Creede (ePub)

After receiving Loris message, I called my parents to see if they would keep the boys while I was gone. That phone call didnt go as planned. Mom and Dad decided that they needed a vacation, and it would be great fun to take the boys and fly with me to Colorado. Mom was sure that there would be plenty of room in the jet. They could all fish, raft, hike, and have fun while Lori and I met with the local authorities and tried to help Cassie.

The big jet that Lori had chartered was certainly large enough to carry the five of us, and my parents could rent a cabin at Steiners Ranch. It might be fun for the boys. Tyler and Cody have always loved going to Colorado for vacations.

So there we all sat on a jet heading for Creede.

The trip was uneventful for the most part. Of course, my familys interpretation of uneventful is far beyond what most normal families call uneventful. An uneventful week for our family is one where only one trip to the hospital is necessary.

Tyler mostly read or played with his dinosaurs. But we almost had a drowning tragedy when the Tyrannosaurus rex got stuck in the toilet as he was getting a drink. Tyler had gone to use the bathroom and decided that the T-rex was thirsty. He tried to explain to me why the T-rex had to drink out of the toilet instead of the sink. But for some reason, I just couldnt grasp the logic in it.

I tried, but couldnt get the hard rubber T-rex out of the hole. So we called on the man that can fix anything, especially if he has his duct tape with him. Dad tried pulling on the T-rex, but it was stuck good and tight. It appeared that one of the legs was hung on something under the lid and wouldnt budge. Finally, Dad wedged his hand between the toy and the side of the toilet so he could feel what it had gotten hung on. That was easier said than done since the hole in the toilet was about five inches in diameter and had a hinged cover that opened and closed whenever the lever was pushed.

At least half of the T-rex was stuck in the hole, and the cover had tried to close over it. I could hear muttering coming from Dad. His head was turned down and away from me, and Tyler was crying as loud as he could, so I couldnt hear anything Dad said. I asked him to repeat what he had just said. I heard louder mutterings and could make out something about these damned dinosaurs.

It finally dawned on me that Dads arm was literally stuck. He couldnt pull it out, and he couldnt push it further in. Considering where his arm was, I didnt think pushing it further in was a very good idea, anyway. I didnt mention that fact to Dad though because he didnt look like he was in the mood to take any advice at the moment. In fact, in situations like this one, it was always best to call on the boss.

I yelled for Mom to come and help. Now there are three adults, one child, and one toy dinosaur in this tiny airplane bathroom. It was getting pretty claustrophobic, and Dads coloring wasnt looking very good to me. His face was dark red, and the veins on his neck and forehead were popping out. I couldnt tell if it was from bending over so long or being just plain mad. It didnt really matter. I was concerned that he might pass out.

Mom wedged her way out of the bathroom and headed to the galley. She brought back some cooking spray. I give her a quizzical look, and she shrugged her shoulders. They didnt have any oil was all she said.

She leaned over Dad and covered his arm with the cooking spray. Rubbing the oil all over his arm, she started pushing it into and pulling it out of the hole. Every once in a while, she would spray more oil on his arm. It didnt look like this was working very well to me.

Mom looked up at me and said, Lean around me and pull open the cover to the hole so I can get more oil on the lower part of your dads arm.

I looked at her like she was nuts. You are crazy if you think Im going to touch that thing with my hands, bare or otherwise, I