Split

Courtesy of Alex's screwup, we stayed up really late last night finishing laundry so Danielle could pack. And then we were all crying about being apart overnight for so long. And this morning Danielle left for her very first vacation. I'm older; I should have gotten a vacation first.

Even my mother knew Malaika and her family; that's how long she and Dani have been friends. Malaika's mother is a girly doctor, and I don't know what the dad does. I think it's funny that a black family is going to Cape Cod; not that they shouldn't, but I always think of places like the Hamptons, Martha's Vineyard and Cape Cod as being for snooty white people.

Malaika's mother said that Dani can use her cell phone to call us as often as she wants. Aunt Elaine thinks we're being ridiculous to worry about 9/11 happening all over again, but were the people who worried about it before it happened so ridiculous? No.

We're playing the odds to have fun. But eventually we'd have to, right? And like, the majority of people do go on vacations and nothing bad happens, right? I hope Dani has an amazing time. And I hope this week doesn't feel as long as today has felt so far. For the one who we've always thought of as The Quiet One, it's really quiet around here without Dani.