I still look at my docs and just sigh deciding what to work on next. Good thing I had a few sentences to just add to this one! I always figured Claudia's parents knew about Nancy Drew books and the candy so I wrote about it.
Enjoy!
Claudia Lynn's Kishi's bedroom. It had been her part of her life for as long as she could remember. It was the headquarters for the Baby-Sitters Club. It had been her art studio. Her hiding place for candy. Her parents kept it just like it was all throughout college and her semester in Paris. And now she was leaving it. For a brownstone in Brooklyn, New York City. After two years at Stoneybrook University and two years at an art college Claudia Kishi was officially out on her own. She had a job lined up in the city and while her parents welcomed her to stay, her college friend Amanda needed a roommate.
"This feels like it's the end of an era," said Rioko, wiping her eyes. "I'm glad that you let us help you pack. It feels like yesterday I brought you home from the hospital."
"Oh mom," said Claudia, feeling her own eyes well up with tears. While she was never particularly close to her parents when she was a teenager, she was definitely closer to them while she was at Stoneybrook U.
They heard a light thud behind them to see her father dropping Lowes and Home Depot boxes on the floor. Claudia took a deep breath looking around her room debating where to start.
"I have a present for you," said Rioko with a wrapped book in her hand.
Claudia grinned and opened it. Once the wrapping paper was peeled back completely she felt a tingle run down her spin and a slight head rush. In her hands was a book titled Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her.
She paused at the title and saw her mother giving her a small knowing nod at her.
"Claudia I knew by banning stuff that you want to do what we'd tell you not to do," said Rioko with a mini snort because she and Peaches were like that when they were children. "The Nancy Drew books, especially when you checked them out of the library, were easy to find. I figured that you'd really like this when you get a chance to sit down once you're settled in. I wrote something in the back."
"Oh mom," said Claudia, throwing the book on her bed and then her arms around her. Rioko hugged her back. She was going to miss having her youngest away from home.
"While we're confessing I knew about the snacks," admitted John with a sigh looking up from the box of painting supplies he was packing. "Well at least the chocolate, the smell is hard to hide the Nerds and the others do surprise me."
"You guys are way smarter than I give you credit for," said Claudia with a sigh. "If it helps at all I did have to stop buying the candy once I realized I went up a pant size and wasn't losing weight." She patted her size 16 jeans with a dejected look on her face. She didn't mind being a 16 at all but so many of her pants were going to have to be made into something else. Then perked up at the new craft opportunities that came with it. Especially since Mary Anne and Mrs. Towne had shown her how to sew properly. She fantasizes briefly about that before packing up some of the art books into a box labeled books.
"Your metabolism finally caught up to you?" said John. "The reason why we didn't buy this stuff and told you girls not to eat it is because I once had a problem with it."
"I don't think taco night helped you either john," said Rioko with a pointed look since taco night was his idea. "Claudia you're a teenage girl and you needed space. It's natural to think that your parents are dorky and you don't want to spend time with us."
"I never said dorky," said Claudia defensively sighing and gazed at the picture of Mimi and her on the wall. "I'm only an hour away now and you can drop by whenever you want - just give me a call."
"And we will gladly visit you just like we visit Janine," said John hugging her and holding her shoulder tightly. "Give me that candy corn you had hidden away though, I love it."
"You know that could have been in my room since I was thirteen."
He shrugged and took the bag anyway. Claudia and Rioko just laughed and grabbed a box to finish packing, it was going to take all afternoon.
