Things around the house changed. Paul was a little less loud and vile and Mom seemed really happy. School ended for the year and we started our first summer vacation with Mom. I read lots of book in the back yard and chased Lisa around with snakes I had killed. I spent a decent amount of time ogling the boys whose great-grandma lived next door. The Whitaker boys, Travis and Shane, were a source of amazement for me. There were massively attractive and Travis was my age. They had started at our school that year and were instantly popular. We spent the summer climbing trees, playing kickball, giving each other rides in wheelbarrows and riding our bikes.

Mom seemed to be totally wrapped up in the baby and Lisa spent a lot of time with Grandma, who amazingly didn’t lock her outside during the day. Paul was always at work and still came home late from time to time. The fights were almost over it seemed. He told us to start calling him “daddy” even though I felt a little funny about it. I just wanted us to be one big happy family, so I tried. I also tried to impress him with my scrapes and bruises and my stories of trees conquered in the area. He seemed rather nonplused but I knew that eventually I’d outdo myself and he would be thrilled, so I kept trying.