Standing Up to Life

Chapter 23:

I DRAGGED MYSELF out of bed at 9am the next morning. I got in the shower and Mom helped me do my hair when I got out, since I wasn't quite sure how to take care of this new style. I then helped Mom pack for all of us. I was so excited about leaving tomorrow – it was going to be my first time ever on a plane! Mom helped guide me to keep from packing too much stuff for the trip – I really wanted to take plenty of options, but she limited me to just taking two extra shirts, shorts, and one pair of extra jeans.

I also spent some of the morning packing my backpack – it was going with me on the plane – with different things. I had my Game Boy, several games, a couple books, a Barbie (I told them no one else would see it!), a coloring book Mom had bought me along with some crayons. She had bought two of the coloring books – one for me and one for Amy.

Dad had taken the day off so that he could help out with stuff and found plenty of things to do until lunch. We finished packing about 12:30 and sat down together to eat some cheese crisps (melted cheese on a tortilla in a skillet with butter 'crisping' the bottom,) when the door bell rang. I was the first to get up and walk to the door and found the photographer standing there.

"Who is it Tiff?" My mom called.

"It's the photographer," I replied.

She came out and took care of paying for the prints that we had ordered (they had managed to get the Hancocks to let them do that.) We then looked through the stack and Mom said, "Joe, we should take some of these with us today for your parents."

What? I thought to myself... Take them with us... when were they going to tell me we were going over to their house?

"We're going over to Grandma and Grandpa's?" I asked.

"We have to drop the dog off sweetie."

"But do they know..." I stammered.

"Yes they do, and while your Grandfather is going to take a little while to bring around..." she said clearly hesitating before continuing, "your Grandmother is anxious to see you." She finished. I was a little concerned with the way she put that – it did not inspire confidence.

"Umm... So... You're sure?" I asked

"Sweetie, you'll be fine. Your grandparents will love you no matter who you are." My dad said soothingly. I think they were both rightfully reading that I was on the brink of a freak out here.

"Okay then... When are we leaving?" I asked.

"Thirty minutes?" She looked at my dad.

"How about sooner?" He asked back.

I decided to put my foot down at that point. "I've been packing all morning, there is absolutely no way I can look good in less than thirty!" I told him.

"Look good? You look great now." Dad told me.

"Just look at me! My hair is a mess! And I'm not going to let Grandma and Grandpa meet Tiffany in shorts and a t-shirt!" I went on for a few minutes before I saw Mom raise an eyebrow at me. "Sorry... I'm just a bit nervous." I told him.

"It's okay. Go ahead and get ready and we'll leave then, okay?" He answered soothingly. Boy things had changed the past few weeks... Before last Saturday I probably would have had my rear-end blistered for that outburst...

"Thank you Daddy," I said and hugged him before running to my room. I decided to wear a sundress we had bought Monday that I hadn't worn yet. Once I had that on I put on a pair of sandals and went into the bathroom. That morning had caused my hair to have a mind of it's own in certain spots. I worked on fixing all of those spots to make things perfect.