12 Esse Quam Videri!

Chapter 12 ESSE QUAM VIDERI! Coke and Pep woke up on the morning of July 6 to the smell of waffles. Mrs. McDonald was attempting to make them on the barbecue grill outside the RV, which was a complete disaster. But the rest of the family had to give her an A for effort. Even bad waffles taste pretty good. "I wonder how Aunt Judy and her new husband are doing," Mrs. McDonald said as they ate. "Maybe I should give her a call." "They're on their honeymoon," Dr. McDonald said. "Leave them alone." The twins didn't want to think about Dr. Warsaw. They ran off to explore the campground, which had its own lake, with swimming, fishing, and paddleboats. They chose

badminton instead and played just long enough to remind themselves how boring badminton was. Then it was back on the road—Route 29 heading south out of Danville. Life was good. It was going to be a jam-packed day. "What fascinating tourist attraction will we be visiting today, parental units?" Coke asked cheerfully. "I'm up for anything." "Yeah, we don't care," his sister said. "I would even go to another museum." "Isn't this the best vacation we ever had?" Coke added. "I'm having such a good time." "Me too," Pep added. "Driving cross-country

is way better than going to Disney World or some lame theme park." Their parents looked at each other suspiciously. Neither could remember the last time the twins had been so cheery and full of enthusiasm about anything. Maybe when they were in second grade. Something had to be up. "You kids seem awfully chipper today," Dr. McDonald said. "Did Mom put happy pills in your Corn Flakes?" "We didn't even eat Corn Flakes today, Dad," Pep told him, rolling her eyes. "We had waffles. You know that." "It was just an expression." "Corn Flakes are an expression?" Coke asked. "We're just in a good mood," Pep said, the cheerfulness already gone from her voice. "Aren't we allowed to be in a good mood once in a while? Now you're bumming me out." And … it was over. The moment had passed. Back to normal.

Go to Google Maps (http://maps.google.com/). Click Get Directions. In the A box, type Danville VA. In the B box, type High Point NC. Click Get Directions. "That's the teenagers I know," Mrs. McDonald muttered. The family had only been on the road for a few minutes when a sign came into view. "Woo-hoo!" yelled Coke. "Esse quam videri!"

"What does that mean?" asked Pep. "How should I know?" her brother replied. "I don't understand Latin. But it's the North Carolina state motto." "You memorized the state motto in Latin even though you don't understand the language?" Pep asked. "That's demented." "Don't call your brother demented," yelled Dr. McDonald from the driver's seat. "I can't help knowing stuff," Coke explained. "I memorize everything." "I wonder why states need to have a motto anyway," Mrs. McDonald said. "And why do they have them in Latin? Hardly anybody speaks Latin." "Even Latinos don't speak Latin," Pep mused. "I wonder why they're called Latinos." "Because they come from Latin America," Coke said. "But why is it called Latin America if they don't speak Latin?" Pep asked. "I have no idea," Coke told his sister. "But I

do know that North Carolina is the largest producer of sweet potatoes in the country." "Yeah, and the reason why you're such a moron is because your brain is clogged up with all that random information," offered Pep. "Don't call your brother a moron," said Mrs. McDonald. "That's okay, Mom," Coke said. "I can take it. She's just jealous because I'm smarter than she is." "You are not." "Are too." "R2D2!" "C3PO!" "Hey, knock it off back there!" Dr. McDonald hollered. "I'm getting a headache." "So where are we going today?" Coke asked. "What do they have in North Carolina?" Mom took out her laptop and started poking keys. "Oh, it's a wonderful state," she said. "There's so much to see. But it's very wide, and