“How can you say that, Mother? They never seem old to me.”
“You’re a strange girl.”
They turned back to the living room. Mrs. Lurie checked over the suitcases for the last time. Judy tidied up the room while her father carefully covered his precious viola with layers of soft cloths.
The last chores were done. In the morning they would start on the first lap of their journey to Aspen.
3
PLEASURES OF TRAVEL
Flying was no novelty to her parents, but to Judy, whose small journeys had always been by car, this, her first plane trip, was an event. In Aspen they were going to do without a car. Mr. Lurie wouldn’t trust their old bus on those mountain roads.
It was still foggy when they took their seats in the plane. Judy was conscious of the unconcern of everyone but herself. Why, only last week she heard over the radio, “the plane had only just left the ground when—”
The motors started, whirring noisily as they warmed up. Mrs. Lurie noticed the strained expression on her daughter’s face.
“Once we’re in the air, you’ll be thrilled. You’ll see Long Island as a bird might—”
The girl smiled feebly. She closed her eyes. When I open them, she told herself, I’ll be up in the air. She counted slowly to a hundred—they were still in the same spot. Twice she repeated the experiment. The plane was still on the ground, racing along the runway! Then when she least expected it, there was a sudden lift and they were flying. The mist had disappeared. The world below was an intricate design of shining water, green fields, and toy houses. It was more wonderful than anything she had ever imagined and with the wonder, her fears vanished.