Summer plans were going all wrong. I wanted to go to the lake, mom and dad had other plans.

“Let’s take the train out to visit Aunt Molly,” said mom. “We can milk cows, feed chickens and play on the tire swing like I used to when I was your age.”

“Boring,” my brother Billy said faking a yawn. “Lets’ go to the beach and build sand castles.”

“Why not spend a week with your aunt then go to the new dinosaur exhibit in the city,” dad said. I could tell he didn’t like going to Auntie Molly’s either.

“I want to go to the lake. There we can swim, water ski, hike and, best of all, Suzie and her family are going to be there. Can we? Please?” I begged.

“Let’s draw straws. The one with the longest straws wins,” Billy suggested.

“That’s not fair,” I whined. “Billy will make sure he wins, he cheats!”

What were we going to do? The next morning at breakfast dad said, “We have decided to do all four things. That way we each get to do something we like.”

This was going to be the best summer ever.

© 2007 Joy Delgado. Original for CCF  (Delgado grants CCF  first electronic rights for one month; CCF may archive the material indefinitely and include it in an eBook anthology).