End of Summer Trip

As summer winds down, I think of another end of summer trip made. My girlfriend and her family invited me to go to Sea World with them. Mr. B. drove through the back roads of Ohio to Aurora. We sat in one of those old(not then) station wagons. I think Amy's little brother settled way in the back. We liked it that way. He was annoying to two junior high girls. The scenery fascinated me even then.
I wondered what towns Mr. B. took us through. My dad often took back roads, but to go to Sea World, he kept to the main highway. Amy and I speculated about what fun could be had in these towns, what the kids did.
In Sea World with a friend is a different adventure. We were allowed to roam on our own. We just had to meet back at certain times. Tad had to stay with his parents, which was great for us. I hadn't done this before, so I thrilled at this prospect.
I always looked across the lake to the amusement park, Geauga Lake. I had a few more years till I frequented there. After prom, Rainbow Girls adventures, and then with my friend, Linda, as an adult. We'd hear the screams of people on the roller coasters. I was content to be with my friend that day. But we both agreed the amusement park would have been a lot cooler.
We traveled back through those sleepy towns after dark. Tad probably drifted off stretching in the back of the station wagon. Amy and I chattered about the day and the school year coming soon. What clothes we would wear, what the teachers would be like, the dances we would go to that year.
I'm not sure if my dad gave Mr. B. money or if he paid for my trip. It may have been a company day. I'm not even sure where he worked.
I do know he died when we were in eighth grade of a brain tumor. But for that day, I was happy to be part of their family. He was generous to include another girl on the trip. People seemed to do that then.