By Ron Reese
“Dad, the pine trees on these mountains are so beautiful!” Tanya exclaimed. “I can’t wait to go hiking!”
“Well, we won’t be that far from the Smoky Mountains, so I’m sure we’ll have plenty of opportunity,” Tanya’s dad replied.
Dad was a church school teacher. He was moving his family to his new teaching assignment in North Carolina.
“Dad, do you remember when we moved the last time?” asked Tanya from her seat in the moving van. “The church came and picked up our stuff, so all we had to do was drive our two cars.”
“Ah yes, you and I drove the old van,” Dad remembered. “And our big orange cat hid somewhere in the back with all the boxes.”
“And he never made a sound!” Tanya added. “We never did find him until we unpacked!”
“Yeah, I was almost beginning to think he had snuck out of the car,” Dad said. “I thought maybe he was wandering the streets back in Duluth.”
“Oh, and you had me write that poem that you made a song out of along the way,” remembered Tanya.
“Yeah, it wasn’t much, but it was just on my heart,” Dad recalled.
“Well, Patricia White liked it,” Tanya reminded him. “She even sang it at the Pathfinder Camporee.”
“Oh, yeah, she did.” Dad’s mind drifted back happily to that day.
Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep! Dad’s phone sounded.
“Hello,” Dad answered. “Is that you, Dear?”
“This is us,” Tanya’s mom answered. “Gerald is looking over the map. He thinks we should be less than a half-hour away from our new home.”
“Well, that sounds great!” Dad replied. “We should be just in time for supper. What are you cooking?”
“What am I cooking?” Mom laughed. “I thought tonight was your turn to cook. Okay, let’s just stop and get a taco or a sub somewhere. Tomorrow, after we do a little unpacking, I’ll be able to find my pots and pans. Then I’ll do some cooking!”
After the family had a quick supper, they drove about a mile up a winding road above the town of Waynesville.
“Wow!” Mom exclaimed, “This place is gorgeous! Just look at that view!”
“Now we have to start unpacking,” Dad said. “Tanya and Gerald, you two had better go look at the two rooms upstairs and figure out which one you want. Then we’ll know where to carry your boxes.”
“And remember, Tanya is the oldest, so she gets first pick,” reminded Mom.
“Come on, Gerald, I’ll race you upstairs!” challenged Tanya as she ran toward the stairs.
Tanya knew in an instant which of the two rooms was better. As she stepped into the first room, she could see a panorama of mountains and forests in the distance. And as she glanced down a bit, she could see a small lake. She could even see a lighted cross, which became more visible as the evening shadows grew. This was by rights her room!
Tanya went to the other bedroom and noticed its walls were a drab gray. She also looked out the window and merely saw a pine tree. The first room was clearly better. She could pick it, but she loved her brother. Tanya decided she wanted to give him first choice instead.
“Hey, what’s taking you so long?” Tanya asked as she found Gerald in the closet of the second room.
Gerald laughed. “I’m just checking it out and seeing whether it will hold all my junk.”
“Well, maybe you won’t want this room,” Tanya hinted. “Perhaps you would like the room across the hall instead.”
“Yeah, well, if it’s so good, wouldn’t you want it?” Gerald asked.
“Well, yeah, but I really care about you, and I want you to be happy too,” Tanya explained. “I want you to have first pick.”
Upon walking across the hall, Gerald exclaimed, “Wow! This room is awesome! You can see the mountains! Hey, there’s a lake down there! This is such an awesome view!”
“Then you’ll take it,” Tanya guessed, smiling.
Gerald hesitated. Then he asked, “This is the room you like best, isn’t it?”
“Well, who wouldn’t?” Tanya chuckled. “But I want you to be happy too.”
Gerald paused again. Then he said, “Well, if that’s what you want—if you want me to be happy—then this room is yours. Because nothing would make me happier than to have my favorite Sis happy!”
Tanya laughed. “Hey, I’m your only Sis.”
Gerald grinned back at Tanya.
Tanya suddenly realized what Gerald had said. “Are you actually turning down this amazing room so that I can have it?” she asked. “I don’t know whether I can let you do that. If you’re willing to do such a thing, I really think you deserve this room.”
Gerald smiled and offered his sister a plan. “You know, you’re going to go away to a boarding academy in a few years. Why don’t you make this your room until then? And then, after you go to the dorm, I can move in here.”
“Oh, you’re just the best brother!” Tanya replied, hugging Gerald.
Gerald grinned. “Hey, I’m pretty sure I’m the only brother you’ve got!”
