Thursday March 20th, 2014

The exercise:

Write something which has to do with: the wrong way.

Me and the family should be safe and sound in Dawson Creek by the time you read this, getting reacquainted with Kat's brother's family.

So this right here be a scheduled post. Back with the live updates tomorrow.

Hopefully.

Mine:

It's that time of year. Winter has moved in, so everyone has moved out - at least for a little while. Until Winter stops paying the rent on time and the landlord decides to give Spring another shot. Maybe, she thinks, Spring will behave itself for more than four months this time around.

Meanwhile, the rest of the town is looking southward. California, Florida, Mexico, maybe a Caribbean island. Somewhere relaxed, warm, preferably with an excess of sandy beaches and alcohol. A place they will be made welcome, where old friends join them in their yearly escape from the cold.

Not us though.

Nope, we're going the other way. Almost 1,200 kilometers in the wrong direction.

Why north? Blame Kat's brother. Blame his wife. Most of all, blame their daughter. Max's only cousin. Adorable and loveable. Her pull, even from this seemingly safe distance, is irresistible.

So what if temperatures are not expected to go above zero the entire time we're up there? So what if our suitcases are weighed down with winter gear, just as Spring was showing signs of moving back into Osoyoos?

The cousins need to spend some time together. Kat needs to see her brother and sister-in-law again. I suppose I won't mind being with them too. I guess.

Especially that precious little niece of mine.

2 comments:

Greg said...

Heh, well, you make a convincing case for travelling North when Winter still hasn't departed from the South, but I'm not entirely sure that you believe it yourself. However, it's never bad for families to see each other (unless it's a soap-opera family, in which case there's probably terrible revelations lurking in the wings) and it's a holiday, even if it's colder and darker than you would like it to be :)

I'm back from Portugal now, and just tired. Travelling is wearying.

The wrong way
"Now, don't take this the wrong way–"
"There's a right way to take this? Really?!"
"Look, we knew you'd be a little upset, but we though–"
"We? WE? There's a WE now? Who's WE exactly?"
"Well, your sister sai–"
"My sister's been dead for the last fifteen years! The only person who believes that she's still talking to us – and please remember that that woman wouldn't shut up when she was alive – is my sainted aunt.... Oh God. It you and Mildred, isn't it?"
"... I think I preferred it when you were shouting and interrupting."
""
"Look, it'll grow back. At least, the vet said it–"
"VET?"
"Well we couldn't get a doctor at such short... are you alright? You look ill."
"Andrew Andrews isn't a vet, he just pretends to be one when his medication runs out. You didn't...?"
"Oh. Oh. Look, maybe you ought to sit down."
"Thank-you, I'll just leave. You can sort this mess out yourself."
"Look, we knew you might take this the wrong way, but I'm sure we can fix it. Most of it. Eventually?"

Marc said...

Greg - hah, yes, I do believe you've got the soap opera families down pat.

I have no idea what you're writing about, but I'm also quite certain I don't *want* to know. Oh dear!