Ever had one of those road trips that you just kind of had a feeling weren’t gonna be too much fun?
Maybe the whole family had a big fight the night or weeks leading up to the trip and the expectations were very high. “Listen, boys. the whole family has paid for this vacation and they’re stuck at home. If we don’t have a good time, they don’t have a good time. And if we don’t have fun here, it all ends for us in a week or two. So let’s be really happy and have fun, damn it. We don’t want to break everyone’s heart and let everyone down…”
There may be some good things, like suddenly, a super cool cousin you’ve never met gets picked up on the way to your destination. They do well in the car and everyone seems happy, but you’re really missing the brother who got left at the rest-area in Phoenix. It’s still hard to understand why we you never went back for him…Mom and Dad keep telling you “Rusty will be happy in Phoenix” but you just don’t know. He was the last bio-brother and in a way, it seems really messed up. You ask your cousins who happened to come from Phoenix, “Will he be OK?” and they only answer “We like it here better” so there’s that you have to deal with. And why would Rusty like being left at the bathroom anyway? His pictures still hang on the walls at home…
Then, there’s all the trouble. You stop at someones house and their favorite kid picks a fight with one of your brothers, who will never just walk away from a good scrap…and he falls down and breaks (maybe) his ankle. (Reminds you of a day trip to St. Louis where your Aunt’s rotten kid picked a big fight, got up to act all cool and fell in a heap and got real hurt…it’s called “pulling an Oshie” ) So now, everybody feels weird and is talking mean about brother Dorsett. Nobody is in a good mood and the hosts are ready to run all of you out on a rail.
You have everyone back home yelling and being sarcastic and saying things like “Because of you idiots, our vacation is over!!!” And you thought everyone back home liked you…
But then, you stop and think about how you’ve behaved on this trip. All the missed opportunities, the break away chances, being all slow and not coming together as well as you should have. You realize how much this road trip really meant…and another one won’t roll around until next year. You’ve got the parents and grandparents who underwrite these trips wondering if more of you should have been left at the roadside toilets.
Listen, just finish the trip. Learn what you need to, fix what you can. We’ll all be here waiting for the pics and ready to welcome you home. We miss you, regardless. Maybe next year everyone can act better and Arniel won’t have to scream “Don’t make me stop this damn car, boys!!!”
Jackets continue the road trip tonight…playoff hopes seem to slip away like a slimey eel. Blue Jackets meet Flames at their house at 9pm….