A foot stomped to the ground. A blackbird hopped around in the wintry landscape of Wisconsin.
The bird flew off as Karen Mitchell began loading luggage into a 1954 Buick Century Estate Wagon.
"Boys, let's do this!" Karen yelled out towards the house.
Gray, Karen's youngest son, sat in his room, looking at stills from dinosaur movies in a View Master.
"Gray?" Karen asked, knocking on the door. She opened the door and walked inside. "Honey, what are you doing?"
"What is this? Here." Karen took the View Master and placed it on Gray's desk. "Let's go. Come on, honey. Your flight's in two hours."
"Madison Municipal Airport is thirty-six minutes away and sixty with traffic." Gray stated.
"How many minutes to get your little butt in the station wagon?" Karen asked, packing Gray's backpack. "Hmm? How many of those?"
Karen ruffled Gray's hair as the two headed out of the room.
"Feed the monster under your bed?"
"Yes." Gray said.
Gray ran out of the door and got into the station wagon.
Meanwhile, his older brother Zach was saying his goodbyes to his girlfriend.
"Call me when you get there and mail me photos so I don't forget what you look like." Zach's girlfriend said.
"I'm only going to be gone a week." Zach said.
"Zach." his father, Scott said. "You're not going off to war, here. Please. Come on."
"I..." Zach began to say.
"I love you." Zach's girlfriend said.
"...'ll see you later." Zach said. He did not want to do it before leaving on his vacation, but Zach had decided that he wanted to end his relationship. He just needed to wait for the right time.
"Vamanos." Scott said.
"Bye." Zach said, heading to the Buick.
"Okay. Bye." Zach's girlfriend said.
"You in, buddy?" Karen asked Gray before getting into the station wagon.
Scott and Karen turned and looked at Zach.
"I know it hurts, sweetheart." Karen said.
"Are you going to be okay?" Scott teased, with an exaggerated voice.
Zach pulled out a Superman comic book, ignoring his parents. Gray smiled.
The radio played "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."