And Then the Sky Exploded by David A. Poulsen

Author:David A. Poulsen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dundurn
Published: 2016-09-22T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The noise was unbelievable. You’d have thought we were a bunch of eight-year-olds running outside for recess.

The bus driver was shaking his head. You should be glad all you have to do is drive us to the airport, buddy.

I was trying to play it cool but the truth is I was just as excited as everybody else. In about sixteen hours we’d be landing in Tokyo. Who wouldn’t be stoked about that?

It had been a month since our big win over the Central Raiders and the time had flown by as everybody got ready for the trip. Winter had arrived early, which was great because that helped with my part of the fundraising for the trip. I shovelled what seemed like a bajillion (but was probably more like thirty or forty) sidewalks, driveways, and even the United-Methodist Church parking lot … twice. The result was $728 in the trip fund and for a few days I was my dad’s hero.

And even though Dad had said all the money I raised would go to help pay for the expenses, Mom made sure I got some of it for spending money. She’d converted about $500 to Japanese yen and given it to me that morning at the school as we loaded our gear into the storage area underneath the bus.

Everywhere I looked parents were giving kids last-minute instructions. Mine were doing the same thing. Stay with the group. Don’t spend all your money in the first few days. Listen to the teachers and the parent supervisors. Wash your hands lots. Be polite.

Even Carly was there, although I noticed she’d had trouble tearing herself away from texting long enough to manage a quick wave that looked more like shooing away a fly. I suspected she might be having a little inward celebration now that her evil brother was going to be far away for a while. Yeah, very few Carly-tears were shed that morning.

Principal Dorel made a speech in the parking lot and I think it was pretty good — her speeches usually are — but I couldn’t hear a lot of it because of the general hum of noise from twenty-three excited fourteen- and fifteen-year-olds. I heard the ending though when she hollered “Bon voyage and God speed!” Everybody cheered.

Finally we started climbing aboard the bus. Zaina and I had already agreed we’d sit together on the bus and on the plane. We had been learning Japanese online for the past month and she was getting pretty good at it — much better than me, maybe because she had already learned one second language and picking up another wasn’t that hard for her.

I grabbed a seat on the right-hand side of the bus and looked out at all the parents. Some were already moving off toward their cars. Others, like mine, had apparently decided to stay until the bus actually pulled away. The three parent supervisors, who were going along to help Mr. Pettigrew, all sat near the back of the bus.

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