Andy's Antics - Spring Break

It was the first day of spring break. Andy’s mom had just poured her first cup of much needed coffee when she saw the note that he’d left on the kitchen table.

Mom and Dad,

I went on a road trip with Will. We don’t know where we are going yet. We’re going to flip a coin. It will be either Colorado or North Carolina. Oh, and the Stuart twins are going with us. I think you met them once. Really great girls.
Anyway, I will call you and let you know where we are going. Don’t worry about Will’s car. He worked on it all day yesterday and he’s pretty sure that he got the transmission trouble fixed. And I know you were worried about his squealing brakes, but we both looked at them and the brake pads really don’t look that bad. So don’t worry. I’ll be back on Sunday.

Love,

Andy


She shook her head and walked back to the bedroom to get her husband up. He read the note and gave his wife a smile. “Pretty sure we have nothing to worry about.”

“You think he’s joking?”

“Definitely. You know him. He’s probably at the park right now, waiting for us to call him frantically.” He paused a moment in thought and then said, “Let’s not do that. We already took the day off, so how about a day trip? Just the two of us. He can come back to read a note from his very unworried parents.”

At the park about five minutes away, Andy and Will sat in the parking lot. Andy checked his phone again. “They still haven’t texted me. They’ve got to be up by now.”

“Give it a few more minutes,” said Will as he picked up his soda. “So, what are you actually going to do over spring break?”

Andy shrugged. “Not much. I was thinking about seeing that new action movie.”

“Cool. If it’s playing today, I can go.”

“Great. I’ll check.” Andy picked up his phone again and went to the theater’s website. “There’s a two o’clock and a four-thirty.”

“Two o’clock works.”

….

At the house, Andy’s parents were scheming. “I think what we should do is place the note he wrote on the floor. That way he’ll think we never even saw it. Maybe he’ll think Lindy Lou knocked it off the table. Then we leave our note and enjoy our day,” said Andy’s dad.

“Okay! But you're positive that his note is a joke?”

“Sweetheart, Andy has done some stupid things, but he is not an idiot. He did not go on a road trip without our permission. All that stuff about Will’s car? Look at the way it’s written. And the fact that he told you they were taking girls along? No, if they were really doing that, he definitely would not have said so. If it will make you feel better though, call him once we get in the car. If it turns out that our son is headed out of state, we can cancel those plans and bring him home."

…..

Finally, Andy’s phone rang. He grinned and held up his phone for Will to see who the caller was before he answered it. “Umm, hi, Mom. Please don’t be mad.”

“Why would I be mad?” she said sweetly. “I just wanted to check to see that you were all right. I’m assuming you’re at the park? Anyway, your dad and I are going on a day trip.” She grinned at her husband, who took one hand off the steering wheel to give her an encouraging thumbs up.

“You didn’t see my note?” asked Andy as he sat up straighter in the seat. He’d sat with Will for forty…he checked…seven…forty-seven minutes for nothing?

“A note? What did it say?” she asked, trying very hard not to let on what she knew.

“Umm…never mind. When are you coming back?” he asked.

“Late afternoon, early evening. Maybe we’ll take you to dinner when we get back.”

“Okay. Yeah. Well, you and dad have fun.”

“Thanks. Oh, by the way, there’s a note for you on the fridge. Please read it. And you can go somewhere with friends if you want, but text us to let us know. Remember, no friends in the house while we aren’t there.”

“Okay.” answered Andy. He was aware of the house rules and didn’t understand why his mom always felt the need to restate them. But he knew better than to say so. He ended the call and looked at Will “They didn’t even see the note. Talk about a failed prank. I don’t understand how they didn’t see it. I left it RIGHT THERE.”

“Dude, seriously? We sat here forever.”

“Well, that was a waste. Can you drop me off at my house?”

“Sure.” Will drove the short distance. “See you at two o’clock,” said Will as Andy stepped out of the car.

“Yep,” answered Andy.

Once inside, Andy rushed to the kitchen table. The note wasn’t there. He was sure he’d left it where it couldn’t be missed. He took a step back, and then he saw it. It was lying face down under the table. Maybe Lindy Lou had knocked it down. Something about the placement didn’t seem quite right, but he ignored the feeling, as he was still getting over the disappointment of failing to prank his parents.

He walked to the fridge, pulled out the milk and drank straight from the container. He twisted the blue cap back on and put the milk back in the fridge. He closed the door and read the note.

Dear Andy,

Wash your sheets AND PILLOWCASE
Vacuum the rug in the living room
Clean the litterbox

Enjoy your first day of spring break! Text us if you meet up with friends. No friends in the house while we are gone!

Love,

Mom and Dad

He walked down the hall to his room, stripped the sheets (and pillowcase), and headed for the basement. Before he even opened the door, he heard Lindy Lou scratching at the door. He opened it and stepped to the side as she excitedly ran out. “Hey there, Lindy Lou,” he said. He went down the stairs and started the small load of laundry.

He went back up the stairs, where Lindy Lou was waiting for the attention she knew she'd get. As he reached down to scoop her up, he said, “Long night, down there, baby girl?” And that’s when it hit him. Lindy Lou couldn’t have knocked the note down if she’d still been in the basement, and he knew for sure that he hadn’t opened that door before he went to the park. So, had his parents gotten up, opened the door, and failed to see her get her on the table? And then put her back in the basement? That seemed unlikely. Still holding Lindy Lou, he walked to the table. Set his note on it. He walked quickly past the table, but the note didn’t move. No windows had been open when he’d left. At that moment he felt sure that the note had been moved intentionally. A smile spread across his face, “Well played, Parents.” he said aloud. “But I still have all of spring break.” He smiled mischievously again as his teenage brain began to give him all sorts of ideas.