Point Me in the Direction of Cocoa Beach

I Wish, I Wish

"Kids! Dinner's on the table!" Shirley Partridge called to her five kids, who were engaged in various activities throughout the house. One by one, they each showed up to the dining room for their evening meal.

The eldest children, Keith and Laurie, walked in first. "Hi mom," Laurie greeted Shirley with a smile. "What's for dinner tonight?"

Shirley led the now arriving younger kids to the table as she answered. "Tuna casserole with salad, sweetheart. Keith, how's the new song going?"

Keith sighed. "I wish I could say it was going swell, mom. I've been having trouble coming up with a second verse. See this is how the verse and the chorus go." He hummed what he knew of the song so far and then continued to speak. "But for whatever reason, I just can't think of what would come next."

Danny spoke up. "What if you changed the whole tune? From what it sounds like, you're trying to write a romantic song from the point of view of someone who has zero experience in it-" he started snickering before he could finish.

Shirley had to restrain Keith from slapping him. "That's enough of that, kids. Eat your supper quickly so we can rehearse for a bit before bed.

Everyone settled down at the table and resumed eating. Once they finished, Keith stood up. "This dinner was amazing, mom. I wish there were seconds for tomorrow's lunch."

The kids' mother smiled and said, "Thank you dears. I do too. Maybe I'll make it again in a couple days. If it's not too soon."

The kids each chimed in with their agreement and after clearing the table, everyone headed to the garage. After rehearsing for about two hours, Shirley sent the two youngest children to bed and sat down on the couch with the remaining three.

"Is there a good movie on tv?" Laurie asked. 

Shirley sighed, turning the tv on. "I don't know, let's see." She flipped through the channels, and chatted with Keith, Laurie, and Danny about what they wanted to watch until they settled on one.

As they watched the movie, everyone's minds began to wander. Things were going pretty great for the Partridge Family. They had several successful records out, many hit singles, and everyone was healthy and overall faring well. Sometimes however, each Partridge daydreamed of a different life. A life with much more to offer. Each of them had different dreams besides being in the family band, and they often wondered what their lives would be like if they could pursue these dreams.

Soon enough, the Partridges finished their late night movie and each went to sleep in their rooms. As they drifted off into dreamland, one thought rang in their heads.

I wish, I wish...