Amazon Adventures
Chapter Ten: Summer In Rio
Summer rolled around, and with it, another journey for the Gunderson family. As they had agreed some months ago, Blu and Jewel were taking their kids to spend the summer in Rio.
"Okay, final check." Blu declared. "Does everybody have everything?"
"Yes." The chicks chorused.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Eduardo asked Jewel.
"Yes, dad." Jewel sighed, having already been asked that question for what felt like a thousand times.
"I'm just saying, these human cities sound dangerous." Eduardo added.
"Dad, relax." Jewel urged. "Don't forget: me, Blu and the kids actually lived in Rio for the last couple of years. We'll be fine. Trust me."
"Trust me, sir." Blu declared. "I'll make sure nothing happens to them."
"Ever the worrywart, huh, Eduardo?" Mimi chided her younger brother.
"You can't blame me for worrying." Eduardo sighed. "I only just got you back, Jewel. I don't want to lose you again."
"You won't." Jewel smiled. "We'll be back by the end of the summer."
"I don't understand it." Roberto shook his head. "Staying in some human city, with all that human stuff..."
"Don't knock it 'til you've tried it." Blu chided him. "Say your goodbyes, kids. It's time to go."
"Bye, pop-pop." Carla hugged Eduardo.
"Goodbye for now, aunt Mimi." Bia embraced her great-aunt.
"Later, uncle Beto." Tiago bumped talons with Roberto.
"Stay cool, T-bird." Roberto smiled.
"Have a good trip, everyone." Eduardo smiled mistily.
"Bring me back a souvenir!" Mimi chuckled.
"Let's get moving." Jewel declared. "Don't want to run into traffic!"
The family took off into the sky. Eduardo watched them until they vanished in the horizon.
The trip back to Rio was mostly uneventful (save for a small misunderstanding with a Lear macaw in Brasillia). In the space of a few days, they found themselves back in the big city. They headed for Linda and Tulio's home, by way of the Blu Bird Sanctuary.
"Ah, the old birdhouse." Blu smiled, as they landed on the small structure outside. "Brings back memories, doesn't it?"
"Sure does." Jewel smiled, remembering when Linda and Tulio built the birdhouse for the family.
"Hey look, Linda and Tulio are home!" Carla pointed to the open window, where the two were preparing their lunch.
"Let's go say 'hi'!" Tiago smiled.
"Can we, mom?" Bia asked.
"Of course, sweetie." Jewel nodded.
The Blue macaw family flew in through the open window.
"Blu?!" Linda gasped. "Hi!"
Blu and Linda did their trademark fistbump, while the kids flew over to Tulio.
"Incredible." Tulio mused, as he stroked Bia's head. "It was amazing enough that you all flew from here to the Amazon, but a return trip..."
"What brings you all the way here?" Linda asked.
Blu picked up a nearby pencil, and wrote on a notepad "Spending summer in Rio."
"Oh, I see." Linda smiled. "It's like a little vacation for you."
Fernando entered the kitchen.
"What's going on?" He asked.
"Blu, Jewel and the kids are visiting for the summer." Tulio explained.
"For real?" Fernando asked, nonplussed.
"For real." Linda held up the notepad.
"Cool." Fernando smiled, petting Jewel. "Great to see you, guys."
"You must be hungry after your trip." Linda noted. "Let me get you some Brazil nuts."
As Linda fetched the nuts out of the cupboard, Carla hopped over to the remote for the kitchen's television set.
"Huh, I can't even remember the last time I watched TV..." She smiled, turning on the device.
Meanwhile, Bia landed next to an open book.
"Ooh, this is a new one!" She exclaimed. Excitedly, she began to read.
Linda retrieved the Brazil nuts, and emptied the can over the kitchen counter.
"Now that's what I call service!" Tiago cheered, as he dug in.
Blu stood alongside Tiago as he feasted.
"Do you want one?" He asked Jewel.
"Sure." Jewel said uneasily, having grown re-accustomed to eating food from a tree rather than a can.
That evening, they returned to the birdhouse.
"Ah, room sweet room." Carla sighed, pushing aside the traffic sign she had hung over the hole of her section for privacy.
"Y'know, I'd forgotten how good we had it here." Tiago declared. "TV, food on tap..."
"Don't forget all the books." Bia added.
"Yeah, I was just gettin' to that." Tiago said sarcastically.
"It is good to be back, isn't it?" Blu asked.
"Yeah..." Jewel nodded. "Great."
"Hey mom, can we go to the Samba Club tomorrow?" Carla asked. "Uncle Nico and uncle Pedro'll probably be there!"
"I don't see why not." Jewel shrugged. "We're on vacation, aren't we? A big, long vacation..."
"Jewel?" Blu frowned.
"Time for bed, everyone." Jewel changed the subject. "We've had a long trip, and we need the rest."
"Aw, mom." Tiago groaned. "Five more minutes?"
"Your mother's right, Tiago." Blu declared. "Besides, more rest means more energy for fun tomorrow."
"Okay." Tiago gave in, climbing into his section of the birdhouse. "Night, everyone!"
"Good night!" Carla and Bia called, as they followed suit.
Blu and Jewel climbed into their own space.
"Huh." Jewel looked around. "Seems smaller then I remember."
"Really?" Blu squinted. "Looks the same to me."
"Guess it's just me, then." Jewel sighed.
"Is there something wrong, Jewel?" Blu asked.
"No, everything's fine." Jewel nuzzled against Blu. "Good night, Blu."
"Good night, Jewel." Blu tenderly wrapped a wing around her.
The two Blue macaws soon fell asleep.
The next morning, the family flew into the city, stopping off at Luiz's garage.
"Hey, birds!" Luiz rushed over to them. "Long time, no see! Gimme some love!"
Luiz pulled them all into a hug, showering them in drool at the same time.
"Hi, Luiz." Blu shuddered, as a glob of drool rolled down his back.
"We missed you too." Jewel added, as the bulldog released them.
"Luiz, have you seen Nico and Pedro?" Carla asked.
Nico and Pedro flew in through the skylight, followed by Rafael and Eva.
"Say our names, and we appear!" Nico declared.
"What up, birds?" Pedro smiled.
"Hi, guys!" Carla waved.
"What brings you back to the city, family?" Rafael asked.
"We're on vacation." Blu answered. "Summer in Rio."
"Ah, Jewel." Eva smiled warmly. "It's been too long. How are you?"
"Good, thanks." Jewel grinned. "How are you and Rafael doing?"
"Well, most of our chicks have left the nest." Eva noted. "Which has given Raffie and I a lot of 'free time' to spend together. And we've been using it wisely... Right, my pudgy papaya?"
"Right, my juicy mango." Rafael grinned.
"What d'ya mean?" Tiago asked curiously.
"Hey, how about we all go to the samba club now?" Blu quickly changed the subject.
"Yeah!" Carla cheered. "Let's party!"
"Have us a little fun!" Pedro smirked.
"Show 'em all how it's done!" Nico struck a pose.
"You do that." Luiz yawned. "I'm gonna take a nap."
The flock of birds made their way to the samba club, entering from under the tarp covering it. As usual, it was filled with birds dancing to the music.
"Wow." Bia gasped. "I'd forgotten how... colorful this place is."
"Aw, yeah." Carla tapped her foot. "Just listen to those beats. City style! Nothing like that in the jungle."
"Let's go!" Tiago cheered, as he rushed onto the dance floor.
"Shall we?" Blu offered his wing to Jewel.
"You know it." Jewel took Blu's wing.
As they danced, Jewel couldn't help but feel a nagging doubt in the back of the head. She put it aside for the moment though, not wanting to ruin the romantic moment she and Blu were sharing.
It didn't last, though. As the vacation wore on, Jewel felt uneasy about how her family were falling back into their domestic surroundings. Blu, attentive mate that he was, soon noticed something was wrong.
"Is everything okay, honey?" He asked one evening, after the kids had fallen asleep. "It looks like you have something on your mind."
"It's nothing." Jewel tried to wave it off.
"Is it?" Blu asked knowingly.
"It's... silly." Jewel admitted.
"What is?" Blu asked.
"It's just..." Jewel sighed heavily. "I'm worried the kids won't want to come back to the Amazon when the summer's over. Worried you'll want us to stay, because of all the human stuff that makes things so easy over here."
"You're right." Blu nodded. "It is silly. Because I'd never do that."
"Really?" Jewel asked, a little sceptical.
"Really." Blu declared. "I know how important it is to you for the kids to grow up in the wild. And as much as they like the comforts of civilisation, I know they love life in the Amazon. And to be honest, I've become accustomed to it myself."
"Yeah, I know..." Jewel admitted. "But still..."
"I don't think I've ever seen this side of you before, Jewel." Blu noted in amazement. "You're usually so confident and strong. Normally, I'm the one who's full of worry and doubt."
"I guess I'm being kinda paranoid." Jewel admitted. "It's just... I've always worried about which life you'd choose when push came to shove. Like after that argument we had, back at the Pit of Doom. I saw you fly away, and I thought you were abandoning us for Linda."
"What?!" Blu gasped, horrified. "I could never do that to you and the kids. I was only going to Linda to say goodbye, because I'd decided to stick with you and the kids, no matter what."
"Blu..." Jewel smiled. "I never knew..."
"I guess with everything that happened afterward, I never got around to telling you." Blu said sheepishly.
"Well, you're telling me now." Jewel chuckled, wrapping her wings around her beloved. "And I really appreciate it."
Blu chuckled; A low, goofy sound, reserved for when he was feeling particularly lovestruck.
"You're the best, Blu." Jewel kissed him deeply.
"Right back at ya." Blu purred.
There was a knock on the wall.
"D'ya mind?" Carla's voice said irritably. "Some of us are trying to sleep!"
"Sorry, sweetie." Jewel chuckled.
"We'll be quiet." Blu added.
Silently, the pair embraced once more. They snuggled closely together for the rest of the night, even falling asleep in that position.
The rest of the summer passed by in a blaze of fun. Jewel, her mind clear of doubt, was able to join in that. Eventually, the day of their return came.
"Ready to go back to the Amazon, everyone?" Jewel asked.
"Oh, yeah." Carla nodded.
"Of course." Bia nodded, carrying a native flower she had chosen to bring Mimi as a souvenir, preserved between the pages of a pocket book.
"You know it, mom!" Tiago smiled.
"Really?" Jewel grinned. "You won't miss all this?"
"All this city stuff's cool, but the jungle's where it's really at." Carla declared. "Nothin' like those Amazon rhythms in the city."
"And there's so much to learn in the wild." Bia added.
"And lots of fun stuff, too." Tiago chuckled.
"Told ya." Blu whispered to Jewel.
"Nobody likes a gloater, honey." Jewel chided him playfully.
Linda, Tulio and Fernando saw them off (Blu having informed Linda via notepad of their departure the night before).
"See you soon, Blu!" Linda called.
"Have a safe journey!" Tulio added.
"Say 'hi' to the Amazon for me!" Fernando chuckled.
The blue macaw family flew home to the Amazon, receiving a warm welcome on their return.
"Welcome back!" Eduardo hugged his daughter tightly.
"Easy, dad." Jewel chuckled. "I need to breathe, you know."
"I got you a flower from the city, aunt Mimi." Bia opened the book. "Do you like it?"
"I love it, dear." Mimi smiled.
"Great to have you back, T-bird." Roberto grinned. "Those humans treat you right?"
"Course they did." Tiago chuckled. "You should come to the city yourself sometime, uncle Beto."
"Yeah, we'll see." Roberto said awkwardly.
That evening, the family were back in their hollow, the kids sleeping soundly.
"It's good to home, isn't it?" Jewel asked.
"Yeah, it is." Blu nodded. "But to be honest, as long as I'm with you and the kids, any place is 'home' to me."
"That's all I need to know." Jewel nuzzled her mate. "I love you, Blu."
"I love you too, Jewel." Blu nuzzled her back. "No matter where we are."
To Be Continued...
(Rio 2 and all associated characters are the property of Blue Sky Studios and 20th Century Fox.)