I am NOT the one who taught them "I smell bacon".

My half sister and brother were born when I was in college, which means they’ll be always be babies to me. I was appalled when my sister was about to start middle school. I went to a junior high, seventh through ninth grade. I didn’t want her to start a new school in sixth grade; that’s just too little.

So the summer before she started middle school I pulled her aside. “Baby girl,” I asked, “do you want to go to sixth grade next year, or do you want us to run from the law?” I told her I wasn’t entirely sure what running from the law would be like, but it would probably involve gritty motels in the Southwest and drinking coffee in diners. Then we went out to the driveway to practice. I would shout “cop”, and she would duck under the dashboard. We called each other aliases, like “Meggie” for Megan, and “Beautiful” or “Perfect” for her.

She decided not to run from the law after all. Her friends were going to middle school and she thought she was ready. She was; she handled it gracefully. However, next year she goes to high school. This time, she says she wants to run from the law for a year. I told her I would pick her up in August. The timing is good. I’ll have worked for more than a year, which is a nice thing to be able to add to your résumé. And my car is about to die, which I think is another requirement of running from the law. I’m looking forward to it.


I’ll be in LA this weekend to see them. I can’t wait. I’ve been missing them a lot. See you Monday!