VALERIE SAYS.The cat turns toward her voice, meows once. The cat has beautiful green eyes and Valerie smiles.“Good kitty,” she says, and pets the cat behind the ears.It’s a pretty nice day. The sun is out but the heat isn’t oppressive. Daddy calls it a “California fall.” There’s a slight breeze. Valerie closes her eyes and turns her face up to the sky, letting the breeze cool her skin and ruffle her hair with its wind-fingers. She continues to rub the cat behind the ears.Valerie is in the backyard of her house. Mommy and Daddy are out for the day, and Emma, the babysitter, is snoozing on the couch. It’s one of the few times Valerie finds herself alone, and she cherishes the moment.The backyard is large. They have a patio and a pool and a lot of green green grass. Mommy spent a lot of time designing the landscaping herself and supervising the workers. (Do things halfway and you’ll end up a halfway person, Mommy always says.) Valerie is sitting behind a line of hedges that forms a barrier between the rest of the yard and one of the tall, painted cinder-block walls that divides them from the world outside.“Good kitty,”
