Manny’s mom is on her first break. A camouflage shirt, a strip of black paint under each eye, a walkie-talkie in one hand and binoculars in the other, Manny is ready for battle, is ready for our mission: to spy on my neighbor, Allison Swain. Standing beside me, he orders, “You go around back and I will stay in the front. Call me when you see the Ladybug.” “Right, Ladybug … Wait, who’s the Ladybug again?” “You forgot already! You are such a boogiebrain! Allison Swain’s code name is ‘Ladybug.’ We agreed on that, remember?” He doesn’t wait for a response. “Now go around back and make sure your walkie-talkie is turned on this time.” “Roger that.” “You do not have to say ‘Roger that’ until we start.” “Oh, right. Roger that.” “What did I just say!” “Not to—sorry, Manny.” He shakes his head. “Manny, wouldn’t it be funny if your name was Roger. You know, Roger that…” He shoves me in the back. “Move, soldier!” I race around the side of Allison’s house, toward the backyard.
