Duncan Takes a Vacation

Chapter 3

             
                     I was so excited about our upcoming vacation that sometimes I couldn't control myself.  I would sing silly songs or chant, "Duncan's going on vacation. Duncan's going on vacation." 

          While Mom was packing the things we would need, Dad was making sure the car was in perfect condition for our long ride "out of state."  California was a wonderful place to live, but traveling to a different state was something I was looking forward to.  Even Jimmy was excited about seeing his relatives.  But there was one unhappy person in the family who didn't want to have anything to do with our vacation: it was Jimmy's older brother Marvin.  This family member was a typical teenager who always wanted to "hang around" with his friends and hated family functions.  Marvin and I had a few problems with each other in the past, but we seemed to have worked them out.  We sort of ignored each other and this made us get along just fine. 

          One day I heard Marvin talking to Mom about how he hated the idea about spending a week with Aunt Irma and Uncle Wally, and he especially hated to spend a week with the two little monsters.  Monsters?  We were going to spend our vacation with monsters?  I could only imagine what these monsters looked like.  Were they anything like the ones you see on television?  Were they green and slimy, or did they have more than one head on their shoulders?  I didn't blame Marvin for not wanting to go on vacation to visit monsters. 

          Well, Mom laid down the law to Marvin and told him he had to go with us and that was that.  She also told him that he had better be nice to little Theodore and Simon.  Theodore and Simon?  Were these the names of the little monsters?  They sounded more like the names of chipmunks to me. 

          The day of the trip was quickly arriving.  I was as excited as a teenager at a rock concert.  But something happened that felt like a bomb exploding inside me.  Mom was talking to one of our neighbors about watching the cat for a week.  I loved hearing this because I didn't get along with that giant fur ball.  Leaving him behind wouldn't bother me in the least.  Then she said something else that shocked me.  She said, "And I'll be sure to leave plenty of seed for the bird."  Oh, no, they were going to leave me behind with the cat!