My body ached with exhaustion. My worry-powered brain wouldn't turn off because I had a ten-year supply of them. Rather than toss and turn in the motel bed I shared with Darby, I started the day with a bike ride back home.

Dad was so distraught over the yard, he'd insisted we leave. I insisted we stuff my bike into the back of his car and get new inner tubes so I could come home whenever I wanted. Darby insisted she be told why our lawn looked like nightmares, but Dad and I ...