Free Isle of Enchantment by Precious McKenzie, Becka Moore Page B

two?”
    Dad, Tomas, and I said yes.

    â€œGood. How about the camp set-up?”
    Dad cleared his throat. “No, I haven’t covered that yet.”
    â€œWell then, here’s how it will work.” Mom gave Dad a quick look. “I spoke with the research coordinator this morning. We’ll have three or four days to act like tourists while we wait for our lab equipment to arrive.”
    â€œWe can soak up some history,” Dad piped in.
    â€œYes, and then we’re off to El Yunque to find the Antillean crested hummingbird.” Mom was so excited she was practically glowing.
    I suspected there was an important detail that Mom and Dad were keeping from us. I blurted out, “What about the camp? Do we get to stay in a motorhome since El Yunque is a United States national park?” I hoped that we could stay in Puerto Rico in comfort. It was not called the Isle of Enchantment for nothing.
    Mom stuttered a bit. “Not exactly. It is a national forest not a national park. So, we get to set up a primitive camp.”
    That made me a little nervous. “What do youmean by primitive? No electricity?” We’d stayed at sites without electricity before. That was not a big deal. We burned candles for lights after dark and cooked over a campfire.
    â€œUm, yeah. No electricity and no toilets.” Mom looked away from me.
    â€œCool!” Tomas shouted.
    â€œDo I just find a tree if I need to go?” This situation seemed nasty to me and I was beginning to think I should just stay home for this adventure.
    â€œDon’t be silly,” Mom rolled her eyes at me. “You’ll dig a hole with a shovel. Cover it when you’re done. It’s fairly common in the backcountry. And it’s called the cat hole method.” Mom had evidently used the cat hole method before.
    â€œAwesome! I get to act like a cat for three months!” Tomas was just a little too happy about this plan.
    â€œAwesome,” I groaned.

San Juan

    The flight from Chicago to San Juan, Puerto Rico, was not terrible. I read most of the day while Tomas snored beside me. Mom and Dad sat behind us and mapped out our days on the island. Glancing back at them, if I didn’t know better, I would have guessed that they were on their honeymoon. They looked so happy about this trip. Who would have thought it was really about work? Work in a primitive tropical rainforest, without any kind of toilet, trying to study the behavior of the smallest bird in the Caribbean? I guess my family was slightly different than most families.
    Dad rented a car at the San Juan airport to take us to our tourist hotel. We would have four days to relish hot showers, soft beds, and flushing toilets. After that, we’d join the research team from the University of California in the backcountry ofEl Yunque National Forest for three months of hummingbird research.
    â€œReady, crew?” Dad said as he dangled the rental car keys in the air.
    â€œLet’s hit it,” Tomas said. Tomas was clearly ready to see the sights of the city.
    Mom and Dad piled our bags in the car’s trunk. Tomas and I jumped into the backseat.
    â€œAren’t you ready for an adventure?” Tomas asked me.

    â€œI guess so,” I shrugged.
    â€œWhat’s the matter? Your face has been all pinched and tense looking since we got on the plane in Chicago.”
    Tomas knew me so well. I could rarely hide anything from him.
    â€œI was kind of hoping for a real bed to sleep in, you know?”
    Mom hopped into the passenger’s seat. “What’s up, kids?’
    â€œMarisol wants luxury, a bed,” Tomas chirped to Mom.
    â€œMari, honey, I thought you liked coming on our research trips.” Mom look worried.
    â€œI do but, I don’t know. I’m just tired. Forget it.” I rubbed my eyes. I was tired and maybe grouchy too. Mom rubbed my hand.
    â€œMari, you could have stayed with Aunt Bernadette in