No new developments, so I still don't own The OC.
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"Hand over ten dollars," Amy said as she opened her car door.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Anna looked at her. "Why?"
"Because my freaking car doesn't run on air and gas doesn't pay for itself. So come on, fork it over," she said with her hand out-stretched.
"Hmm... o.k.? How come you never think of this when I'm driving?"
"Hey, maybe it's not important to you, but come on, Anna, I'm broke -hand it over," she demanded.
Anna reached into her purse and got the money. "You didn't seem so broke yesterday, buying two Kate Spade bags," she said, slapping the money into her palm.
Amy smiled and got out of the car. She shut the door and looked in, "Anna, those were necessities - get your priorities straight."
Summer in Pittsburgh could be pretty boring so to fill up their day, Anna and Amy were going to an art fair about thirty minutes away. Amy, being the very responsible person she was, was flirting with an empty gas tank, so they'd pulled into the station to get some gas.
As Anna was waiting for Amy to fill her tank, she spotted a familiar face.
"Charlie," she called out.
A girl looked at her and waved. Anna got out of her car and approached her.
"Hey, Charlie, what's going on?"
"Hi, Anna, it's nice to see you. It's been a while," she said, still pumping gas into her car.
"So, what's new? I'm back for good," Anna informed her.
"Yes, I heard." For some inexplicable reason, there was something strained in the conversation and Anna couldn't understand why there was. Charlie had been a school mate and even though they weren't great friends, they'd always been friendly and caught up with one another whenever they had the chance, so Anna found the tension a little odd.
"So, what else is new?" Anna repeated.
"Oh, this and that," she said vaguely.
"Hmm... o.k. That's Amy of there," Anna pointed out.
They waved at one another. They said their good-byes and Anna got back into the car.
"That was odd," Anna said once she got back to the car.
"What?"
"Charlie. We'd always been cool, but suddenly she was acting like she didn't want to talk to me. Maybe it's because we haven't seen each other for a while," she said, trying to come up with excuses to make sense of the situation.
"No, that's not it," Amy said confidently.
"Then, what?"
"It's her new boyfriend."
"Who?"
"You know, Winston."
Anna was in shock, "Winston and Charlie? You're kidding me."
"No, I'm not."
"How could that have happened? As far as I knew, other than seeing her at some parties he went to with me, they wouldn't have had any interaction."
"Well, I don't know the story, but they're together now."
"Wow," Anna said, then fell silent.
Amy studied her, "you're o.k. with it, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Anna said a little too quickly. "I just would never have predicted that. Charlie and Winton."
"Well, I for one, am glad."
"Why?" Anna asked curiously.
"Because, " Amy started, keeping her eyes on the road, "Winston was in a really bad shape when you broke up with him and she helped him move on."
Anna thought about it for a moment. "Interesting."
"Yeah."
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"Anna, get in here!" Her mother shouted the minute she got back home.
"Mom, where are you?"
"I'm in the laundry room."
Anna went there and saw her mother holding up her dirty laundry.
"What's this Anna?" she scolded.
"The cleaning lady is supposed to take care of them. She said she'll do them the next time she comes over."
Her mother frowned at her, "is this how lazy you've become Anna?"
"Mom, what's going on?"
"Is it a huge deal to just put your clothes in the washer and pour detergent? Does that take so much time out of your day? Does it? Does it? Tell me Anna, does it?"
Anna didn't say anything. She knew that when her mother got like this, something else was bothering her.
"Look," her mother demonstrated, "all you have to do is...take the clothes," she grabbed some clothes from the basket, "stuff them in the machines, add some detergent and Voila!" Anna ran to her and stopped her just before she pressed the 'start' button. In her anger, her mother hadn't separated the clothes and Anna didn't want to turn her white shirts grey.
"Leave it to me, Mom. I'll take care of it right now."
Her mom left and Anna did her laundry.
When the clothes were in the wash, Anna knocked at her mother's door.
"Come in." Her mother was sorting out some documents on her bed.
"Mom, is everything o.k.?"
"What do you mean?"
She sat on the bed.
"Mom, what's going on?"
Her mom looked at her kindly. "Don't worry, it's nothing for you to worry about."
"Mom, remember, it's you and me together in this world, if it's about me, I need to know about it. If it's about you, I still need to know."
Her mother, smiled. "Whose the parent here?" Anna smiled back. "Anna, seriously, don't worry, o.k.? Mom's got everything under control."
Anna wasn't giving up so easily. "Is it Dad?"
Her mother's eyes turned cold. "Anna..."
"No, Mom, if Dad is being difficult, tell me, let me talk to him."
Her mother sat next to her. "There's nothing you can do."
"What is it? Is it money? We can manage mom."
"You are not going to 'manage.' Your father is going to support you. There's nothing to worry about there."
"Then, what is it?"
"It's the house."
"What about it?"
"Your father wants to sell it."
Anna jumped off the bed. "He can't sell it! Where would we live?"
"We could move into a smaller house... it IS a little big for just two of us."
"No, Mom. I am going to be leaving for college soon, what's the point in moving now?"
"Well, that's what I told your father."
"And what did he say to that?"
"He says that if I don't sell it, I am going to have to buy it from him."
"What the fuck?"
Her mother frowned at her, "Anna, watch your language!"
"I'm sorry, Mom. But he wants you to buy the house? Can he do that?"
"I don't think so. I went to see a lawyer today - I can't go to Mr. DeWitt anymore, because he's your father's lawyer. Anyway, it's being looked into. At times like this, I wish we lived in California because it would be considered community property. But because it's in your father's name and was bought before we got married, there are some issues."
Anna laid down on the bed. She'd thought that leaving California would make her life easier and now she was no longer so sure.
-----------------
"Hand over ten dollars," Amy said as she opened her car door.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Anna looked at her. "Why?"
"Because my freaking car doesn't run on air and gas doesn't pay for itself. So come on, fork it over," she said with her hand out-stretched.
"Hmm... o.k.? How come you never think of this when I'm driving?"
"Hey, maybe it's not important to you, but come on, Anna, I'm broke -hand it over," she demanded.
Anna reached into her purse and got the money. "You didn't seem so broke yesterday, buying two Kate Spade bags," she said, slapping the money into her palm.
Amy smiled and got out of the car. She shut the door and looked in, "Anna, those were necessities - get your priorities straight."
Summer in Pittsburgh could be pretty boring so to fill up their day, Anna and Amy were going to an art fair about thirty minutes away. Amy, being the very responsible person she was, was flirting with an empty gas tank, so they'd pulled into the station to get some gas.
As Anna was waiting for Amy to fill her tank, she spotted a familiar face.
"Charlie," she called out.
A girl looked at her and waved. Anna got out of her car and approached her.
"Hey, Charlie, what's going on?"
"Hi, Anna, it's nice to see you. It's been a while," she said, still pumping gas into her car.
"So, what's new? I'm back for good," Anna informed her.
"Yes, I heard." For some inexplicable reason, there was something strained in the conversation and Anna couldn't understand why there was. Charlie had been a school mate and even though they weren't great friends, they'd always been friendly and caught up with one another whenever they had the chance, so Anna found the tension a little odd.
"So, what else is new?" Anna repeated.
"Oh, this and that," she said vaguely.
"Hmm... o.k. That's Amy of there," Anna pointed out.
They waved at one another. They said their good-byes and Anna got back into the car.
"That was odd," Anna said once she got back to the car.
"What?"
"Charlie. We'd always been cool, but suddenly she was acting like she didn't want to talk to me. Maybe it's because we haven't seen each other for a while," she said, trying to come up with excuses to make sense of the situation.
"No, that's not it," Amy said confidently.
"Then, what?"
"It's her new boyfriend."
"Who?"
"You know, Winston."
Anna was in shock, "Winston and Charlie? You're kidding me."
"No, I'm not."
"How could that have happened? As far as I knew, other than seeing her at some parties he went to with me, they wouldn't have had any interaction."
"Well, I don't know the story, but they're together now."
"Wow," Anna said, then fell silent.
Amy studied her, "you're o.k. with it, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Anna said a little too quickly. "I just would never have predicted that. Charlie and Winton."
"Well, I for one, am glad."
"Why?" Anna asked curiously.
"Because, " Amy started, keeping her eyes on the road, "Winston was in a really bad shape when you broke up with him and she helped him move on."
Anna thought about it for a moment. "Interesting."
"Yeah."
--------
"Anna, get in here!" Her mother shouted the minute she got back home.
"Mom, where are you?"
"I'm in the laundry room."
Anna went there and saw her mother holding up her dirty laundry.
"What's this Anna?" she scolded.
"The cleaning lady is supposed to take care of them. She said she'll do them the next time she comes over."
Her mother frowned at her, "is this how lazy you've become Anna?"
"Mom, what's going on?"
"Is it a huge deal to just put your clothes in the washer and pour detergent? Does that take so much time out of your day? Does it? Does it? Tell me Anna, does it?"
Anna didn't say anything. She knew that when her mother got like this, something else was bothering her.
"Look," her mother demonstrated, "all you have to do is...take the clothes," she grabbed some clothes from the basket, "stuff them in the machines, add some detergent and Voila!" Anna ran to her and stopped her just before she pressed the 'start' button. In her anger, her mother hadn't separated the clothes and Anna didn't want to turn her white shirts grey.
"Leave it to me, Mom. I'll take care of it right now."
Her mom left and Anna did her laundry.
When the clothes were in the wash, Anna knocked at her mother's door.
"Come in." Her mother was sorting out some documents on her bed.
"Mom, is everything o.k.?"
"What do you mean?"
She sat on the bed.
"Mom, what's going on?"
Her mom looked at her kindly. "Don't worry, it's nothing for you to worry about."
"Mom, remember, it's you and me together in this world, if it's about me, I need to know about it. If it's about you, I still need to know."
Her mother, smiled. "Whose the parent here?" Anna smiled back. "Anna, seriously, don't worry, o.k.? Mom's got everything under control."
Anna wasn't giving up so easily. "Is it Dad?"
Her mother's eyes turned cold. "Anna..."
"No, Mom, if Dad is being difficult, tell me, let me talk to him."
Her mother sat next to her. "There's nothing you can do."
"What is it? Is it money? We can manage mom."
"You are not going to 'manage.' Your father is going to support you. There's nothing to worry about there."
"Then, what is it?"
"It's the house."
"What about it?"
"Your father wants to sell it."
Anna jumped off the bed. "He can't sell it! Where would we live?"
"We could move into a smaller house... it IS a little big for just two of us."
"No, Mom. I am going to be leaving for college soon, what's the point in moving now?"
"Well, that's what I told your father."
"And what did he say to that?"
"He says that if I don't sell it, I am going to have to buy it from him."
"What the fuck?"
Her mother frowned at her, "Anna, watch your language!"
"I'm sorry, Mom. But he wants you to buy the house? Can he do that?"
"I don't think so. I went to see a lawyer today - I can't go to Mr. DeWitt anymore, because he's your father's lawyer. Anyway, it's being looked into. At times like this, I wish we lived in California because it would be considered community property. But because it's in your father's name and was bought before we got married, there are some issues."
Anna laid down on the bed. She'd thought that leaving California would make her life easier and now she was no longer so sure.