had also gotten married, although he'd remained in Stoneybrook.

Well, Dawn and 1 knew just what to do with our secret. We arranged for our parents to meet again, and after awhile they began dating, then finally they got married. (In case you're wondering, Jeff moved back toCalifornia to live with his father. That happened before his mom married my dad. He was simply never happy inConnecticut . He missed his old life too much. I love Jeff, but I hardly ever see him.)

"Dawn? How come the hedge clippers are in the bread drawer?" I asked one day. It was a Monday afternoon. School was over, and Dawn and I were prowling around the kitchen, fixing a snack.

Dawn shrugged. "Mom's responsible, I'm sure. I'll put them back."

Dawn took the clippers from me and headed for the door to the garage. She was smiling.

Dawn's mother, whom she calls Mom and I callSharon , is just a teensy bit, oh, scatterbrained.Sharon is really nice, and I'm lucky she's my stepmother, but I'm just not used to finding hedge clippers in the bread drawer, or my sweater in the freezer, or the TV remote control on a shelf in the bathroom. I grew up with a father who could have run for the presidency of the Neat People's Society. Dawn

grew up with a mother who wouldn't have been allowed within miles of a meeting of the NFS. Actually, she isn't so much messy as she is completely disorganized — as opposed to my father, who color-codes his socks. How they became friends is beyond me. How they became husband and wife is, I think, beyond even them, but they do love each other. And the four of us are learning how to live together without going batty. A few months ago, I might have freaked out if I found a pair of hedge clippers in the bread drawer. Now I can handle the situation calmly.