Dan had finally come home just after Val and Dana finished dinner. It pained him not to be able to sit down and enjoy that time with them, but unfortunately, he found it necessary. There was a lot to be done.

He had left work around 10. He stopped by the building that was being renovated into their new home. He was given a tour. Dan was very impressed. His friend had scaled everything to Dan’s specifications. Nice high ceilings and door frames. A kitchen that had a high ceiling plus was extra wide would be perfect for Val. And the bedrooms. Except for Bill’s, which wasn't as wide as the others, were perfect, as was the bathroom and shower. He knew Val and Dana would both love it.

His friend said that they had one or two more small things to take care of, but otherwise they were pretty much finished. Dan let his friend know that he had delivery guys coming at 1pm to bring and set up the new furniture, and lay down carpets. The contractor looked at his friend and said they would be done by then. 

The two shook hands. He handed all keys to the new locks to Dan, as well as an official seal from the city stating that the building was now residential, as well as meeting all specs of the city housing code. The Johnsons were good to go. 

Next for Dan was a visit to his realtor. He provided the agent with all relevant documents as to the worthiness and upkeep of the house, all inspection documents and pest control paperwork. He officially put his house on the market. It was to be sold fully furnished. He and the girls were only taking what was most important to them. Everything else was staying with the house.

After that was completed, Dan drove to an auto dealer. He had driven Val’s old car, and since it was already paid off, sold it to the owner for just below market value. Finally done with his running around, he took a cab back home, and walked through the door just as the girls started cleaning up.

He stood on the tops of his toes and tried to give Val a kiss, finding himself unable to accomplish his goal. It was only when she bent down was the kiss completed. He took his nose and rubbed hers, flashing her a smile. 

Dana had watched him struggling to kiss her mom, so she automatically bent down so Dan could kiss her on the cheek, as he asked her about her day. He immediately regretted it, as Dana could talk only about Matt. He looked at Val, who smiled and said he did ask, so Dan patiently listened to his daughter talk about a boy that he had suspected was more special to her than even she realized.

Dan heated up a plate, mother and daughter sat in the living room talking. Dana had brought up that she had given Matt a kiss. She didn’t know why she did, it just happened. But afterwards, she found that she didn’t regret it at all.

Valerie looked at her daughter, and reminded her that she was only twelve. Dana said that she would be thirteen the following year. Mother looked at daughter and said that she needed to rephrase the statement. She and Matt were only twelve. 

Val asked Dana how Matt truly felt about her and her growing. She told her mom that he hadn’t mentioned it at all. In fact, he didn’t seem to be bothered by it. 

Val casually mentioned that he did seem really laid back, and seemed to be even keeled. Dana’s eyes lit up and said that he always meets her when she gets off the bus with a smile. Val just gently reminded her to take it slow, because with her growing, plus her hormones still in gear, she may find herself not thinking straight.

Dana said she understood, then brought up the idea her teacher had suggested earlier, that he wanted to bring in a biologist to lead a class discussion on what was happening to her. Val asked her how she felt about that, and Dana replied that her classmates are friendly, but the act like she had a disease, and they were afraid to catch it. She thought it would help her class better understand what was going on, and Val said she should do it.

Dan had finished eating, complimenting the girls on a delicious meal. Dana gave him a hug, and went to her room to do her homework, leaving her mom and dad alone in the living room.

Dan told Val that he had stopped by the new place, and felt really confident that she and Dana would love the new house. He described the high ceilings and taller door frames, plus the bigger kitchen and bathroom. 

Val seemed really excited about his description of the place, and gave him a kiss, thanking him for handling all of those things. Dan looked at her and said that it was necessary, but then turned a little serious, saying that they needed to talk about something. Val became serious also. 

Dan brought up Dana, and the fact that since she was getting taller, they would have to make a decision soon about what to do with her schooling. She was going to outgrow her surroundings, and it would then become a case of either finding a new school, or having her stay home and do it virtually.

Val heard what Dan had said, and her first reaction was how would Dana handle not being around Matt. Although they were both only twelve, he seemed to keep her grounded, and gave her normalcy in her life. It would affect her as much as doing classes from home. There were no good answers. Val and Dan decided to try and make an appointment with the school superintendent to discuss the situation.

They decided to watch TV, then make it an early night. Tomorrow would be hectic, and both wanted to get a good night’s sleep. But before they went, Dan produced a folder, and gave it to Val. Curious, she opened it up. It was for an online clothing company that catered specifically to exceptionally tall people. They had sent a measuring device with instructions on how to use it, and then they would pick out the style they wanted, and the items would be sent. And they would be adjustable, meaning quick alterations would allow them to be used for longer periods of time. 

Val gave her husband another kiss, whispering thank you in his ear. So they made their way to the bedroom, and took their familiar position on the floor. 

The alarm went off, and Val and Dan stirred. It was moving day. She hopped into the shower, while he knocked on Dana’s door to get her up and going. Once Val was done, Dan was next, followed by their daughter. 

Val was going to drop Dana off at school, then go grocery shopping. Dan gave her the key to the new house, and said that the movers, and the realtor, should be there at 8am. There wasn’t a lot to bring, as compared to other families, as they were leaving all furniture and appliances, opting for brand new ones. Clothes that didn’t fit were being left, as well as the TVs. 

The three ate a quick breakfast, and then mother and daughter were off to school, leaving Dan to do a final quick check, to make sure nothing was being overlooked. 

Promptly at 8, both the movers and the agent showed up. Dan instructed the guys on what was going, and gave them the address to the new house. He gave the agent a thorough tour of the house, answering all her questions. She was very impressed with the place, and gave her opinion on what it would sell for. 

Dan was agreeable, but reiterated that if she needed to take less money to complete the deal, then she should. He just needed the property off his hands.

The realtor further toured the property on her own. Dan gave her the keys, and once the moving van was loaded, led the guys to the new house.

Dan and the movers arrived at the same time as Valerie. She had done a decent shopping, but was still thinking about all the people, especially the men, who just stared at her. She was now 7’2”, with a proportional body. She never considered herself sexy, but she couldn’t convince the guys at the store otherwise. 

Dan helped her bring groceries in though a side door, while the men unloaded the van through the front. Val glanced at the kitchen, and immediately noticed how spacious it was compared to the old one. 

Once groceries were put away, Val and Dan sat on the new couch, which was much taller than the old one. In fact, Val found her feet dangling slightly above the floor, while Dan’s were nowhere near the floor. They just held hands as the movers brought the last item in, and once Dan signed the bill, they were gone, leaving the two of them alone. 

Dan offered to give Val the tour, but she just wanted to relax for a bit. Sitting with her husband in a quiet house, alone, was enough to relax her, and be thankful that of all those potential Romeos that she came across in high school, it was Dan who stole her heart. Dan, who always put her and the kids first. Dan, the love of her life.

With her mom dropping her off at school, Dana got there earlier than usual. In fact, she got there before Matt, allowing her to wait for him to get off the bus for once.

Matt’s bus pulled up, and when he exited and saw Dana waiting for him, he was a little puzzled at first, but then remembered that she had gotten a ride to school. So he gave her a hug, and walked her to her locker. 

Dana got the things she needed, and both of them headed to the classroom. Dana spotted Mr Jenkins sitting at his desk, so she went up to him and told him that she wanted to have the class discussion after all. Mr Jenkins got an excited look in his eyes, and said that they would have it last period on Friday, as he thanked his student for giving her permission.

The rest of the morning was ho hum, although all of Dana’s teachers had set up a table and chair for her to sit in, as they realized that the desks had become too small for her to sit comfortably. She appreciated the gesture, as it allowed her to stretch her now “mile” long legs. 

Lunch time came, and Dana and Matt grabbed their food and a table. While eating, Dana asked him if her growing so much taller than him bothered him.

Matt looked at her for a few seconds, then said that when he came to the school in the middle of the previous year, she was the only one who showed him true, genuine kindness and friendship. And that made her special in his eyes. And it didn't matter to him if she was two feet tall, or a hundred feet tall. She was still the same person as she was when they first met, and that made her special in his eyes. And he flashed her his warmest smile.

Dana felt like crying. No boy had ever said such beautiful things to her, and it made her heart skip a beat or two. She smiled back at him.

Bill and Donna were walking along the most pristine beach that either of them had ever seen. White sand, blue water, warm breeze, it was perfect. And the perfect time for Bill, as he got on his knee and looked up to see Donna with the glow of the sun directly behind her, making it appear to him that he was looking at the most beautiful angel that God had ever created. 

He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a box. He slowly brought it up to be level with his chest, and started to open it. However, as the box was opening, a loud ringing started in his ear. He tried to ignore it, as Donna acted as though she didn't hear anything.

But the ringing persisted. He cursed the noise, and then his eyes opened. His alarm was going off. It put him in a foul mood. The most wonderful dream that he ever had was ruined by a clock. Just his luck. But he needed to get going. Chemistry class was first, and the professor didn't tolerate tardy students, even if they were the university’s star quarterback.

Bill glanced over at Ray's bunk. Empty as usual. Ray had hooked up with the center of the girls’ basketball team, Shirley, who was just his type, a 6’11” girl with dark hair. He was ‘scared’ by the thought of them marrying and having children, as who knew how tall they would be. He laughed at the images running through his head.

But he quickly ate, showered, and dressed, and was on his way to Donna's room with time to spare. Bill gently knocked, and the door opened, and out came Donna and Lily.

Bill said good morning to Lily, and then gave Donna a kiss. It had been a while since he saw Lily, so when he noticed that the top of her head was just below his chin, it was a little jarring. He had seen Donna every day, so he had gotten so used to her growing that he hardly noticed it. But Lily's was different. It was almost shocking. But they both said goodbye to her as they headed off to Chem class.