FAMILY VACATION

Chapter 5

 

Soon after Brian and Justin made their way out of bed and into the shower, to wash away the remaining concern and have a couple of high protein breakfast appetizers, Jessica made her presence known.

Gus dragged himself out of bed and was in the process of talking to Jessica as Justin and Brian both walked into the children’s bedroom. It was time to begin a new day with an even fresher, new outlook.

After making sure both children were cleaned and dressed appropriately, and the diaper bag filled to the brim with bottles, baby food, diapers and assorted infant entertainment devices (Brian’s term for baby toys), the little group headed off to breakfast.

Brian was beginning to enjoy the calm, unrushed attitude the family had assumed. He was so conditioned to getting from place to place, job to job, account to account, that it was hard to adjust, but he was slowly acclimating.

They all enjoyed a hearty breakfast to wake them up for the day. Justin and Brian took turns feeding the baby and playing with her so she would be willing to happily sit in her stroller for longer periods of time while at the park.

“Where to today, Daddy?”

Justin took out the park maps that he kept in a pocket of the diaper bag and placed them all on the table. “If it’s okay with your Dad, why don’t you pick. Yesterday we went to the Magic Kingdom. Today we can go to Epcot, Hollywood Studios or the Animal Kingdom.”

“It’s fine with me, Sonny Boy. Pick wherever you’d like to go.” Then Brian leaned in to whisper to Justin, “Does this Animal Kingdom smell like that fucking zoo we took the kids to last month? That place needed to be fumigated.”

Justin looked at Brian and tilted his head. “That place was a free children’s zoo -- and it didn’t smell that bad.”

Brian glared.

“Okay, maybe it did stink, but this is different.”

“You’d better be right.”

“Let’s go to the Animal Kingdom today. I want to go on the safari and see the big tree and, and...”

“Relax Gus. We can spend as much time as we want there and see everything. You won’t miss anything you want to see.”

“Look, Dad, there’s even a kid’s playground -- you know, for really little kids. I could take Jessica there.”

Brian grinned at Justin. “I think it would be a great idea for you to take your sister to a playground. I realize it might cut into your own time, but it’s good to see how unselfish you can be.”

Justin smiled as he sipped his cup of coffee, and Gus preened, not grasping the sarcasm in his father’s remark. Brian and Justin had both noted that Gus seemed to feel, as of late, that as the older sibling of two baby sisters, he should no longer enjoy or participate in child-oriented activities. He was trying to be mature and was becoming miserable instead.

Justin had come up with the idea of using Jessica as a means to visit a variety of different children’s locations that he and Brian knew Gus enjoyed. They would ask Gus if he minded going with them to take Jessica to the local park or if he would mind joining them to visit the zoo or children’s museum.

Gus was always pleased to be asked and proud to take his sister to all the places he enjoyed when he was “a little kid”. Apparently Gus had begun to understand the concept and started volunteering to bring Jessica to some of his favorite haunts.

Melanie had questioned the change in Gus, and had noted when he was with her and JR that he would constantly “suggest” escorting his younger sister from activity to activity. Having listened to Brian and Justin’s concept of letting Gus feel mature without losing the things that give him joy, Mel agreed to go along with it. She wasn’t convinced that it would work, but thus far there were no complaints.
 

Brian appreciated the Disney supplied transportation between all the hotels and parks. There was no need to rent a car or worry about directions to each and every location they chose to visit during their vacation. After breakfast, the four embarked on the short bus ride from their hotel to the Animal Kingdom.

The park was already extremely crowded and Brian automatically tensed, but Justin gently reminded him that they had the whole day to enjoy everything, and there was no reason to hurry.

After acquiring Fast Passes for the much in-demand safari through an actual nature preserve, they visited a number of other attractions and less popular rides.

When Jessica fell asleep, they decided to attend a 3-D show based on the movie, A Bug’s Life, knowing it would be a darkened theater. Noise didn’t keep the baby awake, but she slept better in a dimly lit area.

It turned out that the performance was much more than Brian had bargained for. The room and the seats were designed in such a way that at times it felt like bugs were crawling on you and water was being sprayed, amongst a variety of other special effects.

Justin sat back and tried to enjoy the experience while holding his sleeping daughter, who seemed totally unfazed by screaming children and adults around her. Every once in a while, he glanced at Brian who didn’t seem to have any expression on his face. Justin hoped they hadn’t made a mistake. He wasn’t sure Brian was ready to discover this much of his lost childhood. Brian was still at such a precipice regarding the decision to spend a solid two weeks with his family.

Gus was continually laughing and squealing at the effects and the performance as a whole. He clapped and cheered when the show was over and reluctantly returned the 3-D glasses as he left the theater.

“Dad?”

“Yes, Sonny Boy?”

“Thank you so much.”

Brian looked at Gus and Justin listened with a keen ear as he placed Jessica back in her waiting stroller, just outside the huge, tree-shaped building.

“For what, Gus?”

“For coming with us here.”

“To this attraction?” Brian slowed down and took Gus’ hand, leading him off to the side of the walkway.

“No, Dad -- to Disney World.”

“You don’t have to thank me. I enjoy spending time with you, Jessica and Justin.”

“Yeah, I know, but you make fun of a lot of kid stuff and I know you get really bored.”

Brian looked up at Justin, who just shrugged not wanting to intervene. “Gus, is that how you see it when I go with you places? Do you think I’m bored?”

Gus looked at his feet and kicked a rock that was right in front of his left sneaker. “Well, you don’t smile a lot when you take me out to play, I just figured you were bored. I don’t smile when I’m bored.” Then Gus looked up and pointed to the exit from the theater. “Like in there, you didn’t laugh or get excited, but I’m glad you still went in with me.”

Justin looked on silently, knowing this was an important moment for Brian and Gus. Both of them were so observant and both so much more sensitive than they’d ever admit.

Brian found a nearby bench that was empty and sat down. He had Gus sit next to him.

“You know, Gus, it’s sometimes hard for me to smile when I go to shows like that.”

“Why?”

“Because I never got to see things like that when I was growing up.”

“Didn’t your mom and dad take you places? I thought all moms and dads did that.”

Brian put his arm around his son and held him a little closer. “Most do, I think. But my parents just didn’t know how to be really good parents. They didn’t take me to parks and zoos, and certainly not places like this, so I began to convince myself that I really didn’t want to be in any of those places.”

“But now that you’re here, is it too late cause you’re a grownup?”

Justin smiled wondering the same thing.

“No, Sonny Boy, it’s not too late. It’s just that sometimes I look at how happy you are, and I realize just how much I missed. Then I feel very happy that I can experience all this shi... stuff with you, and know that we’re sharing it together for the first time.”

“So why didn’t you smile and laugh?”

“You know I don’t do that often, but I can promise you that every time you smile and laugh you do it for both of us.” Then Brian leaned in as if to indicate he was going to tell Gus something that was extremely critical. “And here’s a big secret, just between us,” Brian was still speaking loud enough for Justin to hear. “Sometimes when I feel the happiest -- especially when I’m watching you enjoy something so much -- I start to get what’s called emotional. It’s very special to watch you having a good time and knowing I had something to do with it by bringing you.”

Brian looked at Justin and both of them mirrored moist eyes and smiles that spoke volumes. Volumes about their love for each other and for their children. Justin came closer to give Brian a gentle kiss on the lips and then Gus a peck on the cheek.

Gus was now smiling. Knowing that he and his father were sharing all their firsts together made them even better. “Daddy, don’t you think you should kiss Jessica, too? We wouldn’t want her to feel left out.”

Justin smiled through his emotions, “You’re so right.” He then kissed the top of the sleeping baby’s head.

The day at the Animal Kingdom was a joy for all of them. They took turns riding the thrill rides, and Brian began to give himself permission to smile and let his family know he was enjoying himself.

The highlight of the day was the beautiful safari ride. Although there was a Disney fabricated story for the purpose of the safari, Brian and Justin were in awe of the beautiful terrain and the wildlife that had been brought into the expansive location. It truly was like being on a small version of an African safari.

There were no fireworks or parades that the family attended that day, but they certainly had their share of moments that were even more significant.

One of the best moments for Brian and Justin was watching Gus play peacefully in a corner of the huge sandbox-like area where children were trying to find buried dinosaur bones. The two adults were standing only a few feet behind as they wouldn’t leave Jessica alone with Gus just yet.

“Now look, Jess, this is how you dig.” Gus was seated with his legs spread out and Jessica was placed leaning up against him as he demonstrated what to do. “You want to know something cool?” He continued his running soliloquy as the baby babbled, fisting any sand she could grab. “You and me are doing all of this together for the first time like me and Dad. And the best part is that I know you can keep a secret. You see, I really like doing all the stuff I ask to take you to. It’s fun being with you, but this way I still get to do things that some kids think are too babyish. Don’t tell, okay? The dads think I’m doing it for you. Guess what, I even do it with JR.”

Brian and Justin looked at each other, both wearing huge and genuine smiles. Without saying a word, they took each other’s hand and squeezed, staying that way as the children played.

Brian still looked right and left waiting for the negative or derogatory comment about two men holding hands, but it wasn’t to be had -- at least not that day.

[TBC]

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