Being the Youngest

We were in the kitchen--Boss was revisiting his idea to take the Greyhound to Atlanta for a rap concert...Then he moved onto could his friend come over after school.  Me, "No, I'm not going to be here  I've got to go get food for Caroline for tomorrow night."  Chris, "Yep, no one is to be here without Mama or me being home."  Boss, "How about we go to the grocery store for you?"  While I was thinking how this was probably going to end up costing me far more than I wanted it to, I was also thinking I could have an afternoon at home--I've worked five straight days where I didn't get home before 9 pm.  "Sure," I said.  "That'll work."  I handed him the list.  Just then Caroline walked in and said, "Oh tomorrow after the get together."  Me, "You mean the get together that we're not calling a party because I told you no party but yet there are 20 freshmen coming to my house tomorrow?"  Caroline, "There are not 20 coming; there's only 18."  Oh of course THAT makes it a get together not a party.

"Anyway," Caroline continued, "Toree and Rachel are going to spend the night."  "Okay." I responded.  Boss jumped up, "What?  Are you kidding me.? I would never have gotten away with just telling you people were going to spend the night when I was a freshmen.  Wednesday night you come home to find Maria here and you just hugged her.  That would never happen with my friends."  (I absolutely would hug them and do but some of them might think it's creepy so I do try to control myself.)  But he did have a point about Caroline's communication...

Wednesday night I arrived home at 10 pm and Chris asked, "Did you know Maria was coming?"  "Maria's here?" I asked.  Maria is Caroline's best friend from Bowling Green and there is a history of her showing up...  But I love that girl so I bounded up the stairs to Caroline's room and gave her a big hug. Caroline's friends LIKE me to hug them.   Caroline, "Did I forget to tell you again Maria was coming?"  "Yeah you did," I said, "And what's she going to do tomorrow when you go to school?" Caroline, "Oh I've got that covered; I already talked to Mr. Behr (head of the upper school)."  Glad someone gets clued into what 's going on at my house.

But back to Boss.."That is not true," I responded, "You know your friends are always welcome here." "No I'm serious," Boss continued not responding to my response because he was in the zone of the explaining the preferential treatment of the youngest and probably not able to hear me. "She just hands you a list of food she wants for a party that's not a party (glad he got that right) and you just do it.  Caroline, you think it sucks being the youngest but you get all privileges."  It did cross my mind that I should remind him I HATE that word, but he was in the zone and so he continued, "Name one thing that sucks (That word again!) about being the youngest and don't say something stupid like 'everyone else gets to drive first' because you will get to drive." "Well," I finally found something to say that may break the zone barrier, "She may get her license but at the rate you're going she'll have nothing to drive.  Everything will be totaled by then."  Boss, "Okay that may be the one bad part of being the youngest."