Daily Ramblings

Aug 16 HH 683 words

"Its here!" Carey shouted as she watched a big white truck lumber down the road. She, along with Dad and Mom, had been anxiously awaiting its arrival. They had been sleeping on air mattresses, eating fast food, and watching movies on their portable DVD player. Which was fine, and great for camping, and fun now and then. But since they had been on the road for most of the month, all three of them were mighty happy to see that truck arrive.
"Beds!" Dad sighed, as he remembered just how comfortable their big bed was.
"Dishes!" Mom said with a laugh.
"Toys!" Carey added. Mom laughed at that.
"Between two cars, you havent' have enough to occupy you for the last three weeks?"
"Well...different toys." Carey responded. "Hey, the truck came from Washington. I wonder if Brooke and Erin came with it!"
The little girl was joking, and Mom and Dad knew it. Of course the girls hadn't driven across the country in the back of a moving van. Still, Mom's heart hurt for Carey, knowing how much she was missing her friends.
"Boscow residence, I'm guessing," the truck driver said as he jumped down from the cab. As they all nodded, he continued. "Its not uncommon for families to be waiting in the driveway for us. Let me guess....you guys are jumping for joy at sleeping on real mattresses tonight, right?"
The smiles of the three Boscow's answered for them. When they heard the back of the truck slide open, their smiles turned into full-fledged grins.
"Alright, Carey, we've got lots and lots of work to do, and I don't want you getting tripped over. How about you climb up in the back of the car, and read or draw for a while? That way, the movers won't have to worry about where you are," Dad suggested.
Carey wasn't all that thrilled about Dad's idea. Seemed pretty boring, actually. Hadn't she been in the car reading and drawing for the last three weeks? Carey didn't think that was fair. Just as she opened her mouth to object, she was stopped by someone's voice.
"She can come play at my house, if that's ok."
Mom looked down the driveway, sure that there hadn't been anyone standing there just two minutes ago. Slowly walking around the truck was a petite little girl about Carey's age. With dark brown hair in a ponytail, a sprinkling of freckles across her nose, and a growing tan, she looked like she lived in the sun.
"Uh, well..." Mom hesitated, knowing how shy Carey could be at times. Not only that, Mom was always cautious about new people, until she got to know them better.
"My name is Katie," the newcomer said. "I live across the street. What's your name?"
"I'm Carey. We just drove across the country. I came from Washington State," she gushed, full of excitement.
Mom and Dad looked on, a bit in shock, at Carey's overflow of information. She was normally a bit more reserved.
"Can I Dad, Mom, please? Can I please go play with Katie? She lives right over there!"
Mom hesitated a bit, even though she was so glad that Carey already had someone to play with.
"Tell you what, I'll offer you a compromise. I don't know Katie's parents yet, and Dad and I have to stay here during the unloading. How 'bout if you two play together in the front yard, under the big tree? That way, you'll be out of the way of the movers, and you can play in the shade. Carey, you can tell Katie all about the trip, and Katie can tell you all about South Carolina. You can bring out your dolls if you want. And, you can figure out the best place for our hammock. What do you think?"
Two pairs of eyes shone back at her, and the two girls barely blinked before they were racing over to the shade of the tree. Soon, two heads stuck together conspiratorily, and girlish giggles could be heard above the sounds of the movers.