Murphy
The stuffy resortwe stayed at last time we were here doesn’t have any rooms available. I stalk out to the parking lot to give Heidi the bad news.
“That’s okay,” she assures me as I climb into the truck. “We weren’t totally comfortable here anyway. And I bet they’re not kid-friendly.”
I don’t know how she can stay so upbeat when our whole world’s been turned upside down.
“Let me find someplace.” She pulls out her phone and holds it up. “The signal sucks up here.”
“Let’s get out of this place. If you get more bars, tell me and I’ll pull over.”
We’re at the bottom of a hill when she yelps, “Got it!”
“Really? Here?” The road’s surrounded by trees and rocky hillside. I pull off onto a half-circle of dirt meant for travelers to stretch their legs and enjoy the view.
“Yup. Still good.” Heidi leans over her phone, tapping on the screen. “Not a lot of options on Expedia,” she murmurs.
“I’m not surprised.” Rural New York is full of places untouched by technology or time. “Find something nice. Doesn’t matter how much.”
“Oh! Here’s something…” Her excitement fades from her voice. “You might not like it, though.”
“What is it?”
“The Tall Pines Lodge and Waterpark has a suite available. I always wanted to go there when I was a kid, but it’s probably—”
“Let’s do it.” I shift the truck into drive, flip my blinker on, and pull onto the road.
“Are you sure? It’s probably crowded and full of annoying families and kids.”
“We’re with our kid,” I point out.
“Yeah, but she’s not annoying. Other people’s kids are.”
When I stop laughing, I glance over at my beautiful, now-smiling wife. “Book it. Alexa will be thrilled.”
“We don’t have bathing suits…or anything. Shoot. I don’t even have a toothbrush with me.”
“There’s a huge shopping center right near there. We’ll get what we need.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yup.” I glance over again. Her fingers are still hovering over the screen. “Hurry up and book the room. My wallet’s in the console.” I bump my elbow against the middle section of the seat.
“Okay.” She lifts the lid and pulls out my wallet, plucking out a black credit card. While she reads through the terms and conditions of booking the room for two days, I navigate our way back to the Northway and head south.
“Sorry we came all the way up here just to drive two hours back.” She opens the console lid again and tosses my wallet inside.
“I don’t mind driving. I’m with you. That’s all that matters.” If anything, the long ride has helped calm me down. Hard to be pissed when I’m focused on the road and keeping my girls safe.
“We can check in any time after five.”
“Perfect.” I reach over and curl my hand around hers. “Gives us time to do some shopping and get what we need.”
HEIDI
As Blake predicted,Alexa’s enchanted with the water park. She fussed when we woke her up to go shopping. But a glittery white bathing suit, new sandals, a unicorn beach towel, and water toys cheered her up.
If only my own happiness could be bought so easily.