“I got you a present!” said Rich. The uninhibited glee in his tone gave her the strength to remove the pillow and face him. Rich handed Emma a package wrapped with wrinkled Christmas paper: jolly Santas waltzing with jolly polar bears.
“It’s June,” said Emma, scrutinizing the Santas. “Isn’t it June?”
“Almost summer,” sighed Rich. Summer in Missoula was the sweet prize for making it through gloomy winter: weeks of fishing, biking the trails around town, hiking, and camping trips. Huckleberry jam on homemade bread and lazy afternoons napping while the boys ran all over town, wild. The fragrances of thyme and juniper.
Emma unwrapped Rich’s package carefully, folding the paper for later, unveiling a small plastic figurine. “You got me…a toy soldier?” she said.
“Sweetie! It’s a knight! In shining armor!”
Emma blinked a few times, willing herself to understand. “What?”
“I bought tickets to Sylvie’s castle wedding!” crowed Rich.
“What?” said Emma, alarmed. Their checking account was overdrawn and their retirement account was negative thirty-thousand-some dollars, a staggering debt made possible by a revolving magic show of minimum payments and new lines of credit. “With what credit card?” Emma managed.
“Card?” said Rich. “No, I called Jane’s Travel downtown! She’s planning it allas we speak.I can work another year, so what? Wecan’t miss Sylvie’s wedding and that’s that. As the kids say, YOLO! That means,you only live once.”
“Rich…” said Emma. She was going to have to borrow from her mother. She was going to have to get another card. Acid rose up her esophagus and her head began to pound.
“Here are the details from Jane. It’s going to be the best trip ever!”
“Oh, Rich,” said Emma. She grew teary looking at Jane’s careful itinerary:
Jane’s Travel
Catalfamo Family UK Tour and SYLVIE’S WEDDING!!!
VACATION BRAINSTORMING
(Just some ideas for you!)
Arrival LONDON Heathrow
London Eye Ferris Wheel?
James Bond Jet Cruise on the Thames River
Car hire to Mumberton Castle
Steam train through Murthwaite Halt
Hadrian’s Wall with guide in Ancient Roman costume
