"I didn't mean it!!" Nick wailed.
"Then you shouldn't have done it, Nick" Jane scolded her son while trying to brush the sand off her daughter. Nick screamed and cried all the way home. Jane saw her husband's truck in the driveway.
"Nick, go upstairs to your room for time-out," Jane said sternly. Nick cried even harder. They walked in the door and found Bob sitting on the couch, watching TV. He turned when he heard the commotion.
"What's wrong, Nick?" he asked his son.
"Mommy is (hiccup) being (hiccup) mean!" he cried.
"Nick, go upstairs!" Jane said again.
"NO!" Nick yelled back.
"That's IT!" Jane picked Nick up and carried him all the way to his room, with Nick kicking the whole way.
"What was that all about?" Bob asked when Jane returned. She sighed and told Bob what Nick did to BJ at the park.
"Bob, I can't take it anymore."
"Take what?" Bob asked.
"EVERYTHING!! I want a fresh start."
"OK, where do you want to go?"
"Some place nice. A place where it's always nice and friendly people and no snow."
A smile crept on both of their faces when they realized they were both talking about Florida.
~~~~~~
A few months later, the Carter family was relocated down south to Florida. Unfortunately, things didn't work out so they packed and headed back to Jamestown, New York. With a new restaurant in progress, things were looking up for them again.
But a few years later, they, once again, moved down to Florida, where they considered it home. On one pleasant day, Jane decided to take Nick, BJ, and Leslie to the supermarket. Nick, being five at the time, thought he was privileged to hold his Mother's hand while his younger sisters sat in the cart. Jane made sure that she hung on to Nick tightly. When they reached the "junk" aisle, Leslie started to cry, distracting Jane's attention from Nick. By the time she looked down, Nick was nowhere to be found.
