One day during class, she finally decided to ask the girl how she did it. Lara was only too happy to show her, and they were pretty much inseparable the rest of college.
Ally always felt such a sense of nostalgia and joy when she remembered her carefree years as college student.
She had initially selected History as her major, since it was something she was endlessly interested in. Luckily enough, by the time she was a sophomore, her college advisor was kind enough to show her the starting salaries of various majors.
Ally’s mother’s declining health meant she would be on her own soon enough and she immediately switched to Computer Science, the top-paying field at the time.
Now, one hand on her luggage, the other raised in greeting, she walked towards the mini van that was stopped in the designated pick-up area.
“Riley, pick that up for your sister and she’ll stop crying,” she heard as she approached the van. Even with the windows rolled up, her best friend’s voice was still audible.
She waited a few seconds before tapping lightly on the widow with her knuckles, hoping the noise didn’t startle everyone.
“Thank you honey,” Ally heard, before Lara turned around and looked out her window. She beamed and hurriedly undid her seat belt as she reached for the door handle. “Hey big city girl!” her friend exclaimed jumping from the car and throwing her arms around her. “Let me help you with your bags.”
“No, don’t worry, I’ve just got one. Pop the trunk and I’ll throw it in.”
Ally went to the rear of the car, peeking inside the widows at her adorable five year old godson and brand new goddaughter.
This would be her first time meeting Charlotte since she was born six months earlier. Another reason for this visit since she would get to do so while she was still a baby. Something her schedule hadn’t allowed five years ago when Riley was born.
When Lara and her husband eventually did make a trip with Riley to Boston he was already walking by the time Ally got to meet him.
Opening the trunk, Ally hesitated when she saw the mountain of toys, fresh diapers and what appeared to be trash, piled almost as high as the back of the seat.
“Just throw it anywhere, don’t worry - nothing back there is important,” Lara called back and Ally followed her friend’s instructions and hoisted the suitcase up and onto the shortest pile of the debris, once again laying her dress neatly over the top of it.
“Aunt Ally!” Riley squealed once she’d settled in to the passenger seat. It took her a few minutes to situate her feet since the floor was also littered with food wrappers.
“There you are honey. Riley you are even more handsome than the last time I saw you.”
“Can I play some games on your phone?”
Lara swiped her outstretched hand past her neck, the universal gesture for ‘do that and I’ll kill you.’
“Sorry bud, my phone’s almost dead. I need to charge it.” That was actually the truth though. Ally glanced down at screen and saw she was now at 10%. Bummer.
Another downside of the different airline - there were usually charging stations in the armrests of her usual. But this one had been basic and without frills - to say the least.
“We are having a tech free Christmas,” Lara supplied.
“Sounds like fun,” Ally said, with as much sarcasm as possible.
“We want to spend the holidays connecting as a family without all these distractions. And it’s not good for developing young brains to be so overly stimulated.”
“Poor kids. My mom certainly never limited mine, and look how I turned out.”
“Exactly, a cautionary tale.”
Ally laughed and moved aside empty juice boxes on the car’s console in an attempt to locate a phone charger.
“Lara you have got to be kidding me…” she said, holding up the end of the adapter.
“What?”
“Your phone must be at least two years old if you still use this to charge it.”
“Like I have time to keep track of how old my phone is. It still works, so why would I buy a new one?”
