Picture a small gray cape house. Steps from the beach. It is almost midnight. The wind is howling through the scrub pines and the soft carpet of pine needles muffles the car's approach. We bounce down a rutted dirt road and the high beams finally hit on #80. Is this it? Are we here? There are no houses this far down the road, and anyway, we can't see anything that isn't illuminated in the circle of our headlights. We shut the car off and can only hear the pounding ocean and furious wind. If there were ever EVER a scene for a horror movie, I thought, this is it. What if we can't get in? What was that!? A shadow moved into the backyard. Coyotes are common down here.
Jack: (sleepily from the back seat) Okay. Are we here?
me: We made it!
Jack: I'm cold.
Dennis: Wait til you get outside.
Jack: (perking up) We're here! Yay! Let's go Mom!
me: We'll take a quick tour of the house and then you are going right back to bed.
Jack: Yawwwwnnnn! I think I'm not tired.
me: (opening the back door) Let's see what we have here. Okay there's one bedroom and bathroom. And here's another bedroom. Which one do you want to sleep in?
Jack: Whichever one you and Daddy are in.
me: You don't want your own room?
Jack: (glances outside at the pitch black darkness and shrieking wind) Really? No.
me: (thinking his delivery is impeccable) Okay let's get you set up on the blow up bed.
Jack: I'm not very tired. Yaaaawwwwnnnn!
me: Okay, you're all set. Climb in and let me get you all cozy.
Dennis: Goodnight!
me: I'll leave the door open a crack okay? We'll be right out here unpacking and we'll come in in a few minutes.
(silence)
me: Jack?
Jack: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.
(5:15 a.m.)
Jack: Mommm! I need to go to the bathroom! And I'm not tired! Is it morning???
He stayed awake from that point on. No matter how I tried to trick, threaten, cajole, or bribe. I went to bed after 1am. Dennis came in soon after. Now here I am up at 5:15? Sigh. Why does being out here always turn Jack into an early bird?
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