A strory from Wonderland by Hitomi

 Summer Camping trip: Part 2
"You can be anybody you want to be"
 

Greetings!

 
camping trip camp fire
Aug:10th    Weather: Again very very Sunny
 
Our last day in the RV Park came.
We are going back to our neighborhood tomorrow. Lisa and Kenny begged Mrs. Malchovhich to extend our stay in the RV park. But Mrs.Malchovich shook her head.
"I am tired of Sizzler. By now all the waitresses remember us. One of them even told me we should set up the tent in front of Sizzler."
 
Sitting around the campfire in our last camping night, we roasted the marshmallows and each of us shared the stories of our happiest time.
Kenny's happiest time was when he was on the stage with us for Cinco de May Festival and then quickly he changed his mind to St.Paddy Day when he baked green cookies with us.
Lisa's happiest time was when she went to the zoo with her dad.Then Kenny followed that it was also his happiest time, and then he added Easter for another his happiest time.
My girlfriend's happiest time was when she met me in the animal shelter.
My happiest time was at this moment when we were eating marshmallows and sharing the stories in front of the camp fire.
But when Mrs. Malchovich and Joe the lawyer got their turns, both of them had hard time finding their happiest time. Even the campfire became frail and began to go out.
"You guys don't need to think so seriously! This is just a game."
Kenny lost his patience and stamped on the ground.
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Before the bedtime, I decided to give one more last look at the beautiful starry sky we could never have in our neighborhood. When I was counting the stars on the stump,
Mrs. Malchovich walked over and joined me.For a while we both enjoyed just looking at the sky, wishing we could take all these stars to our neighborhood.
Then Mrs.Machovich broke the silence.
"Is Don really going to New York in two weeks?"
I looked at Mrs.Malchovich, wondering why she asked such a question.
"Yes,
Don is very excited.I wish I could go, too. He is going to read his script to Sylvia."
I felt excited as if I were the one taking a trip to New York to see Sylvia.
But I saw MrsMalchovich wasn't so delighted.
"To be honest, I am not so sure about Don and Sylvia." said Mrs. Malchovich.
"What are you not so sure about?"  
 
                  camping trip with mrs malchovich
 
"Sylvia's life in New York is not stable, but she has a goal to pursue and I am 100% supportive about it. She is my sister. I love Don, but his life is also away from being stable."
I cut off Mrs.Malchovich.
"Don has a goal, too. Just like Sylvia does. Hollywood is his dream since he was three years old."
"I know. He proudly says that all the time. But he is 45 years old now. Isn't it too long to stay in the same dream?"
Mrs.Malchovich sounded very skeptical.
"which means Don never gives up." I defended Don.
 "Yeah, you can say that, but I am afraid he might be saying that when he turns sixty." 
"No, He will be making a movie one day soon. His script is very good.You have never read it."
I strongly opposed to Mrs.Malchovich's doubt, and raised my fist to support Don's script.
"What is he writing about?" asked Mrs.Malchovich curiously.
"The killer Global Warming is trying to destroy the earth. Some people are burnt to death and others are drown to death."
"OK, Thank you. I don't want to know."
Her curiosity disappeared in a second, and she stopped me.   
"Working at the convenience store and babysitting Lisa and Kenny is not a real job for 45 year old man." said Mrs.Malchovich.
"You are the one who gave him one of these jobs."
"I am trying to help him."
"He is helping you, too by taking care of Lisa and Kenny while you are out."
I never expected to hear Mrs. Malchovich criticize Don, especially criticize his dream, Hollywood. I always thought she was the first one to stand on his side.
I felt sad. Mrs.Malchovich noticed me disappointed about what she said. 
"Don't get me wrong. I like Don. I really care about him.
But I have a right to worry about my sister's future."
She stopped for a moment and breathed deeply. 
"Mr.Malchovich, my ex-husband, wanted to be a cartoonist. I believed in his talent.......which he never had anyway."
She shrugged and went on,
"And Kenny and Lisa were born. I decided to support his dream and give up my own dream to be a fashion designer......Everybody told me I was more potential than he was though."
Mrs. Malchovich stopped for a moment again.She picked up a twig on the ground and split into half . 
"I could have done so much. Time is so precious. We can never have it back once we spent. I just don't want Sylvia to take the same path I took."
I was sad to see Mrs.Malchovich in this way, disappointed and defeated about her life. But I also didn't understand why she had to have doubts on Don and even on herself.
"Mrs.Malchovich, I love all the costumes you make for every holiday.I always look forward to wearing them.You are talented and you have potential.You can still be anybody you want to be."
Looking into Mrs.Malchovich's eyes, I said to her and I truly meant it.
"Thank you."
She smiled and kissed my head, but didn't look so convinced.
 
"I packed all your stuff and put them in your tent."
Joe the lawyer walked toward us and our conversations stopped there.
"I really appreciate for having me in this trip.I am completely refreshed now. I think I was so stressed to adjust myself in my new competitive neighborhood."
Joe the lawyer said "competitive" again.
"If you don't like your new neighborhood, you should just come back to ours. It's not worth wasting your life being stressed like that."
The moment Mrs.Malchovich said that, Joe the lawyer's face lit up.
"You think so?"
"Yes, we all miss you in our neighborhood."
I saw Joe the lawyer moved to tears. Biting his lip, all of sudden, Joe the lawyer pulled both of us in his arms and whispered to our ears, "I love you both."
 
                                        *********
"He said "competitive" more than 50 times today."
I said to Mrs.Malchovich, looking at Joe the lawyer walking back to his tent to sleep.
"He is a nice man, but he is not a kind who can survive in the competitions."
Giving a concern look to where Joe the lawyer's tent was set up, Mrs.Malchovich sighed again.
"Why is he living somewhere he doesn't want to when we are telling him to stay in our neighborhood?"
I asked Mr.Malchovich one thing I couldn't understand about Joe the lawyer.
"He is challenging."
"Huh?"
"He is challenging on what leads him to success."
"Does that bring him happiness? Is he happy now?"
I thought this was very simple Yes or No question. But Mrs.Malchovich looked up the sky and didn't respond to my question. 
 
camping 2 starry night
 
While wishing this camping trip wouldn't have ended, I was also beginning to miss my neighborhood. By the time I got into my sleeping bag in the tent, I had found myself looking forward to jumping into my apartment and knocking at Don's door.
 
   
                            camping 2 sleeping lulu
  To read the previous stories, visit
     http://tinyurl.com/ldo9d4
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