California

Chapter Four

I spent so much time worrying about how it would be in LA that I didn't really take into consideration how excruciatingly boring it would be to actually move there. We had to start packing as soon as Nana left and dad brought up from the car these fold-out cardboard boxes that were a bitch to assemble. A lot of tape and craftsmanship went into that activity, and I almost bailed out ten times. Mom was the one who convinced me to keep at it.

"Do you really want dad to put away your stuff?" She said, and I was instantly convinced.

Dad did his best to be an organized, neat guy but he usually failed miserably at such a task.

I spent the rest of that cloudy, white afternoon arranging my belongings into categories and later on sorting them inside the boxes which my dad piled up in the living room. The furniture would be transferred on the subsequent weeks, so all we really had to do was pack things like books, decoration, electronics, etc. Like I said: boring.

In my room, while browsing through this old photo album, I came across some old pictures of me and the girls. It was our second year at middle school, and Emma had already turned our dynamic duo into a trio. In one picture, we were immersed in a three-way hug, braids and braces, facing the first day of classes. In the other, we were wearing these ugly red caps and tees from the school camp our parents forced us to go. It turned out to be super fun, with the exception of Todd Cornwall, who told us the freakiest ghost story ever. We weren't able to sleep, so we spent the next day hanging out in our tents instead of playing dodgeball or something. Those were good times.

I took a picture of the photos and sent it to the girls on the group chat. They replied in no time with all the laughing face and heart emojis that could fit in a screen. I smiled, and decided to hang around just a bit longer reminiscing on days gone by. Sort of depressing, but I found it therapeutic. 

"Liv, are you done in there?" Yelled my mom from the living room.

I glanced over at the alarm clock beside my bed and realized I had lost track of time.

"Almost!" I lied, tossing all of the albums into one separate box I labelled memories.

Packing the rest was easy. Just a whole bunch of books I had to read for senior year, the decor I had lying around and literally anything else I wanted to bring along. Surprisingly, at the end of the day I was the one with the fewest boxes.

"Nicely done, honey." Said dad, setting my stuff against the wall.

"So, what now?" I asked.

"Now we wait. Tomorrow comes the van I rented out and they'll take these boxes. Then, on Tuesday morning we set sail for California."

I rolled my eyes.

"What? Am I not Jack Sparrow-y enough to say that?"

My mom laughed, and though I tried I couldn't hold back a smile. They were goofs, but that was the kind of thing I loved about their relationship. I wished I could find someone that made me feel like that someday.

"Well, what's for dinner?" Asked mom, making herself comfortable on the couch with a nice glass of wine.

"Liv, look up that food ordering app you have," said dad, pouring himself a glass. "How do you guys feel about Chinese?"

The food came in no time and we all ate while watching a cool Netflix show mom insisted we checked out. I looked at them and felt good, knowing that at least I wouldn't have to leave them behind. I wouldn't be all alone after all.

℘

Tuesday came in the blink of an eye and suddenly I found myself saying goodbye to Seattle. I didn't know when I'd be back, and though I initially thought I'd be devastated to see the Space Needle in the distance, I actually felt this chill run through my body. It was not because of the weather, since it was summer and over 80 degrees outside - it was more like a mixture of nostalgia and excitement. Maybe I was starting to look at this whole California affair with a more positive attitude.