Chapter 1 – Home again
This is a short story about Tammy, a college freshman returning home for spring break. She is 5’ 4” slender with long red hair. She is the youngest of 3 children. Her best friend Sara 5’6” with shoulder length brown hair lives across the street. They have had a secret crush on each other for years and Sara was always jealous of Tammy’s little problem growing up. The events take place during her spring break.
“Finally,” Tammy said to herself as she pulls unto the driveway. The three hour drive home is finally at an end and she can officially begin her break. She brings her bags in from her car and takes them into her room. Exhausted from her trip she decides to take a nap,
“Knock, knock,” Tammy’s mom shouts playfully poking her head into the room to roust her daughter from her nap.
“Hi, mom,” replies Tammy getting up to give her mom a hug.
“How is school sweetie?”
“Tiring, I think I may sleep the whole week.”
“Well before you slip into a week long coma I need your help. Your father is having a new air conditioner and furnace installed next week and I want you to go through the boxes that are piled up in the basement since most of it is your stuff.”
“Alright I’ll do it after dinner Sara is coming over and she can help me.”
“Sure thing, dinner will be ready in a few.”
Chapter 2
After dinner Tammy conned Sara into helping her sort through her stuff. Sara accompanied her Tammy to the basement to begin looking through the boxes from her childhood. Tammy opened the first box and dumped the contents on the floor
“Ok we can use this box to put anything you want to keep in this box and the rest can go into these bags” Sara offered helpfully.
“I don’t know if I can condense this all down to one box”
“This stuff has been collecting dust down here for years I’m sure you can live without most of it.”
Tammy rolled her eyes and began sorting through the pile. The first box contained some of her stuffed animals many of which had seen better days. She picked out a teddy bear her aunt gave her when she was little and “Mr. Turtle” a stuffed turtle she slept with as a child and placed them in the box while Sara placed the remaining ones in the garbage sacks.
The next box was filled with old school work and drawings. Tammy the papers her and picked out a few sentimental masterpieces to preserve for her mom before discarding the rest and moving onto box number three.
“Wow my Cabbage Patch Dolls I almost forgot I had these,” Tammy said reaching in to get one out.
“I remember the day when your bed was covered with them it took 10 minutes to take them off at night and put them back on in the morning.” Sara teased.
“You are just jealous of how awesome I was.” Tammy fired back playfully.
“You know me so well. Why did you ever take them out?” Sara asked.
“It just seemed like the right thing to do when I got to High School.” Tammy answered.
“You should put a few up on a shelf or something” Sara suggested.
Tammy begins pulling out the dolls one by one and looking them over surprised that she could still remember most of their names. As she picks up Ariel, a red haired girl wearing a little mermaid shirt and a size 1 Luvs diaper with Barney on it, she realizes something isn’t right.
“Gross there were mice in here,” she said showing Sara the telltale droppings that were clinging to Ariel’s hair.
“Eww gross. Well guess that solves the question of what to do with them.” Sara said opening a garbage bag and placing it under Ariel. Tammy did not move and Sara noticed tears beginning to build in Tammy’s eyes. “Don’t cry we can try washing them” she offered hoping to cheer up her friend.
“No it’s ok” Tammy answered sniffling slightly, “I am an adult now and they are disgusting time to throw them away.” As Tammy finished her sentence she let go of Ariel and the cute redhead landed in the open garbage bag.
Sara held open the trash sack while Tammy puts the mouse infested dolls in it. She says goodbye to them one by one as she drops them in the garbage bag. Her mom, checking on their progress, convinces her to keep her first doll Sandra a brunette with blue eyes and also Alyson who was a gift from her grandmother. The remaining 21 fill 3 garbage bags.
The next box contains her care bears. Tammy saves a Funshine bear and Love a lot and bags up the rest.
They go through two more boxes of dolls and stuffed animals saving a few sentimental items and filling 6 more garbage bags. Tammy opens another box and looks puzzled.
“Mom why did you keep these?” her face turning red as she holds up a package of goodnites.
“I don’t know honey when you stopped wetting the bed I just stored them in case you needed them again. Fortunately you never did.”
Sara had a smirk on her face but stayed quiet not wanted to embarrass her friend.
Tammy put the partially open bag of goodnites along with two more unopened ones in a bag and tied it shut. The rest of the box had some old sheets to a bed she no longer owned. Finally finished going through the boxes, Tammy sat back and surveyed their accomplishment. Six boxes sorted through 16 bags to throw away and one box of sentimental items to wash and save.
“Good job. Now let’s get these bags out to the alley.”
Sara, Tammy, and her mom began hauling the bags two at a time out back for pickup tomorrow. Slowly but surely the pile of bags began to pile up until finally Tammy dropped bags fifteen and sixteen on top of the pile. She looked at the pile then said “wow that sure is a big pile.”
“Yeah you sure had a lot of stuff” Sara answered
Tammy lingered surveying the bagged up remains of her childhood. She went over each bag again and making a mental note of the contents stuffed animals, school work, cabbage patch dolls, her hand stopped when she reached the bag of goodnites she quickly realized Sara was looking at her and said “I am going inside are you coming.”
“I’ll be right in I need to get something from my car,” replied Sara.
Once Tammy was out of sight she untied the bag and pulled out one of the goodnites. She surveyed it remembering how Tammy had to wear one each night until she was 14. A flood of memories came rushing back to her she was always jealous of Tammy. She put two goodnites in her pocket and went back inside.
This is a short story about Tammy, a college freshman returning home for spring break. She is 5’ 4” slender with long red hair. She is the youngest of 3 children. Her best friend Sara 5’6” with shoulder length brown hair lives across the street. They have had a secret crush on each other for years and Sara was always jealous of Tammy’s little problem growing up. The events take place during her spring break.
“Finally,” Tammy said to herself as she pulls unto the driveway. The three hour drive home is finally at an end and she can officially begin her break. She brings her bags in from her car and takes them into her room. Exhausted from her trip she decides to take a nap,
“Knock, knock,” Tammy’s mom shouts playfully poking her head into the room to roust her daughter from her nap.
“Hi, mom,” replies Tammy getting up to give her mom a hug.
“How is school sweetie?”
“Tiring, I think I may sleep the whole week.”
“Well before you slip into a week long coma I need your help. Your father is having a new air conditioner and furnace installed next week and I want you to go through the boxes that are piled up in the basement since most of it is your stuff.”
“Alright I’ll do it after dinner Sara is coming over and she can help me.”
“Sure thing, dinner will be ready in a few.”
Chapter 2
After dinner Tammy conned Sara into helping her sort through her stuff. Sara accompanied her Tammy to the basement to begin looking through the boxes from her childhood. Tammy opened the first box and dumped the contents on the floor
“Ok we can use this box to put anything you want to keep in this box and the rest can go into these bags” Sara offered helpfully.
“I don’t know if I can condense this all down to one box”
“This stuff has been collecting dust down here for years I’m sure you can live without most of it.”
Tammy rolled her eyes and began sorting through the pile. The first box contained some of her stuffed animals many of which had seen better days. She picked out a teddy bear her aunt gave her when she was little and “Mr. Turtle” a stuffed turtle she slept with as a child and placed them in the box while Sara placed the remaining ones in the garbage sacks.
The next box was filled with old school work and drawings. Tammy the papers her and picked out a few sentimental masterpieces to preserve for her mom before discarding the rest and moving onto box number three.
“Wow my Cabbage Patch Dolls I almost forgot I had these,” Tammy said reaching in to get one out.
“I remember the day when your bed was covered with them it took 10 minutes to take them off at night and put them back on in the morning.” Sara teased.
“You are just jealous of how awesome I was.” Tammy fired back playfully.
“You know me so well. Why did you ever take them out?” Sara asked.
“It just seemed like the right thing to do when I got to High School.” Tammy answered.
“You should put a few up on a shelf or something” Sara suggested.
Tammy begins pulling out the dolls one by one and looking them over surprised that she could still remember most of their names. As she picks up Ariel, a red haired girl wearing a little mermaid shirt and a size 1 Luvs diaper with Barney on it, she realizes something isn’t right.
“Gross there were mice in here,” she said showing Sara the telltale droppings that were clinging to Ariel’s hair.
“Eww gross. Well guess that solves the question of what to do with them.” Sara said opening a garbage bag and placing it under Ariel. Tammy did not move and Sara noticed tears beginning to build in Tammy’s eyes. “Don’t cry we can try washing them” she offered hoping to cheer up her friend.
“No it’s ok” Tammy answered sniffling slightly, “I am an adult now and they are disgusting time to throw them away.” As Tammy finished her sentence she let go of Ariel and the cute redhead landed in the open garbage bag.
Sara held open the trash sack while Tammy puts the mouse infested dolls in it. She says goodbye to them one by one as she drops them in the garbage bag. Her mom, checking on their progress, convinces her to keep her first doll Sandra a brunette with blue eyes and also Alyson who was a gift from her grandmother. The remaining 21 fill 3 garbage bags.
The next box contains her care bears. Tammy saves a Funshine bear and Love a lot and bags up the rest.
They go through two more boxes of dolls and stuffed animals saving a few sentimental items and filling 6 more garbage bags. Tammy opens another box and looks puzzled.
“Mom why did you keep these?” her face turning red as she holds up a package of goodnites.
“I don’t know honey when you stopped wetting the bed I just stored them in case you needed them again. Fortunately you never did.”
Sara had a smirk on her face but stayed quiet not wanted to embarrass her friend.
Tammy put the partially open bag of goodnites along with two more unopened ones in a bag and tied it shut. The rest of the box had some old sheets to a bed she no longer owned. Finally finished going through the boxes, Tammy sat back and surveyed their accomplishment. Six boxes sorted through 16 bags to throw away and one box of sentimental items to wash and save.
“Good job. Now let’s get these bags out to the alley.”
Sara, Tammy, and her mom began hauling the bags two at a time out back for pickup tomorrow. Slowly but surely the pile of bags began to pile up until finally Tammy dropped bags fifteen and sixteen on top of the pile. She looked at the pile then said “wow that sure is a big pile.”
“Yeah you sure had a lot of stuff” Sara answered
Tammy lingered surveying the bagged up remains of her childhood. She went over each bag again and making a mental note of the contents stuffed animals, school work, cabbage patch dolls, her hand stopped when she reached the bag of goodnites she quickly realized Sara was looking at her and said “I am going inside are you coming.”
“I’ll be right in I need to get something from my car,” replied Sara.
Once Tammy was out of sight she untied the bag and pulled out one of the goodnites. She surveyed it remembering how Tammy had to wear one each night until she was 14. A flood of memories came rushing back to her she was always jealous of Tammy. She put two goodnites in her pocket and went back inside.
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