Last summer, it did not seem like we were going on vacation at all that year, but my siblings and I were really set on going, it was something we did every year, and you just could not change it. As I was saying, every year, my family and I headed south for the warm skies of North Carolina. We played in the pool on rainy days, and surfed the foamy waters whenever the sun shined on the sandy Corolla Beaches. One of the reasons that my parents did not want us to go that year was because of the story of the twelve-year-old boy that pulled out to sea one terrible day. There was a red flag warning that day, but perhaps the boy was feeling rebellious and swam anyway. I am sure you know what happened next.
My parents tried to make up the missed vacation by repeatedly taking us to Sea Isle, a quaint beach town tucked away by the growing popularity of wildwood and other bustling beach towns. It was so small, that we knew every store inside and out by heart, and the storeowners called us by name. The boardwalk was a few blocks long, with scarce stores thrown carelessly nearby. I could not stand it. Where were the screaming kids and lines of amusement parks? Where were the many over-priced arcades and cotton candy stands that we all know and love? What was even worse was the water. Coldness that numbs your feet to the point that you almost could not feel the broken shells strewn warily across the sea floor; it attacked your feet as soon as you stood in the water. I guess we are just not that lucky because I still have to wear those hideous water shoes whenever I go in.
When I finally told my mother I had had enough, she ended the trips. I was relieved but I did miss the friendly waves of kind strangers.
The last few weeks of summer flew by, and hanging out with my friends became my top priority. Though the new school year was on everyone's mind, all I could think about was North Carolina. The warm sandy beaches covered in wooden beach chairs and rainbow umbrellas. The huge dunes towering above you like mountains. Closing your eyes and sliding down, you would think you were gliding through the magnificent Corolla air, which warm breezes would greet you whenever you arrived. I could only imagine the clear water, rolling up and down the beach to the rythmatic beat of the ocean waves.
My older brothers, Josh and Jake sat beside me as my older sister Jezreèl, lay on the sofa to my, and my younger sister Joy, stroked our dog, Jingles
(Yes, they all start with a 'J'!). We sat, staring at the blank television screen in front of us. I could tell what they were thinking, ‘I wish I was somewhere else.” I could tell because that is where I wanted to be too. Suddenly, Jake spoke up, “Let’s go to North Carolina today!” Joy snorted, and rolled her eyes, staring menacingly towards my brother. “Okay!” Jez called out, and followed Jake to the office, where they promptly began searching for cheap rental homes. It was all I could do to stay still and actually think. I cannot believe this is happening. There is actually a chance that we might be in N.C. by this time tomorrow! Joy had walked up our long twirling steps and was talking to my mom about North Carolina. I heard bits of the conversation, it sounded rather like this, “Can we? - Please? - I promise-.”My head was swirling with thoughts of sand crabs scurrying across the warn sand. So it was true! I thought to myself.
I raced up the staircase and into my room, pulling my suitcase out from under my bed and began throwing clothes frantically into the bag. Joy flew quickly past my room shouting, “Jules get my bag too!” I sighed, ran into her room and grabbed her suitcase, throwing it open in the process. After my bag was packed, I ran into the kitchen and shoved as much food as I could fit into my mouth as possible. Tired from my run around the house, I retreated to the living room and slumped into the sofa, staring at the blank screen in front of me once again. My little sister joined me, panting as she rushed down the stairs with her bulging bag. We both lay down on the sofas, waiting for the rest of our siblings to join us. My oldest brother, Josh, could not come because he takes college courses in the summer, so he will better understand the curriculum. When Jake and Jez finally made it to the living room, they had in their hands a piece of white, crisp looking paper that obviously, had just been printed. It was our rental house! As Joy and I jumped up and down excitedly, Jez and Jake left to pack their bags.
We piled into the car at around six pm, an hour after we were supposed to leave. At first, we were all very exhausted, getting excited can be very tiring! We all fell asleep after the second hour of being in the car. I woke up five hours later at eleven pm. We were in Maryland and as I looked out the glass car window, I saw lines of cars that seemed to stretch on for miles and miles. Jezreèl and Joy woke up moments later and decided that if we did not pull over they would surely starve. Since we were not moving, we simply pulled to the side of the road and ran to the nearby Cracker Barrel that we could see from the car, but by then it was eleven-thirty and it had closed an hour ago. We settled on the Waffle House next door, which was a tumbled down place, with Harleys parked outside and their much too bright neon sign missing letters. When we walked inside, we found that it was no different. It was filled with bikers, some bald, some with some kind of stringy bleached blonde hair. Another pair of strange characters was a couple with hair in Mohawks and dyed bright red! It was then that we realized that we were the most normal looking people in there and we were in our pajamas! We simply got eggs because their ham sandwiches were seriously advertised as ‘Mystery Meat’! After we ate, we got a serious case of cabin fever. We sang every single song on the radio, word for word, until sleep filled our minds and we drifted off, North Carolinas sandy beaches on our minds.