Richard： Hot dogs. I love hot dogs. There is nothing better than a hot dog in the country.

    Ellen： Hot dogs and mustard¹.

    Richard： Cooked outdoors over an open fire. I wish I had one now.

    Ellen： Do you remember when Daddy and I used to take you and Susan and Robbie to Jones Beach？

    Richard： Oh, I sure do.

    Ellen： We'd wait until dark and make a fire, and we'd cook the hot dogs. Oh, don't forget the mustard. And, oh, does anybody want ketchup²？

    Richard： I might as well take it along. And now to make sure we've got the hamburger patties. I have to remember to put them in the bag tomorrow morning before we leave.

    Ellen： I'll remind you, Richard.

    Richard： Mom, we really appreciate your taking care of Max for the weekend and giving up your free time.

    Ellen： I love doing it. Susan and Harry³ have a sitter for Michelle in the city, and I'm taking care of Max. It's no big deal. I am happy to do it for you.

    Richard： I guess Max is asleep by now. He's not crying anymore.

    Ellen： Oh, poor baby. He's teething.

    Marilyn： Well, he's asleep-finally. I feel so bad for him. It hurts so much when a baby gets his first teeth.

    Ellen： He'll be fine, Marilyn.

    Richard： Well, he wakes up several times during the night, and the pain is so bad.

    Marilyn： I'm really concerned about going away for the weekend, Ellen, and leaving you with the full responsibility⁴ of taking care of Max. Especially with his teething. I wish he felt better.

    Ellen： Please don't worry, Marilyn. Remember your father-in-law's a pediatrician. We have a live-in doctor if there's a problem I can't handle.

    Richard： I agree, Marilyn. We really don't have to be overly concerned.

    Richard： I'll go upstairs and stay with him until he falls asleep again.

    Marilyn： Thanks, Richard. Try putting him across your lap⁵ on his stomach. He likes that.

    Richard： I"ll try it.

    Ellen： When are Susan and Harry Picking you up, Marilyn？

    Marilyn： They're coming by at six tomorrow morning, so we can get an early start.

    Ellen： That's nice. And you'll have a full day in the country.

    Marilyn： And a full night. Tomorrow night we'll be camping out in tents.

    Ellen： And coming home on Sunday？

    Marilyn： We'll be heading⁶ back late in the afternoon.

    Ellen： You're going to have the time of your lives. Camping out is such great fun.

    Marilyn： We'll have a great time camping out, I'm sure. But I'm still a little worried about you, Ellen.

    Ellen： It will be my great pleasure, Marilyn. Remember, it's only one night.

    Richard： He's asleep. I think he'll sleep through the night now.

    Marilyn： Thanks, honey. I hope he's good when we're away.

    Richard： Well, so do I. Now, to check the list of things we need for the camping trip. We need to bring a flashlight.

    Ellen： It's in the right-hand drawer, next to the bottle openers.

    Richard： Do we have a bottle opener on the list, Marilyn？

    Marilyn： No.No bottle opener. Is that one of the things Susan and Harry are bringing？

    Richard： No. And we're bring the ketchup, mustard, relish-all that stuff⁷. And cooking utensils⁸. Well, here's the bottle poener, and here's the flashlight.

    Ellen： Matches.

    Marilyn： Matches？

    Richard： Yes, of course. For when we build our campfire. I can't build a fire by rubbing⁹ two pieces of wood together.

    Marilyn： And don't forget your camera and film, Richard.

    Richard： All packed and ready.

    Marilyn： And let's not forget our cassette¹⁰ player and some tapes. Some music tapes and some blank tapes so that we can record our thoughts about the trip.

    Ellen： Oh, that's a nice idea. An audio¹¹ diary.

    Marilyn： That's what I thought.

    Richard： Got it！ The cassette player and the tapes.

 

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