76 77 THE CEDARVILLE REVIEW Jake’s Journal by Hannah Fultz December 20, 7:30pm The first time Mom told me, I almost didn’t believe her. “No,” I said. “We’re not going this year, Mom. We’re not.” “Excuse me, what did you say?” said Mom. She had heard me, all right. “Oh, I’m sorry, I wasn’t speaking loud enough. I said, we’re not going!” I snapped. Mom got that no-nonsense look on her face when she answered. “Yes,” she said firmly, “we are. We’ve spent every single Christmas in a cabin in the mountains. We started the tradition before you were born. If Dad and Lucy were still here, they would want us to.” If Dad and Lucy were still alive? But they’re not. “If you want to go, you can go,” I told her. “I’m going to stay home this year. Twelve years is old enough for you to trust me by myself for a week.” Mom set her mouth into a hard line. “Jacob Thomas Anderson,” she said, using my full name, which she hardly ever used. “This topic is not up for debate.” She handed me a suitcase. “If you’re not packed by tomorrow morning, we’ll just buy new clothes for you once we get to the mountains.” I’m not going to go. No way. Even so, I’m packing my suitcase. December 21, 10:00pm I tried so hard. Believe me, I did. But I couldn’t talk Mom out of going. Around five o’clock in the evening, we arrived at the resort park and found our rented cabin. We’ve got a real wood-burning fireplace this year. Next to the kitchen counter, there was a table with four chairs, just like always. The first thing I did, after setting down my suitcase, was drag two of the chairs outside. Mom watched me. I didn’t look at her face to see what her expression was. The floor is made of smooth, dark brown boards, and there’s a dark green loveseat in one corner. For as long as I can remember, we’ve always rented a two-bedroom cabin like this one. There was one room for me, and one for Dad and Mom, and little Lucy always loved— Shut up, Jake. Shut up! Go to sleep. December 22, 5:00pm This morning, I woke up before it was light. I knew Mom was making breakfast, because the scent of coffee and omelets drifted into my room from the kitchen area next to the table. The table with only two chairs.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM4ODY=