Jen, We Did It. Everyone's Free Now.

A Thousand Times Today I've Started To Open My Mouth, Started To Squeak Out, "can You Tell Me...? But Then I'd Look Into The Front Seat, At My Mother's Silent Shaking, My Father's Grim Profile, The Mournful Bags Under His Eyes, And All The Questions I Might Ask Seemed Abusive. Assault And Battery, A Question Mark Used Like A Club. My Parents Are Old And Fragile. I'd Have To Heartless To Want To Hurt Them.

The Sudden Silence Is Horrifying, And It Seems To Catch My Mother Off Guard. A Tiny Whimper Escapes Her, The Sound Amplified In The Stillness. Surely, My Father Hears Her Now; Surely He And I Can't Go On Pretending She Isn't Crying.

Generally I Finish A First Draft In 2-6 Months, Then I Set It Aside For A While So That When I Come Back To It I Can Read It With Fresh Eyes And Figure Out How To Improve It.

I Like The Fact That Kids Are Willing To Be Imaginative And Go Along With Me When I'm Telling Strange Tales.

We'll Have A 'rest Of Our Lives' Now.