Don't Look Behind You by Lois Duncan

Author:Lois Duncan
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780316179829
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published: 1989-11-11T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 11

That night I cried myself to sleep, but once I let go of consciousness I slept like the dead, too emotionally exhausted even to dream. When I awoke, it was not of my own volition but because there was somebody shaking me by the shoulder. I reluctantly opened my eyes to find my father standing by my bed in a room that was just beginning to take on form in the pale pink glow of dawn.

“Wake up,” Dad said. “We’ve got a big day ahead of us. Your mom and I have decided it’s time for a mini-vay.”

“You’ve what?” It was the last thing I had expected. I made no effort to keep the contempt from my voice. “What kind of mini-vay can we have in Grove City?”

“The best,” Dad said. “Disney World and Epcot Center. It’s a two-hour drive, so if we want to spend a full day there, we need to get started.”

“I don’t feel like driving two hours to meet Mickey Mouse,” I said. “The rest of you do what you want, but I’m staying here.”

“Look, I know you’re disappointed about the tennis,” Dad said. “Sulking won’t change things. If I could, I’d go back and reshuffle the cards, but I can’t, so we’re stuck with playing the crummy hand I’ve dealt us.”

“How could you have gotten us into this mess?” I demanded.

“I’ve asked myself that a million times,” Dad said quietly. “I’d like to think I was being a responsible citizen. That’s what I’ve tried to tell myself for the past twelve months. The real truth is, I wanted to be a hero. As a kid I was one of those wimps other kids beat up on, and I only survived my teens because Max looked out for me. I was grateful for that, but it didn’t do much for my ego. I met your Mom when I was working at a shop at a ski resort, and she was there on vacation with her college roommate. Her friend was into partying, and your Mom wasn’t, so she started hanging out with me in the evenings. We fell in love, and I talked her into eloping. When her parents found out what we’d done, they nearly disowned her.”

“But wasn’t it Grandpa Clyde who got you your job?” I asked.

“Yes, he eventually rallied round and took care of us. Clyde didn’t want his daughter married to a ski bum, and he had some sort of connection at Southern Skyways. Later he pulled some strings to have me made manager, and he and Lorelei bought us our home in Norwood. Then, out of the blue, your Mom’s career took off like a skyrocket, and I was left riding along on everybody’s coattails. When Max came up with this chance for me to achieve something—” He paused. “I don’t know why I’m bothering to explain this. The bottom line is that I wound up doing something stupid. That can’t be changed, so we’ve just got to make the best of it.

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