Anonymous

A FAMILY VACATION

FICTION

The family was planning a vacation. It was the first one we had taken since Dad had passed away nearly 17 months ago. Mom was finally going to take a rest from her work, and believe me, she deserved it. It wasn't that her work was so terribly hard, and of course, Dad's life in- surance had left Mom more than well off until all of us kids were through school.

All of us kids, meant me and my three sisters. JoAnne was the oldest, she was nearly 20, and was employed at a small insurance agency. Susie went to college in the northern section of the state. She was 18, but could have passed for 21 easily. She had that womanly look about her. Then came me, Mark. I was on my way to becoming a senior in high school. This left Alicia, my little sister. She was going to be a junior in high school. Alicia was the most petite of my three sisters, but she also had that womanly look about her which often led people to believe that I was the youngest of the clan.

"Mark!"

"What are you yelling about, Jo?"

"Would you listen to Mother when she is speaking to you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said, "I was thinking about school."

Mom laughed, “You're on vacation, Mark. As the man of the house, would you like to go anywhere special on vacation?"

I looked at her, she really was a pretty woman. I guess Mom, JoAnne,

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