CHAPTER 3:

The next day at around 5 p.m., Mike was at home relaxing after a long day of treatments when Aubrey, Chad, and Finn came over for dinner. Aubrey rang the doorbell, and Mike went to answer.

"Hi, Dad," Aubrey said, hugging her father.

"Hey, Aubrey, come on in," Mike said as she and the family did so.

"So, how are you holding up after treatment?" Aubrey asked as the family joined Mike on the couch.

"It was a long day, but I'm glad to be just relaxing here at home in the meantime," Mike said.

"So, we remember you saying that there are some things you'd like to do?" Chad asked.

"Oh, yes. I wanted to think of a list, but only one thing came to mind. One that all three of you could join me for," Mike said.

"And that is?" Aubrey asked.

"I was thinking we could go on a fishing/camping trip for a weekend," Mike suggested.

"Well, I supposed that would work. We haven't gone fishing in a long time. Finn's only been fishing once with us. So, it'd be great that he has another chance to do so," Aubrey thought.

"Great. We'll leave on April 2nd and come home on April 4th," Mike proposed.

"The weekend after Easter? That could work," Aubrey agreed.

"Alright. I'm looking forward to it just as long as nothing goes wrong on my end," Mike said.

"Just don't think about that. At times like this, you'll want to be as positive as possible," Chad chimed in.

"So, what do you say I make us some dinner?" Aubrey proposed.

"Sounds great," Mike agreed.


By about 7 p.m. that same evening, Stacie's family was just boarding their plane to Colorado.

"Am I really going to learn to ski on this trip?" Kim asked.

"You and your sister both will. I haven't been skiing in over 15 years," Stacie said.

"I call the aisle seat," Kim announced.

"What if I want the aisle seat?" Bella argued.

"Come on, girls. Please, don't fight while we're on vacation," Stacie pleaded.

"Besides, you do know the seat you're expected to sit in is on your boarding pass, right?" Kyle added, and both girls scoffed.

Kyle showed them the boarding passes - he and Stacie were assigned to the aisle seats, with the two girls in the middle between them, so there was nothing to fight over anyway. As the family took their seats, the girls had some questions for their mother.

"Has it really been 15 years, Mom?" Kim asked.

"Yes. Last time I went to Colorado was not long after my dad died," Stacie explained.

"I'm so sorry," Kim said.

"May be hard to believe that it took me this long before I was ready to go back," Stacie added.

"Despite what happened back then, I'm sure we'll have a good time," Kyle assured her.

"I sure hope so," Stacie said as the plane was preparing for takeoff.

Their flight landed in Colorado around 11 p.m. Mountain Time, and they reached their hotel just before midnight.