Daisy started barking when she got into the car, and she hasn’t stopped since. What if she barks all the way to New York? That will make me popular on the flight.“Have you got everything?” Mom rifles through her backpack. “I thought I had gum in here for you.”“I have gum, Mom.”“Chew this on the way up and down.” She hands me a pack of sugar-free bubble gum. “It’ll help with your ears.”“I know, Mom. Thanks.” Their luggage is stacked in a teetering pile and looks like it’s about to collapse. “How much time do you have?”“An hour or so before check-in.” She checks and rechecks their passports. Daisy barks and barks.They’re going to Thailand to build a school. I’m going to New York to stay with my sister for the summer. Of course, I wish I was going to Thailand, but it’s my parents’ thirtieth non-wedding (they’re common-law) anniversary and that’s what they chose to do for it. I was not invited. When they announced their plans, I just assumed I’d be going along with them, and they just assumed that I wouldn’t be.
