“You shouldn’t worry about anything. It’s not a big deal at all,” I said. “Okay, let’s pack everything up so it’s ready for the morning when we make the mad dash! In fact, why don’t we go to school on the golf cart tomorrow?”

Big smiles broke out on their faces, as they repacked their backpacks and zipped them closed.

“Can we?” Hunter said.

“Our mom used to take us on the golf cart all the time,” Tyler said. “I don’t know if it even still works.”

“We should find out. I suspect it’s probably pretty dirty from just sitting under the house for so long. Let’s go find out.”

I took a roll of paper towels, a garbage bag, and a bottle of spray cleaner, and the boys and I went outside and under the house to investigate. We lifted the cover off and stood back. The cart was surely in need of some attention, because the seats were covered in mildew stains and the floor was all sandy.

“Ew! Gross,” Tyler said.

“It is?” Hunter said. “It looks fine to me.”

“Trust me,” I said. “It needs some love.”

I rolled a half dozen paper towels out for each boy and then for myself. Then I sprayed the seats and seat backs with the cleaner.

“Gentlemen? Let’s show this thing who’s boss!”

They descended on the golf cart like vultures on roadkill, and it was as clean as a whistle in no time at all.

“Now we need the broom and to get this baby on the charger!” I said.

“I’ll get the broom!” Hunter said and took off like a shot.

Tyler plugged the charger into a wall socket and the other end into the cart. We checked the charger, which we should’ve done first, and, happily, it was working.

“We’re going to have new wheels!” I said.

“Can I drive it?” Tyler said.

“Are you sixteen years of age and in possession of a driver’s permit or a valid license?”

“Guess not, huh?”

“Guess not,” I said.

Hunter returned with the broom and I swept all the sand from the floor of the golf cart in the front and in the back, while Tyler and Hunter wiped down everything else and disposed of the used paper towels. We stood back to admire the fine work we had done.

“Good job, boys! There’s a playground in your immediate future!”

Just as we had the day before and as we would for every day it wasn’t raining, we walked to the playground, the boys sprinting the last half block or so, and I watched them while they used the swings and sliding board and chased each other all over the place. Someone came with a basketball and of course they began to shoot baskets.