advertising the twenty or so theme parks in the Lake Buena Vista area. A few minutes later we were pulling up to a fanciful hotel that looked like a log cabin garnished with lollipops.
"Here we are, kids," Dad said. "This is where you get off."
I turned around and watched the brats tumble out along with their mother. Good riddance. I hoped the hotel would still be there when we returned. Then I turned back around and saw that Dad was looking right at me.
"No fucking way!" I shouted.
"Language, Ramon."
"My name is Ray, Dad, and there's no fucking way I'm staying behind."
"Ray, we've discussed this and –"
"Dad, I'm seventeen. Mom, you guys can't do this to me."
"What about me?" Elizabeth wanted to know. "Are you dumping me, too?"
"Ray, Elizabeth," Mom said. "This is going to be dangerous. Dangerous, and very, very ugly. We have decided it wouldn't be responsible to take you into this mess. You can stay here with Mrs. Redmond and her kids."
" Mom !" I was horrified to hear a note in my voice I'd tried to stop using when I was about twelve. Not satisfied with that, I went on with another childish argument. "This isn't fair . If you were going to strand us here, why the hell did you drag us along in the first place? Why not hire a babysitter and leave us back home?"
"Ray, you're just going to have to accept this."
"I don't think so," I said.
Dak muttered something. I saw him grinning in the rearview mirror.
"You say something, Dak?" Dad asked, dangerously.
"I said, 'Told ya.' And I did."
"You stay out of this. You don't have any kids."
"You're right," Dak said, not seeming to take offense. "But if I did, I'd hope they had the sort of balls Ray has."
"Dad," I said, with no idea where I was going. Then I had it. "If you leave me here, you'd better tie me up. Because I'll follow you."
"Oh? How?"
"I'll... I'll get a taxi!"
"And how will you pay for it?"
"I've got money." Not a lot. There was a trust fund for me that I would get when I turned eighteen, but my allowance was fairly generous, and I'd saved up a bit. Frankly, there's not a lot of things I wanted to buy on Mars, after Dad bought my airboard.
"How much cash?"
That's when it sank in. Cash? Cash ? What would I need with cash? It's practically obsolete back home. You pay for things with credit and a retina print. I had a stack of Martian redbacks back home in my closet. Why bring them?
Because if you're under eighteen a parent can shut down your savings account and/or line of credit in two seconds and not even have to get out of his chair. Isn't modern banking wonderful?
We glared each other down for a while. I knew the money business was a fight I couldn't win, and he knew it, too.
I'll give him one thing. He didn't look happy about it.
"I'll hitchhike," I said.
"No, you won't," Dak said. "Manny, this is –"
"Stay out of this, Dak."
"No, man, I'm just saying. This is Earth, remember, and it's scary times. There's looters and rednecks and all kinds of nuts out to settle scores. Just plain maniacs. Ray, this ain't going to be no trip to no ski resort."
"He won't have to hitchhike," Elizabeth said. "He can go with me."
"You're not going anywhere, Elizabeth," Mom said, sharply.
My sister and I got along pretty well. I'd gone through a hell-raising stage, getting in small trouble here and there, rebellious, defiant, but mostly I was good, I didn't do illegal things, and if I wanted to do something Mom and Dad wouldn't have approved of, I just did it and made sure they didn't find out.
Not Elizabeth. As far back as I could remember she had been the perfect daughter. About the worst thing I ever saw her do was cover for me when I'd done something bad, and never a word of reproach from her except to make me promise never to do it again. Usually, I didn't. We were close, until we got into our teens, when boys and girls turn to different interests.
Elizabeth was the dream child. Beautiful, smart, obedient, helpful, cheerful, courageous. I couldn't
"Here we are, kids," Dad said. "This is where you get off."
I turned around and watched the brats tumble out along with their mother. Good riddance. I hoped the hotel would still be there when we returned. Then I turned back around and saw that Dad was looking right at me.
"No fucking way!" I shouted.
"Language, Ramon."
"My name is Ray, Dad, and there's no fucking way I'm staying behind."
"Ray, we've discussed this and –"
"Dad, I'm seventeen. Mom, you guys can't do this to me."
"What about me?" Elizabeth wanted to know. "Are you dumping me, too?"
"Ray, Elizabeth," Mom said. "This is going to be dangerous. Dangerous, and very, very ugly. We have decided it wouldn't be responsible to take you into this mess. You can stay here with Mrs. Redmond and her kids."
" Mom !" I was horrified to hear a note in my voice I'd tried to stop using when I was about twelve. Not satisfied with that, I went on with another childish argument. "This isn't fair . If you were going to strand us here, why the hell did you drag us along in the first place? Why not hire a babysitter and leave us back home?"
"Ray, you're just going to have to accept this."
"I don't think so," I said.
Dak muttered something. I saw him grinning in the rearview mirror.
"You say something, Dak?" Dad asked, dangerously.
"I said, 'Told ya.' And I did."
"You stay out of this. You don't have any kids."
"You're right," Dak said, not seeming to take offense. "But if I did, I'd hope they had the sort of balls Ray has."
"Dad," I said, with no idea where I was going. Then I had it. "If you leave me here, you'd better tie me up. Because I'll follow you."
"Oh? How?"
"I'll... I'll get a taxi!"
"And how will you pay for it?"
"I've got money." Not a lot. There was a trust fund for me that I would get when I turned eighteen, but my allowance was fairly generous, and I'd saved up a bit. Frankly, there's not a lot of things I wanted to buy on Mars, after Dad bought my airboard.
"How much cash?"
That's when it sank in. Cash? Cash ? What would I need with cash? It's practically obsolete back home. You pay for things with credit and a retina print. I had a stack of Martian redbacks back home in my closet. Why bring them?
Because if you're under eighteen a parent can shut down your savings account and/or line of credit in two seconds and not even have to get out of his chair. Isn't modern banking wonderful?
We glared each other down for a while. I knew the money business was a fight I couldn't win, and he knew it, too.
I'll give him one thing. He didn't look happy about it.
"I'll hitchhike," I said.
"No, you won't," Dak said. "Manny, this is –"
"Stay out of this, Dak."
"No, man, I'm just saying. This is Earth, remember, and it's scary times. There's looters and rednecks and all kinds of nuts out to settle scores. Just plain maniacs. Ray, this ain't going to be no trip to no ski resort."
"He won't have to hitchhike," Elizabeth said. "He can go with me."
"You're not going anywhere, Elizabeth," Mom said, sharply.
My sister and I got along pretty well. I'd gone through a hell-raising stage, getting in small trouble here and there, rebellious, defiant, but mostly I was good, I didn't do illegal things, and if I wanted to do something Mom and Dad wouldn't have approved of, I just did it and made sure they didn't find out.
Not Elizabeth. As far back as I could remember she had been the perfect daughter. About the worst thing I ever saw her do was cover for me when I'd done something bad, and never a word of reproach from her except to make me promise never to do it again. Usually, I didn't. We were close, until we got into our teens, when boys and girls turn to different interests.
Elizabeth was the dream child. Beautiful, smart, obedient, helpful, cheerful, courageous. I couldn't
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