Summer vacation in California Montecito by Ann Wood part 19
A week later, they returned to California, Montecito, USA. The road was long and tiring, and they had stopped for the night in different places to sleep and leave again in the morning. When they returned, they rested for a week at home. Martin's family moved into the guest house at Annabelle's home. They enrolled the twins in Michelle's class for the new school year. Melanie and Lizzie visited them with the children on Tuesday and arranged to have a barbecue over the weekend. They talked for hours, and they had so much to say to each other. They looked at photos from the trip and discussed what they saw. Evelyn was preparing for the new school year, and she had to catch up with the work plan. Annabelle also prepared curricula for the lessons from the first term. Cynthia and Paul would return to work on Monday. Marie Antoinette would start work at the school as Evelyn's secretary, and Martin would be the driver of the school bus and would also help with the school's maintenance. The week passed quickly, and they prepared for the barbecue on Saturday and Sunday. The twins really liked their new home and the school where they would study. They were out for a walk with Michelle, and she introduced them to one of her friends. She would go back to dance and drawing lessons as before. She is very happy that not only the kids in the family will have company at her age. The weekend was spent on songs, dances, and many games; the barbecue was on the beach, and everyone had a lot of fun.Things went back to normal on Monday, and Annabelle, Cynthia, and Paul returned to the newsroom. There were two weeks left until the start of the new school year. The children sat down to recall the material from the previous year. Annabelle and Marie Antoinette went to get everything they needed for school for Michelle and the twins. They bought them new uniforms, shoes, backpacks, textbooks and web aids, notebooks, and two laptops for the twins. Michelle had one, so they took the iPad. The weather was nice, and they enjoyed the beach and swimming in the sea.
On Friday, everyone went to the hut by the lake, where they would stay until the end of the next week. They reunited and spent an unforgettable week by the lake. The weather was good, and they went for long walks to the village every day or by boat on the lake. On the tenth day, they left so that they could prepare for the first day of school, but they knew that at the end of each week, they would return to the hut by the lake, as they had done before. As they used to say, everyone in the group welcomed Martin's family very well and as part of their large family.
The first day of school was exciting for everyone. The whole family went to school together, and Paul and Cynthia were there. There was a concert on the first day of school. Evely gave a very nice speech and introduced the new addition to everyone. After the concert was over, the students entered the classroom to hand out the new curriculum and notebooks. They were introduced to the internal order and safety rules and what to do if there is a fire in the school. Then there was a sports afternoon and a picnic in the schoolyard. Then everyone left and went to a restaurant for dinner. In the evening, they watched TV and went to bed early, because it was a school day.
The week passed quickly, and the children hurriedly had tests in the subjects to remember the material from the previous school year. Twice a week, they went to dancing and art classes Tuesday and Thursday nights from six to eight at school. On Friday after school, they went to the hut for the weekend. The weather was bad on Friday night, but it didn't spoil their mood, as they had a lot to do indoors.
Lizzie makes cakes with the children while the adults play billiards and table tennis. At five o'clock they decided to have an indoor barbecue. The men lit the grills and flavored the meat while the women prepared salads and side dishes. Young children played in the playroom, and older ones watched a comedy. They had dinner at eight and watched TV until late. The youngsters played monopoly, and the younger ones went to bed at ten. The adults stayed until one in the morning, playing bridge and poker.
It was still raining when they lay down outside. They got up at eight on Saturday morning, and Evelyn made pancakes and a full English breakfast with sausages, bacon, black pudding, mushrooms, beans, potato croquettes, and eggs. After breakfast, they played monopolies and watched Flight on one of the TV channels. Annabelle is working on her book and preparing for Monday's English literature and language tests. Michelle was painting a picture for Prince Harry's birthday. The big twins were playing the video game they bought in Canada. The rain had finally stopped by noon, but it was cold to go out. They all had something to do until it was time for lunch. They had lunch with one and then watched Fireman's Dog and the President's Daughter. They had made popcorn and drank homemade lemonade. The evening was spent teasing and playing games and then watching TV. The children played and watched children's movies in the playroom. And the opponents played monopolies while listening to a Scorpions concert on MTV. They went to bed at midnight, and it was raining outside again.
On Sunday, they would leave for the city after lunch. They slept until about eight, got up for breakfast, and after breakfast, they cleaned the house and packed their bags. They had lunch in one, and after cleaning the kitchen and dining room, they loaded their cars and left for the city. When they returned, they unloaded their luggage and went to the market. They came back and ordered pizzas for dinner. They unloaded the shopping bags and put away the products when they returned. Marie Antoinette made a salad, and they sat down to dinner. After dinner, the children went down to the beach for a walk and played with the dogs. They went in to bathe and prepare for the next morning for school at nine o'clock. They watched Lifeguards on the beach and then went to bed. The adults talked in the living room and drank brandy. Annabelle talks to her parents and Michelle's parents before going to bed. She said good night to the others and went to her room; before that, she went to see if Michelle had gone to bed and wished her good night.
They got up at six for breakfast on Monday morning and left for school at seven in Annabelle's car. Cynthia went to the newsroom at eight, and Martin went to pick up the students from their homes.
The day was hectic for everyone; Annabelle had tests all day with the classes she had classes with today. Michelle and the twins also had several tests in various subjects today. The most important was the math one, and they studied between the parts. Evelyn and Marie Antoinette had several interviews with a math teacher for primary school and a physics and chemistry teacher, women cleaning classrooms and maintaining school cleanliness, as those they have are not enough during a pandemic. And more gardeners need a new addition to the school security and an IT technologist to maintain the school's computers and website.
Paul and Cynthia were also busy with the new project in the newsroom, which will begin before Christmas. The project is with the motto Stop the war in Ukraine and Russia; we want peace, not War.
At lunch, Annabelle, Evelyn, Marie Antoinette, Martin, and the children had lunch in the teachers' canteen and talked. Cynthia and Paul had lunch at the small restaurant next to the newsroom. The afternoon passed quickly, and at 1530 they left. On the way back, they went through the market and bought fresh fruits and vegetables; from there, through the butcher's shop and bought ribs, minced meat, and steaks. Then they went home and unloaded the car. Martin returned at 5 o'clock and took the dogs for a walk. Paul and Cynthia returned at 6 o'clock. Evelyn and Paul bought the house next to Annabelle's to be close and helpful. And the old house was rented out by Paul, and Martin made a door in the wall separating the two houses so that the children could have safe access to the house and not have to go outside. Martin parked the school bus in Paul and Evelyn's yard. When they are at home, they all get together to eat and have fun. They became one big and close-knit family, and they lived in peace and understanding. The weather was fine, and they had dinner in the garden and stayed up late talking. The children went inside to study and prepare for the next day. When they went to bed at eleven, the sky outside was clear and with countless stars, the moon was so big and full, the night was quiet, and only the birdsong could be heard in the darkness.
The days passed quickly and filled with a lot of emotions for the children; they had several tests at school every day, but they coped with them with ease. Their evenings were filled with a lot of family events and fun. On Friday, after everyone came home from work and school, they went to the hut by the lake and had a great time there for the weekend. The weather was good for the season, and they went fishing and caught a lot of fish. There was a craft fair in the village next to the hut, and they went to visit it. Their weekend was imperceptibly full of fun and adventure. On Sunday, they did not want to return to the big city and the hectic life there, but they had no choice but to leave at five in the evening, say goodbye to the rest of the group, and that they would see each other again next week.
It was nearing the end of October, and the families of Annabelle, Michelle, and Cynthia would be ahead of us this weekend. This year, Halloween would be celebrated in the city, as they again participated in the competition for the best-decorated house on the holiday occasion. They had decorated both houses very nicely, and the whole street was lit by the millions of lights they had placed on them. Annabelle had gone shopping for the party, and they made pumpkin pies, pumpkin lanterns, cookies, and lots of goodies for the kids. Everyone was very excited about who would be the winner of this year's competition. On Friday, their guests from Australia and Canada arrived, and in the evening, they had a welcome barbecue party. Here came Halloween, and everyone in the morning was very busy with the final preparations for the big party in the evening. In the evening, they had many visitors to see their decorations. Even the mayor of the city passed by and greeted them for surpassing themselves this year with the decoration of the mansion. At nine o'clock, the jury judged the houses for the best decoration on the occasion of Halloween. At midnight they would announce the winner for this year in the square in front of the town hall. The whole city poured into the square and waited for the winner to be announced. At midnight, the ceremony for the best decoration began, and everyone held their breath while the mayor gave a speech and announced the winner. No one was surprised that for another third year, the winner was Annabelle's home. The mayor awarded her a medal for being the best decorator and declared her an honorary citizen of the city. Everyone congratulated her and wished her to be still inventive and persistent. When they returned, they went to bed because they had been tired from the long day.
The next few days passed quickly, and they had to say goodbye to their loved ones and see each other again for Christmas and New Year. Their lives went according to plan, and everyone was busy with the tasks they had to do.
The time before Christmas passed quickly and filled with shopping for Christmas presents and new decorations for this year's Christmas race for the best-decorated house. Their families would arrive on December 23rd and stay until January 10th. Annabelle published her new book at the end of November, which sold very fast.
Here comes Christmas, and everyone is together again. This Christmas, they will be in town and have guests. They had decided to have a charity party at the City Hall for the homeless and one at the Children's Hospital with Santa Claus and lots of presents. There was a celebration at the school with a play on the 24th, and the children had decided to make a small market and the money from the sale to go to children in Ukraine.
On Christmas morning, everyone got up early and had breakfast together. After breakfast, they went to church and had lunch in the restaurant next to the editorial office with the editorial staff and teachers from the school. They decided to have a joint party for the two bands and meet their families. They had preserved the entire restaurant, which had recently been renovated and expanded. They left at five in the evening so that they could change and prepare for the party, which began at seven. The evening was spent dancing and having fun, and about ten of the best decoration committee went to evaluate their house. The winner would be announced the following day during the morning liturgy.
The winner was, as expected, Annabelle's home. The service in the church was exciting and instructive. The children played a play on the occasion of the birth of Jesus. Michelle sang songs and the twins played a quiet night, holy night on piano and violin. After the church, they returned to exchange gifts and open them. It was snowing outside in the afternoon, and everyone went out into the garden and made a snowman and snow angels.
The days until the New Year was spent preparing for New Year's Eve and visiting several galleries. Michelle had a small exhibition in one of the galleries, and to the delight of all, several of her beautiful paintings were sold at a fairly high price. The mayor awarded her the best young artist of the year.
They had many guests and a masked ball on New Year's Eve. An orchestra and a local DJ had been invited to make the party even better. There was a competition for the best ball gown and mask. At midnight they opened champagne and wished each other a happy new year. They sang songs and danced until dawn when the first guests left.
The days until January 10 passed quickly and with a lot of fun. They visited several museums and went to the hut by the lake, where they spent a wonderful weekend with their friends and families. On the 10th, they sent their families to the airport and said goodbye to them, and they would see them again for Easter. Their lives returned to their old rhythm, and they all returned to work and school.
Short story by Ann Wood
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Written on 2022-04-28 at 12:08
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