Free Road Trip by Gary Paulsen

can’t be ignored.
    I’m feeling better now that I know what to do.
    Everyone always feels better when there’s a plan.

The Bigger Picture
    We check into a cheap but clean motel right off the highway. Dad’s in the other bed in our room; Gus and Theo share a room on one side of us, and Mia and Atticus are on the other side. I’d whistled to Atticus to come with me, but he pretended not to hear and trotted into Mia’s room. Theo rolled his eyes when he saw that.
    Dad says we’re only about an hour away from the puppy. If we pick him up first thing and the bus holds together and we don’t have the kind of day we had today, we’ll be sleeping in our own beds tomorrow night.
    I’m so tired I think I’m not going to be able to keep my eyes open long enough to brush my teeth and drop into bed. But as soon as I’m lying there, I’m wide awake. Thinking.
    I turn toward the other bed. “Dad? You awake?”
    He flips on the light between our beds and grins at me. “Yeah. Tired as I am, I can’t shut off my mind and fall asleep.”
    “Me too.” He turns on the TV and starts channel surfing. I dig deep and make myself speak. “Dad? Why didn’t you tell me about buying the house?”
    He turns off the set and sits on the edge of his bed, his elbows on his thighs, looking at me.
    “I know that sometimes my plans kind of freak you and your mother out.”
    “Always. And totally. But go on.” He smiles at my lame attempt at a joke. I smile back.
    “Mom and I have been talking about doing this for years. Even though we had a million reasons the business might not work out, we had to take the chance when the house came up for sale. But I was making her a nervous wreck with the cost of everything, and we didn’t want to worry you. Especially not the last part of the school year, when you needed to keep your grades up.”
    “I see your point.” I think for a minute. “I guess.”
    “Ben. I bought the house three months ago.”
    “You … But I thought … It sounded like … You didn’t just buy it and quit your job on the same day?”
    “Nope. I tried to tell you the whole story in the truck.”
    “Oh. I stopped listening because I was so mad.”
    “I’ve been working on the house all that time. Ithought if I could show you the business was already a success, you wouldn’t be upset by the big change. And the risk.”
    “How far along is the house if you’ve been working that long?”
    “Done!” Dad beams and pounds his knee. “Ten days ago, we got an offer. But it was iffy. We’ve been back and forth with offers and counteroffers. I’ve been going crazy waiting.”
    “You’re not the most patient person.”
    “Exactly. And then the bill for hockey camp arrived. The timing couldn’t have been worse. I wanted to be square with you, so I knew I had to tell you sooner than I’d planned. And to warn you that hockey camp wasn’t a given. So when the email about the puppy came, it was the perfect excuse to do something other than sit around and worry.”
    “I’m glad you explained it. Can I tell you something?” He nods. “When I saw the haunted house today, I was worried you might get a craving for it. You know, because it had that possessed-by-demons-from-the-day-it-was-built look. And it seemed to be on top of a cemetery, which would probably make it great for ritual sacrifices. And that it might, I dunno, scream ‘flip-worthy’ to you.”
    “I actually called the realtor to see if the place was for sale. Good eye, son.” He laughs at the expression on myface. “Gotcha! Imagine the work we’d have to do, huh, Ben? First the housing inspection, then the exorcism? Too much even for me.”
    We laugh and then I reach over and punch him on the shoulder, which, as everyone knows, is like a guy hug. Because he’s Dad, I give him a big bear hug. Just like when I was little, we try to squeeze the breath out of each other. For the first time, he gives in first.
    “What do you think is going to