We read in the Readings That King Felipe "has interrupted his private vacation with his wife and daughters for important reasons." The "private vacation" thing has always seemed extraordinary to me, because it means they're taking it "publicly," that it's just a show. Pretending to "take a vacation," sailing in a boat, dressing in local white, going to dinner somewhere neither expensive nor cheap, seems, in itself, wonderful. But on top of that, they're taking other vacations, which are "private." And the important reason why Felipe has interrupted his private vacations is the fires. It seems that the monarch "has been in contact" with some regional presidents "to find out the degree of damage caused by the various fires that are terribly ravaging" his kingdom. It seems like a gesture of monarchical responsibility, but that's not the only way I see it.
Many of the citizens who only take "private vacations" act like King Felipe. They're at the campsite, in the apartment, or in the RV with their family, and suddenly they get a call from work: there's an emergency, and only he can handle it. He's terribly sorry, so he gets in the car and heads toward the city. It's too bad, he'll miss the family lunch. He says goodbye to his daughters and wife, as well as his mother, who had come to visit. Since he left very early to avoid lines, he has a light breakfast on the way. He gets home, puts on his shorts, and sorts out the issue he could have resolved at the campsite. He thinks about whether he's going to cook a fish or eat well. Afterward, he'll have a cocktail and take a nap.
He'll call home to say he's finished work now and might stay the night. His wife and daughters tell him yes, they'll take the car tomorrow, that the road is scary now. They're playing bingo on the tent trailer, and they don't miss him either.
