Changing It Up

The Bay Area holds so much history for me; while bartending at a quirky diner in The Marina District, I discovered I had received my first book contract.  However, San Francisco was so much more than a canvas for my literary dreams. It was living proof that I could beat the odds and carve a special place for myself in a city oozing with success and accomplishment I hadn't yet achieved. 

I moved to SF knowing zero people. Over the course of a year, I created lifelong friendships with some of the most creative, ambitious souls on the planet.

Callie Schneider thoroughly loves her home in NorCal. However, she feels compelled to embark on a new adventure elsewhere, for reasons she can't quite explain to her roommates or coworkers. So she begins making plans to move, then waits to see if the stars align. She has a specific, nearly impossible dream...and, after years of deliberation, she's finally ready to chase it from one coast to the other.

Love,
Lisa

***
Chapter 9: DECEMBER 29

Where are you flying today? Hope your flights are great, Andrew’s text reads.

I glance at the phone, then place it face-down on the kitchen table, breathing slowly to calm my racing heart. My laptop rests in the center of the table, but I can’t bring myself to reach for it.

“Callie, you look pale,” Linda comments as she rushes into the kitchen. She opens the refrigerator and grabs a tupperware full of leftovers. “Everything ok?”

I nod. “Yeah. Just nervous to check the base bids. I mean, I think I got Fort Lauderdale. But it’s still just...intimidating.”

Linda sets her tupperware on the counter and grabs a seat next to me, at the table. “Want me to do it?” She asks nodding at my laptop.

“It’s ok. I don’t want to make you late for work…”

“Don’t worry about it,” she says, waving her hand. She glances at the clock on the wall. It’s just after 9 a.m. “I was running late anyway. Since today’s a holiday, most people aren’t coming into the office at all. I’d rather check your bid, to be honest. I’m curious to see whether Giovanna will be my new roommate on February first.”

I swallow and tie my hair into a loose ponytail. “Ok. Can you check it for me? God, why am I so nervous? This is what I wanted, right? I’ve been mentally prepping for a move to Florida. So why the hell does it feel so...scary…”

Linda grabs my laptop and presses a few keys. “What’s the internal site for SkyLine? Is it easy to find the base bids?”

“Super easy. It’s like four clicks, total,” I inform her, burying my face in my hands. My voice comes out muffled. “MySkylineLink.com, and the login is CSchneider. Password is ‘Amber.’”

“Girl crush?” Linda guesses, her eyes fixed on the laptop screen.

I laugh and peek at my roommate through my fingers. “No, you loser. That was my childhood kittycat.”

“Mmmm,” she murmurs. “Ok, I’m in. What next?”

“Toolbar, all the way to the right, there should be a drop-down box labeled ‘base assignment list’ or something like that.”

“Got it.”

I sigh and lower my hands. “See the link for the updated assignments? Click on that. My seniority number is 3250, so you’ll have to scroll through and find that.”

Linda pauses for a second. “I found it! That’s strange, it says you’re new base is New York…”

“What?!”

“Just kidding,” she smiles, handing me the laptop so I can see for myself. “You got FLL. Dammit, Callie! You’re really leaving us?”

I nod, unable to formulate any words.

Linda sighs heavily. “We will miss you! You better return to San Francisco as soon as you find yourself, or kill your writer’s block, or reconnect with your inner child. Whatever dumb reason you’re moving to Florida! I’ve already forgotten…”

“Change of pace,” I remind her, fixated on the three-letter airport code next to my name. “Holy hell. This is it, huh? Switching coasts in a month.”

Linda rises from the table. “Happy New Year, Callie Schneider. I’m pissed you’re leaving us, but I know this is what you want.”

I look up at her. “You’ll hardly notice I’m gone, Lin. I’ll be back before the end of next year.”

Tammy marches into the kitchen in her pajamas. “Wait, what?”

“Callie officially got the Fort Lauderdale base. She’s leaving us on February first,” Linda announces. “I guess we will have to throw a going-away party.”

“I’m not leaving forever,” I remind them both. “More like, I don’t know… a temporary-break-from-CA party.”

Tammy nods. “Not your typical party theme, but I could work with that…”