'Oh no! Not again!' He thought.
Rod walked up ahead of him, "I'll see if I can get them to let us off the hook for now, Artemis."
Artemis nodded eyeing a promising bench.
Rod caught up with them and began gesturing emphatically to Artemis and everywhere else, looking as though he was talking with his hands. Finally, Eva nodded, turned around, and walked into the store with Danny and Pfeiffer at her heels.
"C'mon, Artemis. We can go rest for a while. Ice cream sound okay to you?"
Artemis furrowed his brow, 'Ice cream? Not likely.' But what he said out loud was, "Sure. Whatever you want, Uncle Rod."
Rod nodded and turned left into a small, pastel colored shop named "Carlucci's House of Italian Sweets".
Artemis followed him inside and immediately shivered, goose-bumps rising on his arms and neck. 'Its freezing!' He thought. He walked up near the register and a particular flavor of ice cream caught his eye "Jalapeno Ice Cream. Only for those who like a 'fiery ice'!" He blinked in surprise and revulsion, 'These crazy people will eat anything!'
Rod, too, passed over the jalapeno ice cream, instead, heading for a flavor called "Mint Chocolate Chip. Leaves your mouth feeling fresh!"
Artemis thought, 'Hmm.That sounds a little bit safer than these other crazy things.' He continued to scan over all the other flavors, finally settling on, "Strawberry Chocolate. Best this side of California!"
Rod paid for them and they went outside to find a bench. Half an hour later, they were finished and Rod went to inform Eva that they would meet them at home later. He returned, "Where do you want to go now, Artemis?"
Artemis shrugged. It was all the same to him.
Rod looked at him, "Are you sure that there's nothing that you want to see here? There's plenty of places to go, like, Legoland, Hollywood, San Diego- "
He stopped abruptly when Artemis began shaking his head, "No, thank-you. I'm fine."
Rod looked him over doubtfully, then, his eyes brightened, "Hey! I know! I could let you explore o your own a little bit around our neighborhood! You can talk with the locals, maybe make a few friends. I'll give you the spare cell phone so I can call you when you need to come back. Sound okay?"
Artemis sighed, there was just no winning with this family, "Okay. But, only for a little bit."
Rod drove him to a spot by the beach with plenty of teenagers, Artemis's age and otherwise, "This is a great beach! You'll like it, I promise."
'Right!' he thought sarcastically. He simply nodded and got out of the van that they kept for shopping excursions. Artemis had surreptitiously slid his palm-pilot into his pocket as they left the house. He figured that if he just did business on the miniature computer while time flew by, he could waste enough hours to be called back into the house. Of course, things did not turn out the way he had planned them to.
Rod walked up ahead of him, "I'll see if I can get them to let us off the hook for now, Artemis."
Artemis nodded eyeing a promising bench.
Rod caught up with them and began gesturing emphatically to Artemis and everywhere else, looking as though he was talking with his hands. Finally, Eva nodded, turned around, and walked into the store with Danny and Pfeiffer at her heels.
"C'mon, Artemis. We can go rest for a while. Ice cream sound okay to you?"
Artemis furrowed his brow, 'Ice cream? Not likely.' But what he said out loud was, "Sure. Whatever you want, Uncle Rod."
Rod nodded and turned left into a small, pastel colored shop named "Carlucci's House of Italian Sweets".
Artemis followed him inside and immediately shivered, goose-bumps rising on his arms and neck. 'Its freezing!' He thought. He walked up near the register and a particular flavor of ice cream caught his eye "Jalapeno Ice Cream. Only for those who like a 'fiery ice'!" He blinked in surprise and revulsion, 'These crazy people will eat anything!'
Rod, too, passed over the jalapeno ice cream, instead, heading for a flavor called "Mint Chocolate Chip. Leaves your mouth feeling fresh!"
Artemis thought, 'Hmm.That sounds a little bit safer than these other crazy things.' He continued to scan over all the other flavors, finally settling on, "Strawberry Chocolate. Best this side of California!"
Rod paid for them and they went outside to find a bench. Half an hour later, they were finished and Rod went to inform Eva that they would meet them at home later. He returned, "Where do you want to go now, Artemis?"
Artemis shrugged. It was all the same to him.
Rod looked at him, "Are you sure that there's nothing that you want to see here? There's plenty of places to go, like, Legoland, Hollywood, San Diego- "
He stopped abruptly when Artemis began shaking his head, "No, thank-you. I'm fine."
Rod looked him over doubtfully, then, his eyes brightened, "Hey! I know! I could let you explore o your own a little bit around our neighborhood! You can talk with the locals, maybe make a few friends. I'll give you the spare cell phone so I can call you when you need to come back. Sound okay?"
Artemis sighed, there was just no winning with this family, "Okay. But, only for a little bit."
Rod drove him to a spot by the beach with plenty of teenagers, Artemis's age and otherwise, "This is a great beach! You'll like it, I promise."
'Right!' he thought sarcastically. He simply nodded and got out of the van that they kept for shopping excursions. Artemis had surreptitiously slid his palm-pilot into his pocket as they left the house. He figured that if he just did business on the miniature computer while time flew by, he could waste enough hours to be called back into the house. Of course, things did not turn out the way he had planned them to.
