Smooth Sailing

July 14, 2018

July 14, 2018

The regatta was tomorrow, but my family had bigger things to worry about, if such a thing was possible. Aunt Holly, Uncle Chad, and their three children were visiting Clearwater Lake this weekend, and we had to get ready for their arrival. I was sort of excited to see my cousins - I hadn't seen them in real life since last year - but at the same time, I was frustrated to miss out on a perfectly good sailing day. The weather and the wind were perfect for sailing that day, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to get out on the water with the Bryants around.

Mom, Dad, Everett, and I all spent the morning cleaning up the house and making room in the basement for Scott, Julianna, and Chase. Grandma and Grandpa were also coming over for the evening, so we had to make sure that the kitchen was clean enough for Grandma's taste. It took me the whole morning to vacuum the house and set the table, and even when it started raining around noon, I still hated that I had wasted a perfectly good Saturday morning on chores.

"The Bryants just arrived at the airport," Dad said after we were mostly finished cleaning. "My parents are picking them up right now."

"When are they coming then?" Mom asked.

"Probably within the next few hours," Dad said.

I used the extra time to check the weather for tomorrow and play some brainless video game with Everett. He always seemed to beat me, but it was still a good way to kill time.

About an hour later, I heard a knock on the door. I ran to the door and opened it, and sure enough, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Holly, Uncle Phil, Scott, Julianna, and Chase were all there. "Sylvie!" Aunt Holly exclaimed as she gave me a hug. "It's so good to see you!"

"It's good to see you too, Aunt Holly," I said. People always said that Aunt Holly and I were a lot alike, but I didn't really see it. We had the same brown, wavy hair, light brown skin, and hazel eyes, but otherwise, we weren't the same at all. She was a college sociology professor from Portland, and I was a sixteen year old from Clearwater Lake. We couldn't possibly be the same person.

"You've grown a lot since I last saw you, Sylvie," Uncle Chad said. I was certain that I hadn't grown at all since last year, but I didn't bother to argue with Uncle Chad. It wasn't worth arguing with one of the nicest people that I knew.

"It has been a while, hasn't it?" I said.

All of a sudden, Dad arrived and said, "You all can come inside. We're still working on making lunch, but the kids can move their stuff into the basement."

"Sounds good, Uncle Phil," Scott said as he dragged a suitcase into our living room. He then mumbled something to his sister about being called a "kid" even though he was a legal adult.

"Sylvie, Everett, could you help your cousins set up in the basement?" Dad asked, and both of us nodded and followed Julianna, Scott, and Chase into the basement.

"So, how are things going for you guys?" I asked once all of us were in the basement.

"There really hasn't been any exciting going on," Scott said as he unzipped his suitcase.

"How would you know?" Julianna retorted. "You've been away at college all year."

"I got braces!" Chase exclaimed, smiling to show off his new, multi-colored braces.

"Yeah, I suppose that's new," Julianna said. "I'm sure there are plenty of other things that have happened in the last year, but I can't think of anything super important right now. What about you? What's been going on with you guys?"

"I finally beat that level in Cuphead that I've been trying to beat for the last three months today," Everett said.

"Nobody cares, Everett," I said.