbed back into the Plymouth. "Where didja learn a trick like that?" asked Julie. "I've seen it on TV and in several movies," said Lincoln. "You gotta teach me that move sometime." said Stanley. "Don't get any ideas son", said Vincent as he drove the Plymouth out of the parking lot.

After a while of driving, they arrived at the lake. "We're here everyone!" said Heather, getting out and stretching a bit. "Time to catch some sun." said Julie as she grabbed her bag and headed to the changing room to change into her swimsuit. "I hope she got something appropriate", said Vincent. "Me too, dear." said Heather. "Can't wait to see you in what you got", Vincent said as he twitched his eyebrows up and down. "You'll love it, hon," said Heather, winking at him. Vincent watched as his wife walked towards the changing rooms. "Hey boys, wanna help me unload the Plymouth?" "Sure Mr. Perkins!" said Lincoln. "Coming Pop." said Stanley. "We should get the cooler out first since it's the heaviest," said Lincoln.

Lincoln and Stanley helped Vincent get the cooler out and put it on the ground. Then came the picnic basket, along the toys, beach ball, and towels. "Pop, Can me and Lincoln go play in the water?" asked Stanley. "After you get your swimming trunks on son." "Okay pop."said Stanley as he ran to the changing rooms. Lincoln simply took his shirt and shoes off. "You can leave 'em in the car Lincoln", said Vincent. At that moment, Heather walked out wearing a blue poka dotted bikini with sunglasses and a big floppy hat. "What do you think, my dear?" asked Heather, winking at him. Vincent gave her a wolf whistle. "You look swell dear!" Then Julie emerged from the changing rooms wearing a white robe. "I'm gonna go for a dip", she said. "Hold it little lady!", said Vincent, "I haven't seen what you're wearing". "Come on, daddy, do you really have to?!" said Julie, putting her hands on her hips. "Julie, behave", said Vincent. Rolling her eyes, Julie undid the rope of her robe and showed Vincent that she had one a white floral bikini with palm trees on it. "Well, at least it's not that revealing, said Vincent, "Alright, you can go for a dip".

Whilst Julie and Stanley went to a swim, Heather sat on a beach chair whilst Averell played in the sand. Vincent, who had undid his button up shirt and now in his tank top and khakis, loaded some charcoal into a park grill and began to lit it. "Wanna help me cook Lincoln?" he asked. "Sure", said Lincoln, "Where do I start?" "Get me the burgers from the cooler"."okay." said Lincoln, getting the burgers out from the cooler.

As Vincent cooked on the grill, he decided to bring up some small talk. "So, Loud. Never knew that could be a surname", said Vincent. "It sure is, according to my dad, our roots go back to my Great-Great-Great-Grandfather, Lynnwood Loud. He immigrated from Scotland in 1912. In fact, he was a passenger on the Titanic". "Really?" "Yup. He, his son, and his wife boarded the Titanic bound for the United States. But you know what happened", said Lincoln. "Indeed I do", said Vincent, "My mother said that everybody was shocked. The White Star line said she was unsinkable. Around 1500 perished that night. Was your ancestor one of them?" "'Fraid so, his wife and son survived, but he went down with the ship".

"Sorry about that son", said Vincent. "It's alright", said Lincoln, "Where do your family origins go back to?" "My pop came from Turkey", said Vincent. "Really?" asked Lincoln. "Yup, he came to America around 1903 - 1904 and was one of a few Turkish immigrants to come to America." "I see". "What's more interesting was that when he arrived on U.S. soil, he didn't have a Surname". "No surname?"

"Yup, back in those days, Turkish citizens were simply known as "John, son of Burke" or "Joan, daughter of Henry". It wasn't until around 1934 when the Turkish Government passed a law stating that every Turkish citizen must have a surname. My father arrived in the U.S. around 1903-1904. When he married my mother, he had to gave himself a surname. I think he said it was Pulat, I believe". "Then how come your surname is Perkins?" asked Lincoln. "Pop changed the family name to Perkins when Turkey got involved in the First World War".

"That's interesting", said Lincoln, "Do you know any Turkish?" "Only a little son". "Is there anything else I don't know about you, Mr. Perkins?" "I used to wrestle back in the day", Vincent said as he flipped the burgers. "You used to be a wrestler?" "Yup. It was during the early years of the Great Depression. Before the crash, my father was a businessman. It wasn't a very big business and we got by fine. But when the stock market crashed in '29 it went bust. I have just started High School and I was afraid that I had to drop out to support my family. I went to school whenever I could and worked till the late hours of the night. I did my best, but the pay wasn't enough."

"So how didja become a wrestler?" asked Lincoln. "One day, around 1930, some fella I met outside of school asked if I would like to make a few extra bucks. My family needed money so I accepted. I learned from this guy that he was part of an underground wrestling ring." 'Underground Wrestling Ring?" "Yup, you can gamble on who would win. I was mostly paid to lose. But I did put up a good fight. I did this for about 3 or 4 years until my graduation. Back then, I was known as Valiant Vince. Though I never won a match, the public was admired by my spirit". "I bet Lynn has heard about you", said Lincoln. "She's the one who likes sports right?" "Yup". Vincent flipped the burgers again.

"So why didja stop wrestling?" "One day in 1933 (this was my graduation year), I was paid to lose to a heavyweight champ by the name of Big Malloy. Just as we were beginning to close the act, the cops rushed in and began arresting anyone they could get their hands on. Luckily, I managed to escape and I hadn't wrestled since. I later found out that the bartenders were selling booze and book-keeping. F.D.R. wouldn't repeal Prohibition until December 5th of '33." "Well that sucks". "Errr quite. To be honest son, I never did like wrestling. But my family needed to eat and the pay was good". "So what didja do after your wrestling career was over?" asked Lincoln. "After that fiasco, I did a few odd jobs before graduating. I then bummed a few freight trains for a couple of years before finding a job as a fireman on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, shoveling coal into the firebox of one of their Q-3 class 2-8-2 Mikado type steam locomotives. I can still remember the number of the engine I was assigned to, #4500".

"You look like the athletic type", said Lincoln. "I ain't, but Heather here is. She used to run track in High School". "She did?" "Indeed I did sweetheart", said Heather, "I even tried out for the 1936 Berlin Olympics". "Did you go?" asked Lincoln. "Yup, I even met Jesse Owens". "You win any medals?" asked Lincoln. "Sure did, gold, silver and bronze." said Heather, "I also almost got face to face with Hitler!" 'You did!?", asked Lincoln. "Darn tootin'", said Heather, "The sexist b*****d wasn't impressed about how an American woman outdid his country in the track race. While he wasn't looking, I quietly cursed him out. I can't remember what I said, but I do know it wasn't very polite". She chuckled at this. "Served the tyrannical son-of-a-b***h right if you ask me". "Honey, we have little ones here", said Vincent. "Oop, sorry dear", said Heather. "Did you watch her run at the Olympics Mr. Perkins?" "Nah, I didn't meet Heather until 1937. She was a singer and dancer on the Lindenberg. I was working at the airstrip that very day as a second job to earn some more money. She landed right into my arms just as the airship fell apart"

"I remember that day", said Heather. "I do too. You wore such a swell outfit dear. It really was the bees knees". "You have always been my hero dear". "Thanks dear". Heather got up from her chair and gave Vincent a kiss on the cheek. He then turned back to Lincoln. "Hey son, why doncha go for a dip. I can handle things there." "Thanks Mr. Perkins". Lincoln headed towards the water and jumped in. He saw Stanley waving to him and he swam over. "Hey Lincoln, wanna have a race to the dock and back?" asked Stanley. "Sure." said Lincoln, "The first one who reaches the dock and back is the winner." "You're on!" said Lincoln. The boys dove into the water and swam to the dock. Stanley reached the dock first. " I win!" "Now, let's see who will win back." said Lincoln, getting a little headstart. "Hey! No headstart!" said Stanley. Lincoln reached land first. "Looks like we're even." "Time to eat, you guys! Called Vincent. Stanley and Lincoln ran towards Vincent and got plates.

"Okie dokie, Stanley, you're first", said Vincent. "Got it pop". Then Lincoln, Julie, Heather and Vincent. Everyone sat under the umbrella, eating Turkey sandwiches and burgers, Heather fed Averell his own jar of carrots and peas. "This is really nice, thanks for taking me here." said Lincoln, eating another bite from his sandwich. "You're welcome." said Heather. "We're glad to have you here", said Vincent.

"How does my tan look?" asked Julie. "It looks fine, sweetie, don't let it turn red on you." said Heather, finally getting the spoon in Averell's mouth. "I've had that experience far too many times", said Vincent as he dampened down the grill. "I'm done!" said Stanley, throwing his plate away and soda can in the garbage. "Come on Lincoln, you can beat me this time." "In a minute." said Lincoln. "Okay." said Stanley. A few minutes later, Lincoln threw his plate and can away in the garbage. "Ready? On your mark...get set…" "GO!" Suddenly a figure rushed past the two boys. It was a black haired girl in a purple one piece swimsuit. Lincoln and Stanley recgonized her! "Was that Maggie?" asked Stanley. "It sure was." said Lincoln. "Well come on, let's go after her! She's gonna beat us!" said Stanley. "Right behind you." said Lincoln.

By the time, the boys caught up with Maggie, she had already reached the dock first. "How did you beat us?" asked Stanley, shocked. "I have a swimming pool in my backyard, I practice when I can." said Maggie. "You should go into the next Olympics, like my momma did." said Stanley. "Maybe." said Maggie. "First one back is the winner." said Stanley. "You're on." said Maggie. Stanley, Lincoln and Maggie all took off at the same time. But Maggie beat them again. "What took you guys so long?" said Maggie. "You're pretty good." said Lincoln, drying himself off with a towel. "Thanks." said Maggie, smiling. Then Maggie heard her father calling her. "Gotta go, it was nice seeing you again, Lincoln." said Maggie. "It's time for desert!" called Vincent, "We got ice cream". "I love ice cream!" said Stanley as he ran over being first in line again. "Stanley, do you always gotta be first line for everything?" said Julie, annoyed. "Yes." said Stanley. "Come on son, let your sister be first", said Vincent.

"Fine", said Stanley. "That's much better." said Heather. "What flavors do we have?" asked Julie. "French vanilla, chocolate and strawberry." said Vincent. "Yum!" said Lincoln, licking his lips. "French Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberry Macaroon." "I want strawberry macaroon, please," said Julie. "Comin' right up honeybun", said Vincent. "Can I have chocolate, please?" asked Lincoln. "Sure." said Vincent. I'll get French vanilla, please honey." said Heather. "Got it dear". Vincent scooped some ice cream into some cones and gave them to Lincoln, Stanley, Julie, and Heather. "Here you go".

As Everyone ate their ice cream, the sun setting a beautiful sunset. "Isn't that beautiful, dear?" said Heather. "Indeed, it's like the time I took you to Coney Island back in '38", said Vincent. "You did?" asked Julie. "Sure did." said Heather, "We even had ice cream only cost a quarter back then." "That's neat." said Lincoln. "Sure wish things were like that now." "Well change is a part of life", said Vincent as he hugged Heather closer together, "I think it's time we packed up and headed for home". "Good idea." said Heather as she picked up a sleeping Averell. Julie, Stanley and Lincoln picked up the toys and towels and Vincent got the cooler in the trunk. "Can we come back and do this again?" asked Stanley. "We'll see, son." Vincent started the ignition and drove for home.

To Be Continued...