Smooth Sailing

January 28, 1978

January 28, 1978

"Phil?" his father said to him one cold Saturday morning. "Grandma and Grandpa need help shoveling their driveway."

Phil didn't respond. He was focused on watching Scooby Doo with Holly by his side, and the snowfall outside didn't matter to him at all. Who cared about the weather when he could spend Saturday morning in front of TV watching Scooby, Shaggy, Fred, Velma, and Daphne solve mysteries?

"Phil, are you listening to me?" Dad asked.

"I'm listening," Phil said.

"I want you to go help Grandma and Grandpa shovel," Dad said.

"But Dad!" Phil complained, gesturing toward the TV.

Phil's father, however, didn't seem to care that Phil hadn't seen this episode yet. "Go get dressed," he said. "We're leaving in ten minutes."

Phil pouted, but he did get off of the sofa, go back to his bedroom, and change out of his Star Wars pajamas and into a Star Wars T-shirt and jeans. He then threw on a winter jacket over the T-shirt, and put on a pair of boots, gloves, and a hat. Once Phil had changed, Dad drove him around the lake and to Grandma and Grandpa's house.

"Why didn't you make Holly do this?" Phil complained, but Dad didn't give him a good answer. Phil was beginning to suspect that Dad just wanted to torture him. While Dad drove, Phil stared out the window and counted the houses as they passed by just to kill time.

When they got to Grandma and Grandpa's neighborhood, Dad parked two houses away due to the sheer amount of snow in Grandma and Grandpa's driveway. Phil hopped out of the car and ran through the snow to get to the door, and Dad hobbled after him. Phil pounded on the door, and Grandpa opened it.

"My goodness, Phil, do you have to be that loud?" Grandpa said. He then smiled and gave Phil a hug. "It's good to see you, Phil."

"It's good to see you too, Grandpa," Phil said.

"We came over to help you shovel your driveway," Dad said.

"That's nice of you," Grandpa said. "Opal, could you make some hot chocolate for Phil and Edward?"

"Phil and Edward are here?" Grandma said as she walked into the room. "Of course I'll make hot cocoa for you!" She ran into the kitchen and immediately got started.

"That's really not necessary," Dad argued.

"Don't be silly, Edward," Grandpa said. "It's cold out there, and you're here, so we're making hot chocolate for you."

Dad looked at Phil and said, "Once you're done drinking your hot chocolate, you're going to shovel for Grandma and Grandpa, right?"

"Right," Phil grumbled.

A few minutes later, Grandma handed Phil a cup of hot chocolate, and Phil eagerly drank it. However, once he was done, Phil realized that this meant that he had to shovel. He put the mug down and went into Grandma and Grandpa's garage, where he found a shovel. Then, he started shoveling the snow out of the driveway.

It wasn't long before Phil got bored. He wished that he was still in his pajamas, watching Scooby Doo with Holly, but instead, he was stuck shoveling Grandma and Grandpa's absurdly long driveway. His arms were starting to ache, his boots were getting wet, and Phil decided he would be happy if he never had to see another lump of snow again.

When he was about halfway done, Phil looked up and tried to identify the other houses in the neighborhood. He knew that the house next door belonged to the Reinharts - he had been there for a few yacht club parties, but he suspected that Dad didn't like the family all that much. He recognized the house across the street too, but he didn't know who it belonged to.