Friday, November 29th, 2019, Lunch

“How far is it to Lettuce?” Luke asked.

“Five minutes. It’s only three blocks from here.”

When they got to Lettuce, Mike and the others hadn’t arrived yet.

“Usually Lettuce would be busy, but it’s less than half-full. Maybe it’s because most shoppers are at Broadway Plaza at the other end of downtown. I’ll talk to the cashier and see if we can get a group of tables for the ten of us.” The manager came out and spoke to Baxter. He was happy to see a large group come in on a slow day. He set aside two four-person tables and one two-person table, moved them so they were close to each other, and put ‘Reserved’ cards on them.

“Let’s go ahead and order,” Baxter suggested. Luke agreed, and they got in line. There were only two people ahead of them.

“What are you going to order?” Luke asked.

“Mushroom soup and a BLTA.”

“What’s a BLTA?”

“A BLT, bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich, but with avocado which makes it much better. And their mushroom soup is outstanding. Those are both my favorites things to order here.”

“Sounds good. I’ll get the same thing. When did you find this place?” Luke asked.

“My mom and I would come downtown to shop and go to lunch. Sometimes we’d go to the art gallery at the Lesher Center. One time they had an art exhibit where everything was put together using Lego blocks. That was when I was about ten years old. After we saw the exhibit, we came here for lunch. We liked it so much we came here often.”

When they were at the cashier, Mike and the others arrived. Baxter waved, and Mike walked over.

“We were given the three tables at the windows that have the ‘Reserved’ cards on them. Go ahead and order. You might explain how the ordering works.”

“Elizabeth and I already explained it while we were walking here, so we’re good to go.”

“Luke and I will sit down and start eating. We both ordered mushroom soup, and it’ll be better to eat it now while it’s hot.”

After they all had their lunches and were eating, Laura asked, “What’s that big building across the street?”

“That’s the Lesher Center,” Mike explained. “It has three theaters for live performances, and the Bedford Gallery for art exhibits, mostly with contemporary art.”

“I’d like to see that,” she said.

“I’ve seen the current exhibit,” Mike said. “It’s contemporary art about food. Some were from famous artists like Salvador Dali and Wayne Thiebaud. I liked it a lot.”

“I didn’t know you liked art,” Baxter said.

“I didn’t either until my folks took me to see these food paintings and drawings, and they told me about some of the famous artists. I’d like to see it again.”

“Could we go see it after we finish eating?” Maria asked.

“Sure. How many of us want to see it?” Baxter asked.

About half were interested. “I’d rather see the Amazon store,” Luke said. “There isn’t one near where we live in Burbank.”

“Okay, how many want to see the Amazon store?”

Most raised their hands.

“And who wants to go swimming?”

All the cousins and Maria raised their hands.

“Today is Black Friday, the big shopping day that’s every year on the day after Thanksgiving,” Jason said. “The stores downtown will probably be crowded. It might be better to go to the art gallery and the Amazon store tomorrow.”

“And then we can go to some of the other stores and do some shopping when they aren’t as busy,” Jordan added.

Baxter realized that the twins did that a lot, one twin saying something and the other twin jumping in as though he were continuing his twin’s train of thought.

“How about we use Main Street to walk back to our house and go swimming,” Elizabeth suggested, “and tomorrow we can walk on the Iron Horse Trail and go to the art gallery and the Amazon store and see the other stores and the rest of downtown Walnut Creek.”

Everyone agreed with Elizabeth, so when they finished eating, they walked to the Choi home using Main Street and residential streets to Orchard Lane. When they got there, they found the alarm was enabled, so no one else was home.

Friday, November 29th, 2019, Afternoon

They gathered at the edge of the pool. Elizabeth slipped off her tennis shoes and socks, then walked down the steps so she was partially in the shallow end of the pool.

“This is the best way to test if the water is warm enough for swimming. Our pool passes the test.” She exited the water. “I’m going back to my bedroom. Laura and Maria, you can come with me, and we’ll change into our swimsuits.” She turned and looked at the boys. “We’ll see you guys in a few minutes.”

Baxter said, “Guys, let’s get our swimsuits, Speedos, board shorts, or whatever you brought. We can change in the pool house. There are lockers to store our clothes and cellphones and stuff. After we’ve finished swimming, we can shower and get dressed there. There are bathrooms, too.”

Baxter showed them the pool toys, and they decided that swimming came first; then they’d set up to play water polo afterward. When they finished doing that, they’d look over the other games and decide what else to play.

The boys were already in the water when the girls came out, helping Elizabeth carry three six-packs of various soft drinks. They put them in the refrigerator in the pool house.

Elizabeth stood on the coping near the deep end of the pool and announced: “If you guys want any snacks, it’s your responsibility to get them yourselves. And they’re to be shared with all of us. Okay?”

“Yes, ma’am!” Baxter replied, saluting. Then he stuck out his tongue at her.

She jumped in the pool, and a period of splashing each other got started, and the rest of the kids got into it, too. They all had a lot of fun. Then pairs swam from one end of the pool to the other then back to see who was the fastest. Jason and Jordan won all their races against the other cousins. Baxter realized why they wanted to go out for their school’s swim team.

Later, Baxter and Mike got the pool water polo equipment set up with help from Luke and Jordan. Since they didn’t have the official seven water polo players for each team, they played with five per team. That way, everyone could play. They played water polo for about a half-hour then took a breather to relax and have the sodas the girls had brought, and some seedless grapes Baxter had found in the refrigerator in the house.

Jason and Jordan offered to teach anyone interested to learn the right way to swim the backstroke. Everyone wanted to learn, so they put on a demonstration first, with Jordan swimming and Jason explaining the technique. Then Jason and Jordan worked individually with each of the other kids, let them practice, and gave them tips about proper form. It went on for about forty-five minutes, and the twins encouraged each kid they were training. Baxter saw that they were excellent swimming instructors.

“I’m tired,” Grant said.

Everyone else agreed, including Jason and Jordan.

“Let’s just float around for a few minutes, then we can take a shower and get dressed,” Baxter suggested. “I don’t know what’s on the schedule for tonight, but I need some time to relax. Maybe do something mindless like watching TV. How’s that sound?”

There were no dissenters, so that’s what they did. The girls joined them in the family room. The twins fell asleep, and that looked so good that Maria, Laura, and Elizabeth each took a nap, too.

The Washington State at the University of Washington football game came on at four p.m. All the boys who were awake focused on the game.

None of the five sleeping kids woke up despite the noise from the game. Nor did the commentary of those watching the game wake them.

Friday, November 29th, 2019, Late Afternoon

The adults returned home in about an hour. When they came into the family room, Baxter said, “Hi. The twins and the girls are sleeping. We’re watching a college football game.”

That woke Elizabeth, and she woke Maria. “I’m going to have to get home,” Maria said. “We’re going to visit my abuela, my grandma, tonight. I had a great time, and I’m glad I was able to meet all of you. I hope I can see you sometime when you’re visiting again. Thanks for inviting me.”

“Do you need a ride home?” Rob asked.

“No, thanks. It’s only two blocks from here, and it’s still light outside.”

All the cousins said goodbye to her, and there were a lot of hugs.

After Maria left, Rob asked, “Did you kids have fun today?”

That resulted in a discussion that included everyone. They talked about what they did and how much fun they’d had, then what their plans were for Saturday.

“Are you guys hungry?” Vincent asked.

There was a unanimous, “Yes!”

“Didn’t you have lunch?” he asked.

“Yes. We ate at Lettuce, then came home to go swimming,” Jason said. “We taught everyone how to do the backstroke,” Jordan added.

“What were you thinking about having for dinner?” Elizabeth asked.

“How about pizza?” Rob replied. “We can order pizzas and eat here in the dining room. I’ll order them from Extreme Pizza. Several of the giant size.”

“Oh, their pizzas are good, and they are huge!” Elizabeth said, looking at the cousins. “Does that sound good? Do all of you like pizza?”

The response was a unanimous, “Yes!”

Rob called and ordered enough pizza for the entire crew of kids and adults. When it arrived they set it up to eat at the two tables in the dining room.

When they finished eating and put the leftover pizza in the freezer, the adults went into the family room to talk. ‘Mostly boring adult things,’ Elizabeth thought.

The nine cousins sat together at the end of one of the dining room tables. They talked about what to do on Saturday. It turned out to be simple: They’d walk on the Iron Horse Trail to Broadway Plaza and go to the Amazon store and other stores there, and then the shops in downtown Walnut Creek; they’d visit the Bedford art gallery; and, as Laura declared, “Somewhere different to have lunch.”

Saturday, November 30th, 2019, Midmorning

They took the Iron Horse Trail from the Choi’s neighborhood to Broadway Plaza, which was at the south edge of downtown. From there, they’d do everything on their ‘where to go’ list.

They even took a side trip that wasn’t on the list. That was when the Iron Horse Trail passed by the eastern edge of Las Lomas High School.

“Is this where you and Baxter go to high school, Mike?” Luke asked his cousin.

“Yup. You want to walk through the campus?”

“Can we do that?” Grant asked. “Our high schools are locked up on weekends and holidays.”

“We might be questioned if some staff person or a campus security officer is around, but Baxter and I have our student ID cards, so there shouldn’t be any problem.”

“Laura and I have our student ID cards, too,” Luke said, “but they’re from Monterey High School in Burbank.” That generated a response that everyone else had their student ID card from their schools.

“I also have a key for the pedestrian gate that’s at the north-east corner of the campus, behind Whole Foods Market,” Baxter said. “More important, I have a gate pass if someone asks why I’m there. I’m allowed to get onto the campus to use the tennis courts on weekends and holidays. The tennis coach is pushing me to go out for the tennis team, so he signed me up to have a key so I and some of my friends can use the courts. So, if anyone asks, I can say I’m showing you guys the tennis courts.”

They walked to the back of the Whole Foods market. Baxter unlocked the pedestrian gate with his key, and after they entered, he closed and locked the gate.

They spent almost a half-hour wandering through the campus. They exited the way they’d entered, and Baxter locked the gate after they’d all walked out.

“What did you think about the campus?” Mike asked.

“High schools pretty much look alike,” Chuck said.

“We agree,” Jason and Jordan said together.

Baxter realized that was something else Jason and Jordan did. He found it amusing but a little eerie that they both said ‘We agree’ at exactly the same time.

That made him think, ‘They often say the exact same thing at the same time. And they don’t check to see what the other is going to say. Usually they won’t even be looking at each other. Could it be some sort of telepathy? Or do they say the same thing at the same time because their thought processes are identical, part of the way their brains work, part of being identical twins? That would be interesting to investigate.’

Baxter decided that he’d Google it, then talk to his Dad and his Pop about it. They would probably find the way the twins spoke as if they were a single person, too.

They crossed the street, and that led them into the Broadway Plaza section of downtown Walnut Creek. They walked into the center where there were lots of stores and restaurants.

“It’s convenient having the Whole Foods next door to your school and all the restaurants in this mall where you can have lunch and avoid cafeteria food,” Grant said.

“Unfortunately, we have a closed campus during school hours. We have to use the cafeteria at school or bring our lunch. I bring my lunch almost every day,” Baxter explained.

“Bummer,” Luke said. “It’s the same at our high school.”

That resulted in a discussion about the highs and lows of school cafeteria food. Everyone had horror stories to tell about something they’d been served at their cafeteria.

They wandered through some shops, then Mike pointed. “There’s the Amazon store. And over there is the Tesla store in case you want to buy an electric car”, he said with a grin.

They wandered through the Amazon store, which had books and electronics like the Ring doorbell and the full line of Kindle readers.

“Man, I wish we had an Amazon store in Burbank,” Luke said. “That way, I could skim through a book, and then if I liked it, buy the Kindle version online when I got home.”

“If you have an Amazon account, you can buy the Kindle version in the store and download it to your phone and be able to read it right away.” Baxter grinned, “Of course, you have to be able to remember your Amazon password.”

“That should be easy. It’s ‘kindle’ …hey, just kidding!” Luke said, laughing at Baxter’s stunned expression. “I use a passphrase instead of a password. It’s the titles of three of my favorite songs run together. It’s easy to remember and tough for someone to break.”

They walked from Broadway Plaza into downtown Walnut Creek and checked out the stores and restaurants there. It was too early for lunch, so they went to the Bedford Gallery and looked at the many paintings, drawings, and sculptures, all with food as their theme. They all thought it was interesting, though some said they couldn’t understand what was supposed to be ‘food’ in some of the art.

Saturday, November 30th, 2019, Lunchtime

Later, perhaps because of the subject of the art they were viewing, Baxter was getting hungry. “Laura, you said you wanted something different for lunch. What did you mean?”

“Maybe something like Thai, or Indian, or Middle-Eastern food.”

“How about Peruvian?” Mike asked. “Limon is about three blocks from here. It’s sort of expensive, even for lunch, but it’s excellent. And it is different.”

Laura thought for a few seconds. “As long as it’s not over $25.00, it’ll be okay.”

“My folks took me there one day for lunch,” Mike continued. “There was a great shrimp dish. Of course, I love shrimp, so it was perfect for me. It was about fifteen dollars.”

While they were eating, they talked about returning to school on Monday. Their favorite and least-favorite classes, how much homework they’d had to do during the Thanksgiving holiday — which for most, other than Baxter and Mike, was none — what they would do over the two-week winter vacation, and what gift each wanted the most for Christmas.

Jason and Jordan Choi and Luke and Laura Forester were leaving on Sunday. “We live close enough to each other to visit on the weekends,” Luke grinned. “They have a pool. We don’t.”

Chuck and Grant Young told Baxter they were driving home on Monday because their school district was having a teachers’ meeting that day, so their classes wouldn’t start until Tuesday. Grant took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “It’s good to have an extra day off, even if it is right after a whole week off.”

Baxter looked glum. “I’m sorry to see all of you leave. “You’re the first relatives, the first cousins, aunts, and uncles, that I’ve ever had. It’s going to seem sort of lonely at home after you’ve left. I’ll miss all of you.” He had to blink several times to hold back his tears. “Of course, Elizabeth will be here. She’s my favorite sister.”

That caused Elizabeth to retort, “And Baxter is my favorite brother.” Then she chuckled, and so did Baxter.

Baxter looked around the table. “I guess we’ll have to say goodbye so my aunts and uncles can get back to work, and my cousins can get back to listening to lectures and studying and homework and tests.”

Mike waved his hand like he was in a class. “You forgot something that all of us are going to be doing. We’ll be studying and taking our first-semester finals next month.”

There were groans from every teenager in their group, before they laughed. “That’s the dark corner of every teenager’s life,” Laura said. Even Elizabeth groaned, even though she wasn’t quite a teenager. Yet.

Jordan stood up. “I guess we’d better head back. We still have to pack so we can leave in the morning.” Then he walked up to Baxter. “We’re all happy that you’re part of our family. Jason and I wished that we lived closer together. A lot closer.” Baxter nodded that he agreed.

“I do, too,” Luke said. “Even though we won’t leave until Monday.

“Where’s your brother?” Baxter asked.

“He had to use the men’s room. He’ll be back in a couple of minutes.”

Grant walked up. “I’m here right now. I heard what Luke said. I agree.”

They all stood up. Jason and Jordan hugged Baxter, and he hugged them in return. Luke and Grant copied that hug, and Baxter joined it. That turned into a group hug with the rest of the cousins. The other diners watched this group of teenage kids, and they smiled. Their expressions reflected that they thought these were good kids, compared to others they read about and saw on the news so often.

The lunch was over, and they paid their bills. That left only the walk back to the Choi’s home.

Chuck and Grant and their parents were leaving on Monday, so they were eager to have time on Sunday afternoon to use the pool. That was fine with Baxter and Elizabeth. They checked the hourly temperature, and like Friday, it would be warmest in the midafternoon. That was acceptable for the four kids.

 Baxter went out to the pool house. He figured out what time to start the pool heater, set the timer, and verified that the pool heater would turn on when he wanted.

The day was also like Friday, except there were only four kids in the pool. It was more relaxed — no games, just lazing around, talking, and enjoying what Grant had described as “…an extra day off, even if it is right after a whole week off.”