The sun was hastening towards the horizon by the time the charter bus pulled into the hotel. That had not been the plan; the group was supposed to have arrived a few hours earlier, but unfortunately things happened on the road. At least the kids got to see how to replace a tire! That was a plus, right? The kids probably wouldn’t agree with her. They were restless and annoyed, the morning’s enthusiasm stamped out by a painfully uneventful bus ride. Yawns had replaced laughter, leaving the atmosphere heavy with a fuzzy silence. Though the chatter did pick up upon entering the town, it mostly consisted of expressions of disappointment.
That wasn’t fair, Carrie thought. The Oregon countryside was gorgeous and there really were some cool things to do here. And even if there weren’t, they all had the opportunity to bond on this vacation. She would have absolutely loved to do something like this when she was in high school.
Once the bus came to a stop, Carrie got to her feet and took up the microphone to address the bus. “Alrighty, kiddos, we made it! It took longer than expected, but we’re here and we’re gonna have some fun! Here’s the deal-io: once you get your luggage, find the people you’re rooming with and a chaperone will give you your room key. Please, please, please make sure that you take all your stuff with you when you leave the bus and clean up any of your trash; the bus driver doesn’t want to have to pick up after you. Lights off is at 10:30, so make sure you plan accordingly. Chaperones will be around to the rooms before then to give you a run-down of what to expect for tomorrow. I think that’s it… Have fun, guys, try to get some good sleep tonight. We’ve got a fun trip planned!”
After replacing the microphone, Carrie made her way outside of the bus and stretched her arms overhead with a yawn. It was good to be in the fresh - if humid - air after a day spent on the road.