Smooth Sailing

April 30, 1995

April 30, 1995

Phil Morrison seemed to be downsizing. As he moved a box into the house on the north side of Clearwater Lake, he thought about how he was leaving his apartment downtown to live in his grandparents' house. He would miss the independence of living on his own, but in the end, it was for the best. Grandma and Grandpa were growing old, and he needed to be there for them. Holly couldn't do that - she was a four hour flight away from Clearwater Lake - so it was up to Phil and his new wife to support his grandparents.

Audrey carried a large box into Phil's grandparents' house, but when she spotted Phil, she asked, "Phil, how are you doing? Do you need any help with that?"

"I'm fine," Phil said, setting down his box on the floor. "How's that new job going?" He had never gotten a chance to ask Audrey about her new job as a social worker in Green Bay the night before.

"I really like it so far," Audrey said. "Hopefully, I'll stick with this one, even though it's a bit of a commute from Clearwater Lake."

"It's better than commuting all the way from Chief Lake," Phil said. "Besides, my job is in Green Bay too. Maybe we can carpool."

"I'd like that," Audrey said.

"Come on, you two!" Phil's dad shouted. "I know that you're newlyweds, but there's a yacht club meeting tonight, and I intend to be there!"

"Fine, Dad," Phil said. He went back outside, picked up another box, and brought it inside. Mom and Dad helped him, but in the end, it was Phil and Audrey who did most of the work. Dad's legs had never quite worked right, making it difficult for him to do heavy lifting, and Mom was merely directing traffic.

A few hours later, Phil and Audrey had finally finished moving all of their stuff into Phil's grandparents' house. As they began to unpack, Phil looked around at his new home. As a child, he had visited this house countless times. He could find the pillows that he and Holly had made a fort out of, and the stain where Phil had spilled apple juice on the carpet. As an adult, he still visited Grandma and Grandpa from time to time, but every time he came here, he couldn't stop thinking about his childhood.

It would be strange sleeping next to his wife in the same bedroom that he had stayed in when he slept over at his grandparents' house as a child. Then again, perhaps it was fitting. Audrey was part of the family now.

As soon as Phil and Audrey finished unpacking, Mom and Dad left. "I'm already late for my meeting," Dad complained.

"Oh, come on, Edward," Mom said. "You know that those meetings never start on time. You're not late at all. We probably should get going though. Goodbye Phil and Audrey. We'll see you tomorrow for the race."

"And we'll win it for sure!" Dad added.

"We've beat you before, and we'll do it again!" Audrey replied.

Dad smiled and said, "Phil, this is why I let you marry this girl. She's got a competitive spirit. I like that about her."

"Thanks," Audrey said. "Phil, let's go wake up your grandparents."

Phil couldn't figure out how Grandma and Grandpa had slept through him and Audrey moving all of their stuff into the house. They had been heavy sleepers when Phil was younger, but they had gotten even worse in their old age. Phil gently knocked on their bedroom door, and knocked harder when that didn't work. Eventually, he just opened the door and found the two of them curled up in bed. "Hi Grandma and Grandpa," Phil said.

"Philly!" Grandma exclaimed, using Phil's childhood nickname. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Phil said. "Audrey and I just brought all of our stuff in here."