This is a test. It will be deleted later, but I want to see if I can get my email notifications to work.
So here goes nothing!
It looks like I might have to add emails individually. So, if you aren't getting emails about my posts and want to get them, send me a message with your email or if I have your email, just let me know and I'll add you.
Good morning and happy Friday!
Yes, Friday. Again. The 26th of August to be exact. How it can possibly be almost the end of August is still a puzzlement to me. I mean I am looking forward to fall and stuff, but everything is moving way too quickly. I've hardly written a thing all month! I blame part of that on Little League. :) But that's okay. It wasn't all the fault of Little League. There were some other things going on this month that made my brain feel like it couldn't create, but now it's getting back into the creative mood.
I got Lawrence & Lenexa corrected and will start formatting it soon. I still have to get a synopsis and design a cover for it. Not sure when either of those will happen, but hopefully I can publish this book within a few months if not sooner.
Things are going to be busy today and tomorrow.
Today Dad and I are going to repaint one wall in the living room because when we redid the room next to it last year, we widened the doorway, which meant we had to take all the trim off. We also had some other things that scratched up or messed up the wall. We had painted over those but it was with a satin paint instead of a flat, so we have shiny spots on the wall. But once we get it repainted, Dad can finally get the trim up. Then I'm hoping to maybe get the rest of the spackling done in the hall and on the trim pieces that get put up in the living room. I don't know if I'll get to paint over all the nail holes I filled in or not since I have to wait until Dad caulks some places that are too wide for spackling.
Tomorrow there are a lot of volleyball games that my oldest niece and four oldest nephews are playing in. I don't know how many my mom and sister will be at, and if any of the younger nieces and nephews will come over here to hang out and play or take naps. (We live a few blocks away from where the games are played.) So Saturday is going to be a we'll-see-what-happens sort of day.
Well, I hope you enjoy this next part of this story. I need to figure out what else I should post on here since I can't give you all of Kate & Kylie. Anyway, enjoy!
The moment Mitch disappeared, several of the girls from Kylie’s group rushed over.
“Are you okay, Miss Kylie?”
“I can’t believe Jeff had that potato gun in the restaurant!”
“Does it hurt really bad?”
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”
“Do you have to go to the hospital?”
Somehow Kylie managed to smile and reassure them that besides having a headache, she was fine and hungry. “Go back and eat lunch. Your parents will be around to pick you all up in a little while.”
*
“Kylie? Earth to Kylie.”
With a blush, Kylie brought her mind back to the present. “Sorry. Just remembering another time.”
“Like our first lunch together? I’m not sure we could call it a date since there was a room full of kids.”
“Yeah, kids with potato guns that we somehow didn’t know about.” Kylie rubbed her head as though she still felt the throbbing headache. “I still can’t believe someone was crazy or dumb enough to mess around with one of those in a restaurant of all places.”
“Somehow,” Mitch said, “I don’t think they ever tried that again. Giving you a concussion scared everyone. Even me.”
Kylie glanced around the room and then back to Mitch. “I was thankful you were there. I did not want to be hauled off to a hospital instead of going home.”
“Crazy how accidents keep bringing us together. First the potato gun, then the little girl at the fireworks.”
“Actually, you were already sitting at my table before that potato hit me,” Kylie retorted.
“True.”
Their lunch was brought out, and after Mitch had asked a quiet blessing over their meal, they began to eat.
“So,” Mitch said into the momentary lull of talk brought on by both beginning to eat, “what have you been doing for two years?”
That was the question Kylie had secretly been dreading. She had hoped to ask him first and get him talking. She shrugged. “Not much. What about you?”
Placing one elbow on the table as though settling in for a debate, Mitch narrowed his twinkling eyes at her. “Oh, no, you don’t. That answer is not an answer.”
“It is so,” Kylie retorted.
“Details, Kys.”
In an effort to buy more time, Kylie took a bite of her meal. Mitch did the same, his eyes never leaving her face. Kylie dropped her gaze and began playing with her fork. The last two years were empty as far as anything interesting went.
“Come on, Kys, I know you must have done something in the two years since we’ve been in contact.”
She shook her head. “Not really. I kept living with my aunt and took care of her until she passed away last year. Then I house sat for some friends who were going to be gone for six months. After that I came to live with Kate and Joe since he was often gone for training and she was pregnant.” She gave a shrug and prepared to take another bite. “Your turn.”
“If all we’re giving are the bare minimum, my two years are even more boring than yours,” Mitch teased. “I took that internship in Geneva, Switzerland, and then finished my internship here in the States. I got my license, and now I’m working here at the hospital as a doctor.”
“What was it like in Switzerland?”
“I’ll answer if you promise to answer my questions.”
Wondering if she’d regret it later, Kylie agreed. She hoped she could just keep Mitch busy or that Kate would call, for she wasn’t sure she wanted to talk about her two boring years.
For several minutes Mitch shared stories about his time in Geneva working in a hospital, and Kylie listened with interest. She used to dream of traveling, but life wasn’t going the way she had thought it would.
“Your turn.”
“Um, okay.” Kylie took a bite.
“Why don’t you want to talk about what you’ve been doing?”
Startled by Mitch’s question, Kylie choked on her chicken and started coughing.
“You okay?”
Taking a drink, she nodded. “Fine.” She coughed a few more times and then wiped away the tears that had come. “Sorry.”
“So? Why don’t you want to talk about what you’ve been doing?”
She drew a quick breath. Might as well tell him. “I haven’t done anything, Mitch. My life was dull, boring and–well, all those things we used to talk about didn’t happen. I didn’t change anyone’s life or make the world a better place because of something I did. I just lived with my aunt, took care of a house, and then came to live with my sister and her husband. It was pretty pathetic as far as making a difference goes.”
“Did your aunt need your help?”
“Yeah.”
“Then her life was better because of the help and care you gave her. Did you attend church, meet anyone new, interact with anyone when you house-sat.–It’s rather strange to think of house-sitting, like it needed you to feed it or something–” He paused and chuckled. “Anyway, did you become involved at all with anything?”
“Yeah, I kept going to the same church we attended, and I met the neighbors. But they didn’t need me. I didn’t change anything by staying at that house.”
Mitch had finished eating and now pushed his plate away. Folding his arms on the table, he leaned forward. “So you kept teaching and helping with the youth events at church?”
Kylie nodded.
“Then you have no idea what will happen to the seeds you planted in the minds of those kids.”
“Anyone could have done that, or taken care of Aunt Luan, or mowed Mr. Gressup’s yard, or done any of those things, Mitch. I wanted to do something different–special. I–” She looked down at her phone and checked the time. “I should probably go.”
“Kys,” Mitch’s voice was quiet. “Are you running away, or does Kate need you?”
Good morning!
How can it be Friday again? We just had Friday. And it certainly should NOT be the 19th of August! This is crazy. Where is the "slow down" button? This week has been . . . busy.
Saturday my sis and I watched kids for a ladies fellowship at church for a few hours.
Sunday was quiet which was nice.
Monday I worked on trying to get some different things done like making corrections in the Christmas play.
Tuesday my mom, sis, and I went up to KC to help my aunt for the day.
Wednesday it rained. So lovely! And I was tired and trying to catch up on things, and the Little League World Series started so I watched some games.
Thursday we had almost all my nieces and nephews from 11-4. Then more Little League games.
Today I need to clean the house and . . . well, I'm not sure what all. My brain feels a little overloaded with things and I'm not sure what I should do first.
On the writing front, I haven't written anything this week. Between being gone and watching Little League, I just haven't been inclined to write. And I'm not sure which to work on. Besides, I still need to make the corrections in Lawrence & Lenexa. Still no idea for a cover. I've tried about 5 different versions and nothing is working.
It's nice out this morning so I think we'll go walk. Enjoy this next part of L & L.
“Lawrence Johnson!” Their mother’s voice in the doorway interrupted their talk. “How many times have I told you not to sit on the floor with your school clothes on? You’ll ruin them. And Lenexa, honey, lounging like that is a good way to give you back troubles later on in life.”
Lawrence rose and picked up his backpack. “Sorry, Mom. I forgot I hadn’t changed.”
Lenexa sat up. “Mom, can we do something together this weekend?”
Mrs. Johnson glanced down at her watch. “Like what, Lenexa?”
“Oh, I don’t know, have a picnic or go to the park. You know, something fun.”
“I don’t see how we can fit one more thing into this weekend, Lenexa. Dad has a very important meeting with a client tomorrow at one. And you know that Sunday is my bridge club. But maybe you can play golf with your father then. But change quickly now. We are eating supper early tonight.” She stepped from doorway into the hall. “Lawrence.”
“Yeah?” Lawrence called from behind the closed door of his room.
Mrs. Johnson sighed. “I do wish you wouldn’t shout, son. We are eating supper early so don’t take a long time changing. And make sure you put on proper dinner clothing, not shorts and a T-shirt this evening.”
“I won’t, Mom.”
Lenexa opened the door of her room and stood still.
“Lenexa Marie Elizabeth Johnson!” her mother exclaimed. “Surely you were not planning on wearing that to the dinner table!”
Glancing down, Lenexa didn’t see anything amiss. “Why not? What’s wrong with it?”
“Your slip is showing at least half an inch. Now either find a different slip, or put on a different dress. One that is long enough to look decent.”
“Can I just wear it without the slip? It’s just for supper–”
“Absolutely not. No child of mine is going to come to the table half undressed. Now hurry. Your father won’t want to be kept waiting.”
Shutting the door, Lenexa hurried back to her closet. The trouble was she had been growing. Her dresses were looking shorter, and most of her slips were too small. Except the one she was wearing. After trying on three dresses and finding that the slip still showed. Lenexa was desperate. Her mother had called her twice, and the tone of her voice said her patience was nearly gone. Grabbing a couple of safety pins, Lenexa pulled up the waistband of the slip and folded it over, pinning it in place. It was difficult to pin the back evenly, and she finally gave up trying. “As long as it doesn’t show it should work.”
In the hall, Mrs. Johnson eyed her daughter’s outfit carefully. “You do have a slip on, right?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Then let us go down to dinner. Mr. Edger and his wife are joining us for dessert, but you and Lawrence won’t be required to eat with us.”
Lenexa merely nodded. Mr. Edger, a lawyer from the same firm where her father worked, was friendly when alone, but neither Lenexa nor her brother cared for his wife.
*
Mounting the stairs to their rooms, the twins looked at each other and sighed. It had been a long evening. Supper had been all right though it was a bit rushed, for the Edgers were known to be early. They were early. A whole twenty minutes early. Mrs. Johnson had the table cleared away quickly even though Lawrence was still eating. After the twins had greeted their guests politely, they were excused to eat their dessert outside. There they had remained until it began to grow dark.
“I’m glad Mrs. Cook let me eat something else after dessert,” Lawrence murmured to his sister. “I might have starved before breakfast tomorrow.”
“You wouldn’t have starved, Larry,” Lenexa retorted with a grin. “But you might have been awfully hungry.” Stopping in the hall, she asked, “What are we going to do tomorrow?”
“Sleep in. Then I don’t know what. I wish we had those papers to fill out for camp.”
Lenexa sighed. “Yeah, me too. Well, I’m going to bed. Night, Larry.”
“Good night, Lexi.”
*
Saturday, Sunday, and then Monday finally dragged their slow, reluctant days away, and then it was Tuesday.
Lenexa was late for breakfast and had to rush through her meal in order to leave for school on time. There was no time to talk with her brother until they were in the car, and even then she couldn’t very well bring up the subject that was foremost in her mind.
All during school that morning Lenexa fought to stay focused. Catching her brother’s arm in the hall, she dragged him to the side and whispered, “Do you think she’s put it there yet?”
Lawrence shrugged. “Maybe. Let’s go eat.” He started down the hall toward the stairs.
Keeping step with him, Lenexa wasn’t ready to let the subject drop. “What if she gives the papers to Mom? Or forgets to bring them?”
“If she forgets than we’ll have to wait until Saturday. If she gives them to Mom, well–” He waited for a few students to hurry ahead of them down the stairs. “If Mom gets them then I’m guessing we’ll either have to do some pretty fancy persuading and hope we can get Dad on our side, or we’ll just have to forget the whole thing, listen to our lecture, and go to our usual camp.”
“Oh!” Lenexa moaned. She felt like sitting down on the stairs but knew she’d get a lecture if a teacher saw her.
“Come on, Lex, buck up. We only have a few more hours before we know.” Lawrence didn’t feel as confident as he tried to sound. Though he wouldn’t admit it then, he was worried too.
Somehow the twins managed to finish the school day without any reprimands for absentmindedness, and they met each other at the door. Lenexa’s face was eager and excited.
“You look too eager, Lex,” Lawrence murmured, as they were swept along by the crowd. “Mom might notice.”
Good morning!
It's in the 60ºs this morning. Or at least that's what my computer is saying. My sister and I walked yesterday and it was so nice. Don't know if we'll try to walk this morning or not. It might depend on what we need to get done before breakfast.
This week hasn't been much of a writing week. I finished writing the Christmas Play, or at least I hope I did. It hasn't been through my editor yet, so we'll see what she thinks of it. But that was on Monday and I haven't written anything since. There have just been a lot of other things going on. Little League ball games to watch here and there, books to move and rearrange, filling in nail holes on the trim in the hall, and yesterday I even put a small cube bookshelf together. I have been working more on blog posts and trying to catch up on this, that, and the other.
I did design a cover for this year's short Christmas story which was last year's Christmas card story. And no, I didn't post it last December. I posted the other version of the story that I had written.
I've been also playing around with a cover for Lawrence & Lenexa. Should I keep that title or find something else?
Hopefully I can get back into writing again soon. And reading as I realized that aside from a few of my own short stories I haven't read anything since I finished a story on Monday. I hope you enjoy today's part of Lawrence & Lenexa.
“What if . . .” Lawrence looked out the window, then down at the table, before glancing up at his sister. “What if we went somewhere else.”
Lenexa’s eyes widened. “Larry,” she whispered as though afraid someone else would hear, “what do you mean?”
“Well, when I went on that bike ride last Saturday with Saundra’s brothers, you know they came over when she came to clean–”
Lenexa nodded quickly but said nothing.
“We stopped down at the creek to take a break and got to talking. They mentioned that they go to some camp called Mountain View something-or-other. I don’t remember it all, but they were saying how much fun they had and how great it was. They even invited me to go with them.”
Lenexa’s face fell. “Is it just a boy’s camp?”
“No. They said you could come too. It’s some kind of Bible camp or something.”
Lenexa turned back to her paper. “Well, it’s no use thinking about that. You know Mom would never let us go to a Bible camp.”
“Dad might.”
Folding her arms on the table, Lenexa leaned forward. “But we don’t even know where it is, what it is, when it is, or how to get there.”
“I have a paper they gave me about it. I haven’t read it yet. I finished my homework and can go get it. You?”
“Let me finish these last few questions, then I’ll be finished.” Quickly Lenexa bent over her paper and scribbled answers to the remaining three questions while Lawrence hurried from the room.
He returned a moment later. Pausing, he quickly locked the door behind him before rushing back to the table. There were certain people in the house that he didn’t want surprising them, or any plans of attending a different camp would be dashed.
For several minute the two heads bent over the paper. Every line was read. Lawrence got out the large atlas and looked up the town closest to the camp. That’s where they would be picking up campers who came in on a bus.
“Wouldn’t this be a great place to spend two weeks?” he asked.
Lenexa nodded. “But how can we get the forms to fill out? If we had those we could fill them out and get Daddy to sign them. He wouldn’t care or even notice probably, if we went to a different camp this year.”
“Why don’t we ask Saundra when she’s here on Saturday.”
“She’s not coming Saturday,” Lenexa said. “I overheard her telling Mrs. Hamstead that she had to clean tomorrow because of something else that was going on. Mrs. Hamstead wasn’t very happy.” She twisted a strand of hair around her finger and frowned. “And we’ll be in school.”
“Maybe one of us could pretend to be sick.”
Lenexa just looked at him.
“Then again, Mom would probably call up Dr. Hathaway and it would all be over. Could we leave her a note?”
Lenexa’s face brightened. “Of course! She cleans our rooms, and I know the perfect place to put a note where she’ll be sure to find it and no one else will notice. Come on, let’s get it written right now.”
It took some time to agree on just what the note should say, but at last it was written. The twins gathered their books, stuffed them into their backpacks for the next day, and then Lenexa hurried to her room to put the note in its hiding place.
The rest of the day passed as it usually did. The twins ate a dull supper sitting alone in the large dining room. “We should just eat in the kitchen,” grumbled Lawrence.
Lenexa nodded with her mouth full. Often they had tried to get Mrs. Hamstead to agree to letting them eat in the kitchen with the cook, the gardener, and one of the maids who lived in the house, but she never would agree to it.
“Your mother would never approve,” she always said. And by the tone of her voice, it was obvious that she didn’t approve either.
“I wish Mrs. Hamstead would take a vacation again,” Lawrence grumbled. “Mrs. Cook didn’t mind us eating in there with them.”
The Johnson’s cook really bore the last name of Cook, which greatly amused and delighted the twins. She and Saundra were their favorite members of the staff and the closest things the children had for friends in the large mansion.
*
When they came home from school the next. day, Lawrence didn’t suggest a race to change clothes. Instead he followed his sister into her room. “Is it gone?” he whispered even though no one else was around.
Lenexa looked around. “No–yes! She left a note!” Snatching it quickly, she opened it and read, “I should be able to get those papers for you when I come on Tuesday. My brothers will be excited if you both can attend camp with them this year. Saundra.”
“Now we just have to wait until Tuesday.”
“It feels like ages to wait,” Lenexa agreed, sinking down onto her bed. “Maybe Mom and Dad will be free to do something with us this weekend.”
Dropping his backpack onto the floor, Lawrence sat down cross-legged beside it. “Like what?”
“I don’t know. Go to the park or have a picnic. You know, something other kids do with their parents.” She shrugged.
“It’d be fun, but I wouldn’t count on it. Maybe we can get someone to take us to the library tomorrow, and we can get some new books to read.”
With a sigh, Lenexa fell backwards on her bed. “I suppose. But I get tired of reading all weekend, every weekend. I’d like–”
“Lawrence Johnson!” Their mother’s voice in the doorway interrupted their talk. “How many times have I told you not to sit on the floor with your school clothes on? You’ll ruin them. And Lenexa, honey, lounging like that is a good way to give you back troubles later on in life.”
Good morning,
We've had some rain this week. Not a lot, but we did get some over the weekend and then some more yesterday morning. It is still getting into the triple digits some, but not everyday. The grass is looking a little greener.
This has been a very busy week!
Saturday– We moved books and bookshelves in the living room. I'm guessing we moved around 1,400 or more books. And I wrote some and got a few other things done.
Sunday– We had a fellowship meal after church which was fun. I spent the afternoon reading. That was nice.
Monday– My brother's 3 youngest kids spent almost all day here, so we read stories, and played, and naps were taken, and more playing. I did manage to get a little written that evening as well as get ready for the next day.
Tuesday– I was up at 4:30, at my polling place by 5:15. We were actually quite steady almost all day with voters. Ended up with 305 people voting. We had a new guy working with us. He'd never worked the polls before, but he did great. Thankfully the day didn't drag.
Wednesday– I woke up with a sore throat. I spend almost all morning with camp stuff. We closed the gates and kicked everyone off. Then we had to get it cleaned up and as ready for the next camp as we can. Took a nap after lunch. I needed one. Still fighting some sort of cold. Sinuses started bothering me. I did write some and practiced the violin that evening.
Thursday– All 8 nieces and nephews were over from 8:30-5:00. Since I was still fighting some sort of sinus cold and sore throat, it made it hard to read many stories or do a lot of talking. Several of the kids were getting over stuff too. I don't know if I caught it from them when we were over there last week, and then some were over on Monday, and then maybe mixed it with something from Election Day, but I'd rather just get over it. :)
Anyway, I got my proof copy for Don Wood in the mail yesterday. Now it needs read and corrections made so I can publish it. Yes, I am hoping to work on Lawrence & Lenexa now. Went over some things and last night I sat and knitted and thought through it all. Hopefully I can add what is needed soon.
“Mrs. Hamstead will be picking you up today after school, remember?” Mrs. Johnson said, stopping her silver Cadillac in front of Biltmore Preparatory School where her two children attended. “And Dad and I have a dinner tonight.”
Climbing from the car, Lawrence nodded. “Got it.”
Lenexa gave a wave. “Bye, Mom.”
As the silver Cadillac pulled out into traffic, the siblings glanced at each other with a shrug. “I don’t know why she bothered telling us they have a dinner,” Lawrence muttered, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. “They seem to always have a dinner, or a meeting, or something.”
Beside him, Lenexa nodded and brushed back her light brownish-red hair. “Maybe we can do something then. After orchestra.” She shifted her violin case to the other hand.
Together they walked up to the front doors of their school. They were almost the same height, although Lenexa was just over a quarter of an inch taller than her twin brother.Her bangs pulled back in a dark ribbon. Both wore their school uniforms with white shirts. Lawrence had on dark slacks while Lenexa wore her dark plaid, pleated skirt. They looked just like the dozens of other students arriving and were soon swallowed up in the crowd and swept into the stuffy, snobbish halls of Biltmore Prep leaving no time for further conversation.
*
The sun was bright and the afternoon was warm, indicating the approach of summer and the longed for end of the school term. Mrs. Hamstead was waiting in the car when the twins finally emerged at the end of the school day. She was the Johnson’s housekeeper and rarely spoke to the children of the house unless necessity required it, for she didn’t like children. It was only in extreme circumstances that she would condescend to pick up the twins from their school.
Today had been one of those days. With a grim face, she waited in silence until they had climbed into the back of the car and fastened their seatbelts, and then, still without a word, she pulled away from the curb.
Sensing tension, Lawrence ventured to roll his eyes, at his sister and Lenexa bit back a giggle. Both knew it would never do to get Mrs. Hamstead in a worse mood than she already was, so they kept silent and watched the landscape flash by the windows.
The country atmosphere that surrounded the prep school gave way to high office buildings, bustling lanes of traffic, and occasionally the lights and sirens that signaled an accident. Mrs. Hamstead, though she wasn’t an enjoyable companion, was an excellent driver, and before long the majority of the traffic was left behind and the car turned onto a winding residential street. The houses were modest, single story affairs and Lenexa and Lawrence had often privately wondered what it would be like to live in a house that small. As they continued on, the houses grew larger, the lawns more spacious, and finally Mrs. Hamstead turned onto a long driveway and parked before the Johnson’s house.
Large, grand, three-stories tall, this mansion was the home of Mr. Lawrence Lancaster Johnson III, attorney at law, his wife, Camilia Lenexa Johnson, and their son and daughter. It was also the working place of several “hired help” who cleaned, cooked, tended the yard, washed the cars, and maintained the appearance of the Johnson home in general.
“See to it that you do your homework before you do anything else,” Mrs. Hamstead ordered, speaking suddenly as she parked the car.
“Yes, ma’am,” chorused the twins before scrambling out of the car. They wanted to run into the house but knew that would only bring a scolding from the housekeeper, so they contented themselves with a brisk though dignified walk.
Once inside, however, they dashed up the stairs to the second floor, down the hall and stopped before their rooms gasping for breath.
“Race you in changing,” Lawrence challenged.
“You have to let me put my violin down first,” Lenexa said, “or the new string might come loose again. Not that I would care very much, but my teacher would probably scold.”
“Okay, but then you have to come back into the hall so we can start at the same time.”
Lenexa grinned and hurring into her room, carefully set her violin case right side up on the plush, cream couch. Then she ran back to the hall. “Ready, go!”
The race was over in minutes with both children jerking open their bedroom doors within half a second of each other. This brought a laugh.
“Now homework. Ugh,” Lawrence groaned. “I can’t wait until school is out!”
“Me too.” Lenexa grabbed her backpack. “Let’s go to the play room and do our work there.”
Her brother nodded, and they crossed the hall and entered the large room. Windows on two sides let in plenty of light while bookshelves lined most of one wall and the floor was thickly carpeted. This had been the room where the twins had spent much of their time when they were young. Even now the large closet held their favorite childhood toys, remnants of their monotonous life.
Not thinking about the past, the twins were soon seated at a table near one of the windows with their homework spread out. Almost complete silence filled the large room for some time with only the turning of a page and the scratching of a pencil to disturb the stillness.
“Lexie,” Lawrence said at last, fiddling with his pencil.
“What?”
“Summer’s coming.”
“Yeah.” Lenexa looked up at her brother expectantly.
“Where do you think we’ll go to camp?”
“Same place as always.” Lenexa couldn’t keep back a sigh. “It’ll be boring as usual, and the snobs in the cabin will be just as annoying, and when we come home Mom and Dad will say, ‘Did you have fun?’ but won’t have time to listen to us say more than yes or no.”
“What if . . .” Lawrence looked out the window, then down at the table, before glancing up at his sister. “What if we went somewhere else.”