Date: Sun, 26 Nov 2006 18:59:05 -0500
From: Scribe 1971 <scribe1971@hotmail.com>
Subject: Substitute Dad Chapter 33

Substitute Dad
By Scribe 1971

Welcome back readers and Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers!
Whether it's thanksgiving for you or not, I'd like everyone to take a
moment or two to think of the men and women who are in far flung places
such as Afghanistan and Iraq fighting for us right now.  In Canada, we
recently observed Remembrance Day in which we pay tribute to those who
have fallen defending us and preserving our freedoms.  If you value your
freedom, take the time to thank a vet or to thank a soldier.  The men and
women of our armed forces are out there standing guard and assuring us
that nobody is going to hurt us or our families.  Anyway, that's all for
my sermon, here's chapter 33 - as always, this chapter is copyrighted by
me and unauthorized distribution or copying is prohibited.


Chapter 33 - On the Road Again


"Crush that thing Mark," I hollered.

"Come on bro, knock it out of there," Josh added.

It was our second to last day in Calgary and we found ourselves spending
the beautiful Saturday afternoon at the local sports field, watching
Mark's little league baseball game.  Seeing Mark out on the field with
his teammates warmed my heart.  The past three weeks had shown me just
how far the boy had progressed from that miserable and unloved kid that I
first met all those months before.

Watching Mark confidently interact with the other boys brought a smile to
my face.  He was incredibly handsome in his blue and white baseball
uniform and all his teammates seemed to genuinely like him.  He played
right field and the way that he effortlessly threw out batters at home
plate led me to believe his regular gym workouts with Bryan were paying
off.  His skill in the field was easily matched by his prowess at the
plate.  When Mark took to the batters box, the other team's outfielders
moved back and the pitcher began to look nervous.  His playing skills
seemed to come naturally to him and they combined with his personality to
make him the heart of the team.

"How did Mark learn to play baseball so well so quickly?" Josh asked

"He has a really good coach," Bryan answered.  "Martin, one of the
guys at my office, used to play AAA ball and he agreed to teach Mark.  He
spent hours working with him and turned him into a really good little
player.  His son Bill is one of Mark's closest friends.  He's the
pitcher."

"Mark's amazing," I said sincerely.

Just then, there was a sharp cracking sound and I looked up just in time
to see the ball, now off Mark's bat sail clear over the left field home
run fence.  Mark grinned broadly as he rounded the bases as the crowd
went wild.  There were already runners on first and third and Mark
exchanged high-fives with each of them as he leapt onto home plate.
Mark's team was winning the game 12 to 3 and with those three runs, he
had personally driven in four of the twelve runs.

Brutus and Daisy were with us and the pair of them were thoroughly
enjoying the attention that they were getting.  They had both been bathed
since we found them the day before and they had cleaned up nicely.
Daisy was decked out in her new pink collar and Brutus had a new blue
one.  Josh had the pair of them on leashes and he would occasionally get
up and walk around with them.   Pretty much everyone at the game stopped
by at one point or another to pet the puppies and they loved it.  Josh
seemed to really enjoy it too.  He especially enjoyed the way the puppies
tended to attract pretty girls, some of whom appeared to be just as
interested in him as they were in the puppies.

Bryan and I watched Josh with the dogs and smiled at the silly grin on
his face as a trio of teenage girls stopped to fawn over the little dogs
and to talk to him.  Josh looked as if he'd been hit in the head with a
hammer made out of silly putty!

By the time game was all over, Mark's team had shelled the other team by
a score of 17 to 4.  After having a word with the coach, Mark and another
boy came running over to us.  Daisy and Brutus immediately sprung into
action and ran to greet Mark and his friend.

"Hey guys, this is my friend Bill," Mark said, introducing the other
boy.  "You already know Bryan, this is my bro Josh and this is his Dad
Tommy.  He's kinda my Dad too," Mark said and winked at me.

"Cool, you're the guy who flies the planes right?" Bill asked.
"Josh, you're the guy who told off the Prime Minister on TV!"

"That's us!" Josh replied.

"Will you guys take me flying sometime too?"  Bill asked.

"You bet," I replied and shook the boy's hand.

"Yeah, we're going to move here in a few years," Josh added.

"Great, Mark says you're a cool kid.  You'll fit right in out here.  I
used to live in Toronto too.  My parents moved us here a few years ago.
My Dad works with Bryan and my Mom works for an oil company."

"Wow, a lot of people moved here from someplace else," Josh observed.

"No sh^Å kidding," Bill replied.  "Almost everyone moved from other
part of Canada.  There are so many jobs because of the oil and everyone
wants to live here.  My Dad says it's the low taxes that bring people
here and my Mom says it's the mountains.  I think it's both!"

I knew right away that I liked Bill and so did Josh.  Given that he was
Mark's buddy, I wasn't surprised that he was a nice kid.  Daisy and
Brutus obvious liked Bill too.  They were both all over him and Daisy was
busy licking his face like mad as the boy giggled and tried to get away
from the incredibly affectionate puppy.

"Bryan, since you guys are going out tonight and Josh and me are going
to stay home and watch DVDs, can Bill stay over with us?" Mark asked.

"Sure bud, just clear it with Bill's Dad," Bryan replied.

"COOL," all three boys shouted and ran off with Daisy and Brutus in tow
to find Bill's Dad.

"It's great to see Mark making friends," I observed.

"Yeah, it took him a little while to get out of his shell, but once he
did, look out.  He's a lot like Josh in that people can't help but like
him.  He's such a friendly kid that he makes friends really quickly."

"That doesn't surprise me.  I look at how far he's come since I first
met him and it makes me feel really good inside.  I really love that
little guy.  I see what a neat kid he is and it makes me mad at your
father all over again," I said thoughtfully.

"He loves you too.  I think he idolizes you just about as much as Josh
does.  I think he'll be just as happy as I will when you guys get moved
out here," Bryan replied and put his arm around my shoulders.

"Josh and I can't wait."

We left the ballpark and headed home at around 4:00.  Mark and Josh were
both positively beaming.  Bill's Dad had given him permission to spend
the night with the boys and arrangements had been made to have him
dropped off at around 7:30 that evening.

Bryan and I were planning on stealing away for the evening to spend an
evening together on the town.  We hadn't had any time alone together
since we were at the West Edmonton Mall and the boys were very
understanding of our desire to have a night out.  The plan was to load
them up with DVD movies and all the pizza and junk food they could eat
and then hit the town.

"That was a hell of a homer you hit Marky.  I'm proud of you," I said
after we all buckled ourselves into the Jeep and began the trek home.

"Way to go bud, that was amazing," Bryan added with a wide smile.

I glanced at Mark in the rear view mirror at his smiling reaction to the
praise.  Praise was not something that he had received much of in the
past, but it was something that he had come to appreciate.  He had every
right to be proud.

"Thanks.  That pitcher threw a beach ball at me and I got all of it,"
he replied.  "I knew it was gone as soon as I made contact."

"You knocked the stuffing out of it," Josh enthused.  "You've got a
cannon of an arm too.  I was amazed how you threw that guy out at home
plate in the second inning," Josh said and squeezed Mark's shoulder.

"I've been lifting a lot of weights at the gym with Bryan and that
helps a lot," Mark said.

"Dad and I go to the gym a lot when we're at home.  He's still
teaching me self-defense."

"Bryan and I are going to sign up for Judo lessons at the downtown Y.
Classes start up in September."

"Wow, you're really into sports Mark.  You're becoming a regular
athlete," I observed.

"He wants to play hockey this winter too," Bryan said proudly.

I glanced over at Bryan and smiled.  It was obvious that as much as he
was Mark's brother, the pride that he had in Mark made it clear that he
had taken on the role of Dad as well.

When we arrived back at the house, Mark went to change out of his
baseball uniform while Bryan went to start dinner.  We intended to get
food for the boys when we went out, but we knew our boys well enough to
know that they'd eat dinner along with a mountain of pizza later that
evening.  I sat down on the sofa and Josh joined me.  I held out my arm
and he snuggled up in his customary TV watching position.

"How are you doing bud?" I asked.

"Ok.  I'm just a little sad that tomorrow is our last day with Mark and
Bryan for a little while," Josh said softly.

"Me too kiddo.  You guys have a great time tonight and we'll try to
make the most out of our day tomorrow.  We have British Columbia and the
North to look forward to and then we'll be back here for a couple of
days."

"I'm looking forward to seeing Shelly again too.  I'm glad that she's
doing better.  Maybe she'll get better after all."

"You never know Josh.  Not many people recover from Neuroblastoma but
then again, most people don't live as long as she has.  Debby said that
we'll be there for her birthday.  I didn't realize that she is going to
be 11 years old.  She looks a lot younger."

"It's probably because of the cancer or the treatment.  I read about
chemotherapy on the Internet.  It's what makes your hair fall out and
makes you feel sick.  I thought it was the cancer that did that."

"It's not very pleasant but it does save lives," I replied gently.

"We'll have to get her a nice present," Josh said.  "I wonder what
kind of stuff she likes.  I've never had to buy a present for a girl
before.  Except for my Mom anyway."

I smiled and hugged Josh tightly.  We'd been doing so much lately that
we really hadn't had much dad and son time.  It was nice to get a few
minutes together and talk.  "We need to pickup some stuff tomorrow that
we're going to need when we're in the mountains and when we're up
north," I thought out loud.

"What kind of stuff?" Josh asked.

"We need to replenish some more of our supplies but we also need to get
some stuff to make outdoor survival kits.  When we're in the Yukon and
the Northwest Territories, I want to teach you some more outdoor survival
stuff.  You should learn how to live off the land and how to survive with
minimal supplies."

"That's going to be cool," Josh replied and leaned his head back
against my shoulder.  "I want you to have fun tonight with Bryan.  It's
nice seeing you so happy."

"Thanks son," I replied and gently kissed his temple.

I heard the back door slide open and a second later Brutus and Daisy came
bounding in.  We'd let them out in the back yard to do their business as
soon as we got home and someone had just let them in.

Brutus immediately hopped up on the couch and began to climb all over
Josh.  His tail was wagging so fast that I thought he might actually take
off like a helicopter.  Daisy jumped up on my lap and then proceeded to
stand with her front paws on my shoulders and madly lick my face.

Josh saw what she was doing and giggled.  "Looks like you're getting
slimed!"

I kept turning my head to get away from her, but she kept adjusting her
position to keep getting me in the face.  The only thing that saved me
was when Mark wandered into the living room.  As soon as Daisy saw him,
she ran up to him and began giving him the same treatment.

After Bryan grilled up some nice pork chops on the barbeque which we ate
with baked potatoes and coleslaw, we headed over to the local Blockbuster
to rent some movies for the boys.  They picked out a scary movie called
"Event Horizon" and an action movie called "Heat".

Since it was going to be our second last night with Mark and Bryan, I
wanted to make it a special evening for the boys.  I gave Josh $100 and
told him to order whatever he and the other boys wanted to eat.  I'd
actually thought about just leaving him one of my credit cards, but I
figured that he'd probably run into problems when the guy delivering the
food wanted a signature on the receipt, and who knows -- maybe Bryan and
I would need that card tonight.

Bill arrived at 7:30 sharp just as Bryan and I were getting ready to
leave.  He had a sleeping bag in tow as well as a number of video game
disks for Mark and Bryan's Xbox system.

"You boys have fun and please don't destroy the house," I said as
Bryan and I prepared to leave.

"Oh rats!  We were planning on trashing the place.  I guess we'll have
to watch the DVDs and play video games instead," Mark said in his well
known deadpan delivery.

"Maybe we can get some liquor delivered," Josh joked.

"Maybe we can feed the two of you nothing but Brussel sprouts for the
next week or two," I retorted.

"YUCK!" Josh hollered and made a mister yuck face.

"GROSS!" Mark agreed wholeheartedly.

"Have a good time Dad," Josh said as he gave me a very heartfelt hug.
"Be careful and DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE!"

Once again his maturity impressed me.  I tousled his hair gently.
"Don't worry kiddo, we won't.  That's a promise."

Bryan and I left the house and boarded his Explorer.  Not knowing much
about the night life of Calgary, I left our destination up to Bryan.  We
started at a local sports bar where we had a pint of beer and downed some
really good chicken wings.  We met a few of Bryan's friends while we
were there and after a couple of hours, our newly expanded group of six
headed across town to the local Yuck Yucks comedy club.

Yuck Yucks had long been one of my favourite places and I wasn't
disappointed that night.  That evening they were featuring a show called
the "Nasty Show -- Politically Incorrect Humour Guaranteed to Offend
Everyone".  The show was a riot and had all of us roaring with
laughter.  I had always been a fan of off-colour and even rude jokes and
that show offered plenty.  Based on the way that Bryan was laughing, it
was obvious that he shared my very warped sense of humour.

After the show at Yuck Yucks, Bryan's friends bid us a goodnight and
went their own way.  Bryan and I headed to a really nice martini bar
closer to home.  It was a very nice establishment that obviously catered
to a more affluent and more mature crowd than the average watering hole
did.  The place was quiet and offered a good opportunity to talk over a
couple of ice cold Vodka martinis.

"I guess the 30 month countdown starts the day after tomorrow, eh?"
Bryan remarked.

"It'll be a long two and a half years," I replied.  "At least we'll
have plenty of opportunity for visits.  Christmas will be a blast."

"I can imagine.  The twins alone will make it a riot.  Christmas was
pretty somber for the past couple of years.  I always sent Mark gifts and
talked to him on the phone.  Other than that, I just stayed home and
watched movies on DVD."

"Let me tell you, you haven't experienced Christmas until you've
experienced one with our family.  My Mom cooks the best turkey and Susan
does a pretty good job too.  I can't imagine what Christmas dinner will
be like with the two of them working on it and Anne as a backup."

"I can't even think about food right about now," Bryan groaned.

"I wonder how much the boys have managed to pack away."  We both
laughed aloud.  "I swear that the pair of them have hollow legs!  Bill
is probably pretty much the same."

"So what's the plan after you guys head out?"

"We're going to hit the Trans-Canada Highway and head west into B.C.
making several stops along the way.  We'll visit Shelly and her family
for a day in Burnaby and then press on to Vancouver.  From there we'll
be off to Victoria and Nanaimo.  When we get back to the mainland, we're
heading north to Whitehorse in the Yukon and then southeast back into BC
and northwest Alberta before heading northeast to Yellowknife in the
Northwest Territories."

"Damn, that's a lot of miles.  I'm glad you guys have the sat phone.
Make sure you check in often," Bryan said, grasping my hand.

"We will.  Can you keep a secret?  It's a surprise for Josh," I asked
in a sly tone.

"Of course, what is it?"  Bryan asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Originally, Yellowknife was supposed to be the farthest north that we
were going to go.  The more I thought about it, the more I realized that
a tour of Canada wouldn't be complete without going even farther north
and we couldn't say that we had done a truly national tour without
visiting all ten provinces and ALL three territories.  That includes
Nunavut."

"How in the hell are you going to get to Nunavut?  As far as I know, you
can't drive there -- at least not on any paved roads."

"We're not going to drive and we're not simply going to Nunavut.
We're going to Canadian Forces Station Alert at the far northern tip of
Ellesmere Island.  It's the most northern land mass in North America."

"Ok, I'll bite^Å how are you going to manage that?"

"I made a few phone calls and pulled a few strings.  With the help of
Captain Andrews who worked on my injury case and Colonel Lynch from Air
Combat Canada, we're going to be guest passengers on a Canadian Forces
C-130 supply flight from Yellowknife to Alert.  Once in Alert, we might
even be able to swing a ride on board a search and rescue aircraft and
get to fly over the North Pole."

"Damn!  I wish I had a couple more weeks of vacation!" Bryan remarked.

"I really wish you guys could come along.  I know you have to work, but
what about Mark?"

"It would be fine with me, but he has his baseball team to think of and
he has Daisy to look after.  I'll tell you what.  Why don't I swear him
to secrecy, tell him what's happening and let him make the choice?  I
know he'll desperately want to go, but I think I know my brother well
enough to tell you what decision he'll make."

"Yeah, he's a pretty mature kid.  I'd rather let him make the choice
than have him find out later that he missed out on a trip like that."

We chatted for another half and hour or so before we decided to head home
and see what they boys had been up to.  The drive home only took five
minutes and when we pulled into the driveway, we were surprised to see
all the lights out.

Bryan unlocked the door and we slowly crept into the house.  As soon as
we closed the door, the sound of three snoring boys became obvious.  We
also found ourselves set upon by an almost matching pair of excited
puppies.  Thankfully, they didn't bark and wake the boys.

We walked slowly down the hall and into the living room and looked
around.  The TV was still on and the last few minutes of "Event
Horizon" were showing on the screen.  Josh was fast asleep stretched out
on the sofa, Mark was sprawled on the reclining easy chair, and Bill was
zonked out on the floor on top of his sleeping bag.  Piled on the coffee
table were a couple of pizza boxes, a large collection of empty pop cans,
a box full of picked clean chicken wings and a what looked like the
remains of a McCain's frozen cake.

"Let's cover these guys up with some blankets or something," Bryan
whispered.

"Good idea."  I sat down on the edge of the sofa next to Josh while
Bryan went to get some blankets.  I reached out and gently caressed his
forehead and softly tousled his hair.

"Here, cover him up with this," Bryan whispered and held out a soft
blanket.

I stood up and gently spread the blanket over Josh and then bent down and
touched my forehead to his and kissed the tip of his nose.  He sighed
contentedly and mumbled something in his sleep.

Bryan gently re-arranged Mark so that all his limbs were on the chair and
then covered him with a blanket.  We each took our turn kissing him on
the forehead.  Amazingly, by the time he had him covered, Mark had
already rearranged himself so that one leg was hanging off the side of
the chair and resting on the floor.  The two of us looked at him and
chuckled softly.  Neither of us could figure out how he managed to sleep
that way.

Finally, Bryan covered Bill with the third blanket and kissed Josh on the
forehead while I let Brutus and Daisy out in the backyard to do their
business.  As soon as they came back in, each of them hopped up with
"their" boy, curled up and went to sleep.  With the house, secure,
Bryan and I retired to his room for a much needed good night's sleep.

The boys awoke surprisingly early the next morning.  Bryan was still
sleeping soundly when I awoke.  My whole being felt so full of love just
watching him sleep, but nature was talking to my bladder, so I untangled
myself from him, answered the call, took a shower, and dressed for the
day.

I found the boys playing Xbox games in the living room while eating rock
hard slices of cold pizza left over from the night before.  "That isn't
much of a breakfast guys," I chuckled.  "How about some pancakes and
sausage?"

"Sounds good," Mark replied.

"Yeah, better than cold pizza," Bill added.

"Thanks Dad," Josh said as he stood up and gave me a hug.

With some help from Mark, I managed to find everything I needed to feed
three ravenous boys.  I even managed to snag a few pancakes and sausage
links for myself and some to hide away for Bryan when he finally woke up.

"That was good Dad.  Is there any more?" Josh asked.

"You guys are still hungry after all that?" I asked incredulously.

"Sorta," Mark replied.

"I suppose I could make up another batch of pancakes.  Are all of you
still hungry?"  I asked and saw three heads nodding rapidly in reply.

I was just dishing out the first pancakes of the second batch when Bryan
wandered into the kitchen.  "Morning boys.  Did you have fun last
night?"

"Yeah, the movies were pretty good and we had all kinds of food," Mark
answered his brother.

"'Event Horizon' was pretty scary," Josh observed.

"Pretty gory too," Bill added.

"Do one of you boys have a cold or something?"  Bryan asked.  "The box
of Kleenex on the end table is almost empty and the wastebasket is full
of used tissue."

At that instant, three boys turned cherry red and despite my best efforts
to avoid doing so, I sprayed a mouthful of orange juice all over my
plate.  While I struggled to recover, Josh gave me a light boot on the
ankle under the table and flashed his fake angry face.

"Am I missing something here?"  Bryan asked incredulously and looked at
me.

I subtly made an up and down motion with my fist under the table so that
only Bryan could see.  It took him a second to realize what I meant and
he too turned fire engine red.  I think it was more out of feeling bad
for embarrassing the boys, than out of embarrassment of his own.

"Sorry, that orange juice went down the wrong way," I said trying to
recover and salvage some dignity for the boys.  Josh obviously knew that
I knew what they had been up to; his mom had made the same mistake when
she found his wastebasket full of used tissue.  Of course, he and Mark
knew that Bryan and I believed that there's nothing wrong with that sort
of thing.

With the pancakes disposed of, I went to make a list of the things that
Josh and I needed to get.  Josh and Bill cleaned up the kitchen while
Bryan pulled Mark off to the side for a quick talk.  He was going to ask
him about the northern excursion and give him the option of going.

About ten minutes later, I was in the garage going over the supplies in
the Jeep.  I didn't know that Mark was there until I felt his arms fold
around me in a massive bear hug.

"Hey kiddo, what's up?" I asked as I returned his hug.

"Thanks," Mark said sincerely.  "Bryan told me about the next part of
your trip and he told me that you said I could go if I wanted."

"Of course Marky, you're more than welcome to come along if you want
to."

"I do want to, but I can't.  I have to look after Daisy and I can't
let my teammates down.  We're in first place right now and if I left for
a few weeks, it would leave them a player short.  I really want to go
with you guys, but it wouldn't be right to the other guys on my team."

"You know Mark, that's one of the most adult unselfish sacrifices I've
ever seen anyone of your age do.  I'd love to have you come along with
us, but Bryan and I are so proud of you for thinking about the others on
your team before yourself," I pulled Mark against my chest and held him
tightly.

"Tell you what bud; we're going to have lots of time together in the
near future.  You'll be with the rest of the family for Christmas and
we'll all get together for spring break.  We'll also go on a vacation
next summer.  I promise you that we'll go up to the far north again or
anywhere else you want to go."

"Really?"  Mark asked.

"Really," I replied.  "Have I ever let you down before?"

"You, Bryan and Josh are the only people who have never let me down.
Thanks Tommy.  You're the best!"  Mark replied.

"That's because we're family kiddo.  Technically your father is your
family too, but family is about more than genes.  Family is what you make
it and we've made a very solid family for ourselves.  You're one of the
biggest parts of it."

"I know.  I can feel it," Mark replied.

I held him against my chest for a moment and had a thought.  "Hey bud,
is there a small screwdriver around here?"

"A screwdriver?  Sure, what for?"

"I need to adjust something.  Something kinda small," I replied.  I
released Mark and he went to a storage cabinet near the front wall of the
garage.  A moment later he returned with a small set of jeweler's
screwdrivers.

"Will these do?" he asked.

"Definitely," I replied and undid the clasp on the metal band of my
watch.

"Watch too tight?" Mark asked as he watched me select a small
screwdriver and use it to undo the size adjustment on the stainless steal
band.

"Probably too loose the way it was," I replied and eyed Mark's wrist
before reassembling the band.  "Marky, after Josh flew a plane for the
first time, I gave him something special, something that meant a lot to
me.  I gave him my grandfather's pilot wings.  I did that because I
wanted him to know that I was proud of him and I wanted to give him
something tangible that represents the bond we have."

"He showed them to me.  He's really proud of them," Mark replied
softly.

"This watch is an aviator's watch.  It isn't a real expensive one, but
it is a good one.  It was given to me by the flight school where I took
my training.  It was an award for finishing at the top of my class.
You're going to be an Air Cadet and I'm sure that you'll achieve your
goal of becoming a top-notch fighter pilot.  I want you to have this
watch.  Wear it and remember that we have a bond that can never be broken
and know that I'm proud of you," I said as I grasped Mark's left arm
and placed the shiny watch on his wrist.

Mark was more than a little misty eyed when he looked up at me.
"Thanks," he managed to croak out and then he wrapped his arms around
me and buried his face in my chest.

I stood there and gently stroked his back while he held on for dear life.

"Sometimes I wish I wasn't so mature," he finally said with a grin.
"I'd love to drop everything and go with you guys."

We both broke up laughing at his remark.  "Being grown up is sometimes
tough bud.  Don't be in too much of a hurry to grow up.  Enjoy being a
kid while you can."

Mark helped me complete my inventory of supplies and then the two of us
headed back into the house.  Mark immediately went to Josh, Bill, and
Bryan and showed them his new watch.  When Bryan saw it, he glanced in my
direction and flashed me a smile and a wink.  Josh gave me a thumbs up.

At around 10:00, Bill's Dad picked him up and the four of us prepared to
head out to the local Canadian Tire store to stock up on supplies and get
the Jeep serviced for the next long part of our cross-country trek.  I
decided that we'd buy enough stuff to make up four personal survival
kits and I'd show Josh, Mark, and Bryan how to use the various items
that go into them.  Bryan wasn't really an outdoors kind of guy but the
rest of us were and we'd have plenty of time to convert him.

After Bill left, Josh and Mark went out to take the puppies for a walk.
It was a beautiful bright and sunny day and the Rocky Mountains beckoned
invitingly out the front window.  As I stood and admired them, Bryan came
up behind me and put his arm around my shoulders.

"That was really nice of you giving Mark your watch.  I know it means a
whole lot to him," Bryan said and planted a kiss on my cheek.

"I'm really proud of him for making the right choice about joining us
for the next leg.  I know he really wanted to go, but he knew he was
doing the right thing by staying home."

"He and Josh are two of a kind.  They're both exceptional boys."

"What are you guys going to do after we leave tomorrow?" I asked.

"Well, I'm back to work and Mark will be hanging out with his friends.
I think the two of us will probably go out for dinner and maybe grab a
movie when I get home."

"To cheer him up?"  I asked.

"To cheer us both up," Bryan laughed.

"Just look forward to our brief return visit next month and then
Christmas," I replied.

A few minutes later, the front door opened and two very happy puppies
came charging into the living room to greet Bryan and me.  Mark and Josh
followed close behind.  I bent down and scooped up Daisy and was
immediately rewarded by a massive barrage of puppy kisses on my face.

After filling the pups with all the puppy treats they could handle, the
four of us boarded the Jeep and we headed off on our shopping
expedition.  Our first stop was the local army surplus store.  There we
purchased a number of army ruck sacks, canteens, mess tins and webbed
gear.  We also picked up another case of Canadian Forces IMPs and a case
of US military MREs to take along on the northern part of the trip.

After ransacking the surplus store, we headed to the local Canadian Tire
and while the Jeep was being serviced, Josh, Mark, and Bryan simply
followed me around as I grabbed a shopping basket and went around
grabbing packages of waterproof matches, candles, rope, tarps, compasses,
compact first aid kits, water purification tables, fishing gear and even
chocolate bars.

"Bryan, do you have a vacuum sealer?"  I asked.

"A what?"  Bryan asked with a bemused look on his face.

"It's a machine about this big," I said holding my hands about a foot
apart.  "It seals items inside waterproof bags."

"Sorry, we don't have one of those," Mark replied.

"I think I saw some of those over in the house wares department," Josh
said helpfully and trotted off to find one.

"This stuff is all useful eh?"  Bryan asked.

"It sure is.  If you ever find yourself lost in the woods, you'll be
glad to have this stuff," I grinned.

"That's why I don't go in the woods very often," Bryan replied.

"We'll have to fix that," Mark said and elbowed his brother lightly in
the side.

With the time running down on our last day in Calgary, we left Canadian
Tire and headed for home.  On the way, we stopped at the local Safeway
store and bought some nice juicy steaks to grill up on the barbecue, a
case of beer, and a nice bottle of wine.  We wanted to have a special
family dinner that night and we couldn't think of a better way to do it
than with perfectly grilled Alberta steaks eaten on the back porch under
the stars.

We spent the afternoon assembling our personal survival kits.  Each of us
assembled our own kit as I explained what each item was used for.  "The
important thing to remember is that nothing goes into this kit without a
purpose and nothing that does go in it, will go unused," I said.

"What do you mean by that?" Josh asked.

"What I mean is that every single thing in these kits has a purpose.
Everything from the chocolate bars and high calorie candies to the
plastic bags that we package things in.  Here's a phrase that you need
to learn and live by in the bush:  Improvise, adapt and overcome."

"Wasn't that a line from a Clint Eastwood movie?" Bryan asked with a
raised eyebrow.

"Yep; he said it in `Heartbreak Ridge' and it's true.  When you find
yourself in a survival situation, you do what you have to do.  You
improvise the things and supplies that you need to survive, you adapt to
your situation and environment and you overcome whatever happens."

"Makes sense to me," Josh said.

By the time we were done, we had all assembled compact personal survival
kits that would last indefinitely and contained all of the necessary
supplies and equipment to help us survive in the wilderness in an
emergency.  I hoped that we'd never have to use the kits, but knowing
that we had them was a source of comfort.

Once the kits were assembled, I taught everyone how to assemble and use
their surplus ruck sacks, webbed gear and mess kits.  Josh and Mark were
just eating it all up and even Bryan was getting into it.

"We'll make an outdoorsman of you yet Bryan," I teased.

"I'd go just about anywhere with you lot," he replied.

We had a light lunch of cold cut sandwiches and then we loaded the Jeep.
We retrieved the rifles and other gear from Bryan's office and stowed
everything away.  We rearranged the back seat of the Jeep slightly to
make a comfortable spot for Brutus.  I figured that he'd spend much of
his time on Josh's lap, but he'd occasionally need his own place to
stretch out.

"I wonder how Brutus and Daisy will handle being split up?" Josh asked
thoughtfully when we were done loading the Jeep and relaxing in the
living room.

"Yeah, I wonder if they'll be sad," Mark added.

"I don't know.  They might be a little sad at first, but they'll be
with you guys and I think they'll be ok in a couple of days," I
replied.

"You boys be sure to give them lots of extra love and attention for the
next couple of days and they'll be fine," Bryan advised.

Bryan and I had discussed our activities for that afternoon and evening
at length and we decided to have as much family time as possible.  We
wanted to maximize the amount of time that the four of us could spend
together.  We decided to spend the rest of the afternoon watching a DVD.
Mark went to the kitchen to pop a couple of bags of microwave popcorn
while Josh perused the sizeable collection of DVDs that Mark and Bryan
had amassed.

"How about `Red Dawn'?"  Josh asked.

"Red Dawn" is an early 1980s movie about a Soviet invasion of North
America and the efforts of a bunch of high school kids to fight them.
"Sure, that's a pretty cool movie," Bryan said.

Josh dropped the disc into the player just as Mark returned with the
popcorn.  The bunch of us then bunched up together on the couch.  I ended
up sitting in the middle with Bryan on one side and Josh on the other.
Wanting to maximize his contact with all of us, Mark stretched out on the
sofa, lying across all of our legs.  He had his head on Josh's lap, his
torso on mine and his legs on his brothers.  Josh was leaning into me,
Bryan had an arm over my shoulders and I draped one of my arms over
Mark.  Even the pups got into the act.  Brutus and Daisy climbed up onto
the couch and they curled up together with their heads resting on
Bryan's lap and Mark's legs.  It might not have looked very
comfortable, but it was to us.

After the movie, we all relocated to the backyard.  Bryan and I fired up
the barbecue while Josh and Mark set the table and retrieved the side
dishes, beer, pop and wine from the fridge.  All of our mouths began to
water profusely as soon as the steaks hit the grill and we caught a whiff
of the sizzling meat.  The boys began to circle the barbecue like
vultures and Bryan had to literally swat them away with a spatula.

"These bad boys will be done in just a minute or two," Bryan
announced.  "Why don't you crack open that bottle of wine?"

I served all four of us a glass of wine.  It was a special evening and
the boys were mature enough to handle a glass of wine.  By the time I was
finished pouring, Bryan was doling out thick, sizzling steaks to two
drooling teenagers.

Just as the sun was beginning to set over the Rocky Mountains, the four
of us sat down for our last meal together as a family for the next few
weeks.  Although our time together was running out, there was nothing
somber about the conversation.  We were just as joyful and animated as we
always were.  There was no shortage of our usual friendly banter and
good-natured ribbing.  We devoured the steaks, coleslaw and baked
potatoes not to mention the bottle of wine.  Josh and Mark downed a
couple of Cokes each while Bryan and I enjoyed cold bottles of beer.

Long after the meal was consumed, the dishes had been cleared away, and
the light had disappeared from the sky, we sat outside and enjoyed the
breathtakingly clear and pleasantly warm night.  We spent the better part
of two hours chasing the pups around the yard, wrestling in the grass,
and simply lying there looking up at the night sky.

At around 10:00, we retreated into the house and commenced a marathon
game of monopoly that went on until well after 1:00 in the morning.
Again, we simply enjoyed each other's company with no mind to the
ticking clock.  We didn't care who won or lost and we simply focused on
having fun together.

When the game finally wrapped up, the boys went and got ready for bed
while Bryan and I cleaned up and secured the house.  I took a moment to
let the pups out in the backyard to do their business while Bryan set out
his clothes for the morning.  I felt sorry for him since he had to be up
at 7:30 in order to get to work on time.  Josh, Mark, and I could sleep
in if we wanted to, but I knew that we'd all be up with Bryan.

Bryan and I went into Mark's room and tucked the boys and then we
retired to his room for the night.  As much as both of us would have
enjoyed one final session of lovemaking, 7:30 was fast approaching and we
both needed our rest.  Instead, we satisfied ourselves with falling
quickly to sleep wrapped in each other's arms.

A little over six hours later, we were jarred awake by the incessant
buzzing of Bryan's alarm clock.  Clearly, we both would have preferred
to remain tangled up together in his bed, but we knew that we had to get
up and face the day.

We let the boys sleep a little longer while the two of us showered,
dressed, and prepared for the day.  I headed to the kitchen and started
the coffee pot, toasted up some English muffins and set out a box of
Captain Crunch cereal for breakfast.

Just before 8:00, Bryan wandered into the kitchen dressed in a crisply
pressed pair of Khaki pants, a neatly pressed shirt, and a maroon
coloured tie.  We exchanged a brief kiss before he took his seat and
helped himself to an English muffin, a glass of orange juice, and a cup
of coffee.

"Damn, I'm really going to miss waking up beside you," Bryan remarked
after taking a sip of coffee.

"Me too.  It's going to be a little rough over the next couple of
years, but we're solid and we'll make the best of it.  The boys will
get us through it," I replied.  I meant it too.  Josh was a constant
source of strength for me and Mark did the same for Bryan.  There were
many things that I'd gone through over the past year that would have
been much harder without Josh at my side.  The next 30 months were going
to be tough, but we'd get through it.  The bond that had been cemented
between the four of us and between our extended family over the past few
weeks were incredible strong and would easily survive the trials and
tribulations of time and distance.  There was no question that the coming
separation would be temporary.

We were soon joined by the boys and two small dogs with rapidly wagging
tails.  After letting the pups out in the backyard to stretch their legs
and do their business, Mark and Josh joined us at the breakfast table.
Compared to the night before, breakfast was unusually quiet.  We were all
a little tired and we were all a little sad that our time together was at
an end.

When the time came for Bryan to leave to work, we all stood up and
followed him to the door.  We stood and looked each other in the eye for
a moment before exchanging a long and passionate kiss and a very tight
hug.  "I love you Bryan," I said.  "Take care of yourself and take
care of Mark."

"I love you too Tommy," he replied.  "You guys be careful and watch
out for each other.  We'll see you in a couple of weeks."

When Bryan and I released each other, he turned his attention to Josh.
He pulled him into a warm embrace and held him there for a moment.  "I
love you too Josh.  Keep your dad out of trouble, ok?"  He gently kissed
Josh's forehead.

"I know.  I love you too Bryan.  Dad and I will keep each other out of
trouble," Josh replied.

Finally, he turned his attention to Mark.  "See you tonight bro.  Have a
good day and remember; decide where you want to go for dinner tonight,"
he said and hugged his brother.

I felt a large lump in my throat as I stood on the front porch and
watched Bryan pull out of the driveway and then drive away after giving
the Explorer's horn a brief toot.  If not for the comforting touch of
Josh's hand on my right shoulder and Mark's on my left, I'd have
probably been in tears at that moment.

I followed the boys back into the living room and sat down on the couch
between the two of them.  Josh snuggled up against my right side and Mark
did the same on my left.  I wrapped an arm around each of them and we
just sat there together in silence for several minutes.

Josh and I didn't have to be on the road until around noon so the three
of us sat together on the couch and watched television and chatted until
11:00 when we headed out for an early lunch.  The plan was to grab a bite
at the local Humpty's and then drop Mark off at Bill's before we headed
west.

Before leaving the house, Josh and I said our goodbyes to Daisy and Mark
did the same with Brutus.  Dogs are very perceptive animals and they are
very much in tune with human emotions.  As I picked up Daisy and held her
against my chest, I swore that she could sense that I was saying so long
for now.  She seemed to lick my face much more intently that she usually
did.  She even rested her little head on my shoulder when she was done.
Amazingly, Brutus was acting much the same way with Mark.

After Josh held Daisy one more time, we set the dogs down and watched as
they seemed to say goodbye to each other.  Brutus licked his sister's
face and nuzzled his nose against hers.  It almost broke my heart when we
headed for the door and Daisy sat down and cocked her head from side to
side while Brutus trotted out along with us.

I drove to Humpty's and the three of us mostly picked at our burgers.
The food was as good as it always was at Humpty's, but none of us was
really in the mood for eating.  We were all mostly lost in our own
thoughts.  Over the past three weeks, I'd become more attached to Mark
than ever, and he and Josh had not only rekindled their friendship, they
had cemented their new bond as brothers.  Being away from Mark was going
to be just as painful as being away from Bryan.

When we'd all eaten as much as we were going to, we headed back out to
the Jeep and joined an overjoyed Brutus.  Being apart from Daisy didn't
seem to have affected him all that much and Josh was doing his level best
to shower the little dog with love and affection.

The drive to Bill's house took only five minutes.  I pulled the Jeep
into the driveway and put it in park.  Josh was in the passenger seat and
Mark was on the back seat with Brutus.  I raised the armrest of my seat
and released my seatbelt.  I turned sideways and looked at Mark.  We
locked eyes for a moment and then I held out my arms.  Mark wasted no
time in leaning forward and accepting my embrace.

The last time we parted company, Mark was a scared kid facing the
unknown; this time he was a safe and contented kid with a bright future
ahead of him.  As much as the sadness in the parting was mitigated by the
certain knowledge that we'd be together again, the fact that we had
grown so much closer made it all the more difficult.  I silently held
Mark in my arms and it didn't take Josh long to join in and make it a
three-way hug.

After a couple of minutes, I eased my grip on Mark and gently raised his
head to look me in the eye.  I reached out to wipe away his tears.

"It's ok bud.  Remember, you'll see us again in a few weeks and then
we'll have two weeks together in December.  You can call us or email us
whenever you want.  I love you Mark.  You and Josh are both my sons and I
love you both very much."

"I know.  I love both of you.  You really are my second Dad and Josh;
you're really my brother.  I'm really going to miss you guys," Mark
said softly.

"Take care bro and look after Bryan," Josh said as he hugged his
brother tightly.

As the three of us kept up our tight three-way hug, Brutus got into the
act.  He stood on his hind legs, put his paws on Mark's back and leaned
his head down to lick all three of our faces.  Pretty soon, he had all
three of us laughing madly.

I released Mark and turned to see Bill coming out his front door.  It was
time for Mark to go and time for Josh and me to hit the road.  Mark
opened the door and stepped out onto the driveway while I restarted the
engine.  I carefully backed out of the driveway and Josh and I turned our
heads to catch one last glimpse of Mark standing next to Bill as we waved
and hit the road.

"Well here we are, just the two of us once again," Josh remarked as we
pulled onto the Trans Canada Highway and headed west towards the looming
Rocky Mountains.

"Except now there's three of us," Josh said with a smile and pointed
to Brutus who was standing on Josh's lap with his head stuck out the
window of the fast moving Jeep.  It was quite a comical sight.  His lips
were flapping in the wind and his large floppy ears almost resembled
sails.  His rapidly wagging tail did much to enhance the comedic value.

A little over an hour after leaving Calgary, we passed the gates to Banff
and once again we were captured by the intoxicating beauty of the Rocky
Mountains.  Other than a single rest stop to give Brutus a chance to
empty his bladder, we pushed on and made excellent time.  Less than an
hour after entering Banff, we crossed the provincial boundary and entered
British Columbia for the first time.  Including Ontario, it was the sixth
province of our cross-country tour and we began our visit in style.

Just east of the town of Golden, British Columbia, we turned a corner and
came face to face with two very large wild rams crossing the highway.  We
pulled to the side of the road and Josh fired off a volley of digital
camera shots.  Brutus didn't quite know what to make of the large
lumbering animals as they slowly crossed the highway and he began to bark
at them.  Being a young puppy, his bark, while well intentioned, wasn't
very frightening to the animals and they mostly ignored him and went
about their business.

After the rams passed out of sight, we pulled back onto the highway and
pressed on to the quaint little town of Golden.  After stopping for gas,
we continued our westward journey until we reached the town of
Revelstoke.  Revelstoke is a picturesque small town nestled at the foot
of towering Mount Revelstoke.  It's not far from Mount Revelstoke
National Park, which forms part of Glacier National Park.

We stopped at a local restaurant and enjoyed a large dinner before
pressing on.  The fact that we had only picked at our lunch earlier in
the day had left us ravenous by the time the dinner hour arrived and the
food at the local diner was hot, filling and good.

After dinner, we elected to press on.  We drove for another three hours
and arrived at the city of Kamloops just after 8:00 PM.  We found a motel
that allowed dogs in the rooms and checked in for the night.

Between the hectic driving schedule and the late night the evening
before, both of us fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillows.  I
wasn't at all surprised when I woke up later in the night and found that
both Josh and Brutus had climbed in with me.  Josh was snuggled up
against my side and Brutus had crawled under the covers and fallen fast
asleep between Josh's and my legs.

We awoke early the next morning and after a quick breakfast in the small
restaurant adjacent to the motel, we hit the road once again.  So far,
the second half of our trip was going extremely well.  Brutus was proving
to be a joy to travel with and never gave us any problems.  He didn't
have any accidents and he was extremely well behaved.

We arrived in the small town of Hope just before noon.  As soon as we hit
the main avenue, Wallace Street, Josh remarked, "Dad, this looks like an
Alpine Village you'd see on a postcard."

I could appreciate Josh's comment as we got out of the Jeep to stretch
our legs.  This was a compact little town, no building over two storeys
high, everything crisp and clean, and some of the buildings with painted
murals of wildlife on their blank walls.  More impressive are the many
carvings.  The Town has the unique title of being the Chainsaw Carving
Capital.  With Josh armed with the video camera and me with the digital,
we set off on foot to scout the streets and avenue around the town.  So
many motels and so many tour buses around the main town square.

There were mostly Korean and Japanese tourists flowing from the buses,
each armed with a camera with relatives standing in front of the
twelve-foot high bear carving.  Surprising, Josh found out when he
interviewed some of the local town folk, that they didn't mind that the
tourists blocked the traffic flow down the main street in order to take
the pictures.  Many of the locals in fact, offered to take the pictures
so that all members of the party could be in the photo.

We were both feeling the pangs of a late lunchtime hunger, so we headed
for the Dairy Queen that was on the Trans Canada Highway #1.  Once filled
with cheeseburgers, coke and fries, we fed and exercised Brutus and then
we hit the road again.  Just down the road, the Trans Canada became a
freeway and again we headed west towards Burnaby and Vancouver.

About ten kilometers down the freeway, Josh let out a cry, "OH FUCK,
DAD!"

"What Josh, what?"  I cried out, worried sick when I glanced at his
grimaced face as he gripped his leg.

Brutus was obviously as alarmed as I was and he was on full alert as he
jumped onto Josh's lap and began to kiss his face.

"Cramp!"  He whimpered, "Oh God it's killing me!"  He kept grabbing
his leg in what could best be described as a tourniquet grip.

I looked ahead and cut quickly to the right onto the off ramp.  I could
have cut someone off if they'd been there.  Frantic, I saw a rest area
sign on the off-ramp and headed for it, no doubt exceeding any speed
limit.  There was a mini van parked at the curb beside a grassy area, and
I slammed on the brakes, skidding on the light gravel as I came up within
a foot of the vans back bumper.

A gray haired man was bent over with his head into the red van, and as I
came to my dusty stop, he stood up and looked directly at me and quickly
walked towards the Jeep as I was running around the front of it to get
Josh out of the Jeep so I could start massaging his leg.  Brutus, who had
jumped out behind me, paced frantically at my feet.

He looked at me calmly.  "Hi, what's wrong?"

"My son has a bad leg cramp!"  I almost yelled.

Right away, the man was in high gear.  "Get him out on the grass; I've
got something that may help."

The man ran back to his van while I quickly pulled Josh out of the Jeep.
Now at my side, he watched me grabbing Josh's leg, preparing to massage
it.

"Here," the man said as he took the top off a tube of what could have
been toothpaste as far as I could tell at that point in my somewhat
frantic state.  "It's only Aspercreme, but it may help."

He immediately spread some of the white liniment onto Josh's leg, from
the top of his knee to the ankle.  Josh's pain-filled face and whimpers
never subsided.

"Josh, it's going to be OK.  We'll get it out."  I said to reassure
him.

"You work on his calf," the man said, "I'll work my way up from his
ankle.  Work it steady and get under his knee as well.  Those tendons
will be pretty darned sore too."  Then he spoke loudly, "Hey Brandy,
get over here and give this lad some kisses."

Needless to say, THAT sparked my attention, until I realized that Brandy
was a dog; a beautiful collie cross; bounding from the bushes, quickly
came over to us and started to smother Josh's face with a thorough
tail-wagging tongue-wash.

Brutus; thrilled to see another canine ran around the larger dog's legs
and jumped up and down excitedly.  Pretty soon, he joined Brandy in
trying to alleviate Josh's pain.

As the two of us worked his leg, Josh's painful whimpers started to
intermingle with small giggles from the pleasure he was getting from the
excited dogs.

Together with our four hands, the knot gave way and we started to lighten
up the depth of the effort, until it was just a light massage; Josh now
laughing as he enjoyed the dogs snuggling up to his face.

"It's a good thing you're wearing shorts today Lad, or this could have
been a wee bit embarrassing," the gentleman said as he stood up.

I let out a sigh of relief, knowing that all was well with my son again.

"Brandy, go get the towel," the man commanded.  As the dog took off
with Brutus following closely behind, he looked down at Josh and said,
"Feeling a bit bet.....  ter...  Lad....?"  His voice trailed off as he
stared at Josh.  "Oh my God!"  He exclaimed with a big smile, nearly
laughing.  "I know you!  You're Josh Chambers and..."  he looked at
me, "My God!  You... you're Tom Davis.  Where's Mark?!!"  He was near
shouting in his exuberance.

Brandy had returned with the towel she had retrieved from the van.
Brutus was clinging to the end of the towel and trying his best to keep
up with Brandy.  Brandy didn't seem to be the least bit perturbed by the
puppy's antics and she seemed to be enjoying his company.

"Good girl!" he praised the dog as he picked up the towel and offered
it to me to wipe the cream from my hands.

"Yep, that's us!"  Josh grinned as he continued to lie there and I
rubbed his leg with the towel.  "Mark's in Calgary with his brother
Bryan.  They were with us when we were in the Rockies, but Dad and I are
continuing our trip across Canada together.  Oooh, that feels so much
better Dad."

"Good son.  Mister, thanks a lot for your help.  We really appreciate
it."  I said smiling as I returned the towel.

"No problem.  The name's Donald.  My friends still call me Donny," he
said as we shook hands.  "I watched your medal presentation on the news
and then switched over to the Alzheimer's News Station where they repeat
and repeat the same stories twice an hour.  I taped it because it was so
inspiring, especially that interview with the Prime Minister.  Josh those
were great words and advice you gave him.  I watched it again just the
other night.  Even my partner thought it was great and he used to think
that the Prime Minister was doing a great job.  Mike isn't going to
believe this!  Just lay there Josh, I'll be right back."

As Donny stepped back to his van, a middle-aged overweight woman
approached from across the road.  "Brrraaaannndeeeee!!" she shrieked.
Brandy went right up to her and started with a whimpering, wagging tail.
Brutus ran over to Josh and stood protectively over him as the strange
woman approached.  "Hey Mister," she sounded as if she was yelling; yet
she was only five feet from us.  "Watcha doin molestin that boy dare?"

Donny came behind her carrying an ornate walking stick, and said, "Not
now Rosie.  No one's molesting the boy.  He had a cramp.  Rosie," Donny
said in a stern voice, "where's Glen?"

Immediately, Rosie started lifting her arms from her side and back down
repeatedly.  "Glen, Glen, who knows.  Who knows where Glen is..."  She
repeated the statements several times at a lower tone of voice continuing
to raise and lower her arms.

"OK Josh," Donny said, placing the walking stick beside his arm,
"let's get you on your feet."  While we held Josh under his arms and
Josh grabbed the walking stick, he finally rose to his feet, still not
touching the ground with his affected leg.  "OK, that's good, now
stretch your leg down to the ground and take a few steps.  Use the stick
if you have to."

I watched carefully as a smiling Josh followed Donny's instructions.  He
limped a little using the walking stick for the first few steps and then
he held the stick off the ground as he continued to walk in a circle
without any limp.  He was as good a new and I was relieved.

"Josh, you're about fifteen?"  Donny asked.

"No sir," Josh replied with a smile, "I'm only thirteen.  Thirteen
and a half anyway."

Donny tilted his head and smiled, looking at Josh.  "Well you're going
through quite a growth spurt then.  It seems that your bones are growing
a little faster than your muscles and that may be causing the cramps.  I
was getting cramps a little while ago, and the doctor put me on a calcium
supplement."  He looked over at the Jeep, then back at both of us.
"You're a long way from home and I'll bet you've been on the road for
quite a while, and... I'll reckon you've got a long drive ahead of you
yet.  Maybe you're not getting regular exercise sitting in the Jeep.
Being on vacation, my guess is that maybe you're eating in a lot in
restaurants and a few fast food places and... probably your diet's a
little out of whack.  I'll bet you're not drinking your four glasses of
milk a day."

Both Josh and I had a sheepish grin on our faces, embarrassed by the
truth of Donny's statement.

Donny looked at Josh seriously.  "How often has this cramping been going
on?"

Josh looked a little dejected.  "Maybe a couple of times a week."

"JOSH!"  I exclaimed.  "You didn't tell me."

"Dad I didn't want to disturb your sleep when it happened, you needed
your sleep 'cause you're driving all day.  So, I'd just get up and
I've been able to work it out by myself..."

"Guys," Donny interrupted, "it's more important now than any other
time in your life.  You're experiencing the effects of what could get
worse if you don't pay attention now to what your body needs to grow
strong and healthy.  Don't be afraid of fresh fruit, vegetables, and
milk.  The choices are there and as with everything in life, the right
choices from the menu are obvious.  Now Josh, how about if you take a
walk around the rest area here.  It's about a mile around the
perimeter.  Brandy will go with you and you'll be fine.  What's your
little critter's name anyway?  He's a cute little fellow."

"His name's Brutus.  We found him abandoned by the road near Calgary.
He has a sister called Daisy.  She stayed with Mark and Bryan," Josh
answered.

"Good job in rescuing them.  It's a shame that someone abandoned such
wonderful dogs.  Brandy seems to have taken a liking to him.  I guess
it's some sort of natural mothering instinct," Donny said.

"What about Rosie?"  I asked quietly with some anxiety.  Somehow, her
demeanor made me apprehensive.

"Not to worry."  Donny said with a smile as he bent down on one knee to
the dog, pointed to Josh, and said, "Brandy -- guard."

"Then standing up, he said, "Off you go Josh, at your own pace."  Then
he looked at me.  "Josh will be OK Tom, anyone gets closer than three
feet, Brandy'll back them off.  Brutus looks like he'd give anyone a
hard time too if they wanted to harm your boy."

The first thing Josh did was go to the Jeep, retrieve the video camera,
and with Brandy and Brutus at his heel, he started on his walk.  It was
surprising to watch Brutus lose his playful puppy shenanigans, as he
mimicked Brandy's responsible attitude.  Side by side they walked, ever
alert, with their eyes constantly watching Josh's back.  We continued to
watch, me in apprehension as Rosie started following them every step of
the way, but she did keep her distance.

"Does Rosie have a serious problem?"  I asked with honest concern.

"Well, I can't say she's harmless."  Donny began with a serious
tone.  "If she stays on her meds, she acts like she is now.  It's a
shame Tom.  Back in the late eighties, when the government did all those
health care cut-backs, the government reassessed a lot of the
institutionalize people that were in the system and decided that those
who wouldn't be a harm to themselves and to others, should be put into
the general population with a `less than great' disability pension.
That way they could close up many of the health units and lay off a whole
whack of health care workers.  It could be it made the bean counters look
good, but for some of the patients, maybe it wasn't that great.  For
some it was probably a good move.  They're what I call the invisible
ones.  They ended up getting a good job and together with the pension are
probably doing OK... maybe they shouldn't have been in the institution
in the first place.  In Rosie's case, I think they made a mistake.
Maybe her pension money is gone before she buys her meds and she goes off
the deep end, screaming at everyone here in the rest area.  She lives
over there in that trailer by the bushes with Glen, the custodian, but he
has other rest areas to look after as well and can't be with her 24/7.
 Brandy and I come here twice a day for about an hour, but she has a lot
of free unsupervised time on her hands.  Rosie has four children, but she
can't visit with them unless another adult is there to supervise the
visit.  So, sometimes the tourists have to suffer the rants and ravings
of Rosie, and she gets as much verbal abuse as she puts out.  After a
number of complaints, they'll probably put her back under watch in some
institution.  It's a shame, but governments don't like to admit when
they've made a mistake... as Josh so properly pointed out to the Prime
Minister.  You're doing a great job of teaching him.  He has great
insights into the problems of today."

I smiled.  "Donny, believe me, it's not my teaching him that's doing
it.  It's a built-in innate sixth sense he seems to have, plus a
personality that could melt the North Pole ice pack."

We continued to chat back and forth as we watched Josh make his way
around the rest area, interviewing a few of the picnickers.  I told him
about Bryan and he told me about his life partner of twenty years, Mike.
Our short visit left me with a warm feeling as I thought of the next
twenty years of happiness I'd have with Bryan, Josh, Mark, and our
extended family.

As Josh and his guards returned to where we were standing, he turned
around and aimed the camera at Rosie.  "Well Rosie," he said, "Did you
enjoy our walk?"

"Yeeaaahh!"  She smiled a toothless grin that turned into a laugh.  It
seemed that Josh could even melt the heart of the disheartened.  "I'm
gonna be famous!  I'm gonna be in the movies!"  Rosie carried on as she
started her arm waving again and headed across the road towards her
trailer.

"Josh, that was so good.  You made her happy and for that, I'm
grateful.  She doesn't get a lot of simple things to amuse her, and for
now, and probably for the rest of the day, she won't be able to quit
smiling."  Donny said.  After listening to what Donny had told me about
Rosie, I had to agree.

Josh smiled one of his widest, just shaking his head.  "Isn't that why
we're here?  Doing our best to keep others less fortunate happier than
they were before we came along."

Donny just laughed, me along with him.  "Yes Lad, that's what it's all
about!"

I grabbed the camera and set it up on the hood of the Jeep, set the timer
and got a great photo of Josh, Donny, Brutus, Brandy, and myself.  Donny
asked if I could e-mail a copy to his partner, Mike.  I certainly
agreed.  I knew it would be a surprise that Donny's partner would have
to believe when he downloaded his e-mail.

As much as we wanted to listen to the wisdom this man had to share, we
needed to get on the road again -- our destination still Vancouver and
then Burnaby to visit Shelly and her family.