"Get in the car!" Cal hollered up the stairs. "Otha wise maybe we should just not botha goin'!"
There was a noise of protest and the sudden thump of either a door being slammed or someone falling to the floor. Cal turned to his wife. "Did that sound like some sort of grievous injury?"
"I guess we'll find out in a moment," Gillian mused, packing away the last of the breakfast condiments. She started to wipe down the bench. "I assume one of them will come down to let us know the other is bleeding from the head."
Cal chuckled. "You're terrible." Gillian tried to hide a grin. "And what are you gonna get up to while we're out?" He approached the bench and leaned against it.
"I'm not telling you," Gillian responded mysteriously with a smile. Cal grinned and then there was thudding on the stairs and ten-year-old Lewis came down followed by five-year-old Owen.
"We're ready!" Lewis announced.
Cal turned to them and gripped an imaginary steering wheel. "Get in the car."
"Dad, are we gonna be late?" Owen moved a flat hand from by his hip, backwards as if he were shoving something behind him. He looked concerned.
"Not if you get in the car," Cal reiterated sternly.
"Let's go Wen," Lewis took Owen's elbow and tugged to turn him around.
"Wait. Have you got hats?" Cal lifted the day bag from the bench that had his hat, sun block and the camera in. He gave it to Lewis.
"Yes Dad!" Owen answered, holding his own up.
"Have fun," Gillian sing-singed at her husband as the boys disappeared from the room.
"I've got my phone on me."
"Aw that's good."
Cal smiled. "Don't gloat too much. It'll be my turn soon."
Gillian pouted. "You should leave or you'll be late."
"All right," Cal grabbed her to press his lips against hers firmly and he could feel her laugh against him. She pushed away with her hands on his chest. "See you late-a then."
"Let me know when you're heading back and I'll start dinner."
"Or we could just pick somethin' up?" Cal suggested, eyebrows raised.
"That's a better plan," Gillian agreed. She gave him a little wave. "Bye."
"Geeze, anyone would think you're tryin' to get rid of me."
"You think?"
PJ
They weren't allowed to park on the base, and instead had to get a free shuttle bus from a nearby field. Cal kept a firm grip on Owen's hand; the kid had a tendency to wander off, distracted or excited by something else or just not paying attention to where everyone else had gone and there were a lot of people around today. Cal made the kid sit on his knee while they were on the bus, to free up a seat for someone else. He and Lewis stared out the window as they got closer to Andrew's Air Base, exclaiming when they caught a glimpse of something interesting. Even from his height advantage, Cal didn't couldn't see anything, so he had no idea what was so exciting. An elderly man was sitting opposite them, obviously with his grandson and gave Cal a smile. Cal smiled in return thinking in a few years he was going to be sixty and some other guy on the bus was probably going to think he was taking his grandsons to the air base.
Cal wiggled his phone out of his pocket to snap a picture of Lewis, who had his nose plastered to the window, and sent it to Gillian. WE ARNT EVEN THERE YET
Once they climbed off the bus they had to endure a quick security check, where Cal's bag was searched, and then they were allowed in. They took a timetable and found a spot out of the stream of people to determine what air displays in particular they wanted to see and when they could fit in getting something to eat and drink and seeing the static displays; the planes that were on the ground. Cal admittedly didn't know much about the various aircraft and air-groups but Lewis had been online to determine which ones were going to be cool, the ones he wanted to see; they were at the open day mostly for his benefit.
It was decided that they were going to spend the morning walking around the static displays, then later at midday they were going to go watch some air displays; the Golden Knights (a parachute jump), the P-51 Mustang, the GEICO Skytypers and Team Oracle (a bi-plane). At fifteen hundred hours the Blue Angels had a sixty minute demonstration. In-between there could be time to wander around and get food. It depended on how long the demo's were. Cal though he might insist though. The boys would only last so long without food and he had not been allowed to bring any onto the base with them; not even snacks.
With a plan they started to move around. Lewis also got to read the map and he quickly orientated them and started to head off. Cal grabbed a fistful of the back of Owen's shirt as they moved through the crowd. It was a beautiful day and Cal made sure sun hats were worn. When the sun came over head and was at its worst, he was going to enforce sun block. Gillian had already warned him not to bring back lobsters. And Cal was the most likely to turn pink.
PJ
I HAV A SURPRISE 4 U WEN U GET HOME
Cal read the message with interest. There was no photo attached, which of course just made it worse. IS IT SUMTHIN DIRTY?
"Dad, they don't fly so low they might hit us?" Owen asked, blue eyes wide as he looked up at his father.
"Of course not," Cal responded. That sounded like something a helpful big brother might share. Lewis was crossed legged beside Cal on the grass, busy reading the pamphlet they were given as they came in the gate. It let them know about the different planes that were going to take part in the air show. Cal leaned back on his hands and Owen was up on his knees, leaning on one of his father's knees as they talked.
"What if they crash in the ground?"
"They're not gonna crash in the ground," Cal told him. Although, to be fair, he didn't know if that was true.
"Can I sit with you?" Owen asked.
"Course buddy," Cal suggested he sit in front of him, between his legs. Owen leaned back against his stomach, using his thighs as arms rests, using his father as a big armchair.
"When do they start?"
"I don't know," Cal responded. He checked his watch. "Soon." He hoped. He was getting tired. They had walked miles, eaten junk and already sat through two sets of aerodynamics. Cal already knew this was the best position for viewing without breaking his neck trying to look up. He could tell Owen was getting tired too. He had started to lag as they walked and he kept asking questions. When he was interested, he would wait to find out himself, when he was tired, he searched for instant answers, as in, asking his father incessantly. Only Lewis still seemed energetic. Cal felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and shifted his weight to fish it out. Owen's head lolled to the side and Cal wondered if he'd gone to sleep. Surely not that quickly?
DEPENDS HOW U LOOK AT IT
'Oh come on!' Cal groaned to himself. He tapped out a reply: YOURE KILLIN ME
"Did you know they fly F-eighteen Hornet's?"
"Yeah I did," Cal replied to Lewis, turning his head to see the ten-year-old. "Navy planes."
"And did you know there six of them?"
"I didn't."
"Did you know that they don't have guns on the planes anymore? They took them off."
"Probably so they don't accidentally shoot someone."
Lewis went back to his brochure as Cal's phone vibrated again.
"Dad, are they going to shoot somebody?" Owen asked softly.
"No buddy," Cal reassured him. "There are no guns remember?"
"Oh."
YOURE RITE. THAT WAS A TEASE. LETS JUST SAY, YOULL LIKE IT
'Oh good lord!'
"They have a C-one thirty Hercules that's from the Marine Corps called 'Fat Albert'," Lewis went on.
PLEASE JUST TELL ME. IM BEGGIN
"And it's used to transport their stuff around."
"Dad my eyes hurt."
"Why do your eyes hurt?" Cal asked Owen.
"I don't know."
"The show starts with Fat Albert doing a take off and then he flies by the crowd."
"Are you tired buddy?" Cal asked, shifting forward to see Owen. His eyes were closed. He wasn't rubbing at them, nor did he seem like he was in discomfort, so he must not have something caught in there.
"Then Fat Albert does a flat pass."
"Lew, we don't need a run down. We can see what he's gonna do when he gets out here. Read it inside your head ok?"
"Ok."
"How much longer are we gonna be?"
"It'll be a few hours until we can get home," Cal responded to his youngest. "And then we can have dinna yeah? Are you hungry?"
Owen nodded his head against his father's stomach. Cal got his phone out again. CHANGE OF PLANS. CAN U GET DINNA? O FADIN FAST. DONT WANNA STOP OFF. GONNA B A BITCH GETTING THRU THE CROWD AS IT IS
"Dad could I be a Blue Angel when I grow up?" Lewis turned him, blue eyes serious.
"You can certainly give it a go Lew. But you'd have to work hard in school and keep fit and join the Naval Academy and learn to fly. Could take a really long time and lots of hard work. You up for that?"
Lewis considered him for a moment. "It'd be cool."
"Yeah it'd be really cool," Cal gave him a smile. Lewis smiled back and then the announcer got the attention of the crowd.