Chapter 60: The Magic Kingdom

July 7, 1996, On the Road to Atlanta, Georgia

“I think that’s everything,” I said on Sunday morning. “The vans are packed, the coolers are stocked, and each of the kids has something with which to entertain themselves, which should last for the first fifty miles or so!”

“Are we there yet?” Bethany mocked.

“First kid that asks THAT is riding in the roof carrier with the luggage!” I chuckled.

“Don’t suggest it!” she laughed. “Some of the boys would find that cool!”

“So true! Shall we load them up?”

“The boys or the roof carriers?” Bethany laughed.

“Yes!” I grinned.

“Any changes to the seating plan?” Kurt asked.

“After consultation with Doctor Krajick, I decided it’s best for everyone’s sanity if we unpack the roof carriers, put the boys in them, and put the luggage in the car with the girls.”

“I know a few girls who will approve,” Kurt laughed. “So, no changes?”

“No,” I said. “The kids are all cool with it.”

That meant, specifically, that Jesse, Nicholas and Stephie were in the middle row of the Quinns’ minivan, with Bobby and Albert in the back seats; Birgit, Kristin, and Katherine were in the middle of our minivan, with Ashley in the back; Kurt and Kathy had Elyse, Eduardo, Matthew, Michael, Kara, and Keith. Kara would switch with Jessica who was riding with me for the first leg. It wasn’t ideal, but it kept all the kids happy, and everyone agreed that was the primary concern for the long drive.

“Tom, Kurt; I’ll take the lead,” I said. “If anyone needs a stop before we get to the first planned stop in West Lafayette, call my cell phone and we’ll work out the stop.”

“Sounds good,” Kurt said. “And thanks for the loaner cell phone!”

“I figured it was the best way for the three of us to communicate both here and at Disney. I checked and there is cellular coverage there.”

“Let’s get on the road,” Tom said. “The kids are going to get antsy as it is!”

The three of us climbed into the driver’s seat of our respective vans, and a minute later, we were heading towards the Dan Ryan in convoy.

“Are we there yet?” Jessica teased when we were about a mile from the house.

“I said I was going to put the first kid who asked that question in the luggage carrier on the roof rack!”

“I’m not a kid!”

“I’ve noticed! Do you have the map? You’re playing navigator.”

“I think you know the way to Indianapolis after all the times you drove back and forth to see me, plus all the times you’ve gone to Ohio.”

“True. It’ll matter once we pass Indianapolis. The last time I drove that was...” I sighed, “Stephie’s funeral nine years ago.”

“You still love her.”

“I do; as we both do Jorge. And there’s no way I can fail to mention Birgit Andersson and Nick Evans, either. But let’s not be morose. Why don’t we put in a CD?”

Jessica pulled out the large CD wallet we’d loaded with a mix of songs and flipped through it.

“Raffi?” she teased.

“If I hear Baby Beluga one more time, I think I’ll scream!” I chuckled. “Fortunately, Stephie is in the Quinns’ van with Nicholas!”

“Veggie Tunes?” she suggested.

“OK, those are fun, but I was thinking something more adult!”

“George Carlin?” she laughed.

“Something for which Kurt won’t shoot me for playing for his girls!”

“Fine,” Jessica huffed theatrically.

She extracted a disk and put it into the player. As soon as I heard the first song, People Need Love, I knew it was the first disk to the ABBA boxed set, Thank You for the Music.

“Kara said a few of these songs used to make you very sad.”

I nodded, “Love Isn’t Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough) and The Name of the Game. But it’s been a long time since those made me tear up. There was also Knowing Me, Knowing You, which played that first, and only, day Birgit and I made love. But there are good memories to go with the bad. And then there’s Dancing Queen, which was the song Jennifer and I first danced to at Camp Marydale.”

“You were what? Fourteen?”

“It was June of 1977, so yes. Birgit had recently gone home, and that dance at Marydale was when Jesse got started.”

“Call The Guinness Book!” Jessica tittered. “Jesse’s gestation period was nine YEARS instead of nine months!”

“You know the kid!” I grinned. “Does he do ANYTHING the easy way?”

“No!” came the chorus from three girls in the middle seats.

“You all love him very much,” I said.

“Boys are shitheads!” Birgit declared.

“All of them, Pumpkin?” I asked.

“Yes! Especially dads!”

Jessica burst out laughing as the three girls giggled. I just shook my head; it served me right having a van full of girls!

“She’s got your number,” Jessica said quietly.

“As if that’s news!” I chuckled.

“Actually, Tiger, you aren’t nearly as much of a shithead as you used to be!”

“Uhm, thanks?”

“You’ve said so yourself,” Jessica replied gently. “But no matter what, you were always there for me and never gave up on me. Going on twelve years, now, from the day we met.”

“All because of Bethany’s accident.”

“Tiger, that shared vision ... do you believe it’s true?”

“I could get into the whole debate about what ‘true’ means in that context, but in the end, she had a nearly identical vision without me telling her about mine and without it even being hinted at in my journals. I can’t tell you for sure what it might mean, but it confirms to me the universe is far more complex than it seems.”

“Do you think Jorge and Stephie are together? I mean, wherever they are?”

“I’d like to think so,” I said. “He really cared for her and she had a serious soft spot for him, almost like a big sister, I guess. In my three visions, I saw that same place Bethany did. And when I’ve been to Birgit’s grave, I feel her presence, her «kami». I feel the same thing when I put the Lucite-encased nickel in my pocket every day - Jorge’s «kami».”

“We could stop in Dawsonville.”

“It’s pretty far out of the way,” I said. “It would add a couple of hours, at least, to the trip, and our munchkins are already going to be cranky as it is.”

“I wish I could have gone to Puerto Rico,” Jessica sighed.

“You and me both, Babe; you and me both.”

We drove south-eastward, listening to ABBA, though Jessica had to change disks as each one completed. We reached our first stop in West Lafayette, and after filling our gas tanks, we headed to a small park which we’d located on the maps when we planned the trip, and got the kids out to stretch their legs.

“We’re making good time,” Kurt noted. “No traffic, and the construction as we crossed into Indiana was the other direction.”

“We need to think about that for the drive home,” Tom said. “It was bumper-to-bumper for a good ten miles.”

“Our alternate route home is through Illinois instead of Indiana,” I said. “It’s only slightly longer, and if you take into account the construction we saw, I bet it’s actually faster. When we leave from Mammoth Cave, we just head towards St. Louis instead of towards Louisville.”

“I think that’s the best plan,” Kurt said. “Tom?”

“Agreed. We should walk around a bit while the kids are playing.”

The three of us made a couple of circuits around the small park, keeping an eye on the kids, and then helped the moms get the kids settled, though Ashley opted to sit next to Keith in the Jaeger’s van. Kara climbed into the passenger seat of our van, and Jessica took her place with the Jaegers.

Our lunch stop was at Wendy’s in Lebanon, Indiana. I got a salad while everyone else had burgers and fries. When I sat down, Bethany sat down next to me.

“It wasn’t far from here,” she said quietly.

I nodded, “I know. Jess and I were talking about the shared vision you and I had before she and Kara switched places. I’m glad you decided to come back and help, Sweetheart; very glad.”

“Me, too. But it felt so peaceful there, and the hospital was anything but peaceful and serene. And the pain...” she sighed. “But Nicholas and Bobby are worth it. And so are you, Steve. I’ll never, ever love anyone the way I loved you. It was just different.”

“I feel the same way. What about Nick?”

Bethany smiled, “He gave me Nicholas. And a parakeet!”

“He was a good man, and I was happy you found him. You and I were just too damned close to make it work.”

“Perhaps the weirdest, and saddest, words ever uttered, but so true.”

I nodded and smiled, but the spell was broken when Kara, Jessica, and Tom sat down with us.

“I TRIED to sit with my children and was banished!” Kara groused.

We all laughed because both the boys and the girls had more or less declared themselves independent for this trip, and parents were decidedly NOT part of their plans, except to pay for everything and chauffeur them from place to place!

“If Jesse or Birgit had their own credit card, they wouldn’t have invited us on THEIR vacation,” I chuckled. “They did most of the planning with the brochures, in consultation with Nicholas and the Jaeger girls.”

“They’ve all suddenly grown VERY independent,” Kurt said as he sat down.

Kathy, Elyse, and Eduardo joined us as well.

“I think we’re just along for the ride,” Tom said, shaking his head. “Even Bobby suddenly doesn’t need Mom or Dad! He’s not even two yet!”

Kathy laughed, “He’s fallen under the spell of Jesse, Birgit, and their posse! He and Keith are going to be singularly unhappy when they can’t get on some of the rides with the older boys.”

“It’s really only a few rides, when you think about it,” I said. “Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Space Mountain are the real questions. According to the guide, only the two littlest ones won’t make it. Everyone else should be fine. And I’m pretty sure the doctors here would be leery of putting two-year-olds on roller-coasters or log flume rides.”

“How are we on time?” Elyse asked.

“Right on schedule,” Kara said. “I’ve ticked off each stop and landmark on the route maps we created. Well, Jess did the first batch.”

When we finished lunch, we had the kids carefully walk around the parking lot before loading them back into the vans to continue our trip south. We made very good time, kept to our planned stops, had dinner just outside of Nashville and arrived at our hotel in Atlanta at almost exactly our planned time.

July 8, 1996, Polynesian Village, Orlando, Florida

“Make sure you get sunscreen,” I said to the kids as we gathered in the lobby of the hotel.

“Yes, Dad,” the boys sighed, rolling their eyes.

“Synchronized Eye Rolling,” Bethany whispered. “10.0 from the East German judge!”

“No kidding,” I grinned.

With some help from the adults, we got sun screen on all the kids, then trooped out to the beach which was part of the resort. The kids were extremely happy not to be cooped up in the vans, but also agitating for going to the Magic Kingdom immediately. The adults conferred and agreed it was better just to stick to the original plan, especially given the way our pre-purchased passes worked.

“Are we going with the kids’ plan for the rooms?” Elyse asked as we settled on the beach and the kids made a beeline for the water.

“I don’t see why not,” Kathy replied. “We’ll have Keith and the Quinns will have Bobby. The boys and girls will have their own rooms, as will the rest of the adults. I can’t imagine the kids getting into trouble or sneaking out at 2:00am to try to find Mickey! Jesse is ten and Kristin is nine, and they’re both mature enough to handle things.”

“And they’re going to be completely bushed at the end of every day,” Jessica said. “They’ll all collapse in heaps in the beds!”

“No complaints here!” Eduardo grinned.

“You better not, Buster!” Elyse growled.

“The other adults can take Bobby and Keith for a night or two if you two need some privacy,” Kara said to the Quinns and Jaegers.

“Sold!” Kurt exclaimed.

The kids, despite minor complaints, had fun running around the beach and splashing in the water. After a couple of hours, we herded them inside for showers and naps for the youngest ones. After dinner, there was another trip to the beach, and then early bedtimes so the kids would be well-rested for what were going to be long, hot days at the various attractions.

After we got the kids settled, the adults gathered in the room I shared with my wives for drinks, and then, after checking on the kids, everyone headed to bed.

July 9, 1996, The Magic Kingdom, Orlando, Florida

“That was TOTALLY COOL!” Michael exclaimed as we stepped off the Monorail. “Do we get to ride it every day?”

“When we go to the Disney Parks, yes,” I replied. “To the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT.”

“I can’t believe they let the boys ride up front!” Eduardo said.

“And we got ‘co-pilot’ licenses!” Matthew added.

Michael, Matthew, Jesse, and Nicholas had all been invited to ride in the front cab of the monorail. There were only four seats in the cab, much to the disappointment of the four men, all of whom would have loved the chance. Our wives insisted we defer to the boys.

We made our way from the Monorail and into the park, and made a beeline for Splash Mountain, which was known to have long lines. Our major dilemma was who would stay with the two youngest kids, but it was quickly solved when Bethany pointed out that she couldn’t ride roller-coasters or other ‘violent’ rides because of her injuries from her accident.

“You need to think about that too, Tiger,” Jessica said.

“Don’t EVEN start!” I growled, but then realized I wasn’t responding properly. “Babe, I’m sorry. It’s OK. I’ve ridden roller-coasters since, and these aren’t crazy. If kids who are only 40” tall can be on them, they can’t be overly violent.”

“Sorry,” she said. “I wasn’t thinking.”

I smiled, “Yes, actually, you were. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”

“You growled, Tiger,” she smirked. “And the growling tiger is usually the FUN tiger!”

“Can we save the sex talk for LATER and just get in line?” Kathy asked in a lilting voice.

Bethany kept Bobby and Keith, who were, as we’d surmised they would be, VERY unhappy to not be able to join the adults and other kids.

Fortunately, the early morning line was relatively short and we were on the ride within about fifteen minutes. The kids absolutely loved the animatronics, and they all squealed in excitement as we hurtled down the final chute.

“Can we buy the picture?” Jesse asked excitedly when we climbed from the ‘log’ we’d been riding in.

“Sure,” I agreed, knowing we’d need three pictures, one of each eight-person log we’d been divided across.

After purchasing our pictures, we made our way to Big Thunder Mountain, where again Bethany stayed with the littlest kids. Then, with the two ‘major’ rides out of the way, we headed to Pirates of the Caribbean. The boys thoroughly enjoyed the ride, the girls, less so. Things were reversed later on It’s a Small World. We finished up with the Haunted Mansion, and then had lunch.

“Check out that poor guy,” Kara whispered.

She nodded towards a man who was likely Hispanic, looking a bit haggard, being led by his very energetic wife, with teenage kids, a boy and girl, looking only slightly less tired.

“He looks beat already,” I said. “And she looks like she’s ready to run a marathon!”

“We do need to keep an eye on the smallest ones who are walking,” Kathy said. “Their little legs are going to tire.”

“I’m glad we opted for strollers for Keith and Bobby,” Tom added. “Or I’d look like that guy from lugging my little brute around the park!”

“Same here,” Kurt agreed.

After lunch, we went to Country Bear Jamboree, then Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, and Peter Pan’s Flight. I was sorely disappointed that the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea submarines had been dismantled in 1994, as it had been one of my favorite rides when I was little and my dad had taken me to Disneyland nearly every Summer until we moved from California.

I also was upset to find that Mission to Mars had been replaced by something called ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter, though the kids really loved it, and Albert asked for, and received, a ‘Skippy’ plush toy. Skippy was a cute little alien who was disfigured in a ‘transporter accident’, which caused laughs amongst the Star Trek fans in our crowd.

Walking back across the park, we took the Jungle Cruise, visited the Swiss Family Treehouse, and finally, as our last ride before dinner, rode the Walt Disney World Railroad around the park.

At dinner, we saw the same family we had earlier, and now the husband was walking gingerly and looked about to collapse from exhaustion, while the kids looked beat. The wife, on the other hand, was still going strong. I shook my head in sympathy for the poor guy.

“OK, kids, what do we do before the fireworks?” I asked.

“Splash Mountain!” came the unanimous chorus.

Bethany and Kathy opted to take Keith and Bobby to ride the Dumbo Elephants and other ‘kiddie’ rides while we waited in line at Splash Mountain. After that, we had time for Pirates of the Caribbean and the Jungle Cruise, then went to Main Street to find a spot to watch the fireworks.

After the monorail ride back to the hotel, the kids literally collapsed into bed from exhaustion, and the adults, after a drink, did the same.

July 12, 1996, Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida

Wednesday at the Magic Kingdom had been, more or less, a repeat of the previous day, though there was a thunderstorm which caused us to hide out in a store in Tomorrowland for about twenty minutes. EPCOT had been interesting, though it certainly didn’t warrant more than a morning. The afternoon at Blizzard Beach had been much better for the kids, with the boys enjoying the slides and the girls enjoying floating along in ‘tire’ rafts.