Kitty With Attitude
The boys have dominated the kitties section, but today Sanji makes a comeback lounging in one of the cat trees like a friggin’ boss.
…Time for this week’s story…
Youth Night
“Are you little punks ready for the most fun you’ll ever have?” A wrinkled man wearing torn blue jeans, a leather jacket over a rock and roll band shirt and chucks grinned at his thirty-nine year old grandson.
“Grandpa Todd, you look awesome.” Logan told his eighty-five year old grandfather as he strapped on a pair of rollerblades alongside his wife, Sarah.
“Totally,” Sarah smiled through her teeth. “Is that how kids dressed when you were a teenager?”
“Me and anyone cool. I put insoles in the shoes or they’ll hurt like hell at my age.” Todd sat down to put his skates on over his shoes.
“Alright, sweetie, I’ve got the first aid kit, let’s rock and roll!” Grandma Tracy rolled into the room on her own skates with a fanny pack around her waist. She wore leggings and a frilly purple skirt with boots. Her top was a cutoff band shirt under a patch-covered leather jacket.
“First aid kit? What exactly are we doing? Also, why did we bring skates and bikes?” Logan gestured to the bicycles next to the front door.
“This is a yearly tradition Tracy and I have had since we were a little younger than you. You two have been sounding like boring old people, so we thought we’d bring you in on it. Don’t worry about the bikes yet. First thing’s first: root beer floats!” Todd stood up and rolled out of the house, leading the pack with Tracy behind him cheering happily.
“Don’t forget to lock the door behind you, sweetie.”
“Okay, grandma.” Logan exited last. He and Sarah quietly shared their dismay at being called boring and old by his grandparents.
Logan and Sarah followed Todd and Tracy to an ice cream shop and ordered root beer floats. Todd and Tracy skated regularly to stay in shape and enjoyed watching Logan and Sarah struggle. They gleefully drank their floats, then Todd led them to a nearby phone store and bought prepaid phones.
“In twenty-fifty-eight, we need burner phones,” Todd explained, safely away from the store. “But in nineteen eighty-five, we prank called people from home.”
“Prank call?” Logan and Sarah said with alarm.
“Yeah, haven’t you two ever prank called anyone?” Tracy asked. The young couple shook their heads. “Well, there’s a first time for everything!”
They dialed random phone numbers and toyed with whoever answered. They called businesses asking for silly things, or people with made-up names like Seymour Butts, Wayne Kerr, Mike Oxlong, and Tess Tickles. It was past nine when they returned home to switch from skates to bikes. They rode merrily through residential neighborhoods, following Todd and Tracy to the top of a steep street.
“Where to now, Grandpa?” Logan asked.
“The street levels out and leaves you a lot of room to slow down, no cross-traffic. So, we’re going to ride down this hill as fast as we can. Ready?”
“I’m ready, baby!” Tracy readied herself.
“Seriously?” Sarah burst.
“One-two-three-go!” Todd jumped on his pedals, then he and Tracy rolled away slowly, creeping toward the harsh incline.
Logan and Sarah shared a look of panic, then a quiet discussion through facial expressions. The elderly were racing off ahead of them, and they were not willing to be the pearl-clutchers that night.
“Here we go.” Logan leaned into the handlebars and started pedaling. With a nervous squeal, Sarah followed. A moment later they were picking up speed down the steep road navigating only gentle turns. Then, a jubilant laugh accompanied the rushing wind.
Logan glanced to see his wife’s face beaming with joy. She had the biggest smile he had seen on her in years. With racing hearts and windswept hair, they raced downhill. It was like they were flying. Neither of them had ever experienced something so liberating. Laughing and cheering, they reached the bottom and coasted down the street. Todd and Tracy were riding slowly ahead, silhouetted by street lights and holding hands as they rode. With a smile and loving look in their eye, Logan and Sarah followed their example.
They took the long way home, stopping at the nearby lake. They parked their bikes and approached the water’s edge together. There, Todd and Tracy stripped naked and ran into the water holding hands, leaving Logan and Sarah frozen.
“Getting in? The water’s great!” Todd said.
“Have you ever been skinny dipping?” Logan asked Sarah.
“No, you?”
“No. How come my grandparents had way more fun when they were teenagers than we’ve had our entire lives?”
“I don’t know, but I’ve always wanted to go skinny dipping,” Sarah squirmed with blushing cheeks and a smile like when they were young.
Logan pulled off his shirt, tossing it at Sarah’s face. Playfully aghast, Sarah threw it on the floor and followed suit. The two stripped naked, throwing their clothes at each other and racing to the lake.
“Now they’re getting it,” Tracy said while Logan and Sarah splashed in the water. They got fast food on the way home and ate together before parting ways for the evening. Driving home, Logan and Sarah had a lively conversation until they reached the topic of Todd and Tracy’s healthy relationship.
“So, I wasn’t excited about tonight, but maybe something like this might be really good for us. We haven’t had fun like tonight in a long time. We just work and sit around at home,” Sarah said.
“Yeah, maybe that’s why he called us old.”
“Ugh! I know. I don’t want to be old yet. I also don’t want to die on a bicycle, maybe we can just go to an amusement park for our thrills.”
“Let’s get creative. I’m glad my grandpa invited us to this.”
“Me too.” Sarah took Logan’s hand and held it while they drove home. Meanwhile, after Logan and Sarah left, Todd and Tracy threw on dark hoodies then walked one street over to their friend Tony’s house and covered his front yard in toilet paper.