Daniel was excited with all the people who were coming to house, many he had not seen is a couple of months. Angie was excited too.

Margaret had talked about the hustle and bustle going on at the school and how much the staff looked forward to a few days away. The girls told Daniel and Margaret about their food preparation for the day and how much they had enjoyed the afternoon in the kitchen. Daniel was envious in that he loved assisting with kitchen duties. They then decided that after the kitchen was cleaned up, they would all go for an evening swim. Daniel decided he would swim and then go up and complete his homework. He was in hopes that would all that would be necessary for at least a week.

The family had a relaxing evening.  The air was cool and the water was warm. Suzanne thought this was a fantastic week. The weather was so pleasant. The environment was so relaxed and she was experiencing new things.  Who knew that she would be swimming in November? Or taking a walk on the Pacific coast on a Saturday afternoon. Suzanne was comfortable with Angie’s family. She felt as though she were just one of them. She was given chores just as Angie was. Everyone seemed happy just to be. And to Suzanne, it was something that was lacking in her own home life. In her home, yes everyone loved each other, but things always seemed to be a struggle. There was never enough time to just sit and talk and enjoy each other’s company. There was always the hustle and bustle of trying to get to school or to work, to get the food ready then the scheduling required to get ready for the next day. There was the constant television blaring and the younger kids trying to talk over the back ground noise. At the Kennard-Porter household, the house was quiet and soothing. When there was a project, everyone just pitched in and assisted. Suzanne was glad she had accepted the family’s invitation to come to California for the Thanksgiving holidays.

After the swim, Bette and Tina retired to their bedroom for the evening. Everyone did. Bette suggested that everyone keep their clothes washed up before Thursday. Sunday morning, the washers and dryers would be reserved by Angie and Suzanne. She wanted them to have only clean clothes when they returned to school. Both Angie and Suzanne wanted that to be the case. Even though they had both purchased a couple of new swimsuits, they were needing to wash and dry them frequently to keep up with the demand for their use.