Gary and Lillian Menard waved as the cruise ship pulled their parents Hank and Veevee into the distance. Finally they were lost against the glare of the sun over the sea.
"C'mon Lil," Gary said. "I've got plans tonight with Bernie."
Lil, who had been smiling just a minute before, hung her head and sighed. "Yeah, guess you do," she said.
"Aw Lil," Gary said. "Cheer up. There must be lots of things you wanted to do that, uh, Mr. Ex has been keeping you too busy to do."
"Yeah," she said. "Good riddance to him, anyway. I just wish I knew what to do with myself." She kicked at a crumpled scrap of paper.
They walked back through the cruise ship terminal to the parking lot.
"I can't believe you're driving Stuart's beast," Lil said. "And that you drove Mom and Dad here in it."
Gary patted the side of his friend Stuart's custom van conversion. It was a full-size van, with blue, white, and gold surf and sandscape paintings on each side. The body had been raised slightly to accommodate fat tires with deep zigzag treads. Over the rear tires were mudflaps decorated with a chrome cutout of a busty girl on one side and a muscular guy on the other, each with a surfboard. On the top was a heavy-duty cargo rack.
"Dad took the keys to the Z," Gary said. "So what was I gonna drive for our two weeks of glorious freedom? Mom's Prius? The girls, they would laugh so hard..."
"You have a girlfriend. And a car," said Lil. "In case you'd forgotten." She made a pickle face at Gary.
"Bernie likes Stu's van," Gary said. "And what, given the choice I should be driving my no-air-conditioning junker of a Civic during summer vacation?" He sang a bit from one of his favorite driving songs. "When I'm driving in my Malibu, it's easy to get close to you. Stick shifts and safety belts, bucket seats have all got to go..."
Lil laughed. "Cut it out, you clown," she said. "God, who put you on to Cake of all weirdo bands?"
"Made you laugh!" said Gary.
She squinted at the back. "I can't believe you actually want to drive a van with chrome mud flap girls humping surfboards. Oh, excuse me, the other one's a guy ."
"No van has presence like Stuart's van," Gary said. "And with him riding the pipeline down under, somebody has to drive it."
They got in and buckled up. "Off to Bernie's," Gary said. "Unless you want to stop downtown somewhere first, or just have me drop you home."
"I don't know," Lil said. Her head drooped again, and her arms were between her knees on the seat.
"Sis, you gotta snap out of it," Gary said. "Live a little. You've dumped Mr. Grump, and this is your chance to get in some licks before Mom and Dad get back and it's back to yes-sir, no-ma'am. At least get your friends from, what was that summer class you just finished, Relationship Dynamics? You were always happy when they were over studying. Have 'em come over and swim or something." Lillian looked doubtful. Gary continued, "And I bet Bernie would have some good cut-loose ideas for the next week or two. She likes you a lot. Maybe she should take you for a new haircut. Heck, maybe tonight we should all go out together."
"I don't want to spoil your fun," Lil said.
"And you think it's fun to watch you moping around the house?" Gary said. "Anyway, think about it. The cat's away, the mice will play. This is your best chance to just say 'what the fuck'."
Lil laughed. She straightened up her head and shoulders and looked at the palm trees lining the harbor access road. "Okay," she said. "I'd like..." |