Most people start out in the Bronx and end up living on the shores of Santa Monica (as we did from 2000-2007) or on the banks of Lake Washington (2007-present).
Always flying in the face of convention, when the time came to move (for a variety of reasons), after spoiling ourselves rotten on the west coast, we decided to take our show on the road and head to … the Bronx. (There’s only so much staring at Mount Rainier from bed that a person can take.)
At the beginning of the summer we told the kids. There was some silence, there were some tears, there were many questions, and then came the pronouncements:
Efram: Well, now I don’t have to pretend to like the Seahawks anymore. That’s a relief.
Bennett: This is awesome. I am totally joining a gang. When we see Dr. Stu (our fearless pediatric dentist), if I have a cavity I am SO asking for a gold tooth.
(I swear I heard him humming “When you’re a Jet..”)
Me: Um, Bennett, I’m not so sure you’re picturing this all right. If you join a gang you’re not going to be dancing in the street in tight capri pants with a knife in your hand.
Bennett: Whatever. If we move, you totally need to let me get some Axe. I bet all New York City kids wear Axe.
This wasn’t going exactly as I’d planned.