Violet practiced her new speedy skip, racing ahead of her brother, Max. She kept a safe distance between them in case she needed to reach him in a hurry but stayed just far enough ahead to make his little legs hustle with worry to keep up with her. She liked making him worry a little. He needed to be ready for the dangers in this life and he was just too silly all the time, trying to be funny and cute and make people laugh. She liked knowing that she wouldn't let anything happen to him, but he had a lot to learn. Until then, she would keep him safe. Violet was ready for anything.

One night Violet dreamt that her mother took them on a long journey to the country of Mexico. It was crowded and bustling in the streets and hard for Violet to hold on to her mother with one hand and Max with the other. She looked back to make sure she could remember where they had parked their blue bug but the streets were so crowded. Looking around, she tried to memorize this spot but the signs were all in Spanish, nothing stood out to her, everything was jumbled and the same. Her mother pulled them along and Violet struggled to keep a firm hold of Max's hand. She called out "Slow down, Mom" but her mother didn't seem to hear her. She turned to her little brother and said "Do NOT let go of my hand, Max. This is important, Max, OK?" Max nodded, wide-eyed and serious. Turning back around Violet stumbled on a curb. When she stood up she saw her mother moving away in the crowd. "Mom! Mother! Waaaait!" she cried. She could feel tears gathering at the back of her real life throat. She may have called out in her sleep. She pulled Max close to her side and looked around. People were in a hurry everywhere. No one noticed that Violet and Max were having A Crisis. They started to make their way back toward the blue Volkswagen. "Mommy's gonna meet us at the car, Max. OK, Max?" Violet was brave and a very good sister. She wondered if she could drive the car back to their house if her mom never showed up. She felt weird for thinking that. Of course mom would show up! She would realize that they weren't right behind her and come racing back. She would be so worried and so relieved when she saw them sitting safely in the blue bug with the red leather seats. She would say "Violet, sweetie, you are so smart! I just knew you would find the car and wait for me!"

But, that's not how the dream ended. Violet didn't like to think about it but that dream bothered her a lot. She woke up sobbing at the end. Her mother, packed into the back of a pickup truck full of people, her face strangely illuminated in the crowd. Violet screamed for her mom but she stared back, blankly, as the truck slowly rumbled away in a cloud of dust.

Well Violet was not going to let anything like that happen. She slowed her aggressive skipping to a light gallop and let Max catch up with her. "Hey, Max - wanna go look for stingrays?" They were playing on the bay today while their mom was at work. She had a job at the bank now and most afternoons Violet and Max were very good at keeping themselves busy until their mom got home. Today Violet decided they were going to go all the way around the bay, the farthest they'd ever been. That should keep them busy! There was a lot to explore and probably many dangers to avoid along the way. Violet cut away from the path and ran down toward the water. She kicked her feet in the soft sand and called out to her brother "Keep a look out for floating brown paper bags. That's what a stingray looks like when it sails near the surface."

"Violet, I'm hungry." Max whined. He plopped down in the sand and started throwing shells at the gathering seagulls. Violet sighed "We have a long way to go. A long, long way before we get to the end. Mom won't be home until 5:25. We just have to keep ourselves occupied and entertained until she gets home. Don't you have any leftovers from lunch?" Violet's stomach rumbled as she dug around in Max's backpack.
"Here's some carrot sticks. Eat these. They're good for you, Max."

Violet practiced a few cartwheels, careful to keep her legs as straight as possible. Then she tried some running round offs but the soft sand made it hard to push off with her hands. She landed with a thud, her legs buckling beneath her. Violet rolled over onto her stomach and stretched out her legs toward the path. She rested her chin on her hands and stared out at the calm, blue bay. She could see Max out of the corner of her eye driving his carrot sticks around in the sand. She wondered when their Dad was coming to visit them. She wanted him to hear how good she was doing in Spanish. Violet had begged her mom to let her take the after school Spanish class at their new school. It was free so their mom said Max could go, too. The class was on Tuesdays and Thursdays for half an hour. Max never practiced at home but Violet felt it was important for them to know Spanish, just in case. Violet worked very hard on perfecting her accent. She wanted to make sure she was clearly understood. La blusa roja es muy bonita. She trilled her 'r's. Muchas gracias! Muchas gracias!

Violet and Max started Crown Point Elementary in the middle of the school year. Violet was in the third grade, Mrs. Cook's class, and Max was in Kindergarten with the babies. She missed her friends at her old school in the desert and she missed her Dad but she loved living near the water. She loved the waves and the birds and the yogurt shop they sometimes walked to after dinner. She got hers with carob chips, something she'd never heard of until they moved to the beach. Some people don't eat chocolate. She couldn't remember if it's because it had meat in it or too many chemicals. She just knew that carob meant healthy and they were all trying to have a healthy and positive lifestyle. She thought that had something to do with not living with her Dad anymore.

"Max! Leave those birds alone!"
Violet jumped up and brushed the sand off her jeans. "Let's race to the tennis courts!"
"No, Violet!" he whined again. "I'm too tired!"
"Well, what do you want to do? We have a long way to go to get to the end." She sat down on her knees beside him.
"I don't want to go to the end, Violet. I want to go home." Max threw his carrot sticks at the nearby gulls. They scattered briefly and then flew to inspect the sticks, gobbling them down and then spitting them back up again.
"We can't go home yet. Mom isn't there and we are sitting ducks if we wait on the porch. Someone might try to grab us. We have to look like we are doing something or going somewhere on purpose."
"Do this, Max. Look behind you and pretend like you're waving at someone who's watching us from one of the houses on the boardwalk."
Violet rose up on her elbow and turned toward the row of houses. She smiled and waved and then gave a thumbs up sign.
"Violet, that's so stupid." Max said as he gave a little half wave in the same direction.
Violet stared at the big, beautiful houses lined up along the walk. She thought again about the families inside, sitting together, maybe having an afternoon snack. The kids sat at the table with their mom and talked about what they would do when Dad got home from work. Maybe they would play Wiffle Ball on the sand before dinner. Or maybe afterward they would all walk across the street to the ocean and watch the sunset together.
"When is Dad coming to see us?" Max said. Sometimes it seemed he could see her thoughts, like they were cartoon bubbles floating over her head.

A sudden wind rustled some palm trees lining the bay walk path. Violet stared at the waving fronds, listened to the creak and moan of the long, lean trunk bending in the breeze and thought about her home in the desert. She wondered when her Mom would be done with this adventure. Would they go back home or would Dad move here? Would they stay in their little yellow beach bungalow or would they move into a bigger, family type house right on the bay? Either way she knew her mom would stop going on dates with that creepy, weirdo from the bank, the Shiny Hair Man. No more sweet and guilty lollipops from him! No more trips to The Boardwalk for dizzy, delirious, expensive rides on the ancient, wooden roller coaster. He wasn't so bad, she thought, even though his teeth were so, so white. But every time he pulled up in his funny, little convertible, all she could think of was that lonely palm tree in their desert front yard, tall and still and so far away.

"Max" she said, snapping to, "get your stuff together. We're going Home."