Dan and Valerie were still relaxing on the sofa, talking about Bill and Dana. He thought that Bill was handling the changes that were happening with his mother and sister with maturity,

Val added Donna to the mix, which puzzled Dan. She reminded her husband that Donna, the girl Bill was sweet on, was also growing. ‘Growing?’ was asked with a widening of the eyes. She smiled and shook her head, asking him if he had paid attention when they took the two of them to dinner after the game.

Dan said that he was just chatting with Bill, reminding him to be a gentleman around Donna, and to keep protection on him at all times. He hadn't really paid attention to what the girls were chatting about.

It was nearly 1:30pm when the two of them realized that neither had lunch, so Valerie went into the kitchen and put a frozen pizza in the oven. While it was in the oven, Dan took the opportunity to give his wife a tour of the house.

Val loved the layout, especially the kitchen. Nice high ceilings and wide areas made it no longer feel like a bread box. She had room to stand straight up, and enough width to allow both mother and daughter to stand next to each other without feeling like packed sardines.

Same as the bedroom and bathroom. Val just loved what she saw. She bent down and gave Dan a passionate kiss, and he looked at her, and then the bed, but the timer for the pizza went off, signifying that lunch was ready. 

Disappointed, they went back into the kitchen. Dan opened up the box with the plates, while Val pulled the pizza from the oven, then cut it into slices. She looked at the clock, and realized that she would have to hurry her meal, as it was close to the time that she would have to pick up Dana from school.

Once Val ate and left, Dan made his way back into the kitchen. He put the plates and bowls in the cabinet, but only on the bottom two shelves. Everything else would have to be placed on the top shelf, and since the were higher up than normal, they were out of his reach. Val and Dana would be responsible for that aspect.

He next put the silverware away, and as he was in the middle of that, he realized that he had forgotten to do one thing; order bigger silverware for the girls. So he pulled out his computer, searched, and found what he was looking for. After clicking the place order button, he went back to the living room.

Dana ran through the door, excited about the new house. Val followed, and she gave her daughter the tour. It was fairly quiet, except when Dan heard his daughter yell about how much more room they had, which caused him to smile to himself.

With the excitement of the move still around, Dan decided Asian was what they were ordering for dinner. And once dinner was over, Dana grabbed the phone, and went to her room to call Matt to tell him all about the house.

Around 10, Dan and Valerie couldn’t keep their eyes open. It had been a long day, and once the buzz had faded, exhaustion took over. Valerie appreciated the fact that she could now sleep in a bed again, as the one Dan got had plenty of room for her. 

Within minutes, both were out cold, and both enjoyed a solid night of uninterrupted sleep. Val woke up about an hour before the alarm to use the bathroom, and when she laid back down, it caused Dan to stir. He just laid up next to her, placing his leg over hers, while they held each other’s hand as she ran her fingers through his hair.

Just looking at her husband, and realizing all the things that he had done for his family, made Val feel like crying. She knew that, with the way the house was set up, he would be sacrificing his comfort for her and Dana’s well being. It just made her love him even more.

Valerie had trouble getting her daughter moving for school. Dana didn’t finish talking to Matt until about 10:30, then realized that she forgot about her homework. So it was sometime after one am that she finally got to bed.

Both mom and dad noticed that their daughter wasn’t her usual chipper self, just looked at each other and smiled. They correctly guessed that she got to bed really late, and with an early morning, it led to a living, breathing zombie joining them at the breakfast table.

Val showered, followed by Dana, and Dan was last. He was still getting ready when the girls left. Val would drop Dana off, then go to work. Mom tried to engage her daughter in conversation, but was only getting one word answers in return. So the last part of the drive school was in silence.

Val pulled up to the school, and before Dana got out, gave her a piece of paper and asked her to drop it off at the principal’s office. It would let the school know what Dana's new address would be, as well as letting them know that she would be getting a ride to and from permanently.

Dana watched her mom drive off, then went to her locker, and then the office. When she came back outside, Matt was already waiting for her. And he noticed that she looked tired, very tired. He looked up at her and wanted to know why he wasn't invited to the party in mock outrage.

She looked at him and said that with the move and talking to him, she had forgotten about the history paper that was due until it was time for bed. She gave him a tired smile.

Matt took her hand and told the giant girl that she might be too tired to find her way to class, so he would be her guide, as he smiled. It caused Dana to laugh, and they entered the room and sat down.

They sat for a bit in silence, until Matt said he guessed her house was big? His dry, understated tone made her chuckle, as she held out her two hands, saying that she moved into a house this big. That perked up the mood, and Dana felt more alert than she had earlier. Matt's company was just what she needed to perk up.

Valerie was the first person in the office. She got the coffee going, and ordered breakfast sandwiches to be delivered for her co-workers. She had a pile of work to start going through, and she set about it feeling really happy. 

Bertha was the next one in. Despite her tough looking exterior, she had proved to be a worker's boss. If anyone needed any time off, she would always make sure they got it, even if it meant giving up a day that she wanted. 

Val saw Bertha enter, and said hi. The boss came over, and without anyone else present, asked Val how she felt about her growth spurt. 

Val looked at her, and said it was tough at first. She didn't know how or why it was happening to her and her daughter, but because Dan had absolutely been a rock of support for the both of them, it made it bearable. 

Val turned the question around on her boss. Bertha said that she had gotten so used to being the tallest in the office, man or woman, that it was jarring to see someone who was bigger. But she said what helped more than anything was that she didn't change as a person, which really could have caused problems.

The women just laugh about it like old friends. By then, Tiffany and Jeff had come in. And they immediately hovered around Val’s desk. Val stood up and gave them all a hug, and Tiffany asked about her new house.

Val’s eyes lit up as she actually described what Dan had accomplished. She explained about the old warehouse he bought and had converted, and about how much more room she and her daughter had.

By now, Jeff’s eyes were wide. His grandfather was a house builder, and anything that had to do with the construction, remodeling, or renovation of a building or property, always fascinated him. He had asked Val several questions that she couldn't answer, since Dan handled everything. But she mentioned that maybe she could invite them over for dinner and drinks on a Friday night. Everyone seemed to like that idea.

Bill was in his room getting ready when there was a knock on the door. His roommate Ray, in a rare time that he was there, answered. He informed Bill that Donna was there, as she entered. He was just about ready. They kissed. They had a date for later on.

Donna looked at both guys, and suggested that Ray and Shirley join them for a double date. Bill was hesitant at first, but she took control of the conversation, letting him know that she was in charge. Ray agreed, and the time was set for 7pm.

Bill was a little disappointed, as he was hoping for an evening alone with Donna, but she had already asked Ray, so there was nothing he could do. But the more he thought about it, the more he warmed up to the idea, as it would allow the girls to get to know each other better.

A fairly easy day of classes was followed by a hard, final practice before Saturday’s game. It would be the last one, before they had 4 straight on the road, and Bill was in top form. 

When practice was over, he rushed into the shower, then put on clean clothes, and he and Ray waited for the girls outside their building. Sure enough, both girls arrived at the same time. 

They had never been introduced, so Ray did the honors. Awkward at first, both girls ended up complimenting each other. Donna told Shirley that she looked like a fashion model, with her height and beautiful face. And that made the taller girl laugh, because she was going to say the same thing about her. Both chuckled at that. 

Seeing that Donna was the same height as Bill, Shirley told her that it was neat to meet a tall girl who didn't play basketball. Ray said that if she thought Donna was tall, then she should meet Bill’s mother and sister. 

Shirley laughed, assuming that Ray was trying to be funny, but with no one else laughing, she looked at her boyfriend with a puzzled look. Ray said that he was serious, and Shirley looked down at Bill.

He gave her an awkward smile, and said that Ray was telling the truth. Shirley asked him how tall were they, and Ray interjected, saying that when he saw them Saturday, they were as tall as she was.

Shirley asked him how old his sister was, and Bill said 12. She asked him how tall was his father, and he replied 6’. Shirley thought that she entered a silly zone, with the guys playing the ultimate prank on her. But neither one gave any hint of pulling her leg. Ray told her that she should come to the game on Saturday. She could meet them. 

Shirley said ok, but it was said with a tone that was definitely curious in nature. She thought about what they both had told her, and she wanted to laugh, but was still trying to wrap her head around Ray’s description.

The four of them decided to walk to a burger place that was literally feet from the entrance of the college. They walked inside and found that they were the only ones there. They got their food, and just talked afterwards, mostly about Bill’s family.