Once we were in the car we both burst out laughing. "Oh my gosh you almost got taken advantage of by my mother." I said gagging through my laughter. "I know, how creepy." He said. "But i can see where you get your looks." Carter said winking. I smacked his arm. "Ew that is so not funny." I said. In the scuffle i had managed to take the photo album with me. I'd need proof. When we were back at the hotel i googled Jack Odonald. His bio said he had no kids. "Hey this is great." Said Rosie. "He's like everybody's favorite dad. So he's gotta be a good dude." She said. "You'd think, but it could just all be an act." I said. "And if it is you threaten to ruin him. You tell him give up the goods or you go to the tabloids." Zyler said. "You think that'd work?" I asked. I wasn't one for playing dirty.

                    "Heck yea it would. How would they react if Americas dad has two kids that he ignored it would ruin his reputation and he'd never get another acting gig again! It's pure genius!" Zyler said doing his best evil laugh. "Maybe, but i have no idea what he'll say." I said considering both possibilities.

                        I clicked on another link. "Guys look at this." I pointed. My dad was doing a movie in California, hollywood of course. "Date my dad." I read. "There's a huge movie Premiere at the end of the week. We could make it." I said. "And lay the smack on him right there. He can't ignore you." Zyler said. "Actually you should have him sign one of those photos in that book. That'll get his attention real fast." Said Rosie. "Aha i like the way you guys think." I said.

                      We cleaned up the room, got loaded up and checked out. Carter and i sat in the back and Let Rosie and Zyler take that days shifts. It said California was about thirty hours a way. It was now one o'clock and we had just left. We stopped once for a meal. Twice for the bathroom and once for gas. We drove ten hours. Stopping at the Oklahoma Texas line. There was a good deal on a hotel so we checked in.

                     "I think pizza sounds good. There's a pizza hut across the street we could go eat there?" Zyler suggested. "I need a hot shower, i need to wash off the day y'all go head." I said. "Well we can bring a pizza back." Rosie said. "Okay thanks guys." I nodded. I sat my bag on the bed and jumped in the shower. The hot water felt amazing.

                   My head was so confused. Jack Odonald was my father. I knew him. Everybody knew him. He played in several big movies and in One Love, that tv show ran ten seasons. It was a mix of Seventh Heaven and full house. I have to say Carter was right. If i had to pick a dad i'd pick him. Only thing was he was my dad and he wasn't a good one.

                   He, like my mother, never called, never visited, never sent birthday or christmas cards. He was absent. He never even sent money and i'm sure he was worth millions. That made me mad, but not because i needed the money but because my grandparents didn't have money to be raising two growing kids. And had he helped it would've been great.

                     I guess i felt if my dad was going to not be around it was the least he could do. But then again i didn't really want his money. Any of it. But i would settle for a kidney. I finally shut the water off pulling the last drops from my long hair. I wrapped in a towel and walked out of the room. I jumped and almost dropped my towel. "I thought you were going with them." I said pulling my towel tighter around me.

                         "Well i started to but then i realized we'd all need showers. So that i could go now while they got the pizza then they could go when we got done eating." I said. "Oh that's a good idea." I said. I noticed carter's eyes on me longer then they should be. It made me nervous. "Well i'll just get changed." I said grabbing my bag. "Okay." I came out in my pajamas. He gave me an apologetic smile. "I'm really sorry about earlier." He said.

                   "It's okay, but you know. It's been a really long time since i've been with a man." I said keeping a straight face. "Oh, i see. And you want some of this?" He pulled his shirt off throwing it on the bed. "Because you know i play sports." He said his voice getting husky. Okay what was that? This had never gone there before with any of us. We agreed back in junior high that it wouldn't. It would just be to...weird. While yes we were joking we also seemed not so jokey.

                  He cleared his throat. "I'm gonna go before they get back." And what? Catch us? We weren't doing anything anyways. Okay maybe he just meant before they saw him period. But my mind had already gone so there oh well. I turned on the tv and blankly stared at the it. I heard a noise and looked up to see Carter coming out of the shower. He hair was dripping onto his bare chest. He rubbed the towel through his hair a few times. I bit my lip.

                 My mother was right about one thing. The guy had nice abs. He was wearing a pair of plaid pants. Rosie and Zyler knocked on the door. Carter quickly let them in. "We come bearing gifts." Said Zyler bowing down. "Good, i'm starved. "I also snagged a few drinks from the cooler." Said Rosie. We took a seat on our beds and scarfed it down.

                      The next day it was Carter and mines turn to drive. We'd made it almost to the end of Arizona. "This heat though seriously. It's so dry i've already gotten two nose bleeds." Said Rosie holding a napkin to her face. "I don't know i like it better then all of the humidity i think." I said nodding.

                 "Well i don't know about you guys but the pool is calling my name. We said we'd have some fun on this trip and we've yet to do it." Said Carter. "Well i didn't bring my bathing suit." Rosie muffled. "Neither did i, but i say we just go in our clothes." I said. "Can we do that?" She asked. "I don't see why not." I laughed.

                  We got our stuff unloaded and grabbed a few towels. "Now the trick is to just jump without touching the water first." Said Zyler. He looked to Carter. "Right?" "Totally, the only way to do it." Carter agreed. I ran back and jumped. "Okay you actually did that." Zyler said as i surfaced. "Um yea because you two would throw us in. I'm not stupid." I said. Rosie ran backwards and jumped as well before they could throw her.

                   Once we were all in we stayed in one area. The pool wasn't overly crowded and it was late. "This feels weird." I said. "What does?" Asked Rosie. "This, it almost feels normal. I mean shouldn't i be doing something more life affirming?" I asked. "Not at all because you are not going to die." Carter said matter of factly. "You don't know that." I said. "First of all i do, because i know everything. Plan B or C is gonna work and we're gonna make this work." He said.

                       "If the carnival idea even works." I said. "And why wouldn't it, we are awesome." Said Zyler. "I know, but what if nobody shows?" I asked. "Well half the neighbors on your block have already rsvp'd." Said Rosie. "Really?" I asked. "Yea, everybody loves you. People want to help you. You just have to let them." I was kind of surprised but then when i really thought about it i kind of wasn't.

                   The bakers: Tim, becky and Judd. Tim was my softball coach for years. Becky my third grade teacher. And i used to babysit Judd. The longs. Anita and Joe. Anita always had fresh baked cookies. When Reba and i rode our bikes by her house she always invited us inside. And Joe always gave us whatever change he had lying around. They were an older couple, but nice.

                            The wongs: Ling and mo. There two kids. Kwan and Mitchi. they owned a Chinese restaurant. So when we had block parties we all ate well. The Masons. It was just Kelsey Mason. She never married and was in her fifties she was really cool. She ran a thrift store. She had to have cats. She said if people wanted to call her a crazy cat lady she'd better make it true. I loved her flamingos she always had in her yard. She hand painted them each their own unique pattern.

                    The clouses: Greta, Armando and there four kids. Leonardo who i briefly dated in the tenth grade. Calisto. Ruby and Arnesto. They always did the best decorations for halloween. Armando worked at a grocery store with his wife Greta.

                    So my neighbors were the best all around but i was impartial. I was touched they had offered to show up. Because i really wasn't sure my dad would give me a kidney. I thought he'd say something arrogant like "I don't have time, bug somebody else." And honestly i was only asking him to get tested. Who knows maybe he wasn't a match either. It was unlikely but i didn't want to set myself up for a fall.

                     "Look you're making the water sad, can you just trust us?" Zyler asked. "Guys i'm trying to really i am but i am a realist and..." "What you have things to plan? Like dying? Look you can't plan that. It'll happen when it happens. So why not just let go and let God." Said Rosie. "I've tried but i'm so worried." I said. "First of all if anybody should be worried it's us. You're gonna die and you'll be at peace but we'll be here without you." Carter said. He quickly wiped at his face. I saw but didn't call him out on it.

                   I swam over and wrapped him in a hug. "Thank you." Rosie and Zyler joined in. Then i started crying, and well once i start i have trouble stopping. They were right, if i was going to die then i was just going to do it. You couldn't plan anything. Well aside from the funeral but maybe that's kind of weird.