The Sky’s the Limit: My Journey with Maryellen

Maryellen exclaims that she loves to travel. Mr. Larkin explains that his old Navy buddy, Dave Blanchard, has been asking to borrow the Airstream. And he lives in Washington D.C. Mrs. Larkin chimes in and says that they always figured they’d get around to bringing the Airstream to Dave eventually, but with me coming, it’s the perfect time to drive the trailer to D.C. Everyone can give me a ride home. We’ll be leaving tomorrow.

Everyone jumps up and cheers. Mrs. Larkin says that Joan and Jerry will stay at the house to take care of Scooter. But the rest of us will all spend Thanksgiving with Grandmom and Grandpop in Georgia. And then Tom and Mikey will stay with them while everyone else goes up to D.C. The kids are all joyous that they get to spend time with their grandparents. Emma and I hardly ever feel that way about our grandmother.

Mr. Larkin finishes by telling us that his friend will keep the Airstream until Christmas, when he’ll bring it back to Florida. Carolyn, always practical, asks how everyone will get home if Dave Blanchard is keeping the trailer until Christmas time. Mr. Larkin excitedly says that everyone will fly home. By the kids’ gasps and wide smiles, it seems as if they’ve never flown before. Mrs. Larkin says this way they won’t miss very much school. Just the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and two days after the weekend.

Carolyn and Maryellen excitedly exchange back-and-forths about how educational this trip will be. D.C. is full of history and Maryellen says it’s full of art museums.

Then, Maryellen turns to me and asks what I think of the trip. I know that Emma and I would never be able to skip school for a trip. We have so many tests and assignments and projects. And Coach Stanislav would pitch a fit if we skipped ski team practice. At home, I always have a nervous voice telling me what I’m forgetting or what I need to do. But the Larkins seem to do things just for the fun of it. So even though it’s not like shy, careful me, I hug Maryellen impulsively and say I think the plan sounds wonderful.

But in the back of my mind, there’s a voice asking me what I’ll do when I get to Washington D.C. I don’t have any family there. But I shrug away the questions, telling myself, Who knows? I guess we’ll just have to see what happens.

Later, we’re all in bed, and the lamps are out, and I’m all snug in my bunk, listening to Scooter snore. It makes me miss my sister, who up until this morning, was my best friend. Shouldn’t I go back and straighten it all out with her about the ski race? My family looked so sad. I owe it to them to clear up the misunderstanding and fight the accusation that I’m a cheater.

As I brood, I find I have a lump in my throat. The Larkins are so nice. I can’t mislead them anymore. But just at that moment, Maryellen leans over from the bunk above and thanks me. She says she’ll never forget that it’s mostly because of me that we get to go on the trip. Our Thanksgiving won’t be like any other families in the world. It’s going to be a great adventure. Beverly and Carolyn agree out of the darkness. I swallow the lump in my throat and say I agree, too.

The next morning, Mr. Larkin wakes us up nice and early. He’s made pancakes, and it’s time to report to the kitchen. We stumble to our feet and rub the sleep dust from our eyes. But somehow, the scent of hot maple syrup wakes us up as soon as we see the sky-high stacks of pancakes. Mr. Larkin is wearing a ruffled apron, flipping more pancakes onto our plates when Joan and Jerry arrive.

Mr. Larkin introduces me to them. Joan smiles and Jerry winks at me. They pull up chairs, and the breakfast nook is crowded and noisy and sticky with syrup. Jerry asks us if we’ll all be crowded as we fit into the station wagon. Joan that there should be plenty of room.

But as the morning progresses, I find that we are going to be terribly crowded in the station wagon. Even though Carolyn has good-naturedly volunteered to sit in the way backseat surrounded by luggage, and Mikey will sit in front between Mr. and Mrs. Larkin, that still leaves Maryellen, Beverly, Tom, and me to squeeze into the middle seat. There are no seatbelts, and I figure the four of us will just be wedged together all the way from Florida to Washington D.C. Of course, I am used to a different way of traveling.

And then, I realize that maybe the time has come for me to use the watch to go home. And I realize something else wonderful, too. Even though I barely spent one day with the Larkins, they changed my whole outlook. If Maryellen can be forgiven for her mistakes and laugh at them, maybe I can, too. And if the Larkins really believe that I am “independent and enterprising,” maybe I really am.

Am I ready to go back and stand up for myself?