Note: This idea came to me not too long ago but this cast of characters are known as Happy Days 2nd Generation. This is the first story for them but there will be a couple of newcomers. Enjoy!

My name is Dedire Fonzarelli. It is now summertime. I don't know what kind of plans my family has in mind. Earlier this year, my father, whose name was Arthur, died so Mom, my brother, Lester, and Dad's other friends went to the funeral. I felt sad because Dad wouldn't be able to live longer and see his only daughter graduate from high school and college, get married and have children.

After summer is over, I will be a freshman in high school. Mom and I live out here in Milwaukee. Mom is a doctor for children who have depression and anxiety, which is no fun at all. Mom and Dad both met several years ago before Lester and I were born. Dad used to be a mechanic, but when he and Mom had Lester, Dad retired to be a stay – at – home father while Mom went to town every day to work with children, but was able to have weekends off.

If you're all wondering what Lester and I look like, we look just like our father. I had light black hair with brown eyes. I got my brown eyes from my mother. Lester had dark hair, expect his wasn't light like myself. Lester and I do okay in school, but Lester was able to do what Dad never did – graduate from high school and go to college. Lester told us when Dad was still alive that he wanted to be a songwriter. Lester and I both love music, but never thought about becoming up with our own songs.

I still had two days from school left, and then it would be summer! It was my favorite time of the year besides Christmas. Lester had his last week at NYU last week so he's already on summer vacation. Since I am only in my teens, I still have a while longer to decide what I want to do for the rest of my life. I was looking forward to spending summer vacation with my best friend, Mandy Waters.

Even Mandy was looking forward to having summer vacation and not worry about school. She and I will have to decide on what we do for the next three months, and that included boredom, which isn't fun at all. Let me tell you a little bit more about Dad. He was quite a character, but I don't know how to picture Dad as a fictional character.

From what Lester and I were told, Dad was a high school dropout who never attended college. He used to be a former gang member, but in later years he quit. Dad never did smoke or drink. At least that was something Dad was smart enough about. He also told us he didn't live with any brothers, sisters or parents. When we first heard that, it made me feel bad for my own father, but that was years ago before he and Mom had met.

Lester was coming home to Milwaukee the first of June. He'd planned on staying for most of the summer. Mom and I always enjoyed having Lester home for Christmas and summertime. We don't get to see much of Lester since he lives way out in New York, but he and I e – mail and text each other, but we don't do that very often because of our schoolwork which we have to focus on.

This summer, Lester and I would be spending some time with our friends, those we don't get to see very often. Even they missed Lester and I. Our other friends are: Sara and Cynthia Cunningham, Jay and Norman Malph, and last but not least, Hannah and Arnold Webber. Our friends I just mentioned one of the next generations of Dad's friends, Richie Cunningham, Warren (aka Potsie) Webber, and also Ralph Malph. Another thing my brother and I and our other friend didn't know there will be a couple of new people joining the group.

2: Hannah 1

I am Hannah Webber. I may not be the next generation of my grandfather, Warren, but my twin brother and I happen to be the third generation. Our father, Arthur and our Uncle Henry were the next generation, since Grandpa Warren had my father and uncle sometime after he settled down to have his own family. When growing up in the fifties, Grandpa Warren was different from his group of friends.

Grandpa Warren mostly felt left out except hanging out with his friends and going to school. My twin brother, Arnold and I didn’t hear many stories about our grandfather since he never really said much. Sorry, I got that wrong. Grandpa Warren is our grandfather, but his father was our great – grandfather. Arnold and I never did meet him, but we only saw pictures that Grandpa Warren shared with us.

Grandpa Warren wasn’t like lots of kids his age when growing up in the fifties. He didn’t spend much time with my great – grandfather and great – grandmother. They treated him as he didn’t exist, and that made me sad. He did have a gift and that was music. He did enjoy that a lot. He used to sing those old songs that were before my generation. Arnold and I really enjoyed listening to his voice while we were growing up.

I hadn’t yet shared much background about myself that Grandpa Warren was on my mind. As I mentioned before, I have a twin brother. I am the older one. I do have a dream, but I don’t know if it will ever happen, but I’m not giving my hopes up. My dream is to be the very first woman president for America. For now I’m only a senator.

My religion background is Mormon, which meant my family and I were believers in the Book of Mormon. We usually never attended the Latter – Day Saints church, but we mostly read the Book of Mormon, but that’s about it. My brother Arnold has a lot of issues, but none of them were easy. He was different from myself. He has a disability and happens to be in a wheelchair, and I don’t blame him.

Arnold almost died, but the Lord helped him survive. Only God knows what our future is and how long we will enjoy life until death. Arnold and I maybe twins, but we almost look alike. I happen to have blue eyes and blonde hair while Arnold has brown eyes and blonde hair. Since summer is on its way, I was able to have some time off from my job.

I am a married woman. My husband, Tim Mason is a truck driver. I added his last name to mine when we first married, so I’m mostly known as Senator Webber – Mason. I’m used to it. We happen to have a son named Lewis and a daughter named April, so my Grandpa Warren is April and Lewis’s great – grandfather. At least Grandpa Warren was lucky enough to live long enough to see his grandchildren grow up and have their own families but Arnold would be a hard person to take care of for marriage because of his wheelchair. No wonder my family is huge. I am totally looking forward to this summer vacation!

3: Jay 1

Summer vacation is finally here! No more school until either late August ir early September! I was jumping up and down since I am very excited. My name is Jay Malph. I have an older brother named Norman. He's a good brother to me, but a few years older. When we were at the orphanage in California, Norman had several friends. He does really well. I do okay but I'm not popular like he is.

That's when I heard a voice speaking to me. It was Norman.

"Why are you jumping about?" Norman asked me.

"Because it's summer vacation! Haven't you forgotten or what?"

"Of course I didn't, Jay. I just didn't understand all the jumping."

"Now you know."

"Right. What do you want to do this summer?" Norman asked.

"I don't know what Dad has planned. Since it's vacation time, that means family time and visiting other states."

"Duh," Norman told me.

I forgot to share a bit of background so you will know more about me before I get too carried away. I am eight years old, but I'll be nine in August. Norman and I do have after school activities after school was taking piano lessons.

Playing the piano is really fun. We even have a piano at home. Norman and I have a really good adopted father. He's pretty humorless and likes to tell jokes to Norman and I. Our father is named Ralph. He grew up in the fifties, and even then he cracked jokes. Norman and I are in Dad's piano class. Dad used to play the piano in a band he used to be in. He really did enjoy that.

Our adopted mother is named Karen. She was the very first person Norman and I met when she and Dad visited us at the orphanage. I was about three or four years old when Norman and I joined the orphanage in California. Norman was popular in the orphanage's school. I guess I don't understand much about popularity, but I will when I reach Norman's age.

Our mother, Karen, will be joining Norman and I this summer. We only visit with her in the summer and again at Christmas. Mom never had children of her own because she couldn't get pregnant. She takes really good care of Norman and I. We appreciate that from her. We are in progress trying to come up with us this summer. I have no idea we'll be going on a trip. But where? If we are, where is the question. That Norman and I will have to find out for ourselves. And this trip better be good and fun.

4: Lester 1

"Hey, Lester! What do you have planned for this summer?" my friend Will asked.

"I'm going back to see Mom and Dee Dee. I plan to be with them most of the summer," I answered.

I attend college here in New York. I don't get to see my mother and sister as often because of the schoolwork I have to focus on.

I haven't introduced myself yet. I am Lester Fonzarelli. My family I just mentioned is all I have. My father was Arthur, but Mom called him Fonz, which he liked to be called, even if it meant his own wife. That's right. I am older than my sister, whose name is Deirdre, but preferred to be Dee Dee like our father was.

Since a lot of my people who have been friends with me for several years found a new name for me but I don't use it often like Dad did. People call me the Fonz Junior, which is pretty funny, but my name has never been Arthur. Oh, well. I can take it anyway.

It's really hot here in New York right now. My friend Will and I have the lights off and the windows are open and the fan is on. I'm guessing it's hot back home where Mom and Dee Dee are, so I'm not surprised. I was born in Milwaukee. My sister as I already mentioned, Dee Dee will be a freshman in high school when she starts again.

My friend and I were starting to sweat. We couldn't help it, but we have no choice. I grabbed out a few decks of cards. We didn't feel like watching movies or television, so we ended up playing cards instead. I do try my best to be a smart student. Dad never went to college like I am. I'm not sure if Dee Dee already mentioned this to you or not, so I'll just say it anyway.

Dad will be happy I stayed in college until graduation, but since he isn't living anymore, I'll be going through a tough time since he wouldn't be alive to see it happen. At least he did a good job on raising two children. If Mom and Dee Dee ever plan on going to plan a vacation, I wouldn't mind if it was here in New York. Even if they really don't visit here in New York, this will be their chance. And I won our first game. We played Go Fish.

5: Arnold 1

I am out with my sister, her husband and my niece and nephew. Since I really can't live on my own, that was always a problem. I am Arnold Webber. My sister and family I just mentioned are really nice people, and I love them with all of my heart.

My sister's name is Hannah. We are twins. Being a twin can be fun sometimes, but we have no choice. This is why I don't have my own family. I am in a wheelchair, so I have people help me out when I need it. Having a disability is never fun, let me tell you. For those who are out there and have a disability, you are not alone.

This year seems to be flying by fast. We are now in the month of June. I don't mind the summer season, but it's never really been a favorite time of year. Hannah and her husband have been married for quite some time now. When they first married, they went on a honeymoon to see Italy. I always had fun picturing what other countries were like, but I haven't pictured that recently.

I am with Hannah and her family for summer vacation. The group home I live in right now lets me spend the summer season with Hannah, so she and I are able to see each other. My niece and nephew are April and Lewis. They are good kids.

I am in Washington now, since that's where Hannah and her husband live. They decided to move from Utah and have a family in Washington, so that's why I'm here.

"Arnold, are you there?" Tim, Hannah's husband asked.

"I am now, Tim," I answered.

"You look like you're daydreaming or something," Tim told me.

That's when Hannah joined us.

"I'd have to agree with Timmy, Arnold," Hannah said, who now joined in on the conversation.

"Sorry if I worried you, Sis. I'm just thinking about this summer."

"I'm sure we'll think of something, and I feel one hundred percent this will be a fun time."

I saw Hannah had some pills and a glass of water for me. Like most of you out therre with a disability, I can't do much, but I am able to move my arrms around, but not much. I am on medication. I have bipolar depression, but those out there who also have it understand where I go from it. When I finished swallowing some water after the pills, I told Hannah she was right.

6: Norman 1

My brother, Jay was still jumping up and down when he told me he was so excited about summer vacation. Summer was never a favorite time of the year for me, but I will take it anyway. I am Norman Malph. I should probably tell you a little more about us so you can get a picture in your head where Jay and I come from.

We are originally from California, but we were never birth siblings. We met in an orphanage out here in America. We're orphans because I was abused from an uncle of mine on my mother's side of the family. The more it kept to continuing, Mom and Dad thought it made sense to put me in an orphanage so I could be in a better place. I don't know what bought Jay into the orphanage, but my guess could be he was too young to remember the story.

Since we just started summer vacation, I do know we have plans for vacation, but like Jay, I have no idea what we will be doing. Jay's favorite times of the year are summer vacation, birthdays, and Christmas. We seem to do pretty well so far on our own without being involved in some sort of fight or whatever. I would love to see what happen this summer. Pretty soon I will figure it out.

Note: I have been working on this story but I've been posting more of it on fictionpress but I will come here and post whenever I can and thank you all for reading my works.

7: Summer 1

Since summer vacation recently began, I really don't know what will happen with three months off from school to keep busy. Whatever is going on, I know it'll be fun. Vacation is usually fun, you know. No matter where my vacation will be, I do guess I'll be meeting a lot of new people, and to me it's a positive idea.

It was early morning. I jumped out of bed, walked over to my closet, chose an outfit for the day, headed off to the bathroom, etc. I looked at myself in the mirror. My hair didn't look very good. I figured it was time to wash my chestnut long hair. I see I haven't yet introduced myself.

I am Summer Delvecchio. I am eleven years old. I've been told a family member on my father's side of the family, named Al, was working in a diner back in the 1950s. He was my great – grandfather. I never had a chance to meet him since he died back in the 1980s or 1990s, but I do enjoy hearing stories about him and seeing pictures of him.

I am an only child, so I don't have any brothers and sisters. Sometimes it can be lonely like that. I won't be able to see my friends much during the month of June. Like myself, some of my friends have ideas of their own on travel, so we'll be able to miss one another.

I could hear my mother, whose name happens to be Andrea, watching television. She usually made breakfast when I get up in the morning. I guess Mom wanted to wait a while longer to do so and give me enough time to wake up. When I finished blow – drying my hair, I have to take a dose of medication I am taking. I am diabetic. I haven't had diabetes very long, so Mom and I are still getting used to it. But it takes time, let me tell you that.

I don't have much of a choice of diet, but I have to eat whatever was in front of me. I don't think I am the only diabetic in the family, but since I'm still a child, I am too young to know about my family's medical history, but I will someday. I didn't bother putting a pair of socks on since it was going to be warm today.

"Summer! Are you ready to give yourself that shot? It's almost time for breakfast!" I heard Mom yell at me from downstairs.

"I'm coming, Mom!"

When I finished yelling back, I groaned. Since I don't want to inject myself. I have no choice, as I said earlier. I joined Mom in the kitchen.

8: Brittany 1

I shut my diary. I like to write, but I don't do it very much, but since I only have a diary, I try to write in it everyday. I guess that's how diaries work. I plan to bring my diary to this summer vacation along so I could tell my diary new stories about this vacation.

I did hear it might be in New York, but again I could be wrong. I always enjoy meeting new people and become friendly with them. I told myself ever since I heard about this vacation that there will be a chance to meet people like myself. I did a lot of thinking that this group of friends I would meet could be my age. Again I could be wrong.

My name is Brittany Arcola. I am twelve years old. I have red hair and green eyes. I am from North Brinkley, Illinois. My father, whose name happened to be Samuel, was a family member to somebody by the name of Chachi Arcola. The name means nothing to me. He is twenty – nine years old while my mother, Tanya is thirty – two. Yes, Mom and Dad are coming along on this vacation. As usual, the summer weather would be hot. Let's see what happens on this trip. I am really looking forward to it. And also counting the days.

I heard Mom call: "Brittany!"

I hurried down the stairs so I could give my mother eye contact.

"Yes, Mom? I heard you call," I told her.

"I did call. Your father has some news about summer vacation."

I wondered what my father had to say, so I said nothing more and followed my mother to the living room.

"Tell Brittany what's going on," Mom told Dad.

"We will have summer vacation in New York. After New York, we will spend some time in Utah. We have a late flight to New York."

"Is that all you have to share with me?" I asked.

"Yes. You better start thinking about what to pack."

"Okay."

I headed back to my bedroom. My diary was coming along just as I planned.

9: Dee Dee 2

I decided to leave Lester a text message. Of course he would be here in Milwaukee at some point, but I did it anyway. Here's the message I sent to my older brother:

'Good afternoon, bro. I can't wait to see you. I don't know why I am sending this, but I wonder what this summer vacation is spend time to meet other people like us and what we will be doing. Mom and I love you. Dee Dee

When I hit the send button, I knew for sure my brother would reply right back when he finds a chance in order to leave a return to my message. Mom never has been a fan of text messaging. Her generation did not have that sort of technology, but they say times do change.

I am now allowed to be home alone, but when Dad was around back then, Lester and I never really had a chance to do so. Dad had the part of being Mr. Mom since my mother worked. We all miss Dad and it made me wish this summer vacation wouldn't be as fun as they were in the past. 'Dad, we miss you. Summer vacation won't be the same without you,' I thought to myself.

Mom didn't come home until six o'clock. I haven't yet learned to cook on my own, but to me it looks like a chore. As usual, I set the table when my mother walked in from the front door.

"Hello, sweetheart. How was your day?" Mom asked as she slammed the front door behind her.

"It was a good day, Mom. Nothing exciting to share," I said truthfully.

"At least you are responsible enough to care for yourself while I'm away at work. I'm very proud of you," Mom told me as we finished kissing one another.

"Your father would've been very proud of you," Mom said as she opened the door to her bedroom.

"True that," I agreed.

Once I finished saying those words, she already shut the door behind herself. I didn't know what sort of plans Mom had in mind for tonight's meal, so I left that up to her.

When I went back to my bedroom, I heard the phone go on, telling me I had a new text message. It was not from Lester like I thought it would be, but I'm giving him time to respond. It actually was from my best friend, Mandy Waters. Here's what I saw:

'Hi, Dee Dee. I wanted to see what sort of plans you have in mind this summer. I do remember your telling me about Lester coming home to visit for a while. I hope we'll be able to have lots of free time to let time pass. Mandy

I decided to answer Mandy back. Here is what I said:

'Hello, Mandy. I hope you're having a good summer vacation so far. Yes, I actually do have some plans going on, but I'm planning to share with you. I hope you're not too bored to have summer vacation to be with me. Dee Dee

Mandy didn't reply back right away, but I'm sure she would. I heard Mom in the kitchen. Once I heard her turn the stove on, I ran downstairs right away. Mom likes it when I'm helpful enough to help out like this.

"Did you have a nice day?" I asked my mother.

"I did, thank you for asking. I had tons of patients to see me," Mom said.

"You usually do," I returned

Mom doesn't ask me every night what I had for the evening, so there's really nothing to share with her. We were having carrots, kiwi, spinach, apples, and of course bananas. It was our meal: friend salad. It was one of my favorites. I didn't do much that evening, so I went to bed early.

10: Arnold 2

"Hannah?" I asked.

I'm not sure if I mentioned this before or not, Hannah and I happen to be twins, but we aren't identical.

"Yes, Arnold?"

"I'd like to go outside for some fresh air," I said.

"All right. I'll wheel you outside," Hannah told me.

I didn't say anything after that, so I let her go ahead.

"I know it's no fun having a disability, but you can't do anything about it," Hannah told me as she opened the door so we could go outside.

What my sister just said was true. I've been in a wheelchair most of my life, but that's a whole different story.

"What are we going to do about me and this wheelchair when it's time to start our vacation?" I asked once we were outside.

"We'll figure something out. Timmy and I are still talking about what to do about you," Hannah said.

My sister, Hannah and her husband, Tim Mason are living out here in Washington, D. C. That's where I live.

We used to live in Utah, but now it's Washington. I still look forward to seeing what will happen when it's time to start our holiday. I'm still worried about what Hannah and Tim have in mind for me. I have a niece and nephew, whose names happen to be April and Lewis. They weren't coming along on our holiday. I was told from Tim that it's expensive to bring them along, so they'll have to stay behind.

"I'd still like to see what our vacation looks like this year, Hannah. Whatever it is we'll be doing, I want to be involved on the fun," I told my sister.

"I know you do, Arnold. Tim and I were told our fun will be in New York."

"How cool. Are we the only ones going?" I asked.

"No. Our friends will be there, so that's why we're going," Hannah told me.

"Maybe we'll meet new people," I replied.

"You could be right," Hannah agreed.

It looked like I could be right about meeting other people. If we are going to do that, we might hang out with the characters we were about to meet. No need to play a guessing game, I told myself as I watched Hannah go back inside the house.

11: Lester 2

The next day, I took the flight home to Milwaukee and enjoy spending time with my sister and mother. I took the red – eye flight from New York to Milwaukee. I usually don't have any problems with airplane delays, so that didn't happen often when I do need to visit my family.

So my friend Will offered to drive me to the airport. I don't want to share where in New York I was flying from, so I wouldn't say anything. Will and I both agreed he drive me at the airport at eight – fifteen. I don't get on my plane until five after nine, so we left a bit before then. I knew the routine: take off your shoes, put your things in a box, etc.

"You're still going to call me when you get to the airport in Milwaukee so I would know you made it?" Will asked.

"I plan to do that," I promised.

"Even if it means late night," Will said.

Will and I have been friends since school started, so we became good friends. He will be a sophomore while I will be a junior at the university.

Will told me, "Lester, I know we already talked about this, but I'll say it once more."

"I don't hear you repeat yourself, Will. I know what you're going to tell me. You're going to stay here until my plane leave," I told Will.

"Right. We haven't been friends very long, but I do worry about you, no matter where you are going or what you'll be doing," Will said.

"Not everybody does that, Will. I'd better hop on that plane. Mom and Sis know I am on my way home, so they aren't as worried as you are," I replied.

"I kinda figured that one out, Lester."

"That's because they're my family. Maybe next time you can come with me when I go back and see my mother and sister. They only know who you are, but that's about all," I said.

"I'm sure we'll talk about it when time comes for us to do so," Will said as my flight number was called.

"Well, I better get going. I'll see you when I come back. I'm not sure what Mom and Dee Dee want to do about vacation. Once we come up with something, I'll text you," I told my friend.

"Sounds good. See you then," Will said.

I left when he finished saying that.

12: Summer 2

The weather forecast on television told Mom and me we were fifty percent chance of rain for the next few days. I am never too crazy about hot weather, but it would be nice to have at least some rain. We'd both been focusing on deciding what would be fun to do this summer.

"I hope we can get some weather, Mom. It's been a while since we had it," I told my mother.

"I agree with you, Summer. Whatever you and I plan to do this year, I know it'll be fun," Mom agreed.

"I hope so."

I left the living room for a couple of seconds. Since I'm a diabetic (which isn't fun), I have a pretty strict diet. We're still learning about type I diabetes, and that's what I have.

I looked around the kitchen, trying to see what would be a good choice to eat. I decided on having a banana. I took one from the kitchen counter. Mom and I recently bought more food from the grocery store yesterday, so we should be good for a while longer.

I rejoined my mother in the living room as I took my first bite.

"Mom, I think I have an idea on what we can do this summer vacation," I said when my second bit of the banana began.

"What's that, dear?" Mom asked as she looked in my direction with the banana.

"I was thinking we could visit New York for a while," I suggested and then added, "This banana is really fresh."

"Isn't that why we bought it?"

"Yes, Mom. Why don't you have one?"

"I will later, but your idea about New York sounds like a great idea, but let me think about it. I will let you know if it fits my schedule."

"All right, Mom. I'm happy you like the idea," I told her.

When the weather channel went onto commercial break, I headed up to my room. I felt bad for Mom and myself since my father wouldn't be here to agree on the New York idea I just mentioned. My father's name was Joe. I only got the chance to know Dad for about three years before he died, so I really don't have any memories to share with you.

At least I'm lucky to have Mom around. I do love my mother a lot, even thought she was the very person I met when I came to this world. Twelve years with Mom have both good and bad, but since she's family, you can see why I love her so much. I decided to play some of my music.

13: Brittany 2

I walked downstairs from my bedroom to the kitchen. My father, whose name was Samuel, heard me enter the kitchen.

"Good morning, Brittany. Did you sleep well last night?"

Dad is twenty – nine, so he and Mom still have several years until they decide to retire.

"Yes, I did. Did Mom leave?" I asked.

"No, she's getting ready to get to work. Speaking of time, while I am at work, you and your mother decide what you want to do this summer," Dad told me.

"We will, Dad. I'll see you tonight," I said as Dad got up form the kitchen table.

I offered to help Dad clear the kitchen table. We both cleared it without any of us arguing. We usually don't argue very often at all.

"Thank you for helping, Brittany. I will see you and your mother at five, okay?"

"Okay, Dad."

Since I hadn't yet began eating my breakfast, Dad was already getting to work.

"I'm sure Mom will tell you about our decision for vacation."

I said that as Dad grabbed his car keys and a briefcase. He is a businessman who sells insurance. He likes that job, but he will never tell me what I decide on what I do or don't want to do once I'm old enough to have my own job.

I gave Dad a quick kiss as he walked out the front door and start the engine. I watched Dad drive out of the driveway until I couldn't see his car anymore. That's when my mother, Tanya came into the kitchen. Mom looked like she was about to blow dry her hair.

"Morning, Mom," I greeted her.

"Good morning, Brittany. Has your father left yet?"

I went through the kids' section and see if there was anything fun for today. I did find something. Today's kids' section was about the history of Broadway. I haven't been there, but as far as I know, Broadway is out in New York. At least that would be an idea to share with the folks. I finished my bowl of Rice Krispies. My orange juice was still in progress. I decided to put it in the fridge until then. Now it was time to edit my latest entry from the night before.

14: Dee Dee 3

Mom and I received a call from Lester several hours later. He called us to say he was on his way to Milwaukee. This isn't the only time Lester has flown by himself. He's done it a few times before, so he's used to going through security check and having his flight rebooked.

Lester said to Mom over the telephone that he would call once he landed in Milwaukee unless something else happens, so we would have to be alert. Monday was over at my house when Lester called.

"Mom did Lester say he was still in New York?" I asked with curiosity.

"He is, Dee Dee, but he had to make his conversation short since the gate was about to close," Mom said to me and Mandy.

Mandy is my best friend and I have known her since we were in preschool. As for now, Mandy and I were watching a movie on television.

We were watching The Lion King. It's always been one of my favorites. It's been a while since I last saw it. Mandy wasn't too crazy about that movie. She's more into movies that have princes and princesses. She said her all – time favorite was The Little Mermaid. Mom bought us some popcorn and Dr. Pepper. We thanked her for another helping of popcorn.

"Did Lester say anything about his friend dropping him off at the airport?" I asked my mother.

"He did. His friend Will offered to take him to the airport," Mom answered.

"Who the heck is Will?" Mandy asked.

She'd been listening to my conversation with Mom.

"He's a friend Lester met last year, but Mom and I haven't yet met him."

"Just wondered, that's all," Mandy said.

"Happens."

15: Jay 2

Once I finished jumping up and down from all of the excitement about this year's vacation time, I was already out of breath. Since I am nine now, I will be in the fourth grade when school starts. I'm still not sure what Mom had in mind on what she, Norman and I would be doing so I was the first to speak up.

We were eating supper when I was going to ask my question. Tonight we were having grilled chicken, mixed vegetables, tomatoes and carrots. I am a very picky eater, but I am getting better. I don't like mixed vegetables very much, but still I had no choice so I decided to keep the complaints to myself rather than sharing with Norman and Mom.

"Mom?"

"Yes, Jay?"

"Have you decided what we will be doing this summer vacation?" I asked.

"I'm still talking it over wit Dr. Branson – Fonzarelli, but I haven't yet heard from the others. No matter where we'll be going, this will be fun. And I don't want to hear any complaining or arguing from either one of you. Got it?"

"Yes, Mom," Norman and I said at the same time.

"If you do complain or argue, we will turn back home and you both will be punished. Argee?"

Norman and I both nodded our heads, letting her know that both of us understood what she had just told us. I decided to ask a second question. Norman didn't bother getting involved with our conversation with negative thoughts, so he didn't bother to jump in. At least Mom and I were both talking about what we should do. What Mom just told us would be true about complaining, but Norman and I couldn't promise that.

16: Norman 2

Jay and I talked about ideas we could do for summer vacation. Mom was text messaging Hannah and her husband, Tim, trying to do the same thing Jay and I are. My brother and I decided to come up with ideas in my bedroom, so we both agreed to write down ideas and see if Mom and everybody else agreed to it or not.

We decided to leave my bedroom door open so we could hear our mother if she needed us so far she hadn't called either of us, so we got ahead. I offered to write our ideas down. Neither of us like to write, but we have to do it when it comes to schoolwork.

From my bedroom, Jay and I could hear Mom sending text messages. Mom told us we were still too young yo have a phone and do that sort of thing. Oh, well. Before Jay and I started to come up with any ideas, he watched as I took some paper and sharpen my pencil.

"Are we ready?" Jay asked.

"Only if you are," I answered.

"I am ready. Do you want to start first?"

"Sure, Jay. Since we already know, this summer vacation involves travel," I began.

"Duh," he said.

That was his way of agreeing on things like this.

"And we already know the others are planning to join us."

"Duh again. Do you think that Mandy Waters will be joining us this year?" Jay asked.

"I have no idea, but it's a good thought."

Mandy Waters is Dee Dee's best friend, is what she told us in e – mail, but neither of us met this girl.

"I'll e – mail Dee Dee tomorrow and see if Mandy is involved or not," Jay offered.

"Good idea. I e – mailed her last time," I reminded my younger brother.

""Duh," Jay said to me for the third time today.

Jay and I have to share the e – mail and password, but Mom told us to share the account for now, and it seems to do well.

We began talking about ideas as I wrote them down. I wrote down Las Vegas, which is out in Nevada as a lot of you already know by now. That was Jay's first suggestion. It made us wonder if Mom and our friends were writing their own ideas.

Now it was my idea to share.

"How about Vermont?"

"Are you crazy, Norman? That's way out on the East Coast!" Jay exclaimed.

Now it my turn.

"Duh," I said.

We like that word a lot, so we use it every once in a while. Jay and I both heard our mother's footsteps nearing my room.

"Are you boys fighting?" Mom asked as she looked in through the door.

"No, Mom. We're not fighting," I answered truthfully.

Jay nodded his head.

"I thought I heard something. Any luck on ideas?"

"We just started, Mom. What about you?" Jay asked.

"Yes, I have my own list from texting Senator Webber – Mason and Dr. Branson – Fonzarelli. We all think we will meet some friends along the way."

"We never thought about that idea," I said.

"I'm sure you both know by now Arnold is in a wheelchair, so he doesn't do too well when it comes to text message and e – mail, so either the Senator or her husband have to do it for him," Mom reminded us.

"Duh," we both told Mom.

Of course we kept that in mind. Mom looked at Jay and I without saying a word. We watched her walk out of sight. So Jay and I went back to work. Every idea we came up with, I would leave a question mark to see if it would work when we share the list with Mom.

"How about the Grand Canyon?" I asked, writing it down.

Yes, the Grand Canyon is out in Arizona.

"Good idea," Jay agreed and there was no need to say "duh." Then Jay thought of another idea as he began to speak.

"I have another idea, Norman."

"What's that?"

"How about England?"

"That's a crazy idea, but I doubt we will be visiting in another country," I told him, but I wrote it down anyway.

"How about Utah?" I asked, also writing it down.

"You mean Mormon state? Keep that in mind," Jay said.

"I can't think of anything else. What about you?" I asked.

"No. How many ideas have we written down?" Jay asked.

I counted out loud.

"Las Vegas, Vermont, Utah, England, Arizona. That is five ideas. Let's go downstairs and see what Mom came up with," I said as we headed downstairs.

Mom saw Jay and I come down to join her on the couch. I had our list with us so Mom could look at it.

"Let's see what you two came up with," Mom said.

Jay and I looked on the coffee table and she'd written her ideas down as well. So I gave the list.

Our list was shorter than what Mom had.

"England, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas," Mom said out loud but didn't bother saying all of the ideas out loud.

"We don't have passports to fly out of the country, but that was a good idea. Here are the ideas I came up with," Mom told us.

We listened to her list.

"Go ahead, Mom," I told her.

Jay didn't say anything.

"Here's what I have. Rhode Island, Colorado, Oregon, Utah, New Jersey, New Nexico, New York and New Hampshire. That's all I came up with. We all seem to like the New York idea," Mom said.

Neither Jay or I have been to the East Coast, but we also liked that idea.

"That's a good idea," Jay told her.

"New York it is," Mom said.

17: Brittany 3

Note: I know I haven't updated this story recently, but it's still in progress, but I hope to get it done soon. I hope you all enjoyed it so far.

I was talking with Mom about ideas for this summer vacation. So far I had only one idea.

"Mom, I have an idea what we can do for vacation," I spoke up.

"Let's hear it, Brittany," Mom said, looking at me.

"Why don't we spend it in New York?" I suggested.

"Great idea, Brittany. I like the idea, but give me some time to talk it over with your father," my mother told me.

"Okay, Mom. I'm sure I'm going to be here so I'll know what Dad thinks."

"I'm sure you will, dear. Brittany, do you plan on leaving your diary here at home?" Mom asked.

"It's coming along, Mom. Maybe I might want to write about our time in out in the city," I answered.

My old diary went out of paper, so Mom ended up buying me a new one. I don't write fast like some of my friends do, but at least a diary or journal was a good way to improve my writing. So far I want to be a published writer when I get older, but again my mind will change.

After sharing my thought about New York to my mother, I headed upstairs and get to work on my latest update. My father, Samuel will be home from work later this afternoon. Like a lot of people, his job was a nine – to – five type of schedule unless he had to work overtime. I opened my diary after grabbing it from its usual place. So I wrote down today's date and began to write.

No way am I going to tell anyone where I keep my diary. If I ever did, then that person would go on a search hunt for it and read it. That's why it's called a diary. Some of my friends agree that a diary is kept for the writer and that is the only way to share your thoughts without letting others take a look. So far that has never happened to me yet.

So I flipped to the next page from the day before. After writing today's date, I wrote:

'I am having another good day. I finally got an idea what my parents and I could do this summer. Mom really did like my idea, but did tell me she'd share with Dad and let me know. Mom did ask if I was leaving you here, but I said no way because I want to share with you what's going on. I'll be back soon and let you know.'

Then I shut my diary and put it back where I usually keep it. I do hope my father would agree on my New York idea for sure.

18: Lester 3

I finally arrived to Milwaukee. As I waited to collect my luggage, I grabbed out my phone and called Will. I thought it was a good idea to call him first and then Mom and Dee Dee so I they could come and pick me up. I listened to the ringing telephone, hoping Will would be there to pick it up and hear my voice.

"Hello?" I heard Will say.

"Hi, Will."

"Lester! At least you promised to call me when you got in."

"I just arrived, but I have not yet contacted Mom and Dee Dee, but I will," I told my friend.

"Makes sense unless you want to take a rental and drive yourself back home," Will said.

"Thanks for the thought, but I think I'll pass. I will keep you updated on what sort of plans we'll be doing this summer."

"Sounds good. I'd like to hear what you'll be doing. Whatever it is, it should be fun."

"I believe it," I said, and then added, "whatever we plan to do, Dee Dee will totally get sick."

"Why do you say that for?" Will asked.

"Because she gets carsick."

"Yuck."

"Listen, Will. I'll talk to you another time. I'm going to call Mom and Dee Dee to let them know I just arrived," I told my friend.

"All right. Talk again soon. Nice to know you made it without any problems."

When he said that, I already disconnected. I dialed the number and listened as it began to ring.

"Hello?" I heard my sister's voice.

"Hi, Sis. Mom there?" I asked.

"No, Lester. She just wen to town, but you can call her on her phone. Did you just arrive to Milwaukee?"

"Yes, I did. Thanks for letting me know about transportation," I said.

"You're welcome. I shall look forward to your arrival."

"You'll know when I get there."

After that I disconnected.

I called Mom on her phone. I heard it ring, but it didn't take me very long until I heard my mother's voice.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mom."

"Lester, is that you?"

"Yes, Mom. I just called and Dee Dee told me you weren't home, so I called you. I just arrived not too long ago," I said.

"I'll pick you up shortly."

"Okay, Mom. Right now I'm just waiting for my luggage to come. I'll look out for you," I told my mother.

"I am not very far from the airport, Lester. All I need to do is go to the gas station to get more gas and then I need to go to the grocery store."

"All right. Sounds good to me."

After that, I hung up because I saw my luggage just arrived. I saw my phone was about to be charged, so I decided to do that when Mom and I get back.

Fifteen minutes later, Mom finally made it. I was watching all of the people in the airport.

"Lester!" Mom exclaimed.

I finally saw my mother. I got up and ended up by giving Mom a hug.

"I'm ready to go," I told Mom.

"Are you going to need anything while you're here?"

"Not at the moment. I'll let you know," I told Mom as we made it to her car.

Mom unlocked the car, but we put my luggage in the trunk right away. We have plenty of room for the groceries. I decided to sit in the front seat. I was never a fan of riding in the front seat while growing up, but it really doesn't bother me much anymore.

"Mom, have you and Dee Dee decided on what we are going to do for this summer vacation?" I asked.

"Not yet. I heard from Senator Webber – Mason and Mrs. Malph, who decided to be McCarey wanted to do New York."

"So that means everyone agreed to this idea?" I asked.

"It looks that way. Norman and Jay put England on, but I think New York sounded like a better idea."

"I don't want to visit Europe anytime soon, so I'll agree on New York instead."

Mom found a parking place at the grocery store. I helped her find the items she needed from her list. While goin gthrough the list to see if we needed anything else, I said, "What gave Jay and Norman the idea of visitng England?"

"I have no idea, Lester. They're still young," Mom reminded me.

"Right," I agreed.

It took Mom and I a while to get home.

Dee Dee looked like she was in the kitchen. She came running outside so she could give me a hug.

"Hi, Lester."

When she said that, I returned her hug.

"It's nice to see you again, Dee Dee. I know we're going to have fun this summer."

"So do I. You know I'll get sick as usual."

"Don't worry about that right now, Dee Dee."

"Sorry."

19: Sara 1

I was with my cousin, Cynthia. We almost forgot we were planning on what we want to do with our friends for summer vacation. I am Sara Cunningham. Cynthia is also a Cunningham, but she came from my father's side of the family.

"Have you heard anything about summer vacation on what we want to do with the group?" I asked.

"I haven't, but that's for sure. I'll text one of them now and see what everyone had in mind."

"Good idea. Should I get into touch with Jay and Norman?" I asked.

"If you want. Let me know if either one of them answers just in case I don't get any answers," Cynthia agreed.

"I'll go ahead and send them an e – mail," I said as I headed for the office.

A lot of my friends tell me I sound a lot like my father, Richie. I also have red hair like he does, but my red hair is lighter than his. Since we both have the same look, we also have a couple of other interests that are the same:

when Dad was growing up in the fifties, he was a smart kid and hardly ever received any low grades on his schoolwork. I am also the same way, and that makes both of my parents happy.

My father too journalism when he was in college, but as for now, he's retired. I also like to write, but it's mostly fiction. I do have a creative mind when it comes to fiction. Who knows, I might get a few ideas while I'm hanging out with my friends. I guess if you like to write and you're away on travel, you usually get tons of ideas in your head.

Once I signed into comcast, I saw there was a lot of e – mails and spam. Before I opened my e – mails, I decided to delete the spam that was waiting for a long time to look at, so I did. Once the spam was deleted, I went to read my e – mails. When I write my stories, I let my friends read them and tell me what they liked about the stories.

I do post my stories online and I get a bigger audience instead of writing for myself and my friends. I am not an only child Mom and Dad have, but I do have an older brother. He got his name from Dad, so he's known as Richie Jr. Richie has always been difficult and stubborn that Dad and Mom couldn't come up with anymore new ideas to tell him to grow up.

I opened my e – mails. A lot of them gave me alerts on my stories. Once I finished reading the last comment, I deleted them all. That's when I punched in Norman and Jay's contact information. I didn't mention this before, both Norman and Jay share an e – mail address I typed in:

'Hi, Jay and Norman. I hope the two of you are having a nice summer so far. I sire am. Cynthia wanted me to check with you guys and see what ideas you have in mind. Let me know so I could start on my packing. Sara'

Once I hit the sent button, I e – mailed another friend of mine, Deidre Fonzarelli. If Jay and Norman don't give me an answer soon enough, it would be a good chance to e – mail Dee Dee. If she replies faster than Norman and Jay, then I could start to get ready early in case her mother already talked with our friends.

I got up from the desk to get a little break. I decided to see of she had any luck. Cynthia looked up from her phone and saw me heading over to where she was sitting on the couch.

"Cynthia?"

"Yes, Sara?"

"Did you get an answer on what summer would be like for us?"

"Yes, I did. Hannah replied almost a few minutes ago," Cynthia answered and then added, "Have you heard from Jay and Norman?"

"Not yet, I just stent them an e – mail. Should I go ahead and e – mail Dee Dee as well? Dee Dee answers faster than Jay and Norman do," I reminded my older cousin.

"True. Let me know what they tell you. I'll share with you later on what Hannah told me."

"Okay."

I headed back to the computer in the office.

20: Cynthia 1

After Sara left once again for the office, I once again checked my cell phone for any new text messages. I saw one from Tiffany. Here's what I saw:

'Hi, Cynthia. Sorry we forgot about you and Sara. We've already made our decision where we want to spend time for vacation. I apologize about the info.'

Me: 'That happens, Tiffany. Sara and I almost forgot about it too. Sara is now e – mailing Dee Dee but already sent one to Jay and Norman.'

'Yes, Norman and Jay will be joining us. Karen was able to have some time off from the police station, so that's what she told us.'

'That's good. At least she wouldn't miss any of the fun.'

'Karen was also looking forward to this New York trip,' Tiffany said.

'I'm sure she is. Sara and I were wondering why we didn't get to talk with you when we were deciding what to do.'

'Does Hannah know you and Sara were forgotten about?'

'Yes, but she did apologize also. She told me she and Tim were still trying to come up with something since Arnold has a lot of disabilities,' I said.

'That's what Hannah told me not too long ago. We hope she and Tim will find a way.'

'They will. Is Lester home for the summer?'

'He's already here. He will join us too. He is still at NYU, but if New York is what we want to do, he wouldn't mind coming along.'

'Let me know what Tim and Hannah come up with for Arnold.'

'I will, Cynthia, unless you hear from her. I've got to run. Talk again soon.'

End of conversation.

Note: Later in this story the title changes to 'Christmas in New York.'

21: Dee Dee 4

I was in my bedroom that night. I was almost finished changing into my pajamas when I heard a new text message came in. When I finished buttoning my yellow and lime green pajama top, I got into the pants that matched, but the pajamas I chose for tonight had stripes and polka dots.

My phone continued to beep when I got under the covers. Mom was downstairs doing the same thing. I saw that the text was from Sara Cunningham. Here's what she said to me:

'Hi, Dee Dee. It's been a while since we last talked. I'm sure you probably heard Cynthia and I were forgotten about for summer vacation.'

I answered back:

'Hi, Sara. I'm sorry you and Cynthia were forgotten about, but I was never told about that. Yes, everyone is looking forward to summer vacation and forgot to add you and Cynthia in on the excitement. I will look forward to seeing you and the others in New York. Some of us seem to think we might meet somebody new.'

'I never thought about that. What do Hannah and Tim have in mind for Arnold?'

'I have no answer to that one, Sara. I would like to guess he might come along since he really can't care for himself, but again I could be wrong.'

'Cynthia thought it was a good idea for me to get in touch with you, Norman and Jay. At least you are more responsive than those two are.'

'True,' I agreed.

'So, have you heard from either of them?'

No, Dee Dee. I just e – mailed them but I'm guessing they haven't checked in yet.'

'At least Norman is mature for a thirteen – year – old.'

'I agree with that, Dee Dee. I am still younger than you are, but I'll be thirteen soon.'

'True. At least it'll be the first year as a teenager. You know Norman and I are a year apart in age, and I'm the older one, don't forget.'

Sara said in her text message:

'Duh.'

She was sounding a lot like Jay and Norman since those two use that word a lot, but I didn't dare telling her that.

22: Arnold 3

Since summer is coming to an end, I had a thought and I mentioned it to Hannah.

"It looks like you have something you want to share," Hannah told me.

"And you are so right, Sis."

"Spit it out, Arnold," Hannah said.

"We know that summer is almost over, and we're all getting excited about seeing our friends. We don't have plane tickets either," I started.

"Here's what I was thinking: Instead of wasting our time getting excited and not finding the time for hotel reservations, why don't we just stay home? We could reschedule for another time," I added.

"I do see your point, Arnold. I'll go send everyone a text and share your suggestion."

That's when Hannah left me, but I didn't mind being by myself for a while. I could hear her send text messages. I have no idea how Hannah used my words, but I didn't bother asking my sister. I did want to enjoy spending some time being away from home and meeting new people, but it looks like we might have to do it some other time.

23: Sara 2

I checked my e – mails. Sure enough, I saw a response from Jay and Norman.I saw that they replied last night. I opened it to read it. Here's what I read:

'Hi, Sara.

We're so sorry everyone forgot about you and Cynthia. Mom got a text message from Senator Webber – Mason about the New York visit. We were told from Mom that Arnold suggested that we have to reschedule for New York since we didn't bother with a few issues:

1) no airplane tickets

2) no hotel reservations

Jay and I were looking forward to seeing everyone. We were also looking forward to meeting new people, but I'm sure you can relate. Jay was really energetic about this whole New York vacation. I don't blame him one bit. In case Cynthia hadn't received a text about this, you can share this with her. Again we're all sorry to reschedule. You and Cynthia. Norman'

At least he was apologizing to Cynthia and I for not being included on the vacation, but I saw Norman was right – we didn't do those two things. Maybe next time.

When I finished reading what Norman sent me, I felt disappointed. My cousin, friends and I were all looking forward to spending time with each other, and that included the folks. I didn't log out of my e – mail quite yet. I wanted Cynthia to read Norman's reply.

I walked into the living room and found my older cousin sitting on our couch, but our TV was on and Cynthia looked like she was deep in conversation by text message. I couldn't quite catch what the program was on television, but that didn't matter. I spoke up.

"Cynthia?"

I saw my older cousin look in my direction.

"Is there anything you need, Sara?" Cynthia asked me.

"Yes. I received an e – mail from Jay and Norman. Would you like to see it or not?"

"Hold on," Cynthia told me.

Cynthia stood up and followed me into the office.

"What is it I have to see?"

Cynthia stood next to me so she could read what Norman had told me. I guessed that Jay probably let Norman e – mail to tell me the latest. I also guessed that Lester and Dee Dee already knew by now, but again I could be wrong. It really didn't matter to me at all if they heard or not.

"I do see what Norman is saying, Sara. And I haven't yet gotten any of those notices, but thank you for sharing. Did you reply yet?"

"Not yet," I told her.

"Okay. I'll send a text and see what's going on."

I didn't say anything, but all I did was watch Cynthia walk out of the office. I decided to answer Norman's message. Here's what my reply was:

'Hi, Norman and Jay.

I just read this e – mail, and Cynthia said she hasn't received this news yet. We were looking forward to seeing you both, but this is a shame. Summer sure has flown by quickly, but with school starting soon, it does make sense to cancel out. I wish you both good luck on your school year. Sara'

I clicked SEND and then signed out. I heard my phone telling me I got a new message. I walked out of the office and slammed the door behind me. I didn't recognize the number or name, but I did get a chance to read what the person's message told me. The person who just sent me a text was named Brittany Arcola. I don't know anybody under that name! I didn't bother answering this Brittany person right away. Here's what she told me:

'Hello, Sara.

I know we don't know each other, but I somehow researched on who else would be going to New York this summer, but yes, school is on the way. I really don't remember where or how I looked up your name and number. I hope I found the right Sara Cunningham. I thought I'd send a message to see if I found the right person who planned to come on this trip. Maybe we can become good friends on text message until the right time comes for us to meet up in person. Hope you're having a good day.

Brittany'

24: Cynthia 2

Sara once again came to the living room where I have been sitting on the couch.

"What is it now?" I asked my younger cousin.

"You should see this text message I just got," Sara answered.

"Show me."

Sara jumped to join me on the couch. Sara opened her phone so I could read the message.

While I was reading the message, Sara said, "I don't know anyone by that name."

"I think it could be spam, but none of the words sounded mean," I replied.

"I figured that one out myself," Sara said.

"Let me know when you hear back from Norman and Jay."

"I plan to do that."

"Have you answered Brittany's message?" I asked.

"Not yet, but it looks like the message is from a real person."

"You may never know. Why don't we do this: if you and Brittany start talking in about five conversation, ask for a picture of her. If we ever do meet Brittany in person, we'll know she is real."

"Great idea, Cynthia. I'll keep you posted for more," Sara said.

"All right. Don't add her on facebook until we meet her face – to – face. Got it?"

"I haven't about that yet," Sara told me.

I just wanted to protect my younger cousin from being threatened from somebody she doesn't know.

25: Lester 4

I was told about the New York vacation was canceled since everyone forgot to call in for reservations and we also didn't call in for airplane tickets, so there were issues there. I kept telling Will since we were planning on New York, he could meet Dee Dee and Mom, but I just got home to Milwaukee and I know my way around the city and Mom and Dee Dee don't.

I sent Will a text message telling him the latest.

'Hi, Will. Since I recently arrived here in Milwaukee, my mom and Dee Dee had planned with some of our friends to New York. Here's the latest I found out: Mom and my other friends decided to postpone our visit to New York since they didn't make any hotel reservation or booked airplane tickets. Sorry about the latest. Lester'

Once the message went Will's way, I grabbed out the charger my phone had since it was low on battery. Will doesn't always respond immediately, but he does when he can. I let my friend take his time to reply back.

"Mom?"

"Yes. Lester?"

I was told about the New York vacation was canceled since everyone forgot to call in for reservations and

"I texted Will so he would know the latest was on your visit to New York. He doesn't always reply right away," I said.

"All right. That makes sense, but your sister and I can go another time."

"I know, but I hope you and Dee Dee aren't too disappointed about canceling out at the last minute," I told my mother.

"We are a little disappointed but, there's always next time."

"True that," I agreed.

About fifteen minutes later, I heard my phone telling me a text message came in. I thought it was Will anyway, with the phone still charging, I decided to reply once the phone was one hundred percent charged, but it wouldn't be a while yet until then. A few minutes later, my phone told me it was fully charged. So I unplugged it from the wall.

I looked at the message that came in. It was Will, just like I thought. Here's what he said: 'Sorry to hear about that, Lester. Tell your mom and Dee Dee I was looking forward to meeting them. You have talked about them a lot. Tell your mom we'll make up for it next time.' I replied and promised that I would tell them.

"Mom, Will said that the three of you could make up for nit next time."

"Okay. He must be a good friend of yours."

"He is."

26: Sara 3

I did what Cynthia suggested about this Brittany girl who sent me that weird text. Here's what I told Brittany: 'Hi, Brittany. Yes, you did contact the right Sara Cunningham. I'm not so sure you heard about New York being postponed, so I thought I'd tell you anyway. Cynthia, who's my cousin, would like to see a picture of you sometime. Sara'

"Did you send Brittany your reply?" Cynthia asked.

"I just did. I'll let you know when I hear from Brittany again."

"Sounds good," Cynthia said.

We weren't really doing much, so all we did was talk and watched a little bit of TV. We both like music, so we ended up spending some time watching MTV.

A few minutes later, my phone went off. I had it with me while I watched television with Cynthia. I looked at the message. It was indeed from Brittany. I showed Cynthia what Brittany just told me. I wanted Cynthia to read it before I did. Cynthia really didn't say anything. My guess was Brittany was disappointed also. I decided to reply back, but I thought I'd wait a while longer to answer.

27: Norman 3

I checked our e – mail. Yes, Jay and I share an e – mail account. I don't remember if I had mentioned this or not earlier. Jay was with me, so he watched as I logged in. We don't get very much e – mails when we aren't on very much. Jay and I saw we had received another from Sara, but we also received another from someone else we didn't know. We read Sara's e – mail first.

'Hello, Norman and Jay. I know it's been a while since we wrote to each other. I thought I'd share this with you and it's odd. I have no clue if you got the same thing I did or not, but I do remember you two don't have a phone. I received a text message from someone we don't even know. It was the name of Brittany Arcola.

'I know this wasn't smart, but my older cousin Cynthia told me to reply to Brittany anyway. Of course Brittany could be a spammer, but I replied anyway. Somehow I listened to Cynthia and did just that. Hope you both are having fun.'

"Wow. Why would you want to reply to a person you don't even know?" Jay asked.

"That's a very good question. This is all I can say."

"Printing out Sara's e – mail so Mom could see it."

"I never thought about that," Jay said.

Once Sara's e – mail finished printing, I took it out of the printer while Jay signed off our e – mail. I followed Jay out of the office. I slammed the officer door as Jay and I headed for the living room.

"Mom!" Jay yelled.

Mom was putting clothes in the dryer when she saw us heading her way.

"What is it?" Mom asked, looking at both of us.

"We just checked our e – mail, Mom. It was really odd. It's from Sara. Read it," I told our mother as I handed Mom the piece of paper.

"I don't know. Mom wouldn't let us do that," I answered.

"Duh," Jay said.

I thought it was a good idea to print out Sara's e – mail and show it to Mom.

"What are you doing?" Jay asked me.

She took it from me and read it for a minute or so.

"That does sound strange Cynthia would let Sara do that sort of thing," Mom agreed.

"Duh," Jay and I said at the same time.

28: Brittany 4

I saw that Sara Cunningham answered, but I thought I wouldn't get any response from her. I know we haven't met in person, but somehow I Googled a search who would be coming along to New York. I was busy packing for our trip that I forgot that school picked up again. Boy, does time fly!

I read what Sara replied:

'Hello, Brittany. If you don't mind me asking, how did you look me up to send me this sort of message? I think that's weird receiving a text message from someone I don't even know. Yes, it's normal to receive spam, but you do sound like an odd person to do this, but it wouldn't hurt to keep in contact. Sara'

Sara is right about spam being normal, but Mom and Dad have no clue I did a little research. I thought I'd keep this to myself and not share with the folks. I decided to answer Sara later, but I did look at her message. I walked downstairs after I turned the light off in my bedroom.

"Mom, aren't we leaving soon?" I asked.

Mom looked at me. I'm not sure if I introduced you to my mother and father yet, so I'll do it now. I am an only child. I used to have an older brother, but he died from diabetes, so he died about three years or so ago. I do happen to have my mother, Tanya's gray eyes and my father, Samuel's red hair. My brother had none of that.

"Brittany, we do have something to tell you. Tell Brittany, Samuel."

He looked at me and said, "Brittany, we have forgotten school started again, but we rescheduled for October. Halloween is what your mother decided on. Sorry about telling you later. I hope you aren't disappointed."

"I am disappointed, Dad. I have all of my things packed. I guess Halloween would be our short stay in New York and not in the summer? I told my friends I would tell them about New York. They won't like it that we stayed home," I told Mom and Dad.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. We could probably do a weekend's worth in New York," Dad told me.

"Sounds like a good idea to me," I told my father.

"We'll keep talking about it," Mom promised.

"Okay. Keep me posted," I told Mom and Dad and headed to my bedroom. Dad was right:

I was disappointed.

Once I walked into my bedroom, I slammed the door behind myself and turned the light back on. I decided to check my e – mail and see if any of the people I e – mailed and sent text messages answered. I got Dee Dee Fonzarelli and Norman Malph. I read both of their messages.

29: Norman 4

After Jay and I shared Sara's e – mail to our mother, she let us go back to where we were earlier. We told Mom she could keep the printed e – mail if she wanted to share with our other friends. Jay opened the office door once again and I logged into our e – mail account once again.

I opened the e – mail. We received this e – mail the same day we heard from Sara. I opened. From what Sara said in her e – mail, Jay and I also saw this message was from Sara's spammer. Sara was right: none of us know nobody by the name of Brittany Arcola. Jay and I read the e – mail together, but Jay was the one who read the e – mail from Brittany. Here's what we read:

'Hello, Norman and Jay. Sorry if I sent you an e – mail from somebody you don't know, but it's too late to send this over to you. I found your e – mail while I Googled you both up. I am going to be in New York also.

'I've never been to New York, but this would be my first visit there on the East Coast. I don't know about your being friends with Sara Cunningham or not, I recently received a response from her. I gotta sign off, so we'll keep in touch. Brittany'

That's when Jay finished reading.

"Sara is right, Norman. We don't know any girl by the name Brittany."

"I agree also, Jay. I'll let you reply to Brittany if you'd like," I told my brother.

"Okay."

I got out of the desk chair and let Jay sit there so he could reply to Brittany. I told him what to say.

Jay typed up:

'Hello, Brittany. It's nice to hear from somebody we don't know. My brother Norman and I just finished reading through your e – mail you sent to us. We thought we'll reply to you as well. Norman and I are thirteen and eight years old, but you could refresh your mind, and we aren't thirteen and eight anymore. We are actually thirteen and nine, so sorry about the mistake.

'Norman and I do listen to our mother sometimes, but not a whole lot. We have been told from our mother, Karen that we aren't supposed to reply to e – mails such as yours, but we had made that mistake, but for now Mom won't know we're doing it. Hope you're having a nice summer. Jay and Norman'

That's when I told Jay he could send Brittany our reply.

"We made a mistake about this when Mom tells us not to do this sort of thing," Jay said as I watched him sign off.

"Nobody is perfect," I reminded my brother.

"True," he agreed.

30: Arnold 4

"Hannah?"

"Yes, Arnold?"

"I have been playing with this New York idea on and off, but why do most famous people have a private jet on where they want to go?"

"They do that because they don't want to get a lot of attention from other travelers," Hannah answered.

"That makes sense," I said.

"I do get the idea on what you thought of, Arnold. We normally don't fly me out on a private jet because I don't travel often. Is that why you asked that question?"

"Yes, Sis. And I don't know if I could come out to New York and see our friends, and we both know it would be hard to get my chair and I into places I need to go."

"Arnold, don't think of travel that way. A lot of people with disabilities do get around from people who would be happy to get them places they want to visit. You'll still get to New York, but we did plan on reservations at the end of April," Hannah reminded me.

"I guess you're right," I replied.

"Everyone is still talking about canceling our New York visit. And school just started up recently, so that's why we had to postpone. It's a shame when people like us who get all excited and then the next minute plans seem to change."

"True that," I agreed.

"By the way, Cynthia sent me a text message not too long ago. You do remember Cynthia, don't you?" Hannah asked.

"I do, Sis. What did she have to say?" I asked, curious on what my sister wanted to share.

"Cynthia told me Sara received an odd message," Hannah began.

"What sort of message is it?" I asked.

"She said something about a girl who sent Sara a message on her phone. It was somebody they didn't know."

"That is weird, Hannah. What did they do about it?"

"She told Sara she could respond to the girl's message. That's not a smart thing to do."

"Why then did she let Sara reply?" I asked.

"Good question, Arnold. She did tell me, but I forgot what she told me."

"Did she say what the message was about?" I asked.

This is an interesting conversation Hannah and I were having.

"Sara said something about the girl had a silly idea by searching us on a search engine and found out we were going to New York and she was also going," Hannah told me.

"I still don't want to do what Sara just did," I replied.

"You really can't do much of anything," Hannah agreed.

"This sure is getting complicated," I told my older sister.

I'm not sure if you already know this or not, Hannah and I are twins, but we sure don't look alike, let me tell you.

"Did Sara tell Cynthia who sent that odd message?" I asked.

"She did. Cynthia said it was from a girl named Brittany Arcola. Even her family was planning a visit out to New York like we are," Hannah told me.

"Maybe this Brittany sent that message to Sara and thought she was also going to New York. Sara never asked Brittany how old she was, but Sara couldn't have any guesses why this Brittany wanted to figure out who was going at the same place."

"This is getting interesting," I answered.

31: Summer 3

"Mom, what have we decided to do about this New York visit?" I asked.

I was turning the sink on so I could add some water from my cup. I was starting to get thirsty.

"Do you want to go to New York as a Christmas gift early?" Mom asked.

"I never thought of that, Mom. I guess we could do that," I told my mother.

"Let me think about more details first," Mom replied.

"Take your time, Mom. I'll see you later," I said as I took my glass with me up the stairs to my bedroom.

Mom didn't say anything, so all she did was watch me walk up the stairs. I heard my phone send in a text message as I opened the door of my bedroom.

As I was going to slam the door shut, I decided to find a place to put my glass of water. I decided to put the glass of water on my dresser. I'd planned that I could get some laundry started in a few minutes. Yes, I just started washing my own laundry about ten months ago and it is pretty easy.

I took a look what the text message told me when I was entering my bedroom. I was now lying on my bed when I took a look to who sent me the message. I looked at the person's name a few more times. Who the heck is Brittany? Here's what Brittany had to say:

'Did I get the right Summer Delvecchio? If I did, I'd like to have you respond back to me so I can know I found the right person. This is why I'm sending this message. Sorry if I surprised you by sending this message. I somehow used a search engine and find out who would be going to this New York trip.'

I didn't know anyone under the name Brittany Arcola. I decided not to say anything to Mom about this weird message from Brittany. I know from what Brittany had just sent was a wrong thing to do. I know this wouldn't make my mother very happy about my answering to someone who was sending a spam message such as this one. As for now I decided not to answer Brittany immediately. She can wait as far as I will decide what to do.

After I sent my message over to Brittany, I did keep this sort of message a little bit longer to myself until I thought what would be the right time to share this odd message with Mom. At least I plan to keep that message until Mom could see it. This is the first time I felt that was a wrong thing to do was reply to spammers like Brittany. I'd keep blaming this myself, no matter how many times I will be in contact with Brittany.

Somehow it kept making me feel sick in my stomach about answering to someone I didn't know or met in person, but I did it anyway. I did notice that my phone was ready to charge, so I took out my charger. After I did that, I went back to my mother downstairs. Mom watched as I walked down the stairs. She was looking at my face.

"Why are you staring at me for, Mom?" I asked.

"It's your face, Summer. Are you sick?" Mom asked.

"Of course I'm not sick, Mom. Why do you ask?"

"You have a weird look. Something must have gone wrong. That's what I can see in your face."

I hoped Mom wouldn't figure out about Brittany on her own, but the time will be right once she hears about Brittany.

Mom walked to my direction as I took the last step from the stairs. I watched as Mom put her hand on my forehead.

"You feel normal, Summer. Tell me why you have a odd look on your face."

"Mind if I ask you a question?" I asked.

"Of course," Mom answered.

Might as well tell Mom about Brittany now instead of waiting to do it later. Then she could see why I had that weird look.

"Do you know anyone with the last name of Arcola?" I asked.

"No, I don't. What makes you ask?"

"Because I received an odd text from someone by that name. That's why I asked.

"I'll keep thinking if that name sounds familiar or not. Why don't you show me what that person said?"

"I can't right now, Mom. I just started charging my phone."

"When it's done, I'd like to see that message."

"Yes, Mom. Are we still going to New York?" I asked.

"We can try to schedule a date for Christmas. Let me ask you something."

"What's that, Mom?"

"I just came up with an idea about New York."

"Tell me, Mom."

"Did you reply to that message you just told me about?"

"Yes, Mom."

"You know you're not supposed to do that. Here's what we can do. If you keep in contact with this person you don't know or met, you'll be punished and the trip to New York will be canceled."

Mom said this like she meant it.

"Yes, Mom. I understand.

Once again I went back to my room.

32: Dee Dee 5

I was hanging out with Mandy. We talked about New York.

"Dee Dee, I can't believe how fast summer went and now we have to go back to school. Time flies, doesn't it?"

"It sure does, Mandy. We planned on going, we were just too excited about it and then nothing happens. Maybe next summer we'll try to go there."

"I don't know about that, Dee Dee. You know it might not even happen."

"You are right, Mandy. It can always change," I agreed.

"Too bad I have to miss out on all of the fun."

"I know you will have fun if you were invited to tag along," I told my friend.

Mom was in the kitchen while Mandy and I hung out in the living room. We both agreed we could teach ourselves how to play chess and checkers. Mom never learned to play those games either, so there was no way she would teach us. That's what we were trying to do right now was learn the rules. These games can be quite enough to be a challenge.

"Mom?"

"Yes, Dee Dee? You and Mandy need a refill of water?"

"We're fine, Mom. What should we do about New York? Maybe try to go out there as a Christmas gift?"

"It's a good idea, dear, but flying is tough on the holidays, but let me talk to our friends and see what everyone thinks. I'll keep it in mind. Don't forget Lester will be visiting at Christmas, so that's out of the question."

"Just a thought."

"I'll keep it in mind, but I'll see what I can do about it unless everyone would want to come out here," Mom told us.

"I never thought of that one either," I told my mother.

It was a good thought Mom had there. I'll bet our other friends haven't thought of it, either.

"Should I text Lester about this idea you came up with?" I asked.

"Let me do it," Mom answered.

"Okay."

About fifteen minutes or so later, Mandy and I were starting to get tired of coming up with new ideas to learn these games.

"We'll try again next time, Dee Dee. I'll see you in school," Mandy said as we walked to the front door.

"Of course I'll see you in school. Tell your mom hello from us," I told Mandy.

"I will."

Then I slammed the door once Mandy was out of the house.

33: Norman 5

Since it was a Saturday, I didn't get much homework to do at all since it's only the weekend. I let Jay open up our e – mail.

"Whoa," Jay said as he logged into our account.

"Why do you say that for?" I asked.

"Take a look, Norman. This e – mail here sounds interesting," Jay answered.

I saw we had fifteen e – mails, but we'd go through them later. I let Jay open the e – mail he wanted me to see.

"Do we know anyone by the name of Brittany Arcola?" Jay asked, not understanding what the person's message told us.

"Not that I know of, Jay. Want me to read you what Brittany told us?" I asked as I thought, 'Mom would kill us for doing this.'

"Sure, Norman. Go ahead and read," Jay answered.

"Here's what Brittany says:

'I hope I contacted the correct Jay and Norman Malph. I did some research about a trip to New York that was supposed to happen this summer. I was hoping to meet a few people who would like to be my friends. I have sent some message to the other friends you know, and some have replied to my messages. I was hoping to get a response from you as well. Please let me know by replying. Hope you both are doing well. Brittany'

"What an odd message from nobody we know. How did she know we were planning on visiting New York for a short while?"

"I don't understand it either, Jay. You know Mom would kill us if she found out we were answering a spam message," I reminded my younger brother.

"Duh. How much longer would we have to wait and let Mom know we've been e – mailing spam?" Jay asked.

"I don't know. We can have her come in now and see what she thinks," I suggested.

"Good idea, Norman. Want me to fetch Mom?"

"Sure. I'll wait here," I answered.

I reread Brittany's weird message a couple of times until Jay returned with Mom. Once he was out of the office, I heard him yell, "Mom!"

"What is it, Jay?"

"Follow me. There's something Norman and I want you to see."

I was still sitting in the desk chair.

"Norman, do you still have that e – mail so Mom can see it?" asked Jay.

"Yes, I do. Okay, Mom. You may look," I told our mother.

I got out of the desk chair so Mom could sit in the chair to have a closer look at Brittany's e – mail. Jay and I silently watched as Mom went through the e – mail a few times.

"Have either of you replied to this message?" she asked, looking at both of us.

"No way, Mom. We just signed in," Jay answered truthfully.

I did nod my head, letting Mom know that was the truth.

"Good. I sure don't know anybody under the name Brittany Arcola. This really is a mystery for sure. If either of you reply to that spammer, you'll both be grounded and there will be not visits to New York. Got that?"

Jay and I nodded, but said not a word. Then she left us alone again.

"What do we do next, Norman? All we've been doing is getting excited and then the next minute, school was starting again and now this. I don't get it," Jay told me.

"I agree with you, but I have no ideas what to think, and I sure don't want to get grounded."

"Duh," Jay said.

Then I logged out of our e – mail account and followed Jay out of the office and turned the light off.

34: Jay 3

Mom called Norman and I for dinner.

"Coming!" I called.

I could smell our supper from my room. What I noticed by its smell, Mom decided to try something different. So far it smelled tasty to me, but I wouldn't know if I would like it or not. I came into the kitchen before Norman did. Once I walked into our kitchen, I got a cup out of the cupboard and poured a glass of milk.

As I was finished putting the milk carton away, Norman rushed in.

"Am I late?" Norman asked.

"No," Mom answered.

"Okay. Is dinner something new? It's something that I don't recognize," I told Mom.

"I noticed it, too. I have to agree with Jay," Norman told Mom.

"Actually, it is something new. We're having pasta with tomatoes and garlic."

"So the garlic and tomatoes are in the pasta?" I asked.

"Exactly. You both get to taste it first and see what you think before I try it."

"Okay," Norman and I said at the same time.

After Norman poured himself a glass of milk, Mom joined us at the kitchen table. Norman and I helped ourselves with our new meal. After I ate the first bite, I told Mom, "This isn't as bad as I thought it would."

Norman nodded in agreement.

"Jay's right, Mom. What have we decided about New York?"

"I talked about it with Dr. Branson – Fonzarelli and Senator Webber. The three of us decided to wait until Christmas," Mom answered.

"So that would be a Christmas gift or what?" I asked.

"If you want to call it that, Christmas it is. I'll see what Tiffany and Hannah have in mind."

"I'm sure they would agree to the Christmas idea," Norman replied.

"We'll see how it turns out," Mom told us.

I was the first one to finish eating. I couldn't excuse myself from the table while Norman and Mom were still eating. That's something Mom always told my brother and me.

"Do you boys want to play a game or watch a movie tonight?" Mom asked.

I looked at Norman. He had a lot of milk on his face, so he looked like Santa Claus with the milk mustache on his face. I handed my brother a napkin.

"Thank you, Jay."

"You're welcome," I said as he took the napkin out of my left hand.

"Everyone done eating?" I asked, looking at my brother and mother.

"Are you ready to clear the table yet, Norman?" Mom asked.

"Almost," he answered.

"I was thinking we could play a game and watch a movie so we can do both," I suggested.

"Is that all right with you, Norman?" Mom asked.

"Yes, that's fine with me," Norman answered.

Since today was only Saturday, we can stay up for an extra hour or so.

Mom, Norman and I stood up from the kitchen table and tonight was Norman's turn to put the dishes away.

"How does the game and movie in an hour sound?" Mom asked.

I looked at my older brother.

"Works for me," Norman answered.

"And me," I agreed.

"All right. Then we can decide on what game and movie we want," she replied.

After Norman put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, he joined me in the office. We agreed it was a good idea we pass the time by checking our e – mail account. I let Norman log in this time. Once we logged in, there was an e – mail form Dee Dee and Sara. Oh, Brittany sent us a second e – mail.

"Brittany again? Why doesn't this girl leave us alone and bug somebody else?" my brother asked.

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Got me," was the only thing I could think of for answers.

Norman opened Dee Dee's e – mail first. Here's what we read:

'Hi, Jay and Norman. I hope both of you are doing well. I am doing just fine. I talked with Mom and Lester again about New York. Lester as here in Milwaukee for the summer, he thought it would be our turn and stay for Christmas. What have you decided?

'Mom and I like Lester's suggestion, so we're going along with it. You guys do know how it is when it comes to travel on the holidays. Keep me posted about your plans are like for Christmas unless Mom tells me what your mom and Hannah agree on. Hope you two will get in touch with me again sometime before then. Say hi to your mom for me.'

Next we looked at Sara's e – mail. We decided to wait until tomorrow to reply to her and Dee Dee. Here's what Sara had to say:

'Hi, guys. I am still in touch with that Brittany girl. I still don't understand why Cynthia wanted me to talk with a spammer. It doesn't make any sense to me. Brittany said she and her family were still talking about New York.

'Of course any of us have never been to New York, so this should be fun. New York sure has a lot for people to do. Brittany said something about her talking with some other girl by the name of Summer Delvecchio. I have no clue on how to pronounce that name let alone spell it. She said Summer and her family also are going to New York the same time we are.

'If Brittany says anything more about New York, I'll be sure to pass this over to you. Keep in touch.'

"Wow. Cynthia really must be crazy about letting Sara do something like that," Norman said.

"I know. Should we read what Brittany says or wait for a while?" I asked.

"Brittany can wait. Let's go see what Mom wants to do."

That's when he logged out. I shut the office door this time.

We found Mom sitting on the couch in the living room, sending text messages. Mom looked up and saw us.

"Norman and I are ready for the game and movie now if you are."

"I will be right with you," Mom said and hit SEND.

"Have you picked out a movie and game?" asked Mom.

"Not yet," we answered.

Five minutes later, we decided to watch Lady and the Tramp and play UNO. This turned out to be a fun night.

35: Hannah 2

Thanksgiving came and went. It was already the tenth of December.

"Hannah?"

"Yes, Timmy?" I asked.

In case you already know or not, Tim Mason is my husband. We've been together almost fifteen years.

"I'm still not sure about bringing Arnold to New York with us," he said.

"I know how you feel about his disabilities, but this would be good from him to have fun," I said, then added, "people with special needs need attention too."

"I know, Hannah. Something is telling me something would go wrong with Arnold."

"He'll be fine."

"We leave in five days," I reminded him.

"I know. Time really does fly," he told me.

"True that," I agreed, then added, "Arnold's really looking forward to New York as well, so don't think anything negative like that."

"Sorry."

"That's okay," I told him.

Five days later, Arnold, Tim and I were at the airport. We didn't bring April and Lewis along, so they ended up staying with one of the neighbors. Maybe next time our children will come out to New York if we plan on it in the future.

Arnold had been excited all month about New York, so I didn't want to ruin it for him.

We arrived late that night. We were told from the weatherman before we left from Washington, Arnold was having so much excitement on the flight to New York he wouldn't even sleep. I was also excited, but not the way my brother was.

What are we doing while we're in New York?" Arnold asked.

"Sightseeing, shopping, and maybe visit the movie theater," I answered.

"Okay. Aren't we still going to see our friends?"

"Of course. That's why we're here," Tim answered.

"Sounds fine with me," Arnold said.

We were going to be staying in Best Western and so are our friends.

"Think we'll meet new people?" Arnold asked as we arrived at the airport.

"Sara told us we are going to meet the girl by the name of Brittany Arcola," I answered.

"That's an odd last name," Arnold said when I brought up Brittany's name.

"Good thing Lewis and April aren't around to ask who Brittany is," Arnold replied.

"I know," I agreed.

Once we found a rental car after we grabbed the luggage, we drove straight to the hotel. Tim, Arnold and I all wondered if our friends were here at the hotel or not, but that we will have to find out. When we heard our room was on the first floor, I asked, "How are you doing, Arnold?"

"Fine, Hannah. You don't need to ask," Arnold told me.

"A little, but a little late for that," I told him.

"I know."

Timmy didn't say anything, but I know we he was listening, but he really isn't a talker like some people are. Once Timmy unlocked the door for us, he and I decided to unpack right away. If Arnold wasn't in a wheelchair, he'd be helping us.

"Wish I could help you unpack, Sis, but you know how it is when you have to be in a wheelchair the rest of your life."

What Arnold just said was true. I do know what it's like to be in a wheelchair your entire life because that's what our father did.

I finished unpacking. Tim didn't take long, but he offered to help me.

"I think I'll try to call the others and see if they're in New York," I replied.

"Sounds good to me. Arnold, is there anything we can do?" Tim asked.

"Bathroom break would be nice," Arnold said.

"I'll let you know what our friends say," I told them.

They didn't bother saying anything, so I went ahead and I called my friends. I decided to try Tiffany first and see what she was doing. I listened to her phone ring. She answered.

"Hi, Tiffany," I told her.

"Hi, Hannah. Did you make it to New York?" she asked.

"About twenty minutes ago. What about you and Dee Dee?" I asked, thinking of Dee Dee.

"We got here about five hours ago. Norman and Jay are already enjoying New York," Tiffany told me.

"That's good. Have the others shown up besides you and Dee Dee?" I asked.

"Jay, Norman, Sara and Cynthia," answered Tiffany.

"Maybe we'll get to meet this Brittany person Sara has mentioned," I said.

"Probably," Tiffany agreed.

"Do you want to meet now and head over for dinner?" I suggested.

"Sounds good to me, Hannah," was all Tiffany said.

That's when we ended the conversation.

36: Lester 5

I decided to text Dee Dee and see what the plans are for New York. Last I heard, everyone planned on coming out for the summer, and that never worked. So I sent the message:

'Hi, Sis. I know we haven't talked for a while, so now seemed to be a good time to do so. What are the changes to New York? I'd like to hear from you. I'll talk with you later.

Love,

Lester'

I noticed my younger sister took her time to answer, but I wasn't so sure if Dee Dee saw my message immediately or not. If she did, she must've decided to wait until later. There wasn't any hurry to hear back from my sister. It's not often she and I talked or text since we're both busy with studying, which is understandable. Mostly I'm the busy one since I'm in college now.

About an hour or so later, I received Dee Dee's message. Here's what she told me:

'Hi, Lester. Sorry I didn't text you right away. Mandy was over for a few hours, so that's why I didn't answer, but I did see it when you sent it. To answer your question, we decided to visit you in New York around Christmas. We're trying to work it out to see if we can try to be there before the holiday comes. I'll keep you posted for more details.

Love,

Dee Dee'

From what I just read sounded understandable when it comes to travel and holidays. My friend Todd I've told you about earlier in this story, was over at my apartment when Dee Dee sent her text message.

"What did your sister say about coming out here to New York since it didn't happen in the summer?" Todd asked.

"She said they'll try to make it around Christmas," I answered.

"Good luck with that. You know how airports are when it comes to travel around the holidays," he said.

"I know. If they can't make it, I'll be sure to understand."

After I finished saying that, Todd nodded his head, so he didn't see anything to reply immediately.

What I was told, my friends and family received some odd messages from somebody we never heard of. That doesn't happen much to me, but it is normal people send you span. Maybe that's what it was: spam. Nobody likes seeing spam messages. Todd stuck around for a while longer and then left. He is part of this visit from Mom and Dee, so they can meet Todd for the first time. He does know about my other friends, but he never expected to meet them, and I found that understandable.

If New York had to be canceled, I won't be disappointed, but I have been looking forward to seeing everyone again. That's always bee fun. I decided to talk with my sister again. Todd left for the day. There was something that I wanted to ask, so that was why I did that. Here's what the question I wanted to ask Dee Dee:

'Hi, Sis.

U know you weren't expecting to hear from me again today, but I do have a question that wouldn't leave me alone. Do you think we'll meet anyone new? Just curious. Take your time to answering me.

Lester'

From what Cynthia Cunningham told me during our text messages, Sara somehow had been talking to a girl we don't know. Why would somebody want to do that? That I would never do.

What I was told, my friends and family received some odd messages from somebody we never heard of. That doesn't happen much to me, but it is normal people send you span. Maybe that's what it was: spam. Nobody likes seeing spam messages. Todd stuck around for a while longer and then left. He is part of this visit from Mom and Dee, so they can meet Todd for the first time. He does know about my other friends, but he never expected to meet them, and I found that understandable.

If New York had to be canceled, I won't be disappointed, but I have been looking forward to seeing everyone again. That's always bee fun. I decided to talk with my sister again. Todd left for the day. There was something that I wanted to ask, so that was why I did that. Here's what the question I wanted to ask Dee Dee:

'Hi, Sis.

I know you weren't expecting to hear from me again today, but I do have a question that wouldn't leave me alone. Do you think we'll meet anyone new? Just curious. Take your time to answering me.

Lester'

From what Cynthia Cunningham told me during our text messages, Sara somehow had been talking to a girl we don't know. Why would somebody want to do that? That was sort of stupid for Cynthia to let Sara do such a thing. She'd told me she wasn't thinking correctly when she let Sara do that. I asked what this girl's name was. Cynthia said it was under the name of Brittany Arcola. The name didn't sound familiar to me either.

This time I saw a message from my mother. It's been a while since I talked with her. She mentioned that Dee Dee just saw my message. She wasn't sure how to answer my question, but Mom put it this way:

'Lester, I don't know how to answer that question, but some of us believe we might meet the Brittany girl Sara's been talking with for a while, but we'll find out what happens when the time comes. I'll talk with you again some other time.'

Mom could be right about meeting new people, but who knows? Cynthia also told me Sara mentioned that Brittany said something about us meeting another person. She said this person was Summer Delvecchio. I've never heard of that name either, so this sounded interesting to me for sure. I will keep you all posted about more details about New York for my friends and family, so stay tuned.

37: Summer 4

Note: I know this chapter is long for Summer, but I want to get this story done since it's been in progress for a long time. I hope you like this Summer update, but I thought she deserved something longer than her last few stories. I think we have about 1 - 2 chapters left, so stay tuned how this story will end.

Since we haven't been in New York very long, I thought of something.

"Mom?" I asked.

"Yes, Summer?" Mom asked.

We were eating out this morning for breakfast. Since I have diabetes, we have to tell our waiter about that.

"I know we haven't been here long enough to figure this out, could we move here?" I asked.

"Of course not! We have our friends and home we want to be close to," Mom told me.

"Sorry if I asked. It was just a thought," I replied.

"We are never going to a strange stat we aren't familiar with."

Mom sounded like she meant it, so I didn't want to make it an argument. At least Mom made a lot of sense as well.

I saw we weren't far away from the back door at the most popular breakfast place in New York, so we ended up chatting with some of the other customers. I wish I would give you the name of the place, but I didn't pay much attention to its name. I saw that there were a couple of other people next to us. One of them was in a wheelchair while somebody else fed him.

"I wonder who those people are," I told Mom.

She looked in the direction where the wheelchair was. It sounded like Mom recognized the woman who was feeding the guy in the wheelchair.

"Oh, that's Senator Webber – Mason," Mom answered.

"Can we go over there and say hello?" I asked.

"That's fine with me," she told me.

Mom and I walked over to the table together. The woman had blonde hair and blue eyes while the guy in the wheelchair had blonde hair and brown eyes.

"Hello, Senator," Mom spoke up.

It looked like Mom wanted to be the first to start the conversation. She looked at my mother and me.

"Hello. How are you?" she asked us.

"We're doing well, thank you. We know who you are. I hear about you and read the newspaper and see the news," Mom began.

"Mom, you are the only one who know this woman is," I reminded her.

"Right. I hope we're not interrupting your breakfast."

"You're not interrupting anything. Would you like to sit down and join us?" the woman asked.

"Thank you," Mom said as we saw another woman joining us.

She somehow looks like a doctor to me, but again I could be wrong.

"Hello, Hannah," the doctor greeted the blonde – haired woman.

"Hello, Tiffany. Would you like to join us?" she asked the doctor.

"Thank you, Hannah. Dee Dee and Lester should be able to come here any minute now."

I told myself that I happen to like the name Tiffany.

"I didn't catch your names," Hannah told us.

"Sorry," Mom said, and then added," we should've give our names. I am Andrea and this is my daughter, Summer."

"Nice to meet you," both Tiffany and Hannah said as the same time.

"You didn't give us your last name," Tiffany said.

"It's Delvecchio," Mom answered.

"I think I know who you are," Hannah told me.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"I saw a picture of you," she answered.

"Who had that picture of me?"

I wasn't understand what she told me.

"Our friend Sara Cunningham had it. She got it from somebody else," Hannah told us.

I wasn't familiar with that, so I let the senator continue.

"Our friend, Sara, has been in contact with a girl we don't know. I still don't understand why she did such a thing."

I decided not to say anything else.

"Who is this?" I asked, looking at the wheelchair.

"I see I didn't introduce you. This is my brother, Arnold."

"Hi, Arnold. I am Summer," I told him.

"Nice meeting you as well, Summer. What brought you here to New York?" Arnold asked.

"We decided to make it a family vacation," I answered.

Then we saw some other people joining us. I saw one of them looked like he was in college, but it's just a guess. The girl looked like she was in either eighth or nine grade.

"Lester, Dee, Arnold and I would like you to meet these people," Hannah told them.

"Before I make introductions, where is your mother?"

I didn't notice Tiffany left us, so it looked like Tiffany wasn't joining us anytime soon. I watched as the girl shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know. She was with us a few minutes ago. Lester, did Mom say anything to you?" she asked.

"No," was his answer.

My brain made a few notes in my head. Senator Hannah, Arnold in the wheelchair, Lester the college kid, Dee Dee the teenager.

"Do you know where Sara and Cynthia are?" Hannah asked them.

Again another shrug from Dee Dee.

"I don't know how to answer that one, either. Have you seen them, Lester?" Dee Dee asked.

We saw he was busy typing up a text to somebody.

"Who are you sending that message to, Lester?" Arnold asked.

"Mom, Sara, and Cynthia," he answered truthfully.

"Cynthia and Sara are here somewhere, but I guess we all have to sit in different areas for some reason," he added.

He looked at Mom and I.

"Sorry about that. I didn't catch your names," he said to us.

"This is my mother, Andrea Delvecchio. I am her daughter, Summer," I said, introducing ourselves to these strangers.

It looked like our name sounded familiar to him and his sister.

"That name sounds familiar, doesn't it, Sis?" Lester asked.

"It sure does," Dee Dee agreed.

We saw some other women and a child heading toward us. One of them looked like Tiffany.

"Hi," everyone. We were just paying the bill," one of them women said, looking at Mom and me.

"I didn't realize we weren't expecting any company," one of the women spoke up.

I'm not good at judging people, but I guessed one of them seemed to be shy and quiet, but again I could be wrong.

"Tiffany, Cynthia, it looks like our answer was correct," Hannah told one of the ladies.

"Correct answer to what?" the other asked.

It didn't look like she was quiet and shy to me, so it was only a good guess.

"Cynthia, Tiffany, these people have been described the way Brittany told Sara about," Hannah answered.

"Whoa. Which one is Summer?" Tiffany asked, looking at us.

"I am," I answered.

I don't know how to judge people with their choice of living, so I didn't bother saying a word about it.

"You sounded like Dad because you said whoa," Lester told her.

"I know, Lester. The word somehow slipped out," Tiffany replied.

"Dad would like to have said that word himself for sure," Dee Dee said.

"Karen, over here," Hannah called as she waved one hand.

The red – headed woman and her two sons joined us by another family walking in our direction. One of them looked like a child also, but my guess was Brittany Arcola.

"I'd like you to meet somebody," Karen and Hannah said at the same time.

The boys both stared at me. One of them looked like he was just about Dee Dee's age, but again I could be wrong.

"You go first," Hannah told her friend.

"Okay. I'd like to introduce you all to Brittany Arcola and her folks, Samuel and his wife, Tanya."

"It's nice meeting you," everyone said at the same time.

"So you must be Summer," Brittany said, looking at me.

"Yes. I figured you would be Brittany," I replied.

"At least we know that Brittany is who she is from the pictures Sara and I have seen," Cynthia said.

"Okay, Hannah. You can do your introduction," Karen said.

"Why don't you make your own introduction?" Hannah said to us.

"Summer Delvecchio," I said, "and this is my mother Andrea."

"Andrea's a nice name," Tiffany said.

So far, so good. It looked like everyone is getting along during introduction. It looked like Mom and I made some new friends while introducing ourselves.

"What do you do for a living?" Mom asked everyone.

"I'm a stay – at – home mom," Brittany's mom said.

"I'm a doctor for children who suffer from depression and anxiety," Tiffany answered, and then added, "I go under the name of Dr. Branson – Fonzarelli. Long name, I know. Fonzarelli is my married name. Lester and Dee Dee belong to me."

"I am a policewoman. I am known as Deputy Sheriff Karen McCarey. I used to be married under the name of Malph, but I changed it back to McCarey."

"Did you say McCarey?" Mom asked, since the last name sounded familiar.

I'm also familiar with the name as well.

"Yes, I did. What's wrong about that?" Karen asked.

"Your name sounds familiar to me. Summer and I listen to Jay's music. We are fans of Mr. McCarey," Mom said.

"Are you and Jay family?" I asked.

"Actually, we are. I happen to be his younger sister. We're thirteen years apart," Karen answered, then added, "I'll pass your word to Jay the next time I talk with him. Right now he's working on another album, so he's busy."

"Sounds like it," I said.

"Being a recording artist isn't so easy," Karen told mee.

"That's so true."

All of us walked outside of the restaurant. It is actually a nice day, from what I've seen. So far it looked like we all are starting to become friends through introduction. That' enough for me. I looked at Karen's sons.

"I didn't catch your names," I told them.

"I am Norman and this is my younger brother Jay. We are Mom's kids, but we were actually adopted, so we like to think of her as our real mother," the older boy replied.

"I had fun meeting you and Brittany," Jay said.

This was the first time he spoke since the introduction.

"We had fun too," Brittany said, speaking for both of us.

I nodded in agreement.

"How much longer are you all staying here?" Brittany asked.

"In a few more days. We want to get back home before it becomes Christmas," Jay answered.

"That makes a lot of sense," I said.

Brittany even agreed with me.

"These are our friends, Sara and Cynthia Cunningham," Norman said.

Cynthia was busy chatting with the other adults, including my mother. Lester and his sister were in our conversation.

"Looks like we're starting to become friends in this introduction, Lester. I'm going to tell Mandy about today for sure," Dee Dee told him.

"That's what I figured."

"Do you live here in New York?" I asked.

"I do. I'm going to stay here until I graduate. Right now I'm only a junior. I grew up in Milwaukee, and Dee Dee is still too young to live on her own."

"Where are you studying?" Brittany asked.

"I am at NYU," he answered.

"Do you like it?" I asked.

"It's okay."

"I do okay in school myself, but it's a lot of work for sure. Whenever I travel, I get sick," Dee Dee told us.

"She doesn't do well with cars, that's for sure. And your mother has to clean up the car," Sara said.

"Not in front of strangers, Sara," Dee Dee told her.

"Sorry," she apologized.

Brittany and I didn't say anything.

"It's time to split. We've had a nice introduction, but it's time for us to go our own way and do what we want to do," Tiffany spoke up.

"It was nice talking with you, Dr. Branson. If we don't see each other again on this trip, we'll stay in touch," Mom said.

"Sara and Brittany will give you our contacts as wlel, and we'll do our best to respond," Karen said.

We all waved as we went our separate ways. This turned out to be a fun vacation after all.

38: Dee Dee 6

Mom, Lester and I came back to Milwaukee together since my brother was coming home for the holidays. At least we finally had our vacation out of the way. I hoped nothing happens like this anymore, but you may never know. For now it looks to me it wouldn’t happen anytime soon. It even looks Lester agreed with me.

We all drove home together from the airport after our arrival at five this morning. There was no way I was going back to bed. Once we waked into the house, we noticed that there was a power outage while we were away. And that usually is never a good sign. They sometimes scare me, but not too often. Lester and Mom took care of changing the clocks in the house while I went upstairs to my bedroom.

I looked at my watch. It looked like it was in need to be replaced with new batteries. I’ll take care of it later. Right now I changed the clock in my bedroom before I did anything else. Mandy should be waking up in a minute or so. It wasn’t often she sleeps in, but I can relate.

I called Mandy anyway. She would like to hear about meeting Brittany and Summer. She also had her own cell phone, so I called here there instead of waking everyone in her house for disturbing her family. Her mom and dad usually liked sleeping in from nine – thirty and ten, so there was no way I wanted to call the house.

Mandy just woke up when she saw my number on her phone.

“Welcome back, Dee Dee,” was the first thing she told me.

“Thank you, Mandy. I just got home not too long ago.”

“Tell me what happened,” Mandy demanded.

“That’s why I called you.”

“I’m listening.”

“This was something my family or friends experienced something like this, but let me ask you something,” I told her.

“What’s that?”

“Have you ever kept in contact when people who leave you spam message?”

“Of course not! Why would I do a dumb thing like that?”

Mandy sure wasn’t happy with my question I just asked.

“One of my friends I told you about, Sara Cunningham did just that.”

“What gave her the idea to do something like that?”

“Her older cousin Cynthia did.”

“Why did Cynthia let her do something for Sara to let this happen for your holiday in New York?”

She still didn’t understand, and neither did I.

“I don’t know how to answer that, Mandy.”

“At least I’m happy you made it back to Milwaukee in one piece.”

“So am I. We did make some new friends while we were in New York. These people we met were Sara’s spam, and the other wasn’t, but she also received the same messages Sara did.”

“What are their names?”

“Brittany Arcola and Summer Delvecchio. They turned out to be the way Sara and Brittany had their conversations, but Summer was never part of those conversations.”

“How big were their families?”

“Summer’s family only had her and her mother. Not once did I see a father. None of us talked about that. My guess is probably divorce, but I can’t be sure. And Summer’s mother’s name was Andrea. Both of them are friendly. At least Brittany had a father, so it looked like it was hard for Summer.

“Brittany didn’t have any siblings. Her parents’ names were Tanya and Samuel.”

“How did you meet them?” Mandy asked.

I could easily tell she was already enjoying my story.

“We met at a restaurant. We actually didn’t meet until after we paid for breakfast. All we did was talk, so you didn’t miss much.”

“It looked like you really did enjoy your time out there. Too bad I didn’t get to come.”

“I know how you feel. I hope this will never happen again. Yes, we did plan to keep in contact. This was a fun and confusing trip.”

“I’m saying this again, Dee Dee. I’m glad to have you back home.”

I agreed.