Our California Charm; Season One, Episode One:
Mandy Teslow headed quietly into her daughter's room, not at all surprised to see her curled up on the floor, fast asleep, clutching a raggedy teddy bear in her arms.
She smiled to herself as she carefully lifted Keely up off the floor and set the two-year-old onto the diaper changing table. Mandy quickly changed her daughter's diaper and carried her sleeping figure over to her "big girl" bed, not noticing the stuffed animal had fallen out of Keely's grasp and onto the hallway floor.
She kissed Keely's forehead softly. "Sweet dreams, precious." She was halfway out the door when the bed creaked and her toddler stirred in her sleep. A small, high-pitched whimper came from inside the bed. Sighing, Mandy headed back over to Keely. She was now sitting up, looking at her mother with tired eyes and a look on her face that said I'm about to cry. Seeing this, Mandy immediately scooped her up.
"What's the matter, pumpkin?" she whispered, rocking her back and forth in her arms.
"Mama," Keely said softly. "Where teddy?"
"Oh," she answered in realization. "I think I might just know where Teddy is, Keel. Want to come look?" Keely nodded and laid her head back down on her mother's shoulder. Mandy carried her in the hallway, the place where she predicted that the bear was. Sure enough, it was sprawled on center of the floor. Keely saw it right away.
Mandy felt her squirm in her arms, a sign that she wanted down. She obeyed and Keely toddled over to it and picked it up. Noticing the sun was up now, Mandy glanced at the clock down the hall.
"What?" She squinted to see it better. "Holy sh--" she stopped, remembering a young child was in the room. "…Shirley temples!" It was already 5:30 a.m., Monday morning. She was supposed to be in the shower right now, before heading to work at the Tipton. Keely, on the other hand, looked like she was about to fall asleep again, and Mandy felt guilty.
"Look, sweetie? Mommy has to go to work soon," Keely looked up. "You're going to spend the day with Mrs. Evans today."
Keely's ears perked up at the word "Evans". "'Pay? Wyan?" she asked hopefully.
"Yeah," Mandy said softly. "You're going to see Sharpay and Ryan." She poked Keely's nose playfully which made her smile. She jumped into the hot shower a few minutes later and after that, she got Keely dressed into a pink t-shirt, jean overalls, and to top it all off, two pigtails on either side of her head.
Mandy threw a few things into Keely's backpack and grabbed her car keys and purse, giving the room a once-over to make sure she wasn't missing anything. Satisfied, she took Keely by the hand to the car.
"Off we go…" Mandy began, knowing her daughter would finish the daily line.
"I'to the wild b'ue yondew!"
OnlyInCalifornia
Paris Evans was hastily trying to calm a crying Sharpay and talk to her sister, Diana, on the phone at the same time.
"Yes, that's fine, Di. You can bring her over whenever," she said. "What is it, Sharpay? No, it's just that she's crying and I don't know why. Yeah, I changed her a minute ago." She carried Sharpay over into the huge crib that she and Ryan shared. Ryan was happily sitting inside it, chewing on a fabric block. Seeing Ryan, Sharpay calmed down and wriggled around, wanting to be with her twin. "Never mind, she's okay. Okay, see you then!" She clicked the phone off and sighed.
"Ma-ma."
Paris smiled at her son. "Yes, that's me, Ry." She hesitantly walked out of the room, knowing that one of the twins would start crying as soon as she was out of sight, in fear that she would never return. Paris returned when Ryan started to cry.
She lifted him up and Sharpay began to cry also. She wanted to be the center of attention, always.
"David!" she yelled exasperatedly. A few seconds later, a groggy looking David stuck his head in the doorway.
"Yeah, Par?" he yawned.
"Can you help me with the kids?" He walked over and took Sharpay out of the crib. "Diana and Miley are coming over as soon as she drops Justin and Cali off at school. We're going to watch Miley and Keely today."
He chuckled. "Well, at least we have life insurance."
Paris smiled and shook her head jokingly. "I'll just go and get ready quickly. Just keep an eye on Shar and Ry right now."
He mock-saluted her. "Yes ma'am!"
About twenty minutes passed and it was now 6:30 a.m. Paris was now fully ready and was listing off the things that she needed to get done that day. "Okay, David? This is what we need to do today…" He nodded, Sharpay in his arms, slowly dozing off, and Ryan already asleep in his crib. "First, we have to baby-sit Miley and Keely today until the big surprise."
David looked confused. "What surprise?"
Paris playfully slapped him on the arm. "You know what it is already. Remember? We ALL, and I mean everybody, even the Martins, are going to Disneyland for the next week!"
"Oh yeah…now I remember!"
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, our plane leaves at six tonight, David."
"That's right…you have fun, guys."
He set Sharpay down in the crib also, now that she had fallen asleep. He began to walk away when Paris stopped him in his tracks.
"David. YOU'RE going too."
He stared. "I knew that!" Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the front door. It was loud enough for them to hear it, but quiet enough as to not awaken anybody from their slumber.
"Oh, that must be Mandy and Keely…" she trailed off and opened the door. "Hey, guys!" Keely rubbed her eyes.
"Hi, Paris. Please excuse Keel; she's a bit tired since she was sleeping in the car."
Paris waved at Keely. "Ah, that's alright. I understand. Now, are you ready for tonight yet?"
Mandy nodded. "Yes, I just finished packing this morning! I think this is so sweet, and the kids will love it. Thanks for inviting us!"
"No problem at all, anything for friends of ours!" They laughed silently as they saw Keely walk inside and lay down on the tiled floors, closing her eyes.
"Well, I'd better get going…thanks again for watching Keely today." Mandy said. "Oh yes, bye sweetums." She went over to Keely. Paris nodded and Mandy made her way towards her car.
"Bye, now!" Paris waved. She waved back, and Paris made her way back into the house. Once Mrs. Teslow was out of sight, she turned to Keely and gently touched her shoulder. "Keely, honey, do you want to take a nap?"
Keely opened one eye, nodded a bit, and yawned.
"Okay, dear." Paris lifted her up and placed her on the couch in the living room. She also stuck two chairs, their cushions to the couch, next to Keely so there wouldn't be anywhere where she could fall off.
"Alright, gotta finish packing for tonight…"
OnlyInCalifornia
Two and a half hours later, Keely blinked and finally woke up, fully energized. She looked to the side, and saw the twins happily playing in their playpen. Her face lit up.
"'Pay! Wyan!" She scrambled up from off the couch and walked over to them. Soon enough, they were playing happily, as if they had been for the past five hours. Keely had found a way to unlatch the door, and she sat next to the twins, having a grand old time.
The doorbell rang a few minutes later, and Paris ran to get it.
"Hello, Diana! Oh, and hello there, Miley! Come on in!"
"Thanks, but I really need to start packing, Par. I'd stay, but I really need to get going on that…I haven't started," Diana said, embarrassedly. Miley cooed and slipped away and shakily went over to where Sharpay, Ryan, and Keely were.
"Miley," Keely stated. "Hi." Miley smiled toothily. Seeing the fact that she was locked out of the playpen, she tried to bang on it, and failed. She began to cry.
Diana and Paris looked up. "Aw…there, there…" Paris soothed, placing Miley along with the other kids. "Wow, Di, I just wanted to say that Miley is walking really well for her age now!"
"Yeah, her pediatrician said that she should begin walking independently around 15 months, and that's about what she is now."
"That's great!"
"Yes it is," Diana looked at her watch. "Wow! Time flies! Well, I have got to get going, so I'll see you in a few hours then?"
"Okay,"
"Thanks again! Bye-bye Miles!"
"Bye-bye mama," Miley said.
"See you soon," Paris said, shutting the door after Diana left. "So, kids, what are we going to do today?" Silence. "Oh, right…what am I thinking? The kids are younger than two. Get a grip." She paused. "And now I'm talking to myself. I must be really losing it…" Her voice trailed off as she leaned back on the couch. "Or maybe it's because of stress. Yeah, that must be it. Stress…"
OnlyInCalifornia
"Hey, mommy, can we get a bulldozer?" Zack Martin said, dragging a miniature blue suitcase behind him. Cody also had one, but his was red.
"Nope, but we can go ahead and get in the car faster." It was about one o' clock in the afternoon and Carey had promised Mandy Teslow that she would meet her and the Evans' and Aarons' at 1:30. It was the two trips back up to the suite they lived in either because they left a stuffed dinosaur or a "blankey" up there.
"Okay, okay, fine."
The three of them made their way out the door. "Now, are you sure there isn't anything else you left? Zack?" He nodded. "Cody?"
"Yes." The car was now in sight on the far end of the parking lot. Carey was reaching for the keys when a voice perked up. The voice was a bit strained and urgent sounding.
"Mommy," Cody whined. "I…I have to go." Carey looked at him, and he was jumping up and down slightly.
She sighed. "Do you mean to Mrs. Teslow's house, like we're supposed to, or to the bathroom?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
"Potty."
Carey sighed again. "Okay, come on, we better hurry, though." They half-walked, half-jogged back towards the hotel. "Zack, you better go too, just in case."
"But I don't need to!"
"Doesn't matter."
"Okay, you win."
OnlyInCalifornia
Back at the Evans house, all of the kids were taking another short nap. They looked so peaceful together, especially the twins. You know, they were twins, so they were attached to one another in a state of being, a bit indescribable to the other people. Sharpay's arm was draped across her big brother's stomach, and both of their legs were slightly entwined. Actually, the sight was worth "aww"ing at.
Paris finally accomplished her packing. Their suitcases were lined up on the wall near the back door leading to the garage, a hint as to make David go ahead and load them into the back of their Hummer. Realizing that she had nothing more to do, Paris glanced at the clock on the microwave. It was 1:55 p.m. exactly. Mandy, Carey, and her kids were due to meet her around 2:30, and Diana was supposed to come around 3:15 with her kids.
"Time to watch Oprah."
A commercial about diet coke with lime was rolling when finally, only ten minutes late; the doorbell rang, indicating that Mandy and the Martins were here.
"Come in, the door's unlocked!" Paris shouted. In came whom she had expected.
"Hello again, Paris!" Carey embraced her friend and behind her, Zack and Cody were making faces at them.
"Cut the mush!" They yelled in unison. The adults chuckled.
"Hey, I'm glad you could make this trip! I-I mean, this business trip for work." Paris added, not wanting to spoil the surprise for any child who didn't know about it.
"I wouldn't miss it," Carey smiled.
"And same for me," said Mandy. "So, are you all packed?"
"Yes, actually. I just finished." A conversation was interrupted by several small cries coming from the younger kids. Apparently, one had woken up, causing a chain-reaction.
"Mama?" Keely asked, rubbing her eyes and standing up. A smile spread across her face and she ran over to her mother, curling up in her arms. "I wet."
"I thought so…" Mandy said. "Par, could you excuse us for a moment? Somebody needs a new diaper."
"Sure thing! Go right ahead."
"Thanks." Soon enough, Diana rang the doorbell, bringing along Justin and Cali. The kids were awake now, and Paris brought in microwavable toddler foods for the young ones.
"The gang's all here!" David came down the stairs announcing that he was ready, passports, tickets, and all. Everyone agreed on that thing. "Alright, how about we grab a bite to eat, and then head out to the airport?"
"WE CALL MCDONALDS!" Zack and Cody hollered. The adults laughed, but agreed in the end. They loaded up the cars, one Hummer and a caravan, just enough for all of them to fit, and drove off to the fast food restaurant. All fourteen of them, because they are all friends. They may be a bit scattered at times, but at times like these, when everybody is brought together, everything seems right. Their vacation was just beginning. As the cars left the parking lot and headed towards the airport, everybody sensed a great time ahead.
END OF EPISODE