"What do you mean we have to pack up tonight? We still have like three days before we have to be back at work," Twister complained while sitting upside down in a chair.
"Well, let's put it this way, Twist," Reggie responded while going through her work emails on her laptop. "It's a 4 hour drive, and Sammy has to be on his flight in 2 days, and I want at least 1 day with him and without Raymundo watching us like a hawk. So our van is leaving tomorrow morning whether you're with us or not. If you want to track down a ride and get back at the last minute, that's up to you."
"Ok ok, I'm just not ready to leave the Shores behind again so soon. It's still home to me, you know? Maybe not with my mom and dad, but everything else. I still miss spending all our time at the Shore Shack, the Pier, the beach, your house, and Madtown."
"I get that, dude," Sammy said, coming into the room with Noalani and the lunch they were making together. "It's been so long since I've been on anything with wheels that didn't have a motor. But we don't really have anything else planned for the rest of the day, why don't the three of us get our old gear out and ride downtown? Just like the old days?"
Reggie giggled at the idea. "Do you even still have your old gear? I don't think any of our stuff from high school would even fit the same now."
"I actually asked my mom about it a few days ago, she said she couldn't let go of my old stuff after I moved out. Even my old shark helmet is still in the garage. I'm sure it's just like riding a bike, we've probably still got it." Sammy responded.
"Lucky, my dad trashed all my stuff as soon as I graduated and said it was time to stop playing with toys and go get a job," Twister said a little sadder.
Noalani told them "Riding a bike seems like the safer option. You can borrow Otto's, both of your bikes and helmets are still here. Just take it easy, 'like riding a bike' isn't the same as like riding a bike the way you did over ten years ago. Ray and Tito should still be down at the Shack for a few more hours if you get hungry downtown later."
The three young adults ate their lunch and went out to get the bikes. They had to adjust seats, pump tires, oil sprockets and chains, and wipe off dust and cobwebs- but otherwise they felt more or less the same. They started down the hill but quickly all of them eased on the brakes, top speed down a suburban road didn't feel as comfortable as it did in their invincible youth. After a few minutes they rolled up to Mad Town but it was closed for the winter, a detail they were all surprised they hadn't thought about.
It wasn't much different. The ramp had been refurbished years back but still showed the wear of use. There was no music, no lights, no one in the bowl or on the decks. And another detail they forgot was no Conroy. He had moved away from Ocean Shores before they graduated to take another teaching job in another town. They had no idea who even managed the park now, but at least it was still open, still in good condition, and obviously still being used during the warmer months. None of the group even had much to say, they just looked at each other, collectively shrugged, and made their way further downtown.
They didn't expect much car or foot traffic since 50 degrees and cloudy in Ocean Shores might as well be a blizzard for the locals. And there were no Shoobies in the winter so the town felt empty. No one on the beach or out on the chilly waves, no one at the Pier, no one down on the waterfront except for the locals going about their usual business. Somehow even this time of year Ocean Shores never felt quite this quiet.
They rolled up to the Shore Shack which was as busy as they could expect an open air restaurant for a weekday afternoon in early January- completely empty except for the owners and a table full of some local kids who reminded everyone of themselves when they were their age.
"Hey kids, pull up a table, decide to take the rounds before you leave town?" Ray came from behind the counter to greet them all while Tito gave a wave from his grill.
"Yeah, but when did everything get this…dead? It wasn't always like this this time of year, was it Raymundo?" Twister asked, taking off his helmet and sitting down with the rest.
"It kind of was. I mean in another week or two things will pick up again once vacationers come back to town. But don't forget how much all of us used to leave town during your winter break too. And Sammy used to go off to see his dad this time of year. If you ever have time to come back around summer, it's really not all that much different than it was all that time ago. Sure things change over the years, but a lot really has stayed the same."
Sammy ordered fries from Tito. "It just seems so empty. There used to be so many more kids here even around the holidays, the Pier still had a few stands open, and Conroy used to keep Madtown open as long as it wasn't raining during the winter. I guess if we really think about it, this is the first time we've been downtown in the winter since that first year of college, and things felt pretty different back then too. The Shore isn't really any different, but we are."
"You're right, I guess," said Twister, looking like he did when he found out the Easter Bunny wasn't real for the second time. "It's extra different without Otto with us. It's always been the four of us when we came to visit."
"Speaking of the four of you, where's the other little Rocket?" a familiar voice came up from behind Twister before grabbing his head and grinding his knuckles on the younger man's head, but much less tight and more gentle than the countless times he did it when they were younger.
"Owwww, do you have to do that every time you see me, Lars?" Twister pulled away from his big brother before giving him a brotherly hug that most of the group still wasn't used to seeing.
"You're the one talking about things not being the same, do you really want this to change too?" Lars smiled back at his brother while he walked over to pick up his lunch from Tito and both men came to join the table.
"Ok you're right," Twister resettled his hair and moved his seat over to make room for his older brother who he thought he wouldn't get to see this trip. "By the way, how did you know we were down here?"
"I didn't, I just needed to stop somewhere quick for lunch between errands before I run back to work. Guess we're just lucky. Sorry I couldn't make it up for Chirstmas or New Years, I wanted to see you and the family before everyone left town, but work has been pretty busy and Sonya and the kids all got sick at her mom's place last week so I've been spending a lot of time running around for them too. You know how it is."
"Welcome to being the man of the house, I know it's not the same from your neighbor but I'm real proud of the men you two grew into." Raymundo patted Lars and Twister on the back.
"Sure wish dad would say the same thing, but that's on him for thinking I was going to work in a suit and tie. Give me greasy hands, dirty clothes, and blasting tunes any day." He said with a smile and everyone noticed those same greasy hands as they held his burger wrapper while he quickly ate his meal. "Thanks for coming through so fast on that food Tito, glad I called ahead. It was good seeing all of you, but I really gotta get back. Tell mom and dad I said hi and I'll try to stop by this weekend if everyone is feeling better. And Twister…thanks for keeping in touch, I'm glad I got to keep my little brother." He messed up his brother's hair one last time and walked back up the street he'd come from.
"Still weird every time." Sammy said thinking back on all the whompings Lars had given them over the years.
"Yup, totally weird." Reggie thought, trying not to think about that cringey time she went out with Lars, not that she would ever tell any of them. 15 was a weird age with a lot of weird choices.
"Speaking of weird, you little cuzzes hear any more from Otto about his plans once he hangs up?" Tito asked while he and Ray finished off the last of the fries Lars left behind.
"Good point, I haven't heard from him for a few days" Ray added.
"Nothing yet, he hasn't had time to talk to his lawyer or his sponsor yet so he doesn't want to make any other big choices. I'm sure he'll keep us in the loop once there is one so he can figure out where he's staying while he figures out his next moves." Reggie told them.
"Well I hope you guys have room for him. I um… well you think now's a good time, Tito?"
"Oh, I guess good a time as any, bruddah. Ancient Hawaiian saying: Pulling out the splinter hurts but less than leaving it in."
"Let me guess," Sam said, "You're thinking of closing the shack and moving to Hawaii to be closer to Tito and Noalani's families after he and my mom get married. Or are you just going to have the wedding there?"
The two older men just stared at Sammy. "Um…no. Though, that's actually a better plan than we had. We were just talking about putting an addition onto the house and going to visit family down there while the work got done. But maybe we could talk with everyone later about that idea." Ray responded.
"I, would you really do that? Would you really leave Ocean Shores dad?" Reggie asked.
"Its not like we never talked about it before. And moving down to Hawaii doesn't seem all that crazy since like Sammy said Tito and Noelani's family are down there. And I'm sure we could open a small surf and snack shack down there if we felt like we wanted to keep working, and Paula could probably work anywhere. But like I said, Reg, we were just talking about vacation. This would be a much bigger decision and we'll have to talk with everyone about if that is something they might want to do. You guys know how big it is to move somewhere and set up a new life, and it's a lot harder when you get to our age. If you guys think you miss the Shore, imagine how it would be for the two of us." Ray looked to his long long time friend.
"You kids gotta understand, you spent your whole childhoods here. But we been here even longer. We lived here before all of you, and we been here since you all left. I've lived in Ocean Shores longer than I lived in my old town on the island. We raised all you kids here, I fell in love here, we've had twenty five great years here. This town has been good to us, brudda." Tito looked out the now otherwise empty shop front at the barren street, beach, and ocean as a tumbleweed of a discarded plastic bag breezed by.
"But we'll figure that all out later. How about we close up early and get started on that going away party that I'm just now remembering I wasn't supposed to mention." Raymundo smacked his forehead.
"Sounds great dad, let's all help them close up. Sammy, you're the tallest so you get the shutters. Twist and I will do the back while Raymundo and Tito shut down the front."
Everyone got to work, finished up shortly after, and stored the bikes in the back of Ray's old woody wagon, and returned to the Rocket house where everyone acted surprised at Noelani and Paula's preparations.