Francine (1): Prepare for event (2)

Moving Day

The kids were running circles around the empty living room. I could hear my husband yell at them to get their acts together—their rooms were still certifiable disaster areas, and we were threatening them to leave their toys and things behind if they didn't do their part. With the warning fully in place, three sets of footsteps thumped up the stairs. The youngest took more time, but that was to be expected. The poor guy was only four and we were making them all move.

My husband found me in the master bedroom's closet folding up t-shirts as small as I could. He took plastic hangers off the rack and shoved them into a plastic bag.

He sighed heavily, "I still don't know about all this."

"You're not the only one. Mom has called me a dozen times about tomorrow. She can't believe we're leaving the city," I said, looking up to him, "What does your mom say? I haven't heard from her."

"She's giving me the silent treatment until I come to my senses," he replied, putting the plastic bag with the hangers into another plastic bag before tossing them into a nearby box labeled MASTER CLOSET. Part of me hoped that would be the box to get lost. Half of the contents were his old high school clothes he didn't want to throw out, clothes I didn't want to be reminded of.

Rattles shook his head, "My step-father offered us some help, but I told him we'd hired movers. He still thinks he's 100% even after those surgeries. If Mom or him asks you, the movers did a great job with everything."

Except we were the movers, us and our friends. My mom was going to take the kids that night so that when the truck arrived at six-thirty, the lot of us could start loading boxes. Rattles was certified to drive a truck, so he'd lead the way across the country down to Missouri, where we decided to settle (not that we had much choice). Rattles lost his job, and mine was moving us. Missouri seemed like the safe bet.

Another argument broke out upstairs. I sighed and stood up from my spot. Rattles didn't argue with me as I stormed upstairs, "I WILL LEAVE EVERYTHING BEHIND! GET TO WORK!" I thundered, smashing through the playroom door as loudly yet as carefully as I could. I found all three kids looking up at me with wide eyes.

I sighed heavily, "You can't stop this by choosing not to work."

"But we don't want to go!" the middle one cried.

"What about my friends?!" the oldest yelled.

"I WANT A PUPPY!" the youngest wailed.

I sat down between them, "You'll make new friends where we're going, and the weather will be better. It's already spring there, so it won't be as cold. I already checked. And we can finally look into getting a dog once your daddy finds work," I smiled.

"I don't WANT new friends! I want my OLD friends! They'll never remember me if we leave now, and I want to be remembered. I want a best friend," the oldest said firmly.

"And you'll have a best friend, and no, they won't forget you," I said, shaking my head, "There was a girl who only went to school with me for third grade. Her parents worked around the world, so she left over the summer never to be seen again. I never forgot her. As soon as the internet became a bigger thing, I looked her up on social media and found her. We've been online friends ever since," I said.

"You're lying!" the oldest declared.

I laughed and pulled out my phone, "Do you remember that business trip I went to in California? I brought you back the surf board ornament you always loved for the tree."

"Yeah," she muttered.

I turned my phone around to show off the picture, "That's Sue Ellen helping me pick them out. I met up with her while I was there, and any time I travel, I ask her where she is so we can meet up. We never stopped being friends just because she moved away."

"But is she your BEST friend? I want a BEST friend!" the oldest cried.

I shook my head, "No, your Aunt Muffy is my best friend. I'm leaving her behind, you know? She'll come by tonight with your Uncle Buster to help move furniture, but she can't come with us. She won't even be able to visit until after the baby is born."

"We don't even get to meet it!" the middle one cried.

I nodded. That was the hardest part about this move. Muffy was due in a month, but I had to go now if I wanted to maintain my benefits and keep getting paid, and we needed money. If it wasn't for a housing credit, Rattles and I wouldn't be able to move at all, and then we'd both be looking for jobs.

But the kids didn't need to know that. I stood up, "Alright, no more crying. Back to work, okay? You're going to have pizza with your nana tonight. Don't you want pizza with Nana…and video games with Papa?"

That got them motivated. They got back to work in their individual rooms, so I returned to the master bedroom. I made sure our packed bags were still okay before folding up the bed sheets as tight as I could. Rattles appeared out of the bathroom with gallon-sized Ziploc bags filled with toiletries. He bagged them inside another plastic bag before putting them into a box just labeled MASTER BATHROOM.

"I can't believe we're almost done. The kitchen and living room are packed into the garage, and the truck is almost here. We're getting there," Rattles smiled.

"I feel like the kids though. They won't stop crying about the move, and I can't do it in front of them, but I want to cry too," I whispered, shaking my head, "I've never been anywhere else."

"Me neither, Babe," he said, pulling me into his arms, "and I never thought I would, but I can't get work here. You found work in Missouri, and I've already got some interviews lined up. We'll both be breadwinners soon."

"But we don't know anybody in Missouri," I cried, burying my head into his chest and letting the tears come. After such a stressful few weeks, I really needed the release.

When I was done with the worst of it, he held me tight and sighed, "We'll find our new people, okay? I'll meet some guys at work, and you'll meet some hopefully decent mom friends. It'll be great. And the kids will meet people too, all three of the little brats, otherwise we'll sell them to the circus like we did their older brother," he grinned.

I laughed and pulled away, getting myself together so we could get back to work. We were finishing up now, and once the boxes were filled, the kids were dressed and my mom was called. My parents took them back to their house, and then the truck arrived. They parked it on the street, and then the real work began.

Rattles and I did a few trips before his friends got there, then they started packing without any nonsense. When Buster arrived with his buddies, we created an assembly line from the garage to the truck, each person passing their box to the next while a very pregnant Muffy waited inside on the couch.

But soon we had to load the furniture. We were leaving the beds and some of the other heavier things, but the custom sectional was coming with us, as were some toolboxes and other heavy things.

I joined Muffy inside on the master bed, the two of us watching as the men got everything where it needed to go.

I touched her belly, "I can't believe I won't get to meet him until next Christmas."

"Oh stop that," Muffy huffed, swatting me away, "You'll meet him soon enough, and I'll bombard you with pictures. It's like you'll be here."

"But I won't be here, and you're going to need me, you know? I've had three and this is your first. It's scary. I should be there with you," I said firmly.

Muffy sighed, "Well, things just happen sometimes, okay?" Muffy said, heading to the bathroom.

I lay back on the bed and listened as the cold ones appeared, the men cracking open cans and standing outside in the cold while they drank. I wanted to join them, but I couldn't make myself get up. Muffy came back and lay down with me as best as she could, her giant belly bobbing as she tried and failed numerous positions. She finally sighed and stood back up again.

Except it wasn't a comfort issue. She pulled my hand and snatched me up, waddling ahead of me as she pulled me outside without a word. We stopped in front of the guys, which got their attention pretty fast. Buster pulled me towards Rattles before standing beside his wife.

Muffy sighed, "Well I didn't want to say anything yet, but I figured if I don't say something, Francine is going to have a category three temper tantrum," Muffy said, squeezing Buster's hand, "I can't do it, okay? I just can't watch you go and let you leave my life. We're coming with you."

"What?" I cried.

Buster nodded, "My company has an office there, and she's on maternity leave for a while anyway, so she decided just to quit or whatever—"

"I'll be working remotely until my due date, then I'm quitting. They'll never see it coming," she winked.

"But—"

"Don't worry about us, Francine. You're right. I can't have this baby without you, and I can't let you just leave us after all these years. We're coming with you and it's official. I already signed on a house. It's furnished and ready for us as we speak. It's up the road from yours," Muffy said, but I could tell she was lying. I could always tell when she was lying.

I gasped, "You're right next door?!"

"What? How did you—?" Rattles started, but he knew better than to say too much. We squealed and hugged, walking together back into the now empty house. Rattles and I made one last pass, but then it was time to go. Friends started to leave, except for Buster and Muffy. They wouldn't be able to follow us exactly because of Muffy's much-needed bathroom breaks, but they'd be along the next day when they could.

After packing our final bags, Rattles went out to the truck. While he drove to a rest stop by the highway, I picked up the kids from my parents. After forced potty breaks, we hit the road, meeting up with Rattles and following him onto the highway. Muffy and Buster were an hour ahead of us for a while, but that quickly changed as her breaks became too frequent. Rattles and I intended to drive through the night, and that's exactly what we did, arriving in Missouri the next morning.

As Muffy promised, the house next door was ready and waiting for them. They arrived the next afternoon with gifts for the kids, and things were going fine. They wouldn't be normal for a while, and I knew the kids would still have their moments, but having Muffy by my side was going to make things so much better. Life was going well.

~End

A/N: Piece 33 of 100 for my 10x10 Challenge. I'm doing this challenge as my NaNo2018 project, but you guys can join me too. The themes are on my profile, and if you have any questions, you can shoot me a PM. Keep in mind that you don't have to do the challenge in a month unless you want to. Just please let me know when your responses are posted so I can read them.