Several days later, they were back in their SUV and headed home. Lee hadn't felt this wonderful since he'd learned he was going to be a father, and was relaxed, tanned, and content. Jamie and Philip were sharing secrets like crazy for whatever reason, and Dotty was obviously thinking about something, as she was continually smiling and sneaking glances at him. Amanda had convinced him to let her drive, since the van was automatic, and she wanted him to see some of the countryside. To everyone's amazement, Lee had agreed, and surprised everyone by being happy riding shotgun and not having to be at the helm.
He got a little irritated when Amanda didn't turn onto I-95 South and kept going on I-76 West, though. "What are you doing?" he asked, in a somewhat perturbed tone that immediately took her back to when they had first met and started working together. "We should have turned there!" He got more agitated the further Amanda got from the exit.
"Well, I would have if we were going home, sweetheart," she assured him, turning in his direction with a knowing smile. "But we're not going home – not just yet anyway!" Philip, Jamie, and Dotty all chuckled. There were all in on it and loving the surprise they'd concocted for Lee. The expression on her husband's face turned from anxiety to confusion to pure excitement.
"OK, what do you all have up your sleeves?" he asked, turning around and looking at everyone else in the van. "What's going on? Where are we going?" Dotty looked at her son-in-law with love, for he reminded her of a little boy on Christmas. He'd never had a family vacation before, and Christmas with his uncle in the Air Force would have been like any other day. She was so very glad that she got to be a part of it now, and to see him so happy and excited.
"But we've got to be back at work tomorrow!" Lee protested as reality set in.
"No we don't, sweetheart!" Amanda grinned. "I've already talked to Mr. Melrose and he gave us BOTH another week off WITH PAY!"
Lee couldn't believe it. "You little minx! How did you manage that?" He was even more excited now as he knew full well what Amanda was capable of achieving. "This is incredible!" he exclaimed.
Amanda smiled over at her husband. "I just cashed in on a few favors. It really was a non-issue. I know how much you're enjoying this, sweetheart."
Unable to contain himself, Philip joined in. "Come on, Dad! Guess where we're going!"
His heart leaping with joy at the name, Lee chuckled. "I really don't know. I have no idea. As long as it's not back to work, it's just fine with me." He turned his head back to Dotty, who sat in her seat with a broad smile on her face. "I'm going to phone a friend and ask my favorite mother-in-law for a clue."
Dotty grinned like the Cheshire Cat. "Well . . . . .we're headed in that direction!" she said decisively.
Lee scowled playfully. "Thank you for that amazing clue, Dotty!"
Unseen, Jamie had donned a huge fake bushy brown beard and now boomed out "General Lee!" in as deep a voice as he could muster. Lee's head swung around to see where the voice came from and burst out laughing. Then, he fell silent as his eyes began to widen in amazement as it slowly dawned on him where his family was taking him.
"Gettysburg?" he cried. "We're going to Gettysburg? You guys are AMAZING!"
"We sure are, sweetheart!" Amanda answered, her eyes full of love. "You'll get to stand exactly where General Longstreet stood, and see exactly what he saw. . . " Lee tenderly put his hand on her leg, not wanting to interfere with her driving. He was incredibly touched. Dotty couldn't help but rest her hand on her son-in-law's shoulder for a moment. She loved seeing him so happy. The boys started regaling Lee with the plans for their visit. Amanda looked in the rear-view mirror and tried her best to shoosh them. "Guys, this is supposed to be a surprise, remember?"
The family traveled along, buzzing with excitement and Lee reciting all the places he hoped were on the itinerary. Things got even more animated when they saw a sign proclaiming "Gettysburg . . .. 35 miles."