6. Chapter 5 (1/2)

-chapter five-

a/n—one month later. greg, peter and bobby are going to the beach for a long weekend, while marcia, jan and cindy are going to sea world. alice is out of town, so mike and carol have the whole house to themselves. carol is 20 weeks (5 months) along.

greg pulls up in his family's driveway in his midnight blue convertible. his summer job at the autobody shop definitely has its perks. he and his

others are having a guys' weekend out at the beach. being out of the house helped him realize that he really enjoys spending time with his

others. peter's going into high school and bobby's in junior high now; they're no longer kids. he walks into the family room and greets his mother.

greg: hi mom!

carol: hi, honey. she hugs her son. how are you? have you had

eakfast yet?

greg: i'm fine and yes, i grabbed some on the way out. are the guys ready?

carol: they're upstairs getting packed.

mike walks into the family room.

mike: hey! how's the job going?

greg: just fine. mr. turner gave me a raise.

mike: atta, boy! that's great!

carol: are the boys ready?

mike: they're

inging their stuff down right now.

greg: great. i'd like to get on the road so we can check in at the hotel early enough that we can catch some good waves.

marcia calls from the stairwell.

marcia: mom! have you seen my swimsuit?

carol: excuse me for a sec. walks through the kitchen to answer her daughter. it's on the service porch. your sisters' suits are there too.

marcia: descends the stairs. thanks, mom.

peter yells from his room.

peter: mom!

carol: what?

peter: where's the sunscreen?

carol: it should be in the bathroom.

peter: okay, thanks.

carol: are you and bobby ready? greg's ready to leave.

mike and greg join carol in the front room.

greg: are they ready yet?

carol: i'll go see. she starts up the stairs and cindy yells out.

cindy: mom, is my blue sling clean?

carol: sighs. yes, alice washed it before she left. isn't it in your room?

cindy: no!

peter and bobby race down the stairs with their duffels and nearly knock their mom off balance.

bobby: hey, greg!

peter: ready to catch some waves?

marcia races by, barely slowing down to greet her older

other.

marcia: hey, greg!

greg: hey!

carol: tell cindy i'll be right up.

marcia: 'kay! she races back upstairs, with suits in hand.

cindy: yells out. i found it!

carol sighs and lays her forehead on mike's chest while he rubs her back. greg and his

others load his convertible. the boys come back in to say goodbye to their parents.

bobby: bye. he hugs his mom and then his dad.

carol: bye.

peter: see ya later. he does the same.

mike: you two mind greg.

peter and bobby: oh, all right. they exchange looks of mischief with each other.

mike and carol give the pair "the look," and they shrink into compliance.

mike: got enough money?

greg: yeah, i think so.

mike: gets his wallet out and hands him some bills. here ya go.

greg: thanks. addresses his

others. ready?

peter: what are we waiting for? to the beach!

they race off to the car.

mike: one set down, one to go!

jan comes down the stairs.

carol: are you three just about ready?

jan: yeah. i'm gonna fix our lunches.

carol: they're all fixed and in the refrigerator.

jan: thanks. she starts back up the stairs.

carol: can you hurry your sisters up?

mike: chuckles. ready to get everyone out of the house?

before she can answer, the girls descend the stairs with their luggage.

marcia: which car am i taking?

mike: the station wagon's on the fritz right now, so you can take the convertible.

carol: are you sure?

mike: yeah, i don't want them

eaking down. plus, i'm having the car go in for a tune-up this afternoon.

the girls are excited to take the convertible, rather than the station wagon, and load the car. carol looks disappointed.

mike: what's wrong?

carol: i thought we were gonna have the whole weekend by ourselves.

mike: we are. mr. turner's going to pick up the car and

ing it back when it's ready. he begins planting kisses on her face. don't worry,… (he kisses her forehead)… we'll have the whole… (he kisses her left cheek) …weekend… (then her right cheek) …to… (then her nose) …ourselves. he ends with

ining her in for a passionate liplock.

the girls come back in to say goodbye. jan clears her throat and mike and carol startle out of their em

ace.

carol: you girls about to leave?

marcia: yeah. we want to get to the hotel before lunch.

mike: takes out some money. here's some money.

marcia: thanks.

carol: cindy, do you have both slings and your waterproof sleeve?

cindy: yes, mom. in my suitcase.

carol: sunscreen?

jan: right here. pulls it out of her bag.

mike: carol, they'll be fine.

carol: i know. hugs her daughters. have a great time!

the girls hug their parents and head out the door. mike and carol gaze at each other, taking in the quiet, not quite comprehending they're alone for the very first time in their marriage. after a few moments of silence, mike speaks.

mike: listen. you hear that?

carol: what?

mike: all the kids are out of the house and it's just you and me.

just then, the baby decides to kick, causing carol to crack up.

carol: i think this little one wanted to remind us we're not quite alone.

he puts his hand on her abdomen and the baby gives his hand a swift kick.

mike: addressing his child. hey, your mom and i want some time alone. settle down in there.

the baby responds with a swift kick.

the boys finally arrive at the hotel. peter and bobby are asleep, so greg must wake them so they can check in.

greg: hey you guys. we're here.

bobby: groggy. wha?

peter: we're here, dumb dumb.

greg: hey, get your stuff together, and i'll go check us in. he gets them checked in and comes back out.

peter: so, do we have an oceanside view?

greg: yeah. we're on the first floor, so we can step out of the room and be right on the beach.

bobby: neato! i can't wait to hit the waves.

greg: not so fast. let's get our stuff in the room, then we can go hit the waves.

the boys settle into their rooms, change into their trunks, and head out the door. greg

ings his surfboard and they proceed to the rental shop so that peter and bobby can get their boards.

salesman: what can i do for you guys?

greg: my

others need surfboards.

salesman: have you two been surfing before?

peter: no.

salesman: i've got two longboards for you guys. let's try these on for size.

bobby goes first. the salesman helps him pick out a board. his is blue with a silver stripe down the middle. then peter picks one out. his is black with orange flames going down the center.

salesman: if those work out for you, there is an option to buy.

greg: thanks. he pays for the rentals and the trio heads to the water.

greg shows his

others the ropes and soon, all three are up, riding the waves. suddenly, bobby wipes out, not unlike greg's wipeout a few years ago in hawaii. greg and peter rush to their

other's side.

peter: bobby, are you okay?

bobby: has a hard time speaking. yeah. he tries to sit up.

greg: helps him sit up. can you stand up? bobby nods. okay. let's get you back to the hotel. we can come back later, but i want to get you checked out first.

peter grabs the boards and greg helps bobby back to the hotel. the hotel doctor examines bobby and states that other than a major headache, he'll be fine. greg calls his parents.

mike and carol are in the family room on the couch, making out, when the phone rings. carol sighs and mike gets up to answer the phone.