Chapter 4
by Dan Kirk
The next morning we were up shortly after sunrise. It felt strange waking up in the new house, once more without Brian at my side, and it suddenly hit me that the chances of having him at my side again were less because of the move. Dad's cheerfulness was in stark contrast to mine as I set about making some breakfast. Luckily for us, the Deacons had given us some food for breakfast so we had food to cook that morning.
After breakfast, Dad had me unpacking the kitchen boxes while he hopped in his truck and drove off to meet some of the parishioners first thing. It was a behavior pattern of his that was constant. He always thought of going out and meeting people instead of things like getting the house organized. When he returned around ten in the morning, I'd already finished unpacking the kitchen and headed downstairs to make some measurements and quick sketches. He made a phone call to the truck rental place in Ely, getting final directions on how to get there, and we left soon after he hung up the phone.
"Dad, there's a few things I'd like to get for the house." I said as we drove through the canyon where the actual town of Eureka was located. The speed limit on Highway 50 dropped to 25 miles per hour in the town itself, and there was one stop sign. We had more than enough gas to make it to Ely, which was only ninety miles further down the road (a total of 107 from our house). Dad looked at me with curiosity as we left the last houses of Eureka behind and moved out into the eastern valley area.
"What exactly were you thinking?" Dad asked me cautiously.
"Well, the downstairs isn't really completed yet." I began carefully. "If we were to buy the supplies, we could finish it off ourselves and make it into a nice area."
"Your mother and I can't afford something like that right now, and how would we actually put things together?" Dad asked with a slight edge to his tone.
"I can afford it, and we could do it ourselves, with a little help from other people." I pointed out. "When I make the purchase for the construction supplies, I'll just add fifty percent to the amounts. That should be enough to finish off the church basement. Over there we only need to finish off the dining hall and the last set of classrooms in the back."
"We'd need measurements of everything." Dad pointed out another obstacle.
"I have them already." I answered and held up the sketches I'd already made. "There's concrete up to four feet in the basements and its wood above that, so I measured both separately and we can get the different materials and insulation. We really should have guest bedrooms for downstairs, so I've marked off two of them and a joining bathroom. Then we have the central area free and I'd like to put a set of weights down there for working out as well as a billiards table. Then we have just enough room for a study area. I'm going to need one for the government stuff and school. My bedroom is just too tight with the king-size waterbed in there. We don't have to order the furniture now, except maybe the weight set."
"What if I need an office?" Dad's question was pointed, and he had a tone of jealousy in his voice as he spoke. "Besides, how are you coming up with enough money to pay for all this?"
"Don't ask, Dad." I said with a warning in my voice. "I know you're about to mention something about being my father and I'm a minor so you should have control over the money, but I'll remind you I'm paying rent to you still, even though you get the house for free. Plus, if we ever need groceries or money for electricity, I'll have enough to make the payment for that. If you ask too many questions about it all, I'll be taken out of the house and put with the government full time."
"I don't like you having money without me being able to have any say over how it's spent." Dad fumed in a low, dangerous tone, and I could see his point. If I was the father, I wouldn't want my twelve year old to have access to funds that I didn't have some control over either.
"I'm asking you before I spend the money, aren't I?" I explained very carefully in the form of questions. "I don't ask about stuff like eating out when I'm with friends, but every time I go to buy clothes, or I go to buy anything more than a few dollars of food stuff, I get your permission or mom's, don't I? I make sure I don't spend more than half of what I'm taking in for the stuff I do for the government, and when I buy anything major, I get your permission."
"Yes, but how do I know that?" Dad fumed again.
"So you don't trust me?" I asked him and scored a zinger by his reaction.
"Damn it Davey, don't turn it back on me!" Dad roared and I stared at him calmly while he breathed heavily before calming down.
"When I do something that proves I'm lying to you; then you might have a point, father." My voice held an edge to it, an adult edge that made him listen to me.
"I'm your parent and I have a right to be able to tell you what to do." Dad's anger was still there, if not as loud. "You are my son and you'll do what I tell you to do. If I tell you to give me your bank book and control over your money you will do it or you'll be out on your butt."
"Dad, at twelve years of age, I make eight times what you do right now." I said angrily, losing some emotional control and giving him an idea of just how much I made. "I have a security clearance so high that you're not even allowed to know how high it really is. You and I both know the real reason we're out here, and that you have the pastor position you've been trying to get for years is because of me, and I damn well know how much that can irritate you and bother your pride!"
"Watch your language, young man!" Dad roared back.
"Sorry." I mumbled immediately. "See, I still accept your rebuke for my language even though you used the same word a few minutes ago. I accept and respect your position as my father. We both know you and mom have problems when it comes to wisely spending and saving money. Most of my money is set up in long-term stock options and savings plans that can't be touched for years and years. Most of my monthly income goes into the same things. No one outside the family, or the government needs to know how things work in our family and I have no problem with it staying that way. I will respect you in most things, except where they interfere with my work for the government or my personal finances. If you don't like that, I can have the government move me out tomorrow and then you won't have to worry about me at all."
"I'll worry about you wherever you go, Davey." Dad's voice was absent of anger now and I let out a sigh of relief. "I'm your father and I will always worry about you. I worry that these government people are… corrupting you or using you."
"Dad, I'm quite capable of making sure they don't use me without compensation. As for corruption, you have less to worry about there."
"Are you sure?" Dad asked in a much calmer tone.
"I'm sure." I assured him carefully.
"Okay, let's hear your plan for the basement." Dad said after a minute and I began to talk enthusiastically about what I'd come up with so far. As I expected, he really got into it and had quite a few suggestions of his own. It was almost funny because I knew what he wanted to add would up the cost a bit and he had no problem spending more of my money, once he got around the indignity of it being MY money and not his. By the time we got to Ely, he'd added maybe three thousand to the total cost of the project, but I had to admit that they were well worth the additional costs.
Ely was a large town for rural Nevada. It had about five thousand residents, three car dealerships, a real McDonald's, several farm supply companies, several grocery stores, and several hardware supply stores. We stopped at one of them and put together our shopping list for the basement and arranged for shipping to Eureka. When the owner heard the destination he gave us a dirty look.
"You must be the new pastor for that Baptist church out there." The owner fumed angrily and I did a silent 'uh oh'. "They still owe me five hundred bucks for the last round of stuff I shipped out there."
"I didn't know that sir." Dad said with a broad smile, and then gave me a very meaningful look before continuing on with the owner. "We'll get you a check to cover that as well as pay the cost of the new supplies all up front. Will that be acceptable?"
"I guess so, as long as the check doesn't bounce." The storeowner groused while I went outside to the blue Mazda pick up and made out two checks. One was for the five hundred bucks, and I fully intended on counting it as a donation to the church, and thus tax-deductible, and the other was for the amount of new material ordered as well as delivery of the materials. I handed the owner both checks and he looked at them closely.
"I'll just have to wait until these clear the bank." The man said and Dad gave him his best smile.
"That'll be just fine, sir." Dad told the man. "We aren't ready to begin the work quite yet so the delay will fit right into our plans. Say, do you know a good store around here for weight equipment? I'd like to get my son a full weight set."
"There's only one place for stuff like that here and it's down on Main and Gold." The shop owner said, still eyeing the checks warily. They were drawn on a bank out of Elko that received a monthly lump sum from my main bank back in Modesto. It'd all been set up with the help of the government and all I had to do to make sure funds were available was to call the Modesto bank and have them wire the money to the Elko bank. Still, I'd thought ahead and had thirty thousand put in there immediately. Each month, an additional twenty-five hundred would go into the account as well. I had just spent about sixty percent of that, but there was still plenty for a weight set and for grocery shopping.
Our next stop was the store that sold weight equipment. They didn't have what I wanted in stock, but would order it through an affiliated company. They could even have it delivered direct to the house instead of going through them, which would save us time. Dad freaked out a bit at the three thousand total cost, but I wanted good equipment down there that would last me for years. Then we were off to the grocery store. Dad didn't really expect that Eureka would only have a small general store where we'd end up paying three times what we'd paid in Modesto. Ely was only slightly better, with the cost being about double what he was use to paying, and we had to drive two hours to get there. I knew that Elko, about a hundred and two miles north of our house was cheaper (mostly because it was located along I-80, a much busier highway than US-50). Still, we had to purchase several ice chests and fill them up with ice so the milk and meat wouldn't spoil before we got home. When we finally left Ely, Dad had gotten money back from his deposit on the truck, and I'd spent twenty-five thousand eight hundred and six dollars. I swore to myself that if he ever complained about me spending my money again, I'd strangle him. Of course, when we'd stopped at McDonalds for lunch and the cashier had given us the total, he looked at me to pay it as well!
The good news was that since the church owned the parsonage, not us, I could probably claim most of the amount as a tax write-off. Sure, the money I'd received from the government was for classified work, but if you think the IRS cared you're in for a rude awakening. I'd learned that the hard way in the last do over and ended up paying back taxes of twenty-six thousand as well as nearly ten thousand in penalties. Naturally, it was all 'classified' by the government so I couldn't even complain about it to anyone but Brian. I'd already set aside fifteen thousand for taxes, but with all these deductions I'd probably end up owing next to nothing.
We got back to Eureka around mid-day, and this time Dad slowed down as he passed the Frosty Palace drive-in stand on the eastern edge of town. It was one of those classic drive-up fast food joints that specialized in greasy burgers and ice cream. The day was kind of warm, so I was not surprised when Dad pulled in there and mumbled something about wanting a milk shake. I paid for his milk shake, and mine, before we got back in the pick-up and headed back through town. Thirty minutes later we were unloading the groceries and putting them away.
It really was beautiful out here, in the middle of nowhere. The valley itself was relatively flat, at least to the casual observer. The alfalfa fields were filled with green plants that were nearing harvesting time, and in the distance the tall mountains filled the horizon and loomed over everything. At this time of year, there were no snowcaps on the mountains, but I knew that by winter they'd be a pure white with snow. The spectacular view from the back porch proved nature could challenge man's great cities for pure beauty.
The rest of the day passed relatively quietly as we both worked on unpacking the numerous boxes and organizing the rooms in the house. Several church members stopped by for brief visits. I'd made sure the coffee pot was filled and was glad we'd bought a lot of pastries because most were gone by dinnertime.
For dinner, we barbecued some steaks on the smallish round grill we'd brought from California and nuked some potatoes in the microwave. Most of the meal passed in silence as we sat at the dining room table and ate the steaks. To be honest, Dad had a fine hand at the grill and made the steaks perfectly rare, just the way I loved them. It was weird as well, because since we'd gotten here we'd done more things as father and son than I remembered from the last two lifetimes.
"We really should have a bigger grill for when we have church members over." Dad remarked aloud when we'd both nearly finished our meals. I caught the drift of his comment immediately. He wanted to know if I'd use my 'newfound cash' to buy one. It was worth it really, because the entire family loved food cooked over a grill. Mom and Jenny loved salmon fillets cooked that way as much as Dad and I loved good steaks.
"Maybe I can swing it when we go to Elko next time." I said and he nodded. Elko was actually slightly closer than Ely and would be where we go for groceries, clothes, the doctor, the dentist, and even bowling. I also planned to somehow talk my parents into letting me get a motorcycle, but I knew that would take a while to convince them it was safe.
Further conversation was stopped, though, when there was a knock at the door. I got up at Dad's nod and went to answer the door. There was a long, narrow window near the door and it gave enough view to show that there was an Air Force officer outside. I'd been expecting the visit since we arrived, so I wasn't too surprised.
"Hi, I'm Major Kowalski." The officer dressed in BDU said as I opened the door. He was just shy of six feet and looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties and sported a big mustache. His smile was friendly at least as he stuck out his hand for me to shake.
"Hi, Davey Jones." I replied as I shook his hand firmly.
"Just the man I'm here to see." Major Kowalski said with a short nod of his head.
"Who is it, son?" Dad called from the kitchen.
"It's Major Kowalski from that new Air Force facility." I answered back, gauging my voice slightly so he could hear clearly. He came into view a moment later, smiling in his best 'preacher' mode.
"Major, it's good to see you again." Dad said and I assumed they'd met when Dad came out for his pastoral interview.
"Pastor Jones, I see you guys made your trip just fine." Major Kowalski said to Dad in a friendly tone.
"Come on in, Major." Dad invited the man in and I stepped aside so the Major could come in, which he did. "We just ate dinner, but we can fix something up if you're hungry."
"No thanks, Pastor." Major Kowalski declined with another smile. "Actually, I came by on business. Would you mind terribly if Davey and I went for a walk?"
"Sure, go ahead." Dad's voice was slightly curt, and he frowned at that, but didn't object otherwise. The Major just nodded and then motioned with his head for me to go outside. I opened the door again and led the way outside, but once out there, the Major led us towards the back of the house. We walked for about twenty feet until we approached the National Weather Service Weather Station that was located on the far edge of the property. Mrs. Deacon came by every evening to record the day's high and low temperature, humidity, and rain or snow fall, and the section was technically federal property. He stopped at the chain-link fence surrounding the weather station and looked at it while starting the conversation.
"Son, I'm in charge of the new facility going in here, and as such was given your full file to read." Major Kowalski began slowly, not looking at anything specific, just anything that wasn't me. "It reads like some science-fiction story my kids would like."
"Major, I wish it was just a science fiction story." My voice was filled with bitterness and that caused him to look at me sharply.
"I'd almost believe that." Major Kowalski said and then took in a deep breath. "My last duty station was overseas and my family couldn't come along. While I was gone my son got into trouble with the law, so I asked for a posting where I could be with my family. This wasn't quite what I had in mind, but I have to admit it's going to be hard for him to get his hands on drugs out here."
"There's a lot of pot, and alcohol out here." I said softly. "In my original lifetime I spent a little more than a year out here, and saw plenty of pot and alcohol. The good news is that Mr. Deacon is the school's janitor and pretty much knows about every party that goes on during the school year, and he let's the cops know before it gets too late. They usually just keep an eye on them to make sure no one drives wasted and no one gets hurt in a fight or stuff like that. For some reason, none of the kids ever figure out that he's the one who figures out where the parties are."
"But you did?"
"Yeah, I overheard him telling Dad about it one night in that lifetime." I said with a shrug and found myself chuckling with the Major.
"Well, I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Major Kowalski stated. "We've had a few kids come by the new site a few times already, sniffing around, and just about every adult who lives out here. Right now we're working on the road and starting the foundation, as well as running power. Water is going to be from a ground well, and sewage will be several septic tanks. We'll also connect to the local landlines for phone as well as satellite communications. I've been told that you need an office set-up, and there's going to be an entire wing of the new building with three offices, a conference room, and two sleeping quarters for visiting VIPs. They've also instructed me that you planned on making an office here?"
"Yes, I talked the old man into it today." I said with a shake of my head. "I'm still trying to get use to this asking permission thing again. If you've seen my file you know the rank I use to hold in the Navy."
"That's an affirmative." Major Kowalski said with an uncomfortable edge to his voice.
"Calm down, Major." I said sternly, although having to look up at him since I hadn't reached my full height yet made me less secure than I'd have normally felt. "I fully realize I'm in a twelve-year old's body and that my former rank of Captain no longer applies, so I'm not going to demand you or anyone else salute me. I made the reference in order to explain how frustrating it is to be at that point in your life and then have to go back to where you have to ask for someone's permission to spend your own money to have your own office set-up."
"I understand, sir." Major Kowalski said, and the last word held a little bit of respect instead of scorn. "Have you already made arrangements for your office area?"
"Some, Major, I've made some arrangements." I said with a nod of my head. "Why don't I show you the space in the basement and describe what I've got planned?"
"That sounds like a good idea, sir." Major Kowalski agreed and we turned to head back into the house.
"The downstairs is basically unfinished, with concrete walls up to four feet, and concrete flooring." I said conversationally as we entered the house and went down to the basement. "Here to the left will be two guest bedrooms and a bathroom with toilet and shower between them. You'll notice the hookups are already in place for the shower against the wall and toilet just in from that so it must have been part of the original design intent. This stove here in the middle, and the support beams are a little problematical, so this is where the weight set is going. I've planned carpeting with thick padding because it gets damn cold in the winter. There'll also be room for a pool table, but we haven't ordered that yet. In the far right corner where the water heater is will be a large utility closet for cleaning supplies, extra toilet paper and stuff like that. Then this remaining corner will be my office area."
"What were you planning for the walls?" The Major asked, and sounded like he was really interested.
"Varnished wood paneling with well-insulated drywall above." I answered. "The windows are all at ground level so I'd planned blinds to let the maximum amount of light inside. I've already ordered the materials for the actual construction work, the toilet and the shower, as well as a basic sink, but no furniture yet."
"What arrangements have you made for the actual work?" Major Kowalski asked.
"None so far." I admitted with a shrug.
"Well, I have a team of fifteen people sitting around with nothing to do right now until we get the foundation and lumber up." He told me with a smile. "When I was in the church the other week they showed me the unfinished basement over there. If this is going to be your main office, we'll need to have our team work on it, and to keep your cover secure, we might as well have them do the entire job here and over at the church. Your office will have to be secured, and the DoD is picking up the tab for your office furniture. I'll show you your options on Monday. We'll be putting up a transmitting/receiving tower in with the Weather Station out back and run a line down here for your computer and secure satellite phone. It'll be up to you to keep that office secure and unseen by anyone. We'll also cut out some of the concrete wall and put in a secure safe inside there, while using the wood paneling to make it hidden."
"Sounds good, Major." I said with a nod while visualizing everything in my head.
"Not a problem, sir." Major Kowalski replied and I looked at him sharply.
"Major, I'm twelve. There's no need to call me sir. Davey will do just fine."
"Please call me Bob when we're alone." Kowalski replied and I nodded.
"Okay, Bob, so when do the interrogators arrive?" I asked with a slight smile and he chuckled.
"Not for another three weeks." He told me. "They want to wait until things are set up a little better, and we should have this basement done by then. I'll make arrangements for them to stay here for the few days they are here since it'll still be a few weeks more until we're ready for them at the facility. Until then, I'm supposed to be bringing you materials for you to work on during the day, and then return with them to my trailer in town at night. A flight will come in on Mondays and Thursdays to deliver new materials and to pick up your outgoing stuff. I'll stop by on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays for now, but once we get things settled down the road you'll be expected to come by yourself."
"Sounds good to me, Major." I agreed with the schedule they laid out for me.
"Okay, I'll talk to the old man about the basements and work out a schedule with him, if you don't mind." Kowalski stated firmly and I nodded my agreement. The Major went back upstairs and I decided I'd go outside and watch the sunset. The mountains to our west were a lot lower than the Diamond Peak range that the valley was named for, and the sky was totally clear, so the sunset was fairly quick and not too exciting. Still, with the sun lowering over the mountain ranges on the horizon, a slight breeze kicked up, promising some cooling from the warm day.
"I'll see you tomorrow." Major Kowalski said about ten minutes later as he came out of the house. I had moved to sit on the lawn as the sun was just now finishing its disappearing over the horizon. As the Major got into his car I lifted a hand and waved farewell in acknowledgement of his leaving. While he drove off, I returned my gaze to the distant horizon and continued reflecting on this new lifetime.
Part of me seriously hated everything about this new Do Over. I was hundreds of miles away from Brian, and he wasn't the same man I'd been married to before. Sure, he was the same twelve-year old I'd fallen in love with, but as I learned in the last do over, not everything remains the same. Still, I knew that I'd go back and see him, somehow, before he turned sixteen and that tramp who'd claimed him in the first time line had a chance to sink her claws into him.
"What are you thinking about, son?" Dad's voice startled me out of my thoughts, and I was surprised at how close I was to shouting at him. He had a worried look on his face, like he'd noticed how tense I was, so I tried to relax a bit. I had to make sure I didn't let his reactions to Brian and I in the last time line color my dealings with him in THIS timeline. After all, I pretty much had to live with him for the next few years.
"Just some of the things we left behind in Modesto, Dad." I said after a minute. He sat down next to me and put an arm around me. I knew he was trying to be comforting, but for a moment I tried to resist allowing him to do that for me. Still, he WAS my father, and he was not the same man I'd fought with in the last two timelines.
"Well, if you want your mom to bring those things out with her we can call her before she leaves in the morning." Dad assured me and I had to chuckle briefly at the mental image of Brian trussed hand and foot in the storage area behind mom's seat in her RX-7.
"I was thinking more along the lines of people and the schools." I finally said after chuckling shortly.
"Oh, well there are more people and schools out here, you know." Dad said, immediately going for the silver lining of the dark storm cloud. It was a trait I'd noticed in my adult self many times, and I'd never fully realized I got it from him.
"Yes, I know, which is why I'm not totally depressed over moving out here." I admitted slowly. "It really is beautiful out here, you know."
"It is at that, son." Dad said with a smile. "I just hope you mom and sister will enjoy it as much as we do."
"Mom's going to be bored out of her mind unless we figure out some way to keep her busy during the day." I warned him, drawing on those vague memories of a first lifetime and a year out here. "So will Jenny. None of the girls near us are her age, she's too young to baby sit, or to help any of the locals with the farm work, and so she'll be bored out of her mind in the house with mom. If you haven't tried the television yet you'll find we only get two stations, and during the height of the day we won't even get THOSE."
"They're all UHF transmitters." Dad admitted with a shrug. "UHF signals travel better at night."
"I know." I reminded him with a slightly exasperated sigh. "What I'm trying to say is that both of them have lived in cities, or at least good-sized towns for most of their lives. Look around us, Dad. Have either of them ever really lived in a place like this before?"
"No, but neither have we and you don't seem too worried about yourself or me." Dad noted calmly.
"That's because I can adjust to it a lot easier than they can." I kept myself from giving an exasperated sigh as I spoke. "You, well you're the only preacher in town. It's your chance to really strut your stuff and you'll enjoy that opportunity. I've got my own things to do that will keep me really busy, and even if I didn't, there's plenty more things for me to get involved with in order to keep busy. They won't have that. The nearest girl Jenny's age is twelve miles away, and they're not church members. It's actually a Mormon family that lives down on Eighth Street."
"How do you know that?" Dad asked with surprise and this time I did sigh aloud.
"I know a lot of things that I'm not supposed to know." I admitted in a small voice. "I know that Grandpa Jones cheated on Grandma with a woman named Joleene, and that is at least in part why she's so bitter all the time and that it's not just because he died in 1975 from brain cancer. I know that you cheated on Mom with Carla, the church secretary when we were in Florida, and then again with Mary a few years ago and that you didn't get caught with Mary."
"Who told you that?" Dad demanded sharply as his face went red with anger. Even though the sun had set there was still enough light to see his face clearly.
"I can't answer that question Dad, and I shouldn't have even mentioned that I knew about those things, just like I know about lots of other things." I answered quickly.
"Don't try to tell me what goes on in our family is a matter of National Security!" Dad was definitely angry now while I was sadly calm.
"What goes on in our family now actually is a matter of National Security." I stated flatly and the calmness in my voice seemed to surprise him. "How I know some of what's happened in the past is classified information. One day you might be authorized to know that, but right now the government has said no to that. What's important here is that how we operate as a family is going to have to change if we're going to survive here. Ask any of the members of the church, or the farmers or ranchers, or townsfolk and they'll tell you that this is a hard place. If you don't have things to do to keep you busy, you're going to go crazy. That's what Mom and Jenny will be facing."
"So what exactly are you trying to say?" Dad demanded.
"Find things to help keep them busy." I answered immediately. "Help Mom either get a job in town or help her arrange things to do with the other wives out here. Make sure Jenny has things to do with friends her age. I'll be fine on my own pretty much, but we should also do things as a family. Make sure we go regularly to Elko to have some fun as well as do the shopping. If I have to help with money for that, I'll do it without hesitation, but it's important that we do things like that."
"I can see the point in that." Dad said a lot more calmly, but he was giving me a hard look.
"About the other things, Dad." I started softly and saw his face harden again. "I'm not going to keep bringing them up and throwing them in your face, but you really need to think about them and about your role not only as this family's father, but as a preacher and a community leader, which you are here. We both know the entire town's going to be watching all four of us, and that any time I get in trouble or Jenny gets in trouble, much less you and Mom, everyone's going to be talking about it and about us. You wouldn't want talk to spread of you and some other woman, or god-forbid, Jenny."
"I would never…!" Dad started to exclaim, but when his eyes met mine, he stopped and finally his head hung slightly as he dropped his gaze to the ground. "What you must think of me…"
"What I think about you doesn't matter, Dad." My voice was actually calm, and full of compassion that I was surprised to feel. "It's not my place to judge. You've got a real opportunity here, real challenges, and real successes ahead of you, but you've got to keep yourself under control more than you have in the past. Not everything can be hidden or covered-up, and look around you. There's not that many places to hide behind out here. There's no sea of humanity with which to blend. I do love you, Dad, and I want to see you make the best of things here."
"I…I'm not sure what to say." Dad said softly.
"That's fine." I replied with a gentle smile. "Let's sit here, watch the beautiful night unfold, and think a bit."
"Sounds good to me." Dad said as he made himself a bit more comfortable on the ground and looked up at the stars that were starting to appear. I laid back on the grass myself and marveled at how clear the Milky Way's spiral arm was from here.
"I haven't seen this many stars since the last time I was at sea." I thought to myself, totally unaware that I was speaking aloud.
