“But if you mix them up, how will you know which ones are yours?" Jane asked, wishing the answer would be that he was giving all of his to Elliot. As much as she'd invested in them, it would be an unbelievable luxury to know she'd never step on one of them in the dark in bare feet again.

“Oh, we'll remember," he said, dashing her hopes.

“Promise me you'll take them away with you when you go to college," she said wanly.

“Yeah, sure," he said, rolling his eyes.

Jane went inside and tried to wake Katie, without any luck. By the time she'd showered and dressed, Katie was still asleep. "Get her, Willard," Jane said.

Willard didn't know many tricks, but he loved this command. It meant he had permission to leap on a bed. He did so now, giving Katie a sloppy lick.

Katie shrieked, thrashed around, and burrowed under the covers. "Mom! Get him off me. That's disgusting!"

“Katie, it's eight-fifteen. You have to be at bible school before nine."

“That's centuries away!" came the muffled reply.

“Five more minutes. That's all. C'mon, Willard.”

By the time Jane had run a brush through her hair, contemplated and rejected the idea of a new perm, and slapped on a minimum of makeup, she could hear Katie crashing around, so she went back outside. Shelley called invisibly from some window of her house. "Going to be there a while?”

Jane looked at her watch and called back, "Seventeen minutes.”

Shelley appeared through the garage door a moment later. "Jane, maybe I shouldn't tell you this, but your youngest child appears to be running away from home. He's trudging down the street with a suitcase."

“Gee, I hope he gets a good job and sends money home," Jane said. "That's his Lego collection going to Elliot's house."

“For good?" Shelley exclaimed.

“Don't get your hopes up. Elliot's mother is no fool."