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Description
     The sun shone through the clouds, the first time in three hours. I looked up and frowned, it was supposed to rain today. I secretly wished that the clouds would hide the sun and let out their pouring water like a waterfall on this desert. I returned my eyes to the black pathway before me, a stark contrast to the beautiful, golden desert surrounding it. My black truck still had no air conditioning, but I didn't mind having my windows rolled down. I had my IPod plugged into the radio and lyrics from numerous bands of countless genres screamed out of the cab of the truck and fell on the multitudes of shadowy green cacti emerging from the sand. Among my truck's audience includes small snakes, bunches of weeds, and the occasional bird eating a lizard.
     The truck raced across the desert, barely within the legal limit. The cup holders were full and there were three suitcases just behind the seats, a surfboard and other large items in the bed, and two passengers in the cab. My hand gently stroked Sydnee's hand as I drove with my left hand. There were snacks between us and she was sleeping soundly. We left two hours late because her father wanted to talk to me about the trip, make sure that it was on the "up and up" as he said. I smiled remembering the caution in his voice.
     For just a moment I let go of her hand and reached into my pocket. I pulled out the little box, peeked inside, and smiled putting it back into my pocket replacing my hand and drove into the west. I didn't have to look at her to see her blond hair whipping gently with the wind, her soft, piercing eyes, her sweet brows, and her calm cheeks. I took a drink of my soda as "Spray Paint" came on by Black Flag. Henry Rollins screamed out his early 90's anti-government lyrics and woke up my beautiful girl.
     She sat up, kissed my cheek, and smiled. "How long was I asleep love? Did I miss Yuma?" she asked with her fingers crossed.
     I shook my head, "Nah, we got about 12 miles to Yuma. Gotta' fill up there and have a...," I looked at the time, "Three o'clock lunch. What were you thinking of eating?"
     She thought about it for a minute, "What did you have in mind?"
     "I don't know. I could go for a Western Bacon Cheeseburger from Carls Junior right about now. How about you?"
     "Hmm. That actually sounds pretty good," she said.
     "Good," I smiled and kissed her lightly. She picked up the IPod and started looking around on it. "Put on Jarod Nieman's 'Beautiful to Me'."
     "Alright," she smiled and put it on. We sang the whole song to each other and kissed at the end. She unwrapped a Butterfingers and fed it to me. It was funny and sweet to me and I smiled and thanked her.
     We drove the rest of the way talking about random things and pulled into Yuma at exactly 2:57. We got out, stocked up on more soda, called my parents and the "Burdick Family Convoy" to let them know we were catching up, then went to Carls Junior for lunch. We ordered, got our food, then sat down to eat. We sat at the same side of the booth and sat twisted to face each other when we ate so we could talk. After we ate the conversation got deeper.
     "... Yeah, that was a good day," I said. I paused slightly then asked, "Love, if we had kids, what would you like to name them?"
     She looked surprised at first then smiled, "Well, for a boy, I kinda liked Kyle, or maybe Kevin."
     "Kyle, I never liked that name."
     "Yeah? Well, it is kind of a boring name."
     "Well, that and I never knew a Kyle that was a very nice guy."
     "You know, you're right. What were you thinking of?"
     "Well, I kinda Like Shamous, Jason, and Daryn."
     She got wide eyed and said, "Draven! That is a name I have always loved."
     "How would you spell that one, love?"
     "D-R-A-V-E-N. Why love?"
     "I like D-R-A-V-Y-N."
     She smiled wide and kissed me, "I like it better. Dravyn Shamous Schroeder?"
     I smiled, "I think Shamous is more of a first name. Maybe a second child?"
     "Maybe. What do you think then?"
     I laughed, "Well, I have an odd but bad ass name. Balric?"
     Her eyes got as wide as I had ever seen them and a huge smile spread across her face, "Dravyn Balric Schroeder. That is such an awesome name. I love it!"
     I laughed even harder, "Yeah? Cool. How about Shamous Daryn Schroeder?"
     "I like it," she smiled, "and if we have a girl?"
     "I like Summer, Staci, Cara..."
     "I like Summer and Autumn too."
     "I like Autumn, but I think its better as a middle name."
     "I don't mind that. How about Kyrie?"
     "I love it," I said as I kissed her.
     "I love you," she responded.
     "I do too, darlin. I really do." I kissed her and stood up, taking her hand and helping her out. "What do ya say we catch up to my family?"
     "Let's do it," she said. I stole a kiss and we walked out.
     I started driving down the road again, off toward California and my navigator next to me kept us awake. When we saw the ocean, we both smiled. It was a surreal moment seeing the sun glimmer off the ocean as the sun sets. We pulled up to the house and unpacked our bags into an empty room left for us. They only gave us one bed. We looked at each other and I said, "That is odd for my family."
     "So I hear," said Sydnee, "Should we tell someone?"
     "I'll go ask Papa. You just start unpacking your stuff, hun."
     "Alright," she said. I walked downstairs where my father and grandfather were talking about politics over a beer. I walked up to them and waited for a moment to interject.
     "Cody, have you and Sydnee got your room all set?" asked Papa.
     "Um, about that. I was surprised when you gave us a room together, but now I am just floored."
     "What do you mean?" both of the two men in front of me asked suspiciously at the same time.
     I looked at them with the are-you-serious expression then elaborated, "The bed. THE bed. As in, only one."
     Papa rolled his eyes, "If you are that worried about it, sleep on the floor."
     My dad looked at him then said, "Just know it took a lot of work to convince your mother it wasn't worth dragging a bed up there."
     I nodded and said, "So, you two..."
     "And Kieth," noted my father.
     "Three, were lazy enough to convince my mother that I could handle having one bed in my room with my girlfriend?"
     "Do you want us to get the other bed?" asked Papa.
     "Not really. I thought being lazy would never work for me."
     "Just you being lazy," my dad corrected.
     "Does Emmy know about this?" I asked.
     "Yes," said Papa, "She resented it for a little bit but resigned about the same time your Amy did."
     "Great. My mother and grandmother think that I am not going to be seen all vacation."
     "Nah, they'll just keep you up as late as they can."
     "Awesome. I'm gonna go spread the embarrassment to Sydnee and unpack. You two have fun."
     "We will," said my dad as I walked back upstairs. I went into my room and all of our stuff was already unpacked.
     "What did they say?" asked a beautiful voice around the corner.
     I smiled and looked at her, "It is just as much a joke as it is serious. They think its funny, but they really do have us reserved for a one bedroom hotel room."
     "Hmm. Well, I guess we'll just have to share," she joked.
     We changed and went downstairs to say hey to the rest of the family and sit on the beach for the last hour or so. I grabbed the surf board and headed out to the the waves. It had been two years since I had surfed last and the waves were bigger than normal. I fell for the first half an hour straight. Sydnee and my mom were laughing, probably at me, until I caught my first wave. I rode it all the way to the beach feeling proud of my minor accomplishment. At about 8:05, I got out of the ocean and sat next to my girlfriend as my uncle Kieth told her about the green flash.
     "See, when the sun hits the edge of horizon, it lets off a green flash."
     "No way. Your just messin' with me."
     "No, I'm serious. I've seen it. It only happens when things are just right."
     "Is this real Cody?"
     "Go ahead, Cody, tell her."
     "Aye love, I have seen it," I said to her, "Maybe one day you will too."
     "You guys suck. Stop messing with me."
     "Kieth, are you thinking what I am thinking?"
     "It's time to take her to the Green Flash?"
     "Yep."
     "What are you two talking about?"
     "Its a bar and grill down the street that has evidence of the green flash."
     "Whatever. Lets go then."
     "Alright everyone, who wants to go to the Green Flash?" asked my uncle.
     "We should," said Papa, "We need to celebrate today, we have a newbie."
     "Lets go," I agreed.
     We all scrambled to grab money and jumped in our cars and trucks like storm chasers on their way to the biggest storm of the century. Our cars were even traveling in a line like a convoy. We all rolled up to the bar and got ready to eat.
     "Are you ready love?" I asked her opening the door.
     "Definitely," she smiled and walked in.

Description
     The sun shone through the clouds, the first time in three hours. I looked up and frowned, it was supposed to rain today. I secretly wished that the clouds would hide the sun and let out their pouring water like a waterfall on this desert. I returned my eyes to the black pathway before me, a stark contrast to the beautiful, golden desert surrounding it. My black truck still had no air conditioning, but I didn't mind having my windows rolled down. I had my IPod plugged into the radio and lyrics from numerous bands of countless genres screamed out of the cab of the truck and fell on the multitudes of shadowy green cacti emerging from the sand. Among my truck's audience includes small snakes, bunches of weeds, and the occasional bird eating a lizard.
     The truck raced across the desert, barely within the legal limit. The cup holders were full and there were three suitcases just behind the seats, a surfboard and other large items in the bed, and two passengers in the cab. My hand gently stroked Sydnee's hand as I drove with my left hand. There were snacks between us and she was sleeping soundly. We left two hours late because her father wanted to talk to me about the trip, make sure that it was on the "up and up" as he said. I smiled remembering the caution in his voice.
     For just a moment I let go of her hand and reached into my pocket. I pulled out the little box, peeked inside, and smiled putting it back into my pocket replacing my hand and drove into the west. I didn't have to look at her to see her blond hair whipping gently with the wind, her soft, piercing eyes, her sweet brows, and her calm cheeks. I took a drink of my soda as "Spray Paint" came on by Black Flag. Henry Rollins screamed out his early 90's anti-government lyrics and woke up my beautiful girl.
     She sat up, kissed my cheek, and smiled. "How long was I asleep love? Did I miss Yuma?" she asked with her fingers crossed.
     I shook my head, "Nah, we got about 12 miles to Yuma. Gotta' fill up there and have a...," I looked at the time, "Three o'clock lunch. What were you thinking of eating?"
     She thought about it for a minute, "What did you have in mind?"
     "I don't know. I could go for a Western Bacon Cheeseburger from Carls Junior right about now. How about you?"
     "Hmm. That actually sounds pretty good," she said.
     "Good," I smiled and kissed her lightly. She picked up the IPod and started looking around on it. "Put on Jarod Nieman's 'Beautiful to Me'."
     "Alright," she smiled and put it on. We sang the whole song to each other and kissed at the end. She unwrapped a Butterfingers and fed it to me. It was funny and sweet to me and I smiled and thanked her.
     We drove the rest of the way talking about random things and pulled into Yuma at exactly 2:57. We got out, stocked up on more soda, called my parents and the "Burdick Family Convoy" to let them know we were catching up, then went to Carls Junior for lunch. We ordered, got our food, then sat down to eat. We sat at the same side of the booth and sat twisted to face each other when we ate so we could talk. After we ate the conversation got deeper.
     "... Yeah, that was a good day," I said. I paused slightly then asked, "Love, if we had kids, what would you like to name them?"
     She looked surprised at first then smiled, "Well, for a boy, I kinda liked Kyle, or maybe Kevin."
     "Kyle, I never liked that name."
     "Yeah? Well, it is kind of a boring name."
     "Well, that and I never knew a Kyle that was a very nice guy."
     "You know, you're right. What were you thinking of?"
     "Well, I kinda Like Shamous, Jason, and Daryn."
     She got wide eyed and said, "Draven! That is a name I have always loved."
     "How would you spell that one, love?"
     "D-R-A-V-E-N. Why love?"
     "I like D-R-A-V-Y-N."
     She smiled wide and kissed me, "I like it better. Dravyn Shamous Schroeder?"
     I smiled, "I think Shamous is more of a first name. Maybe a second child?"
     "Maybe. What do you think then?"
     I laughed, "Well, I have an odd but bad ass name. Balric?"
     Her eyes got as wide as I had ever seen them and a huge smile spread across her face, "Dravyn Balric Schroeder. That is such an awesome name. I love it!"
     I laughed even harder, "Yeah? Cool. How about Shamous Daryn Schroeder?"
     "I like it," she smiled, "and if we have a girl?"
     "I like Summer, Staci, Cara..."
     "I like Summer and Autumn too."
     "I like Autumn, but I think its better as a middle name."
     "I don't mind that. How about Kyrie?"
     "I love it," I said as I kissed her.
     "I love you," she responded.
     "I do too, darlin. I really do." I kissed her and stood up, taking her hand and helping her out. "What do ya say we catch up to my family?"
     "Let's do it," she said. I stole a kiss and we walked out.
     I started driving down the road again, off toward California and my navigator next to me kept us awake. When we saw the ocean, we both smiled. It was a surreal moment seeing the sun glimmer off the ocean as the sun sets. We pulled up to the house and unpacked our bags into an empty room left for us. They only gave us one bed. We looked at each other and I said, "That is odd for my family."
     "So I hear," said Sydnee, "Should we tell someone?"
     "I'll go ask Papa. You just start unpacking your stuff, hun."
     "Alright," she said. I walked downstairs where my father and grandfather were talking about politics over a beer. I walked up to them and waited for a moment to interject.
     "Cody, have you and Sydnee got your room all set?" asked Papa.
     "Um, about that. I was surprised when you gave us a room together, but now I am just floored."
     "What do you mean?" both of the two men in front of me asked suspiciously at the same time.
     I looked at them with the are-you-serious expression then elaborated, "The bed. THE bed. As in, only one."
     Papa rolled his eyes, "If you are that worried about it, sleep on the floor."
     My dad looked at him then said, "Just know it took a lot of work to convince your mother it wasn't worth dragging a bed up there."
     I nodded and said, "So, you two..."
     "And Kieth," noted my father.
     "Three, were lazy enough to convince my mother that I could handle having one bed in my room with my girlfriend?"
     "Do you want us to get the other bed?" asked Papa.
     "Not really. I thought being lazy would never work for me."
     "Just you being lazy," my dad corrected.
     "Does Emmy know about this?" I asked.
     "Yes," said Papa, "She resented it for a little bit but resigned about the same time your Amy did."
     "Great. My mother and grandmother think that I am not going to be seen all vacation."
     "Nah, they'll just keep you up as late as they can."
     "Awesome. I'm gonna go spread the embarrassment to Sydnee and unpack. You two have fun."
     "We will," said my dad as I walked back upstairs. I went into my room and all of our stuff was already unpacked.
     "What did they say?" asked a beautiful voice around the corner.
     I smiled and looked at her, "It is just as much a joke as it is serious. They think its funny, but they really do have us reserved for a one bedroom hotel room."
     "Hmm. Well, I guess we'll just have to share," she joked.
     We changed and went downstairs to say hey to the rest of the family and sit on the beach for the last hour or so. I grabbed the surf board and headed out to the the waves. It had been two years since I had surfed last and the waves were bigger than normal. I fell for the first half an hour straight. Sydnee and my mom were laughing, probably at me, until I caught my first wave. I rode it all the way to the beach feeling proud of my minor accomplishment. At about 8:05, I got out of the ocean and sat next to my girlfriend as my uncle Kieth told her about the green flash.
     "See, when the sun hits the edge of horizon, it lets off a green flash."
     "No way. Your just messin' with me."
     "No, I'm serious. I've seen it. It only happens when things are just right."
     "Is this real Cody?"
     "Go ahead, Cody, tell her."
     "Aye love, I have seen it," I said to her, "Maybe one day you will too."
     "You guys suck. Stop messing with me."
     "Kieth, are you thinking what I am thinking?"
     "It's time to take her to the Green Flash?"
     "Yep."
     "What are you two talking about?"
     "Its a bar and grill down the street that has evidence of the green flash."
     "Whatever. Lets go then."
     "Alright everyone, who wants to go to the Green Flash?" asked my uncle.
     "We should," said Papa, "We need to celebrate today, we have a newbie."
     "Lets go," I agreed.
     We all scrambled to grab money and jumped in our cars and trucks like storm chasers on their way to the biggest storm of the century. Our cars were even traveling in a line like a convoy. We all rolled up to the bar and got ready to eat.
     "Are you ready love?" I asked her opening the door.
     "Definitely," she smiled and walked in.