High Ten

14Selective Detective

“Welcome back,” said Sam.

“Great to be back,” replied Brian. “You don't meet me downstairs by the car anymore?”

“Ha! I was testing if you remembered how to get up here.”

“I found it,” Brian smiled, “and I'll be grading you on some tests today too!”

“I look forward to it,” said Sam. “How was your holiday?”

“I had a great time with my family. My daughters and their families visited, and it was nice to have the house filled again. Filling my stomach was another matter. I need to work off a few pounds. I blame the grandkids, though. You'll see someday – a grandfather's job is easy. Make the kids laugh, and give them back to their parents if there's a problem.”

“I have to worry about kids before grandkids, right? Isn't that how it works?”

“Yes, that's still the order,” Brian smirked. “How was your holiday?”

“Since Melissa and I hadn't planned anything, we booked a last-minute trip. We found a Caribbean cruise deal we couldn't pass up! We always talked about a cruise, so we were spontaneous and booked it. We did the ‘see the parents' thing for Christmas, then flew to Florida and spent seven days on the boat.”

“Wow,” said Brian. “I heard the food's amazing.”

“Amazing and nonstop! There was always something delicious to eat. Melissa and I had to ration ourselves. We visited four different islands too. The trip was never ‘relaxing,' but that's not our style. I noticed the stress she's under. She kept getting on the computer, but even with that irritation, we talked ...