Z on Location

Z… Out!

Z pushes play on the vlog she just recorded, checking it one last time before sending it off for approval. In it, she announces her summer plans to her followers: she’s spending the season as Mom’s assistant on a documentary road trip, handling sound recording and probably a dozen other jobs besides. She asks Z’s Crew to tag along using the hashtag #summeradventure and to check out Winter Costello’s matching contest post.

Bags have been stacked by her door since the night before, and Z is up early enough to take Popcorn on a long walk, knowing the energetic dalmatian would never survive cooped up in the tiny RV. Back home, she charges into her parents’ room to roust them awake, though Mom insists no good production assistant would dare wake the director before there’s coffee. So Z hurries to the kitchen to brew a pot.

She carries two steaming mugs upstairs, delivering one to Dad mid-shave, who calls her a lifesaver, and the other to Mom, who’s somehow still just climbing out of bed and manages only a grateful “Almost there.” Z teases her with their old family joke about being a blur, since Mom is anything but fast in the morning.

Down in her favorite spot in the yard, Z eats breakfast with Popcorn curled beside her, taking in the view from Queen Anne Hill: Puget Sound, the Space Needle, and, on such a clear morning, Mount Rainier in the distance. She loves the idea of spending the summer learning from Mom, but she can’t stop thinking about everything she’ll miss with her friends back home, like trips to the Japanese Garden or the Olympic Sculpture Park. When Mom notices her spiraling into a full case of FOMO (fear of missing out), she reminds Z that plenty of her favorite movie heroes, like Rey from Star Wars and Mulan, have had to leave home to find their adventure. Z isn’t exactly saving a galaxy or stopping an invading army, but Mom’s trust in her feels just as important, and she resolves not to let her down, or to miss her shot at landing a spot on Winter’s vlog. Still, when Mom asks if she’s getting excited, Z can only manage a forced smile. Mom checks her watch and reminds her they leave in half an hour.

Everything brightens the moment she spots the RV already parked in the driveway, Dad behind the wheel giving it one last check for roadworthiness before it carries both of his girls off. Z races her bags outside, and Dad’s warm, joking presence as he helps load them chases off the lump in her throat. He promises she’ll be so busy on the road that the summer will fly by, and the two toast to adventures before Z climbs aboard to explore.

Camera in hand, Z films a proper tour for Z’s Crew, narrating the Class-A RV’s booth-style dining table and long sofa seat, the queen bed in back where Mom will sleep, the closet-sized bathroom with its tiny sink, and her own fold-out bed built right into the wall, all the comforts of home, just smaller and mobile.

Popcorn hops up into the driver’s seat for one last goodbye lick before Dad calls her down. Mom climbs in at last, and Dad leans in for a quick hug with both Z and Mom before he shuts the side door and waves them off.

Before pulling out, Mom has one more surprise. She tells Z to check under her seat, where a silver gift bag holds a black baseball cap with “CREW” stitched across it in white thread. Z loves it instantly, pulls it on, and reaches over to hug her.

“Ready for our adventure?” Mom asks.

“Ready!” Z agrees, and Mom eases the RV out, backing slowly into the street.

Settled into the passenger seat, Z is already itching to capture every new sight for her vlog and Winter’s contest. She’ll miss Dad, her friends, and her favorite Seattle summer, but she’s excited and ready to hit the road.