“ Hi, Cathy. How you doin, hon?”

“ I’m fine. Thanks for asking, Ms. Benson. Is Charley home?” Cathy Simpson asked.

“ Yea, she’s somewhere around here. Do you want to talk to her?” Cathy bit her lips. She wanted to talk to Charley, but she also didn’t want to listen to Charley’s grumble and complain while she told her the bad news. God knew that girl had a tongue that would put the meanest cowboy in the west to shame. Cathy nodded her head, but then remembered that Ms. Benson couldn’t see her and said, “ Yes, thank you.” Cathy tapped her nails against her dresser while she waited for Ms. Benson to give the phone to Charley. She was in her room, it was the same as the time when she had decorated it when she was in 2nd grade. She smiled at the memory. She remembered arguing with her mom on which wall paper to put on. Cathy wanted to design her walls with different patterns on every I/4 of the walls but her mom, dismissed her as a bratty seven year old who wouldn’t stick to her decisions. But in the end, Cathy had won.

“Yo, wass up cat?” Charley’s playful voice brought back Cathy to the present.

“Hi, CB what you doin?”

“Oh, I finished my homework early so I was helping dad with the car parts. What ’bout you?” Charley’s voice sounded muffled. Cathy inwardly grinned she knew Charley probably had a wad of gum in her mouth.

“Nothin, I was just ’bout to……’bout to go take a shower after dinner. But then I remembered that I hadn’t finished my math homework so I decided to call my best, best best best friend who will be willing and nice enough to share her answers,” Cathy said unwilling to tell Charley that her parents were moving.

“ HahaHaHa!! Very funny!!! Since when does the math genius start asking me for answers?” Charley asked curiously.

Cathy took a deep breath and gathered up enough courage to say what she really called Charley for, “ Since the math genius doesn’t have time but to pack.”

“Pack? Pack for what? Are you guys going on a camping trip?”

“No CB we’re not going on a trip I….I mean we’re moving away. My dad got a job in a lawyer firm as the vise president. We’re moving to California”

“What? Why? How come? Wait, don’t tell me I’m coming over to your house right now. And believe me, Simpson, if you’re lying to me then you better be ready for what’s to come at you,” Charley grumbled and then slammed the phone.

Cathy let out a sigh. D***it, she cursed herself. Maybe I should have just gone over there and saved myself an angry nutcase. Cathy thought as she let out another sigh. She got up and looked at the clock. It was 9:56 PM. D***it, she cursed at herself again. She should have known that nothing would stop her nutcase friend even the time she had chosen her self thinking that the late time could put off Charley’s rampage.

“Hey, are you done talking to Charley?” Her mom said as she put her in her head into check on her. Cathy nodded her head. “ Good, I’m sure a sensible girl like Charley will understand your situation. So, baby are you done packing?”

“ Ugh. No. I still have lots to pack and I wanted to ask where to get the extra bags?” Cathy replied.

“ Oh, your father and brother just got them out of the attic . I think they’re cleaning them right know,” her mother said.

“ Mom, we’re not selling the house ,right? We can come back here when ever we want during vacation, right?” Cathy asked her mother as she turned to go.

Her mother turned around and said,” of course, baby. Your father and I would never think of selling this house where you kids have spent more then, not then half of your life.”

“Thanks mom. I feel much better now and did you just say that Jackie’s here?”

“ Yes, your father told him the news and asked him to come down here and help,” her mother said as she shut the door behind her when she left.

Cathy waited for Charley outside on their porch. When Charley finally arrived, it took all of Cathy’s energy to stop her from making a scene in front of her parents. After Cathy again explained why she was moving to Charley a couple of times she and Charley went looking for snacks. When they got to the kitchen they saw her big brother ( Frank Nathan aged /24. Freshly out of college and working to make his company the best in the engineering market) chunking down a big bag of Cheetos down his throat.

Cathy and Charley looked at each other then raised their ’brows at Frank. Who just raised his own ’brows in response and continued to finish the bag. When he finally swallowed the remaining Cheetos he said, “ Well, they were going to be wasted and I was hungry besides you’re going to tell me you, skinny beans, would dare to gain some weight? No, well that’s what I thought. Besides I’m a man and men don’t gain waight it’s the women.”

“ That’s so sexiest on so many levels,” Charley said with her brows furrowed in a frown.

“ No, that’s thinking reasonably now, would either of you like to prove me wrong by expecting my challenge of who could eat the most peanut butter out of a jar.” Cathy knew that Frank was personally goading Charley since he knew that I would never fall into his stupid challenges. Before Cathy could stop Charley from falling for Frank’s trap Charley foolishly expected her more stupider brothers challenge.

“ Bring it on, bucko. Let me tell you it’s people like you who are the bad apple of humanity. Seriously, people like you with negative thoughts should be terminated,” Charley said in her animated voice.

After Charley won the challenge she and Cathy went back to the porch and talked for the rest of the night. The next day when it was Cathy’s time to leave they both promised to stay in touch through internet and phone. They also promised to come visit each other during vacation. While Frank promised to always think Charley as his arch nemesis in the act of negative thought and eating more food then allowed of him. They all hugged and shared contact information and Cathy waved to Charley all the way down to the place where she lost sight of her.