Part 1:
It looks like I’ll never discover the details. At least not the whole truth anyway. Everything seemed perfect until last Wednesday night….As perfect as life gets that is. We have the obligatory white picket fence, 2 ½ happy, healthy kids (the half being our toy fox terrier Delilah), enough money in the bank to live comfortably, two jobs we love, and a great group of friends and family right in our little town. What more could you ask for? Mark and Lisa both started a new school this year, Mark in middle school and Lisa all grown up in high school already! Nerves were a little shot as the summer ended and new challenges arose, but they both started on their new adventures seamlessly, and are enjoying classes and friends. They told me everything when they came home those first few days of school….From teachers they didn’t think they’d like to friends they became reacquainted with from last year to class work they thought they might struggle with, I knew everything!
That’s why their ambivalence is so concerning now. They used to be so open with me, now everything is so secretive and unsure…I never know what they’re thinking or feeling which is so upsetting. Maybe Lisa’s just growing up, or it’s something I did. Maybe I didn’t give them enough freedom or demanded too much information out of them. But aren’t mothers allowed to know some things about their kids’ lives?? I just don’t know anymore…..


Part 2:
Last Wednesday was when it all began. When I get off work I usually bring Mark to baseball practice when I pick him up after school, and when I get home Lisa will sit with me in the kitchen doing her homework on her laptop and just chatting while I dream up some fabulous creation (fine, heat up some leftovers) for dinner. I knew something was off when Mark asked me to take him home instead. He said he told the coach he had a lot of homework and needed to skip practice that day….But Mark adores baseball, and even when he’s sick he tries to convince us to let him go to practice! A little homework never got in his way before.
It got even stranger when I got home and Lisa was nowhere to be found. I finally found a little note stuck with a rainbow magnet to the refrigerator. In my little girl’s handwriting it said, “Be home a little late…Don’t worry. Love, Lisa”. Now I don’t know why she put “don’t worry” because of course the first thing I did was worry! She may be in high school now, but she’s still only 14...She could be anywhere!
When Lisa finally got home that night I barely saw her. She ran into her room, and the only words she had of explanation for her disappearance were, “I was with some friends…Daddy knows them.” She didn’t seem upset, but I couldn’t help but wonder what she was trying to hide from me. Why does Dave know her friends now, but I don’t?
I talked to Dave that night, but he didn’t seem concerned. Kids will be kids he tells me. They go through phases but we have good kids who know right from wrong and they’ll snap out of it. Very logical, but as a mother it’s my job to worry…And the odd behavior continued, leaving me in the dark….


Part 3:
A week and a half since it started and it’s still eating at me…Either something’s wrong or I’m losing my children to the grips of time. Dave is no help because he’s being a little withdrawn himself, and doesn’t seem at all concerned about the kids.
Just as I begin wondering where the time went since they were in kindergarten and couldn’t wait to come home and hang their fingerpaintings on the fridge every night, I hear a loud smattering of giggles and shuffling at the door.
“Mom, meet Samson! The newest member of the Moll family!” my son shouted when he couldn’t contain the secret of the past few weeks any more. He walked in through the foyer entrance with Dave and Lisa close behind carrying a beautiful tan and white rabbit with a blue cast on it’s front left leg. “We found it outside and it couldn’t walk, so we brought it to the vet, fixed it up a hutch in my room and can finally tell you about him! Happy Birthday Mom!”
Relief floods my heart to hear of the tale and all of my worries of the past weeks are explained away with a realization of the compassion my family displayed. The secrecy is over, and my family is not only back, it’s bigger and better than ever.

The Destination
At first, California looked pretty much just like New Jersey which was a little disappointing, but I didn’t tell my mom or dad that since they were so excited to go. We got picked up by a big blue rental car, and I had to sit in the middle seat. Boo…Just because my brother and sister are older, they always get the windows. We got to our hotel and someone had left giant brown shoes in our room! My dad told the people at the front desk, and they took them away, but boy was that funny! I also loved the hot air balloon pictures on the walls above the beds. The one above our bed was red and that was awesome because it’s so bright and pretty. I wonder what it would be like to go in one one day….I bet it would be really cool but kind of scary like the airplane. Hot air balloons always remind me of that scene from The Wizard of Oz…..Anyway, we ended up going to this really fun zoo and I got to see a real live elephant up close! They’re HUGE if you’ve never seen one before! Then we took another really long trip in the car and went to Las Vegas. They sure have a lot of bright lights at night, and we stayed at a place called Circus Circus….They had lots of clowns just like Happy Clown! It was so funny when my dad was playing a game throwing balls and when he threw one his ring came off too and they had to go look for it. It was his favorite ring, so I’m really happy he got it back. Those were the most fun parts of the trip…I can’t believe we have to leave tomorrow already. But maybe the trip home will be exciting too, after all we get to go on an airplane again. Can’t wait to tell Ms. McEwan and my class all about the other side of the country!

The Journey
I gave my teacher a note yesterday to tell her I’ll be out of class today. She told me to have a great time, and she knew California is beautiful so said I’ll love it and to let her know how it is. We double and triple checked our house this morning to make sure the stove was off, the lights were off, and the doors were all locked. We got about 2 minutes away when my brother realized he forgot his tape player! He would never be able to last an entire week without it because he loves his music so much. So back we went and then we finally left for real. We got to the airport, which was reeeeeallly crowded. People were everywhere! And I’d never been on a plane before, so getting to see them up close and getting on one was really cool. I’ll just have to tell my best friend Leah all about it when we get back! My sister wanted a window seat, so I sat in the middle. We took off and everything on the ground got so little, but it got boring after a little while. I decided to draw a picture of Happy Clown, so I took out my sketch pad and drew and drew. He looked pretty good actually even though I’m not a very good artist. Suddenly my sister got mad because I wouldn’t show her my drawing until I was done and told me she’d throw Happy Clown out the window when I wasn’t looking! I got really scared but my mom told me that the windows don’t open and she was only teasing me…Last time I listen to her, that meanie sister I have! After a loooong while, we finally landed, and we got to see the other side of the country…..

The Plan
Everyone seems excited, but I’m not so sure. They say we’re going all the way across the country, but I don’t even like going on field trips with my class. Only a week…but that seems so long. Even a day seems long when it’s a Monday and we have to do reading, math, spelling and social studies all before recess! I have to pack my bags, one to put my clothes in and another my mom called a “carry-on” to give me something to do on the plane. I already put most of my stuff in the boring bag like my clothes and toothbrush, but my carry-on needs a little more thought. I know I’ll take Happy Clown in there because I would never let him out of my sight to get lost in a big airport….Maybe I’ll take a book too in case I get bored. And my new sketch pad and pencils! Then I can draw anything I want! Still not so sure about leaving my friends, my room, my house, and Kurly my dog for a whole long week, but maybe it won’t be so bad after all….