CHAPTER FOUR - Latissmus Dorsi
The best thing about being sixteen? Definitely would be getting your license. I love driving so much that I sometimes even OFFER to go grocery shopping.
It was Saturday afternoon and it'd been a couple of days since Becca told me about the possible trip to Sea City. Call me chicken, but I was really freaking out at what my parents would say. It was two weeks 'til the long weekend, so I figured I'd better just suck it up – it was now or never.
I grabbed the bagged groceries from the trunk of the Volkswagen Jetta my parents had gotten me for my birthday (oh, how I love my parents!) and struggled to get them through our back door. My Mom jumped up from the kitchen table and lunged to save a bag that was about to fall out of my grip.
"Thank you!" I said, sheepishly grinning.
"How many times do I have to tell you, honey?" my Mom asked, setting the bag down on the kitchen counter. "One at a time. Think of the strain you're putting on the trapezius and latissimus dorsi muscles on your back." Ahh, yes. There it was. My Mom, always the doctor. At work even at home.
"Really. I'm fine." I assured her. Besides, there were more important things to talk about.
I grabbed a carton of eggs and decided to approach the Sea City subject with the line I had rehearsed over and over again, all the way home from the grocery store.
"So Mom... I know we didn't plan to do anything for the long weekend coming up – do you mind if I do something with the BSC and some other people?"
"Oh, like a barbeque or pool party? No, of course not. That sounds like fun."
"... Not exactly," I said slowly. I started playing with the lid of the ketchup bottle.
"What do you mean?" my Mom asked, taking the bottle out of my hands.
"More like.... a trip." Mom shot me a surprised, inquiring look.
"What kind of trip?" she asked warily.
"One to Sea City?" I replied. I tried to read the look on her face and got nothing. "Before you say anything, you don't have to worry about supervision. I know we're all just barely sixteen, so Mr. and Mrs. Pike will be there," I rushed, adding, "And we'll all be extra responsible on the road... and while we're there, of course!"
"Okay."
"Please?? You have to let me go – Wait. What?"
"I'll have to talk to your Dad, of course, but there'll be no objections from me."
"Are you joking? You're joking." My Mom smiled and shook her head. I was dumbfounded. I could not believe this.
"B-but what happened last winter? The ski trip to Vermont?"
"That was very different. One, it was winter – the roads would've been tough even for an adult. Two, that was for two weeks. Three days is really no big deal. Three, we weren't too trusting of the adult supervision that time. In this case, we've know the Pikes for ages. Plus, believe it or not kiddo, your father and I do trust you."
My parents have always been really over-protective over the years, so this was definitely big. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I rushed over to my Mom and gave her a huge hug.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I said, grinning. "I'm going to call Becca right now and tell her the great news."
Just at that moment, my Dad came in from the dining room.
"What's this 'great news'?" he asked, curious.
"Oh, just that I have THE best parents in the entire world," I said, giving him a hug.
My Dad stood there with the biggest look of confusion on his face. I laughed and raced upstairs to my room, leaving my Mom to do all the explaining.
The best thing about being sixteen? Definitely would be getting your license. I love driving so much that I sometimes even OFFER to go grocery shopping.
It was Saturday afternoon and it'd been a couple of days since Becca told me about the possible trip to Sea City. Call me chicken, but I was really freaking out at what my parents would say. It was two weeks 'til the long weekend, so I figured I'd better just suck it up – it was now or never.
I grabbed the bagged groceries from the trunk of the Volkswagen Jetta my parents had gotten me for my birthday (oh, how I love my parents!) and struggled to get them through our back door. My Mom jumped up from the kitchen table and lunged to save a bag that was about to fall out of my grip.
"Thank you!" I said, sheepishly grinning.
"How many times do I have to tell you, honey?" my Mom asked, setting the bag down on the kitchen counter. "One at a time. Think of the strain you're putting on the trapezius and latissimus dorsi muscles on your back." Ahh, yes. There it was. My Mom, always the doctor. At work even at home.
"Really. I'm fine." I assured her. Besides, there were more important things to talk about.
I grabbed a carton of eggs and decided to approach the Sea City subject with the line I had rehearsed over and over again, all the way home from the grocery store.
"So Mom... I know we didn't plan to do anything for the long weekend coming up – do you mind if I do something with the BSC and some other people?"
"Oh, like a barbeque or pool party? No, of course not. That sounds like fun."
"... Not exactly," I said slowly. I started playing with the lid of the ketchup bottle.
"What do you mean?" my Mom asked, taking the bottle out of my hands.
"More like.... a trip." Mom shot me a surprised, inquiring look.
"What kind of trip?" she asked warily.
"One to Sea City?" I replied. I tried to read the look on her face and got nothing. "Before you say anything, you don't have to worry about supervision. I know we're all just barely sixteen, so Mr. and Mrs. Pike will be there," I rushed, adding, "And we'll all be extra responsible on the road... and while we're there, of course!"
"Okay."
"Please?? You have to let me go – Wait. What?"
"I'll have to talk to your Dad, of course, but there'll be no objections from me."
"Are you joking? You're joking." My Mom smiled and shook her head. I was dumbfounded. I could not believe this.
"B-but what happened last winter? The ski trip to Vermont?"
"That was very different. One, it was winter – the roads would've been tough even for an adult. Two, that was for two weeks. Three days is really no big deal. Three, we weren't too trusting of the adult supervision that time. In this case, we've know the Pikes for ages. Plus, believe it or not kiddo, your father and I do trust you."
My parents have always been really over-protective over the years, so this was definitely big. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I rushed over to my Mom and gave her a huge hug.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I said, grinning. "I'm going to call Becca right now and tell her the great news."
Just at that moment, my Dad came in from the dining room.
"What's this 'great news'?" he asked, curious.
"Oh, just that I have THE best parents in the entire world," I said, giving him a hug.
My Dad stood there with the biggest look of confusion on his face. I laughed and raced upstairs to my room, leaving my Mom to do all the explaining.