Moving to a Familiar Place

Tallulah knows that moving to a bigger home is a good thing—but it’s still hard to say goodbye

My sister and I lived in a small yellow house with a bright-blue door. The roof was white and so was the porch. The stairs were a bland tan, but I actually liked them a lot because they were familiar.

Delilah (she’s my sister) and I shared a room. We only had enough space for a bunk bed and a dresser. I was on the top bunk and she was on the bottom. We each had sheets that were blue. Our bed was in the corner of the room, the corner closest to the big window. By “big” I mean “small,” but it was the biggest window we had ever seen. We had pictures of each other on the pretty purple walls. We loved our room.

Our parents’ room was next to ours. Our parents had a bed and two dressers and two small mirrors. A bigger mirror was hung on the door. Though it was still slightly bigger than our room, it was still small.

We had old-people neighbors, and none of us had a lot of money. The streets were mostly dirty, though once a year the street sweepers came in and did the top part of the street, leaving most of the street unkempt.

Only a week ago, we had found out that we were moving. My parents were really excited, but not me. Delilah was hopeful, but not me. This is what my mother said: “Tallulah? Haven’t you always wanted to live in a bigger house and go to a better school? This will be your chance!”

I suppose I had, but I didn’t want to leave my street. So I just shook my head up and down.

“You will have a bigger room and more space for things you like!” my father answered.

“But Dad, I don’t want to move! Aren’t we happy here?”

“Tallulah, your mother and I are bigger than you and Delilah. We need more room.”

“Hey, I want to go outside,” Delilah interrupted.

“Go outside with your sister, Tallulah.”

I grabbed her and darted out of the house. By the way, I am ten and Delilah is five. Outside, we played in the nice green grass. Imagine the prettiest blue dress you’ve ever seen; that’s what the sky looked like. I remember Delilah doing cartwheels across the grass. She begged me to play with her, so I did. After a while, my friend walked by and stayed with me.

“I heard you were moving.”

“Yeah.”

“Where are you going?”

“A town away.”

“Oh.” Delilah stopped doing cartwheels and sat down right in my friend’s lap.

“Hi, Gracie,” she said.

“Hi, Delilah! I’m gonna miss you and Tallulah a lot.”

“I know. I will miss you and Devon. Where is she?”

“Oh, she’s at my house. I can call her over.”

Devon was Gracie’s little sister; she was also five. Gracie ran down the street to get Devon; they only lived three houses down. Gracie eventually returned with Devon in her arms. No other kids lived on the street, so we were lucky that Gracie was my age and Devon was Delilah’s. Delilah played dolls with Devon, and Gracie and I played hopscotch. After a while, we all played tag, which was kind of hard since Delilah and Devon were so young.

“Oh no, you got me!” I yelled when Devon tapped my arm.

“Tallulah’s it!” Gracie called, running with my sister’s hand in hers.

Once our legs got wobbly and our breath was scarce, we went inside and my mom made us dinner.

*          *          *

Everything was pretty normal the rest of the week—just packing and such. But when the week was over our parents threw a big party, and our parents’ friends came over for dinner and so did mine and Delilah’s. Gracie and Devon were the first people there. Next came my friend Lena and her baby brother, Alan.

“Hi, Tallulah,” she said, hugging me.

“Hello, Tallulah! Hello, Delilah! We were very sad to hear that you were leaving,” Lena’s mom said, coming into our house. For some reason, when Delilah’s in the room, adults do that thing where they are very loud and they over-articulate.

Lena, Gracie, and I left together and went into the small backyard. Since our house was pretty small, the party leaked over into the backyard, front porch, and front yard. I thought it was a lot of fuss since we were only moving a town away, but I think our parents wanted us to leave on a happy note.

I don’t remember where Delilah went once all of her friends showed up, but my friends and I stayed in the backyard and played card games, and eventually we went inside and played Mario video games that my friends Luke and Livie (they are twins) brought.

“And Tallulah Ross takes the lead!”

*          *          *

“Come on, girls! Time to get up!” my dad is calling from downstairs. “We have got a lot of things to start moving!”

“Dad,” I ask, “how will we sleep there tonight?”

“We have a very special surprise.”

“Surprise?” Delilah asks, suddenly jumping up.

“Your mother and I purchased sleeping bags!”

The reason we are moving is that our dad got a new job and he gets paid much more money. It’s a good thing, I guess.

“You have got to be kidding me.” I slump back down into my bed.

“Come on, Tallulah. It will be fun to sleep on the floor of our new house.” Our dad shakes the bed, which makes me even more mad. I hop out of bed and hold my sister’s hand. I follow the smell of pancakes downstairs.

“That smells so yummy!”

“Thank you, Delilah!” my mom says as she picks my sister up.

As soon as we are done, she tells us to go and get dressed.

“Wear something comfortable!” she yells behind us.

“Tallulah, let’s wear matching.”

“Sure.” I smile. We put on black sweatpants and plain purple shirts and grey sweaters. I put Delilah’s hair in two French braids, which always makes her look adorable. Then I do the same to myself. We both have dirty-blonde hair and green eyes. We both put on sneakers and then go back downstairs with backpacks full of stuff. Then we get in the car. Before I step in, I step back and look toward the grass, then at the little yellow house. The old familiar house. Finally, I step into the car.

“Bye, Big Bird!” my sister and I call out.

“See ya, old friend!” my parents say. “We’ll be back soon to get more stuff, girls. Don’t worry.”

I smile, but tears are forming in my eyes as I watch.

The reason we are moving is that our dad got a new job and he gets paid much more money. It’s a good thing, I guess.

*          *          *

When we get to our new house, I am amazed.

“We must be rich!” I say, nudging my dad.

“I knew you would like it, Tallulah!”

“Delilah!” I grab her hand and we race into the house. “Whoah! Our room is so much bigger!”

“Our bed should go here.” She points to the corner near the window.

“Perfect,” I reply. “We should put the dresser here.” I point to the other side of the room. Dad says the movers won’t be here for another week.

For dinner we have pizza, and since we don’t have the TV yet, we watch Delilah sing.

“It’s raining,” I say, and Delilah breaks out into the song “It’s Raining, It’s Pouring.”

“Perfect night for a sleepover!” Dad yells with a clap. He grabs the blankets and sleeping bags, and we all cuddle up together the best we can.

“Night night!” Delilah says.

“Goodnight!” we all answer.

*          *          *

About a week later, all the stuff is moved in. I like it here a lot, and so do my sister and our parents. We are going to start school in another week. I’m kind of excited because it’s one of the top schools in the state, but I’m going to have to make new friends. I already met one girl on the street. Her name is Maze. She seems nice.

That afternoon, I’m sitting outside on the porch like I used to at my old house. Gracie and Devon aren’t just gonna walk past, though. I miss them. I miss my friends. I don’t want to be here alone anymore.

“Tallulah! Delilah! Come to the kitchen,” we hear.

“Yes, Daddy?”

“Girls, we have a special surprise! Guess who’s living in the Big Bird?” he said, wrapping his arms around me. I guess he could see my glossy eyes.

“Who?” I asked.

“Your Aunt Millie and Diamond!” I suddenly felt ten times better. She is my mom’s sister; she has one kid (Diamond).

“Really?”

“Yep! And we get to visit her!”

Thank you, Aunt Millie! I think. I am so happy; I think we all are.

Delilah and I decide to take a walk to the ice cream shop down the street. The move was treacherous, but the best part about it was that there is a perfect ice cream shop nearby called Bella’s Creamery. Bella is the owner’s daughter. She’s in high school, and she works there during the summer. I like her; she always has a smile, and she remembers us. Every time we go over there, she smiles and says, “Tallulah and Delilah! The H sisters!” She says this because we both have an H at the end of our names.

Soon it is bedtime. I am tired, unlike most nights. The wind is whistling outside; it had been a perfect night.

“Thanks, Daddy,” I whisper.

“I love you, girls,” he replies softly with a smile.

Suddenly, this new home feels a whole lot more familiar.