Sarah Hill ’23 - A Very Misadventurous Vacation

A Very Misadventurous Vacation

by Sarah Hill ’23

It was the middle of June on a hot summer’s day, and the Parker family was getting ready for their annual vacation. This year they decided to go to North Carolina, taking their family van as usual. The family made sure to pack everything they needed not only for the vacation, but also for the car ride, including snacks, drinks, and other things to keep them busy. The drive down there would be about 12 hours, which would be a battle in itself, considering three adults and two teenagers had to be stuck together for that long. To add to the chaos, the grandmother had separation anxiety from her beloved pet bird, Fred. The Parker family prayed that this road trip would go smoothly because then they would be able to truly relax at their destination.

The first few hours of the trip went by quickly, as everyone was on their electronic devices except the driver, Mr. Parker. The radio was on the Grateful Dead channel, and Mr. Parker was swaying his head to the sounds of Jerry Garcia’s guitar solo. Everything was calm, that is until the grandmother asked, “where is Fred?”

“Fred is at home with the other birds,” answered Mr. Parker calmly.

“No,” said the grandmother, “I just saw him, where did he go?”

The teenage son giggled, thinking his grandma was making up stories again.

“Fred isn’t with us Grandma,” murmured the sassy teenage daughter.

The grandmother was sure that she had just seen her yellow and green bird, but she eventually became quiet again, as she realized her family didn’t believe her.

After some more driving, the family became very bored. The five of them ate all of their snacks and completed all of the puzzles they brought for the trip. They had run out of activities to do and were desperate to get out of the car. The trip wasn’t even halfway over and the Parkers were already sick of being together. The grandmother tried to start conversations with her family, but they mostly ended up being about her bird. Due to this constant pestering, the rest of the family was quite exasperated. The teenage boy tried to lighten the mood, but even his attempts failed. Even with the upbeat sounds of the radio, the car always seemed to end up in silence. The grandmother couldn’t keep her mind off of her bird, while the rest of the family hoped their vacation would be much better than their frustrating car ride.

After about five hours of driving, the family became hungry and stopped at a McDonald’s to stretch their legs. Mrs. Parker took the grandmother to the bathroom while Mr. Parker and the kids ordered food.

“What do you think Grandma meant when she said she saw Fred?” the daughter asked her father.

“She probably was just so worried about Fred that she thought she saw him in the car,” Mr. Parker stated dismissively.

The family got their McDonald’s to go and went back on the road. The car’s mood instantly changed when “Playing in the Band” by the Grateful Dead came on the radio. The family was so overjoyed singing together that they almost forgot to eat their food. As the Parkers began to eat their meals, the son opened his bag.

“Hey, who ate all my fries?” he said in a confused tone. Mrs. Parker looked at her son’s empty fry container and said, “That’s weird, you

just opened the box, how could they be missing?”

The boy then looked to his grandmother, who was happily eating her box of fries.

“Grandma,” her grandson said in a frustrated tone, “did you steal my fries?”

“Why would I steal your fries, honey? I have my own,” his grandmother said raising her eyebrow.

The grandson rolled his eyes in disbelief as his grandma must have been the culprit. The boy’s sister had fallen asleep in the backseat so it couldn’t have been her. His grandma was the only one next to him in the car, and there was a hand-sized hole in the bottom of his bag. The boy was easygoing, so he let his grandmother off the hook.

No need to start a useless fight. He thought to himself.

At last, the family was about an hour away from their destination. They all turned their heads as they drove past a flock of birds. The birds outside were happily chirping as they flew next to the van.

“Look, Grandma, I think I see your bird,” the granddaughter said jokingly. At that moment, the family heard a small chirp, followed by a loud crash, and then the sound of their luggage opening, spilling their belongings all over the trunk of the car.

“Great, just great!” Mrs. Parker exclaimed sarcastically.

The family’s road trip seemed to be becoming worse and worse. Nothing seemed to be going as planned, and the family was tired of being stuck together for this long. The Parker family was glad that their trip was almost over, but there were still many unanswered questions. Just then, Mr. Parker saw something in his rearview mirror that caught his eye.

The family was about ten minutes away from their vacation home when Mr. Parker pulled the car over. He must have seen something important that made him stop, as he was quite eager to begin his vacation. Mr. Parker opened up the trunk, and to the rest of the family’s surprise, a little yellow and green bird flew to Mr. Parker’s shoulder.

“Fred! I knew you were in here somewhere!” exclaimed the grandmother.

The grandmother was overjoyed to know that her little friend was safe. Fred chirped happily and flew straight to his owner.

“Oh, so that’s who ate all of my fries,” said the boy while laughing.

The bird must have snuck into the luggage as the family was leaving, climbed out, ran throughout the car, ate the son’s fries, and tried to climb back into the suitcase, causing it to open and spill all over the car. With this mystery solved, the family was able to finally make it to their vacation home.

Although the car ride was chaotic, the bird tagging along on the trip worked out for the entire family. The grandmother was able to stop worrying about being separated from her bird, allowing for everyone to truly enjoy their vacation. The week was filled with going to the beach, swimming, and relaxing in the huge house. The Parker family’s vacation was a huge success, and the family had such a fun time together. Even though they struggled to be crammed in a car together, the family enjoyed each other’s company for the rest of the week. Overall, the trip was not perfect, but it was quite a memorable vacation.