I flop down on the sofa after yet another shopping trip and groan into the cushions. It was two days before our holiday, and already we were in trouble. Well, Wendy was. We always seem to get into trouble, my Aunt Grace says- 'one, the other or both!' she would exclaim. Now I can see why she says that.
"Well, don't start complaining." Wendy tells me sternly as she trails in behind me with armfuls of shopping bags. "You said we needed to go clothes shopping today."
"Yes, but I'm not the one who's overdrawn on their credit card, am I?" I ask crossly.
"Alright, so maybe I overdid it a little bit." She tells me. "Look, I'll ask my parents for a loan. No biggie."
I sigh in exasperation. Wendy is so impossible sometimes! I wish she wasn't one for buying so many clothes- that's her in debt for the third time now. Her dad will fly over here and send her to live in Denmark or London, no doubt.
"You do know the bank isn't going to be pleased, right?" I ask her.
"Oh stop worrying! Come on, I can see you need to chill. Why don't I cook tonight?"
"That would be great." I tell her. "I'm dying for lasagne."
"Lucky for you, I've been working on...oh drat, I just realised I printed a casserole recipe off the computer this morning."
"Are you kidding me?" I groan.
"Hey, relax, kiddo, it sounds promising." She winks at me and disappears into the kitchen. I wish she would stop calling me kiddo. I mean, I've nothing against friendly nicknames, but I'm only younger than her by nearly three weeks!
...
Sometime later, I am shaken awake by a gentle hand on my shoulder.
"Is dinner ready, Mom?" I asked her groggily, only to be met with a laugh.
"No Dana, I'm not your dear mother. It's me, Wendy. But yes, dinner is served." She continued cackling as I sheepishly realised my mistake.
"Sorry, Wendy," I apologise, feeling very silly for calling my BFF/ roommate my mom. Who does that?
"Man that was the best!" Wendy cheered gleefully.
"You have no shame do you?" I ask.
"By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes." She proclaimed in a droll voice, moving towards me, and I laugh, throwing a cushion at her.
The casserole, though not what I was hoping for, was excellent- vegetarian sausages (Wendy's a vegetarian, and I eat very little meat), apples and peppers in some sort of sauce. It was really nice. Out of the two of us, she's the one who can cook better than me because she's good under pressure and is an expert on gastronomic affairs, but I'm the one who's in charge of cleaning, as I'm practical, - and Wendy somehow messes up cleaning up shelves.
"I like this casserole." Wendy commented earnestly. "I was hoping to try something new."
"Well, thank you Wendy." I reply. "This is really yummy, even when I wanted lasagne."
"I'll tell you what; I'll make some lasagne for us both on Sodor-deal?"
"It's a deal." I concede, and we shake hands on our bargain.
"So, what do you plan to do after supper?" I ask her.
"Well, I was actually thinking we could play Scrabble." She replies.
"Why Scrabble?" I ask her.
"Well, we met because we joined up to compete in Scrabble against each other." My BFF reminds me with a wink. "Besides, we're just about sorted. We need to relax."
"You're right- we'll be going mental tomorrow." I sigh.
So we both vowed that the game of Scrabble would determine the Queen of the English Thesaurus. Wendy's idea, not mine, but I would never consider giving up my time with her for anything.