MYRTLE BEACH, SC—Growing more and more anxious as their trip nears its end, members of the Mosshart family confided to reporters Friday they have felt increasingly on edge knowing their vacation has gone by without a single blowout fight between them.
According to reports, Greg and Linda Mosshart, along with their children, Olivia and Danny, have shared a small hotel suite in Myrtle Beach for almost a week and have become more tense with each passing day. The four family members have reportedly eaten all their meals together, engaged in all the same recreational activities, and spent nearly every waking hour in one another’s company, a situation they each independently confirmed had led to a steady increase in stress and aggravation, but which, they noted, had yet to devolve into an explosive altercation.
Family sources stated that given their accumulated frustrations and ongoing close contact with one another, a major blowup was expected at any moment.
“It’s kind of weird, but Dad has barely yelled at any of us since we got here,” said Danny, 16, explaining that the family has had a few arguments here and there, but nothing that has spiraled into the kind of intense, drawn-out shouting match they have typically experienced by this point in previous trips. “No one’s really thrown a fit at all. Maybe it’ll happen tomorrow morning when we’re trying to load up the car quickly so we can get to the airport on time. I don’t know. It’s gotta be just a matter of time, though.”
“I keep watching everybody and wondering who’s going to be the first to completely flip their shit,” he added. “Honestly, I have no idea how Mom hasn’t broken down in tears yet.”
Family members went on to speculate that the anticipated outburst of hostility could well occur during tomorrow’s 45-minute drive to the rental car return facility, or even sooner given tonight’s plans for dinner at a popular and typically crowded restaurant. If there is a long wait for a table, if either of the children complains about the menu, or if one of the parents becomes agitated by how much the meal winds up costing, it is widely believed all hell will break lose.
The Mossharts further acknowledged that the relative peace they are experiencing is so tenuous that even a single sarcastic remark or a word muttered under someone’s breath could be the flashpoint that makes everyone erupt into a flurry of name-calling, accusations, and loud public theatrics.
“I was sure it was going to happen the first day when we spent half an hour looking for a parking spot by the boardwalk,” said Olivia, 15, recalling how her father, who was driving the car, cursed and pounded on the steering wheel after accidentally passing by an available space that was quickly taken by another vehicle. “He got really annoyed and told us to turn off the radio, even though he was the one who put it on in the first place. Things were looking pretty bad, but everyone calmed down when he found another spot a few blocks away. I think that was the closest call we’ve had.”
According to reports, the family’s sense of imminent dread is the result of past vacations that have always featured prominent explosions of temper, among them a camping trip last summer in which Olivia capped a protracted tantrum by screaming “I hate you” at her mother before storming off to sulk in the car, and an excursion to the Grand Canyon during which Danny whined that he was bored, causing Greg to slam on the brakes, pull over, and admonish everyone for not appreciating how much time and money had been spent on the vacation.
While the Mossharts admitted it was possible the beach trip could go by without anyone flying off the handle, the children observed that it isn’t likely considering how upset their mother became yesterday when she tried unsuccessfully to cajole and motivate her husband and kids to walk the half mile down to the pier to take a family photo together. After the suggestion was repeatedly rebuffed, reports indicate she went so far as to purse her lips and say, “You know…” before stopping herself, a sentence everyone assumed would be finished by the time the trip was over.
“It might happen when I have to wake the kids up early tomorrow, or maybe when we all go through security at the airport, but I can almost guarantee that someone’s going to have a meltdown, and probably a pretty dramatic one at this point,” said Linda, who cringed when discussing how unbearable the next morning will likely be given that no one has begun to pack. “We have to make it to the airport by 5:30 in the morning and then we’ll all be waiting around in the terminal together. Christ, I just hope the flight’s not delayed.”
At press time, each of the family members conceded that if they somehow managed to make it through the vacation without a major blowout, they would simply take their simmering, combustible resentment home with them.