Tina looked at Evan and winked.

*****

Bette stopped the bus in a supermarket parking lot. Provisions were needed in order to survive and all were happy that Bette wasn’t taking a turn at the grill.

“***** you, Alice,” she said as they stood in the frozen food aisle.

Tina had broken them up in groups of two figuring that they would get the shopping done quicker. And none were paired up with their partner.

“Just stating the obvious, Bette. How did Evan survive with your cooking in the early years?”

“Kit,” Bette smiled remember how her sister kept them alive.

“Should have known,” Alice shrugged.

“Al, where are you?” Shane asked over the walkie.

Alice had surprised them in the first few minutes of the ride with walkie talkies.

“I’m sure our cells won’t work in the mountains and why rack up an expensive bill if they do.”

“Whatever, Al,” Shane said.

“And I came up with call signs for each of us,” Alice perked up.

“I’m not using a call sign, whatever that is,” Shane protested.

Carmen laughed when Alice gave out the call signs.

“Shane, you have to use my call sign,” Alice said over the walkie.

“I’m not saying it, Al.”

“Come on, Shane.”

“Here, you deal with her,” Shane said handing the small device to Evan.

Evan juggled the gizmo watching Shane walk away.

“Yoda, you still there?”

Evan smiled.

“This is The Kid commanding the walkie. Yoda walked away.”

“The Kid, what did Yoda want… over.”

“We’ve finished our list. She wanted to your twenty?”

“My twenty?”

“Your location,” Bette filled in.

“Oh yeah. Papa Bear and I are in frozen foods.”

“Why am I Papa Bear?” Bette asked tossing frozen vegetables into their basket.

“Cause.”

“Cause, what?”

“Just cause,” Alice answered walking away.

“Alice!” Bette chased after her best friend.

*****

“PhatLips, come in.”

“PhatLips here,” Alice answered the walkie.

Laughter echoed on all seven radios.

*****

“I’ll take the couch,”Serena volunteered.

“Like you have a choice,” Bette muttered to herself.

Tina bumped her arm.

“Are you sure?” Evan asked.

“Yes, she’s sure. You two are not sharing a bed,” Bette said to her daughter.

Again Tina bumped her arm.

“What!” Bette said through clinched teeth.