Since the radio in the car was broken, they endured a long, boring drive. Mercifully, once they had gotten on the Interstate, his mother stopped loudly expressing her disapproval of Junior's behavior. She could not stay mad at him for long, tasting what was ahead of them.
Any summertime at Grampa's lake cabin meant much needed blissful fun for everyone, especially Junior. He could stay up as late as he wanted and swim as much as he pleased.
Adding to that, he enjoyed fishing immensely. He didn't enjoy killing the poor fish, but he took pleasure in the wait, the struggle, and the meal afterwards.
Of course, there were also drawbacks to life at the lake... Grampa John Space called it "my wild retreat"; the cabin, which could frankly fit comfortably only one human being, had no phone, no radio, no television. It had, only recently, acquired running water and electricity, in order to make it "fit for my grandkids".
The scarcity of entertainment and the lack of privacy also meant that, once at the cabin, they were forced to interact in quantities they typically didn't have to. This situation inevitably brought up unpleasant topics of conversation.
BEATRIX
I just don't see why you, with your brains, wouldn't want to go to college!
Junior's mother and sister had had their loudest fight of the year so far.
AMANDA
Because I don't need it!
BEATRIX
How could you not need it? Do you really think the world is going to just, throw you a job?
AMANDA
I already told you! I want to be a writer!
BEATRIX
Yeah, well, good luck paying your bills with that!
AMANDA
Grr! Why do you always talk about money!? Life is so much more than money!
BEATRIX
Do you want to STARVE? Do you even know what that means? I have spoiled y...
AMANDA
STARVE?! Why do you always have to be so dramatic?!
And so on...
That had been three days previously. The atmosphere was tense between them, and communication was limited to a few polite words, such as: "sunscreen?" "food?" "goodnight".
Discord on land meant that Junior and his grandfather tried to spend more time on water.
JOHN
Guess we won't be catching anything today...
JUNIOR
Nope...
JOHN
But it's not all bad though, is it?
JUNIOR
Nope...
The sound of cicadas echoed across the water and the gentle rocking of the boat only increased their sense of relaxation.
JOHN
I had forgotten how nice it is to just do nothing every once in a while...
The tragedy had hit Grampa very hard, but what changed him had been, a few months later, Granma's passing.
Ever since then, his grandfather had become the busiest man in town. There was nothing he wouldn't try to fix, paint, build, cut in order to distract himself from the pain.
JUNIOR
It's nice to do nothing together...
He said with a smile.
JOHN
It really is... but we should head back to shore now. I'm famished!
As they arrived onto shore Beatrix greeted them with the usual
BEATRIX
Caught anything?
JUNIOR
Nope, not today...
BEATRIX
Mmmh... that means that tomorrow we need to go to the shop to buy some food!
JUNIOR
Amazing! We didn’t have to go into town at all this year...
JOHN
Today it's what it has been like for most of the season. We were lucky to catch that much fish so far. Get me a newspaper from the shop, will you. The whole world could have gone to pieces and we wouldn't know anything about it!
Almost right John.
After dinner, Junior and Amanda were seated by the shore of the lake. He was contemplating the sun setting, she was absorbed in yet another book.
JUNIOR
So you really don't want to go to college...
AMANDA
Don't you start like mom...
JUNIOR
Why not? I mean, dad went to college and became an astronaut...
AMANDA
And mom didn't and she's still ALIVE!
That shut Junior right up.
AMANDA
I'm sorry, Junior, I didn't mean to upset you...
She actually let go of the book she was holding and hugged his brother.
AMANDA
All I'm trying to say is, that we don't know what the future will bring us, so...
JUNIOR
Shut up!
AMANDA
What do you mean shut up? I was j...
JUNIOR
Can you hear that?
A faint noise was getting clearer.
AMANDA
What is that?
JUNIOR
It sounds like a chopper...
Sure enough, a few seconds later they could make out the shape of a helicopter in the sky. It appeared to be heading straight for the cabin... Attracted by the growing racket, Beatrix and John joined the kids by the shore.
JOHN
What the hell is a chopper doing here?
JUNIOR
That's a Sea King!
He and his family had flown in the same kind of helicopter during the summer of the incident...
The Sea King landed in the shallow water right in front of them. Out of the hatch emerged none other but Uncle Jack.
JACK
Junioooor!! I've been looking everywhere for you!
