Harvey and Lori Ferguson Ch. 21 Vacation Pt. 4

Valrae's Journal

The trip to Jumbok:

Mumma always makes a little token gift at Jumbok and makes a wish, but Daddy says "humbug" and sits around waiting until we're ready to go. It's not his favorite place on the island. This time, when nobody was looking (except for me) Gray put soap in the waterfall. He thought it would be fun to see bubbles going up to the sky. Guess what, though. Instead of bubbles, fire shot out of the pool below the waterfall and the waterfall itself was flaming. Mumma and me almost fainted and it smelled nasty. Daddy said that was the sulphur that smelled like rotten eggs.

I sneaked over and whispered to Gray,

"Even though I saw what you did I won't tell, but you owe me one now."

"Owe you one what?" he frowned at me and pretended to be dumb.

"You know; you owe me a favor."

"Aw, Mumma and Daddy don't care if I did do it and even if they do care, I'll take my punishment."

He said that because he doesn't like to owe me favors.

"Okay," I said, "So then I guess it's all right for me to tell Dadd--" and he slapped his hand over my mouth and whispered back,

"Okay, okay, I'll owe you one. I hope you're happy now, you little squealer."

I told him that since I wasn't telling them that I wasn't a squealer, but if I was such a thing then he was a coward for not telling them himself. That really made him mad. Especially when I said it might even be lying.

"I'm gonna pound you if you don't be quiet, Val."  His face was all red and he had his arm around my neck so he could quickly give me noogies if it was necessary. I knew he wouldn't really hit me, but I do not like noogies. I twisted out of his control and pinched his arm good and then I ran over by Mumma. She was reading the brochure on the new Paradise Park. When Gray watched me to see if I was telling he was rubbing himself where I pinched him and I stuck my tongue out at him. He looked around to see where our dad was and Daddy was checking out the walls that circle Jumbok so Gray shook his fist at me. Come ON, he doesn't even have muscles like Daddy. So I pretended to laugh silently and was slapping my knee. Then Gray's face got redder than before.

Later at the shack, we sat with Mumma and Daddy and had the traditional Pineapple Surprise. I guess me and Gray weren't mad anymore because I know I didn't even think about it. We usually get over our fights pretty quickly, but then that might be because usually either Mumma or Daddy yells at us if they hear it.

When we got home Mumma took me into the game room and Daddy told Gray to stay with him in the living room. I wondered if both of us were in trouble.

Mumma said to me,

"I know you and your brother have been thrown together 24 hours a day all week. Daddy and I thought it would be a good idea if you and I spent some time together right now just the two of us. Sometimes it's hard to be with the same person constantly without getting irritated at them."

I just nodded because I didn't really know what to say. Gray was irritating 50% of the time at home, too. The other 50% we got along fine. Still I was happy to have my mother to myself any time.

"So we can just read, or play a game or whatever you'd like," she said, "But Daddy and Gray will be staying out there and we'll stay in here, for now anyway."

"Will you read to me?" I asked. I just loved Mumma to do that because she made up all these funny voices.

"I sure will, sweetie--you pick out the books you want."

I could hear Daddy and Gray playing a video game in the living room and they were laughing and yelling at the game.

Later we were all in the kitchen to have a snack and Mumma brought out the pink lemonade pie she made the night before. It was way better than Pineapple Surprise. Yum!

 

Every time we go to Twikkii the same thing happens:  I get a suntan, Gray gets a suntan, Mumma gets a suntan and poor Daddy gets a sunBURN. A really bad one. Then Mumma has to put cold tea compresses on his skin and pats aloe or Noxcema there afterward. And she always says, "poor dear, poor dear" and kisses the top of his head because it's the only place he is not sunburned. Daddy always says it doesn't hurt, but then he swears it is absolutely the last darn time he's going to try to get a suntan. And then the next time we go to Twikki; he tries to get a suntan again anyway.

I love you and you love me,

Valrae Diana Ferguson

Narrator:

When the family was at Brickstone sometimes they ate outside on the deck when Harvey manned the grill. He often made barbeque ribs using his mother's famous rib recipe. Sometimes they read or napped under the thatched roof that they referred to as the gazebo. They enjoyed using it day and night.

The next morning was again hot and sunny, the twins were outdoors, of course; Valrae was making yet another sandcastle and Gray was playing on the hammock. Lori worked on her painting as she had been every morning for the last few days. She was somewhat desperate to finish it before they left for home. Harvey, still sunburned, rested on the chaise lounge behind his wife and was enjoying gazing at her shapely derriere. She was entirely unaware of his ogling.

Suddenly, without looking back at him she said, in a worried voice, "Honey, you shouldn't sit in the sun--why don't you take one of your naps in the gazebo?"

"I like the view from here," he grinned, but she was not looking at him, she was still absorbed in her painting.

"But you'll get a beautiful view of the ocean from the gazebo, too, just as nice as you do here and you'll be in the shade. Now scoot, sweetie, before you start blistering."

He got up, muttering,

"That's not the view I was talking about."

He relaxed on the loveseat out of the sun, but he was disgruntled and definitely frustrated. He couldn't see Lori's tush from there; he could hardly see her at all unless he craned his neck. He was one unhappy camper.

While their father fumed and their mother painted, Gray and Valrae decided it was time to hit the waves again. They were excited because they were going to Paradise Park later. Since it was a new attraction they didn't know much about it except for the brochure their mother had and what they had seen while driving by on their way to other places. 

Finally, halfway through the morning Harvey managed to cajole Lori away from her painting and up to their room for a little afternoon delight. That meant the kids had to get out of the water. They were sent up to take baths and dress for the park and told to play in their room until they were called and no grumbling.

"But, Harvey, what about your sunburn?" Lori murmured between kisses.

"What sunburn, honey?"

Valrae's Journal:

On our last day on Twikkii Island we went to Paradise Park. It was so much fun! There's a big pond in the middle of the park with a deck and a slide and a diving board. Or you can fish in the pond, too. Also there is a big huge pool to swim in with two slides.

First we went on the playground, even Mumma and Daddy went on the carousel and swings.

There's a trail through the park, too, and Gray and me walked that whole thing. When you're going down the trail there are things to do along the way like refreshment stands, hammocks, chess tables, a little wooden bridge and a fire dancer. When it got dark Daddy and Gray went swimming in the pond, but Mumma and me went in the pool. And then we had supper at the shack there.

While we were at the shack Mumma and Daddy asked us to tell them what had been our favorite attraction there at Twikkii. Gray said his favorite was South Beach Pirate Ship. I started to say mine was Paradise Park, but then I changed my mind and said every day at Brickstone with our beach and our games and Mumma's cooking.

The next morning it was time to leave Twikkii and go back home to Pleasantview. We made sure everything was clean and picked up for the next time and then we had to go. I'm always sad when we leave Brickstone Chateau, but we're lucky we have it to come back to whenever we want.

Anyway, I won't be writing in here for a while probably. Or at least until we are back at Grandpa Shep's. 

I love you and you love me,

Valrae Diana Ferguson

Next Update: Lalique Flynn Ch. 10 On Thin Ice

Harvey and Lori Ferguson Ch. 22 Jonesin' for a New Baby