The Great American Loop

My uncles had organized a family field trip to Great America. Carrie and I really wanted to go but neither my mom or Dad was willing to take us. We begged and pleaded and organized a way to get there. Carrie, Molly, and I would all take the metra to the end of the line. Then we would take the bus to Great America and meet our uncles there. So that day Molly came over to our house and we started toward the Metra station. We saw the train pull in and sprinted to it, catching it just in time. After ten or twenty minutes of riding Molly tugs on Carrie's jacket and asks her, "Isn't Great America north?"

Carrie replied, "Yes it is, why?"

"Because I think we're going south." And we were. In Carrie's haste she didn't realise that the train we grabbed was actually going the opposite direction. Carrie didn't want to believe it and only addmitted she made a mistake when the P.A. started to anounce Chicago stops. We had no clue what to do. Me being only 10 or so couldn't help and left it up to the teenagers to decide. They were paniking.

Molly and Carrie argued until they got a schedule and gasped when they saw that the train we were riding was the last train in or out for an hour.

"What are we going to do for an hour at a train stop? We have to ride into Chicago."

And ride we did. When we got to the end of the line Carrie realised that Dad worked very close. We called dad on mom's cell phone and her answered.

"Yyyellow"

"Hi dad, it's Carrie"

"Hi Carrie, how are you doing?"

"I'm good. Listen, we're at the train station. Can we come over."

"*pause* You're where?"

"Can we come to your work."

"*pause* You're where?"

Finally they worked it out. Carrie called mom and Mom called Dad. Dad called Carrie and Dad called Mom and finally they decided that Carrie could walk over to the office building. Carrie and Molly and I made it over to Stein Rowe and Farnham, now Bank Something. We waited at Dad's office just chillin until he could get us back on the train to Great America. The ride back was so long. It felt like three hours but I'm sure it was only two. For years later whenever Carrie critized someone's sence of direction, usualy my Uncles's, their reply would start with, "Carrie, didn't your once confuse the Loop and Great America?"

I miss you Carrie. Your love, your laugh, and your sence of Direction.