I had been promising Justin and Josie a trip to Disneyland for over 7 years. Their parents didn't want them to go, ever, but realized that Josie, now 18, was old enough to go on her own, if she wanted. And she did want to. So my wife and I gave Josie a "becoming an adult" present: an all-expenses paid trip with us to Disneyland. Well, once Josie was going, there was no stopping Justin. Though he was only 13, he convinced his parents that Josie needed the company. So their parents gave in and let me and my wife take both of them. We had everything booked and paid for in advance. Then my wife twisted her ankle.
I wasn't sure what to do, but my wife said she would be fine and I should go since nothing was refundable. Josie said she was going to go by herself, if need be. Her parents realized she was serious and asked if I would be willing to take both children by myself. I checked, again, with my wife, who pushed me out the door. So off the three of us went!
We arrived in the evening and checked in to our motel rooms. The kids loved that we had adjoining rooms, especially when I told them that they could shut their door and lock me out! We all went to bed early to get a good night's sleep. In the morning, I noticed the door was open. When I looked in, they were both already dressed and ready to go.
"The park doesn't open for another two hours!" I said. They both just smiled the biggest smiles I'd seen on them in a long time.
"You wearing a dress?" I asked, then realized I shouldn't have said anything.
"Yeah. It's supposed to get hot today."
"Really?" I said. "Maybe I'll wear some shorts. How about you, Justin?"
"No way," he said.
"Don't forget your watches," I said. They both held up their arms, watches attached to their wrists.
We had a quick breakfast and headed for the park. We had carefully planned the morning and the kids ran from ride to ride before the park filled up. For a while I was able to keep up and enjoyed Justin and Josie's wide smiles and unbounded energy. Within an hour I got tired of trying to keep up with them, they were allowed to go on their own anywhere in the park. We set up a noon rendezvous for burgers and fries in Tomorrowland.
At noon, everyone was there. We talked about the rides they'd been on, which were their favorites, and what we were going to do that afternoon.
"I'm going to Frontierland, and then back to Adventureland," Justin declared. He mapped out the timing that would give him the most rides and the least lines.
Josie looked at me and rolled her eyes. "I'm taking it easy," she said. "I'm heading over to Fantasyland."
Ever since she was a child Josie had been a fan of Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Cinderella, and all the other Disney movies. I smiled as Justin paid no attention, finished his burger, and stood up to go.
"What do you think about checking back in at 5pm," I said, "at the entrance to the castle. Then we'll get dinner and plan the evening."
"GREAT!" Justin said, and he disappeared down the hill into the crowds before I could change my mind.
"He's got more energy than the White Rabbit," Josie said.
She looked at me with that toothy freckle-faced smile. It was good to see her smiling. These days, she wasn't very happy with herself.
She had been a beautiful child, the one that always got attention. It was easy to fall for her back then. But as she entered puberty, her body grew fast and hard. She became gawky. Everything grew at different rates, making her seem out of proportion. And she was only now getting over the acne that had covered her forehead for so many years.
As pretty and self-assured as she had been going into junior high, she had lost her confidence by high school. She never had a boyfriend and only one date, as far as I knew. And that date was a difficult one. It was in her freshman year, with a sophomore. He pressed her for more than a kiss. He told her that what she didn't have in looks she was going to have to "put out" if she wanted any guys to date her. I know all this because she was afraid to talk to her parents and she came to me to ask me about boys.
When the young man called for a second date, she told him "no." For the rest of her years in high school, she was never asked out again. So she devoted herself to girl's basketball, which didn't do much to help her look prettier. She stayed thin and muscular, and the girls on the team had a reputation of being aggressive. I loved her through all these changes, loved her spirit, her personality. I never had any trouble talking with her about anything, and was always happy to accompany her and her family on camping and skiing trips.
"It's good to see you smile," I said.
"It's all your fault," she chided.
"I'm glad," I said.