“It’ll be fun, mom. You’ll love it.” I stood holding our suitcases. They were old but pristine since they’d never been used before. “We’ll get to see the ocean.”

“Gabriel I don’t think this is a good idea. You could get a sunburn.” She was fretting, rubbing her hands together and pacing back and forth across the apartment.

“I have sunscreen packed, mom. It’s SPF 50. We’ll come back to Queens paler than we left.” We were going to be late if we didn’t leave soon, and I hated to be late. “No one will believe we went on vacation.”