Wednesday passed quietly. Sam and Emily walked home, stopping at a nearby Indian restaurant to pick-up take out. When they got home, and after a change of clothes, they sat down to eat.
"Sam, I was thinking. How about a weekend trip?" Emily took a bite of her chicken tikka masala.
"Oh yea?"
Without looking up, Sam chewed on a piece of naan. "Got any place in mind?"
"How about New York City? A
trip to the Met to see the ancient Egypt section, perhaps? Might be a good research opportunity?"
Sam got really excited at first; however, his
excitement waned quickly. Looking
suspiciously at his Mom, he quizzed her. "Where will we be staying?"
"Well, I was thinking about my parents." Emily hated
the thought of staying with them, but she wanted Sam’s reaction.
Grandmother and Grandfather Icefield lived in a New York City apartment
that they had owned for several generations.
Her brother, Bob, stood to inherit the family fortune, the apartment,
and most of the furnishings. Sam never
liked his mom's side of the family.
Grandmother and Grandfather Icefield weren’t really that nice and always
criticized Emily for marrying George and their parenting of Sam.
It wasn't surprising that Emily had developed a love of travel.
Sam remembered the last visit with them six years ago.
"Samuel, I insist that you refer to me as
‘Grandmother Icefield. Your other grandmother may prefer ‘Grandma’ but I am… well…
I am not on her... status level. We are
much more comfortable than Mr. and Mrs. Henry." Grandmother Icefield was tall, slender, and
always held her hands at stomach level.
She had never hugged Sam and expected him to act like a proper
gentleman.
Arrogant and aloof, Grandfather Icefield wasn’t any nicer. Sam remembered his stern looks whenever Sam started to speak. His Uncle Bob and his two kids were their grandparent's pride and joy. They got away with anything.
Sam stared at his Mom.
Finally, he gave her a hesitant reply, before suggesting an alternative.
"Well… if you really want to… but you know… We
haven’t seen Aunt Paula and Uncle Matt in a few months… I bet they would want
to see us if we went…"
Sam and Emily were always welcome by George’s family. Matt and Paula Henry and their two teenage
kids, August and Augusta, lived on the Upper Eastside of Manhattan in a very
spacious apartment. It was always an
adventure to stay with them.
Matt Henry taught American literature at a university and had won several awards for his books. Paula ran her own travel business and wrote
fiction. The Henrys lived like
Bohemians. Their home reminded Sam of
something out of the Ancient Middle East. Multi-colored rugs with geometric designs,
brass trays and statuary, huge puffy pillows, and oriental looking furniture
filled each room.
Their teenagers went by Augie and Auger, nicknames
they had given each other when they were young. Both in high school, Augie would graduate
this year, then he planned to on to Harvard to study history. Auger would graduate the next year and she had
plans to study acting.
Augie and Auger treated him like he was their little
brother. Sam loved their last visit, but
was exhausted after all the sight-seeing, games, and theatrics.
"Sam, let’s put on a play," said Auger,
wearing fake tiara in her long hair. "We’ll
write it, produce it, direct it, then perform it."
Augie chimed in.
"Maybe we’ll take it all the way to Broadway." Augie made a dramatic
stance with the back of his hand on his forehead.
Several hours later, the trio entertained their
parents with a production of Sam and the Two Devils: A Play of Happy
Endings. His cousins played devils who
tried to get Sam to do bad things, but he outwitted them, in turn making them
do the bad things. Sam still had the five-page
script in his desk drawer.
They had also created a blanket tent. Inside, they put a twin mattress and lots of
pillows for him to sleep on. He felt
like he was on safari or traveling the desert in his sleeping quarters.
Emily studied Sam’s reaction about where to stay. "Judging by the look on your face, I
think Uncle Matt and Aunt Paula's it is."
"Works for me." Sam began to make plans in his mind.
"Good," said Emily. "I've already called them, bought the
plane tickets, and got Thursday and Friday off work.
We leave Thursday morning. I
talked to your school. Augie and Auger apparently are making plans
for you. Something about the
Metropolitan Museum of Art."
I want to go too 😁
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