by shop and drove down to the beach to try them out together. We were both extremely excited: I was

re, to be together, to be alive. We scavenged the shore for about two hours. I pinpointed the location of an object with my metal detector and mom helped me

l the spots in the city that would be a good place to go treasure hunting, including all the parks, playgrounds, beaches and ope

ally pretty and valuable,

y but valuabl

rthless, we give it to

I would drive to the beach to look for treasures, grab some Thai food afterw

Pe

bum after a fresh summer rain in the Vietnamese jungle. The smooth cleaning cycles, ranging from heavy duty to delicate, feature a socks-preserving

g her and Dad in the evening. It was a two-hour drive from Chicago to Milwauk

age girl reading a hardcover at another table, a high school student probably. I wondered why wasn't she at school. She didn't look like the kind of girl to skip classe

that she cared more about her hair than she did about the rest of her outfit. She was more on the small side, and her body, even though still underdeveloped, exposed noth

Ok, that was it, no more maybes, I had just two more weeks until my journey started and my new life began. The new me, the me who would be brave enough to approach cute g

ost in my own thoughts that hadn't even seen her coming. She was looking into the car from outside, clutching her backpack and book with bot

ukee to see my folks, " I explained while admiri

ee then?" she asked as if sh

ht thing to do. If I was carrying a hundred sandwiches and there was a hungry person on my way I would just give them a few, there wasn't much to think about. I had four empty seats and I was going to Milwaukee anyway. There was no way I could live with myself