As we pulled up to the beach house, I could barely contain my excitement. This was it, this once a year ritual that my brothers and I had. As soon as the car came to a stop, we vaulted out and raced to the beach. Knowing we were going there, we had come prepared and all of us had swim suits on.
“Last one there is a rotten egg,” my kid brother, Kevin screamed. You had to love that little kid attitude. Kevin burst into giggles as he darted toward the water. The kid had two speeds: lightning fast and asleep. I stopped just long enough to peel away my dress and reveal the turquoise bikini that had cost me babysitting money and a fight with my dad. Then, it was full speed ahead into the frigid water. Once we had all gotten used to the water, we all sort of congregated together. Standing here in the water, I thought about how we always seem to be at war except for these first few peaceful moments on vacation. I wonder why I had been so adamantly against this trip. I thought back to Thursday when I announced to my mother that I would not be coming to Englewood this year and that was my final decision. That went so well that seven fights and three nights grounded in my room later here I was. I don’t know what I was thinking. How could I forget about the salty air and the soothing sound of the waves crashing on the shore? I looked over at my brother Lenny who now had had enough of standing still and was searching the shore for sea glass, coaching Kevin about the finer points of a search on the beach. These two dorks drove me bonkers every day of the year, but I couldn’t imagine life without them.
“Lenny, where should I look?” I shouted, as I got down to the business of being an older sister.
