[The cover shows a plush toucan sitting among the pieces of a
dismantled quadrotor drone and, incongruously, several pieces
of parchment covered in arcane sigils.]

____________________________________________________________________________
.|, COHERENT An ASHistory Series --+-------------------------------------------------------------------------
'|` SUPER STORIES Special #2 - Home Again, Gain A Home
Featuring Doctor Developer copyright 2023 by Andrew Burton ____________________________________________________________________________

While the "Benefactor" storyline was ultimately rejected as the New Direction for Coherent Comics, that does not seem to have stopped the writer
of LL&DD from contining to work on ideas beyond the rejected pitch.
Recently, a stack of 3.5" floppy disks was recovered among the effects of a former editor, and once we found a machine capable of not only reading the disks but also reading the files on them, we found a trove of other
unsubmitted work, including this sequel to "Cameryn By Any Other Name," which follows the reunited McKay family.
Content warning, there's a few instances of violence beyond the usual "comic book action" typical of LL&DD stories.

=============================================================================

Jennifer was warm.
Even though there was only a small part of her covering him...her head
on his shoulder, an arm draped over his chest...Cameron could feel Jennifer's warm body increasing his own temperature. To say it was pleasant utterly failed to express the situation, much like saying he felt uncomfortably cold while lying on his bunk in The Cave with only a thin sheet to preserve his
own body heat against the aggressive HVAC system that circulated air in the subterranean prison. It struck Cameron as apt to use a temperature differential to compare how low he had been with how radiant life felt now.
Jennifer slept peacefully, her mouth barely opened, and the only
movement was a slight shift in her chest as she breathed. Her hair hung
behind her, like a comet tail or bridal train. She was still wearing the
dress from the train station where they were reunited as they'd both stayed
up talking until falling asleep.
The moment was perfect.
Cameron never wanted to move again.
"Moooommm!" a loud cry broke the silence.
Jennifer's face scrunched momentarily, and her eyes opened. She didn't move at first, but then slowly looked up at Cameron with a content look on
her face. "I guess it's morning," she sighed.
"Cammy's awake," was all Cameron could think to say.
"It's not a school day," Jennifer told him. "Wait until tomorrow, then I'll be yelling at her." Jennifer started to move, then stopped. She looked back at Cameron with a quirk on her face. "You know, now there are two
parents in this house. I think this time, it's your turn," she paused to
roll off Cameron, then punctuated her point by calling him, "Dad."
Cameron shuffled out of their room and down the stairs. He rubbed his face in an attempt to get his eyes to fully focus. It was going to take a while for his sinuses to adjust to air that wasn't recycled and filtered.
Until then, maybe eyedrops.
Cameron turned the corner just in time to see Cammy dropping a couple of toaster pastries on a plate. She started blowing on her fingers as soon as
the food clunked against her plate. "Hot, hot, hot!" she gasped between
puffs.
"Are the tongs still in the drawer?" Cameron asked. He pointed to one
of the drawers beside Cammy.
"Oh!" she jumped. "Cam...uh...dad. You're up. Where's mom?"
Cameron scratched the back of his head. "Her exact words were, 'It's
your turn.'" Cammy's eyes shifted nervously. "I think she wanted to give us time to be alone."
"Yeah, that sounds like mom." Cammy set her plate down on the table,
and made a dash for the living room. She climbed over the couch, looked
behind the computer desk, and then headed for the washing room behind the stairs. "Have you seen my jacket? I just had it, but now I can't find it,
and I'm going to be late."
Cameron listened, turning to keep Cammy in his sights as she dashed all over the first floor. "What does it look like? Is it the blue one with the bubbles on the back?"
"They're jellyfish, but, yes. Where is it?"
"You wore it yesterday at the train station..." Cameron started.
"The car!" Cammy interjected. She bolted out into the garage. After
some automotive sounding commotion, Cameron heard the definitive sound of a slamming door. Moments later Cammy emerged from the garage wearing a blue jacket covered in bubbles...or jellyfish. Cameron thought they looked like bubbles.
"Why do you need a jacket?"
Cammy was already answering his question. She began shoving various
items from the kitchen table into the pockets of her jacket, including the breakfast pastries. "Swetha's taking me shopping with her family today. They'll be here any minute."
"Uh, do you need anything? Money?" Cameron asked.
"Nah," Cammy declined, "I'm good." She paused, struck by what she'd
said. "Maybe next time?" her voice pitched up hopefully.
"Next time," Cameron answered. He wondered if Jennifer ever found the roll of hundreds he used to keep in the vents for emergencies.
"Uh," Cammy said awkwardly. Cameron looked at her, and realized neither of them knew what to say next. "I'm going to get going."
"Do you have a curfew or anything? Should I wait up?" Cameron asked.
This got a laugh from Cammy. She pulled the black slab from her pocket. "I'll call and let you guys know I'm not dead." Her thumb brushed against
the smooth surface, and it lit up with a picture of Cammy and Jennifer in
front of Wrigley Field. The angle struck Cameron as strange. Cammy must
have been holding whatever camera took the picture.
"What else?" Jennifer asked. She walked up behind Cameron, and wrapped
an arm over his shoulder.
Cammy rolled her eyes and head back. "Mom!"
"What else do you do?"
Cammy sighed and looked very put upon. "If I get kidnapped, I tell them I'm an orphan." Cameron's eyebrows raised quite high, Jennifer smiled a crooked grin. "That's not funny, mom."
"It is to me," Jennifer told her. "Now, go on. Don't make them wait."
Cammy didn't need any more encouragement, she launched herself out the door.

* * * *

People rarely looked in air vents, not even repairmen. They certainly didn't take a steak knife to the insides of an air vent searching for a hair thin seam held in place by magnets. At least that was Cameron's theory
fifteen years in the past when he carved out his secret panel.
His theory proved correct. The edge of the knife caught on the seam,
and after a little work, Cameron lifted up the cover. From there it was easy enough to pull out the small, nylon bag and replace all the covers to their previous state.
Taking inspiration from Cammy, Cameron spread out the contents of the
bag on the kitchen table: multitool, three fake driver's licenses from surrounding states, burner phone, and a roll of bills. The licenses were all expired by now, and he expected the battery in the mobile phone had corroded all of its internal components. The multitool was still useful. The cash,
all six thousand dollars, would be useful until he could get to his lawyer's office to fill out some paperwork.
"I'm honestly not sure if I should or should not be surprised to find
you like this," Jennifer chuckled. She walked back in the kitchen. Gone
were the clothes she slept in, and now she was wearing a sweater and jeans.
She picked up the roll of bills and counted through it. "Where was this?"
Cameron pointed to the central cooling vent.
"How much money did you squirrel away around here?" Jennifer was
genuinely amused.
Cameron thought about it for a moment. "Enough seed capital to restart, ah, a new life somewhere. This is just the easiest one to grab. The others require dismantling the basement or digging up the backyard. Well," he calculated, "it was before I..." he trailed off, "I haven't kept up with inflation."
Jennifer bobbled her head, doing her own calculating. "Six grand is
still six grand." She set the roll back down. "Do you want to go shopping
or something?"
Cameron didn't, not right away. He recounted his brief conversation
with Cammy, his asking if she needed money, and how that reminded him of his various stashes. "Just wanted to see if it was still there, ah, really.
Plus, I probably owe her some kind of back allowance, or birthday gifts."
Jennifer thought about that for a bit. The edges of her lips curled slightly, but to her credit she never laughed out loud. "Please don't give
our daughter six thousand dollars," Jennifer said. "Have you seen her room yet?"
Cameron shook his head, "No."
"She has too many plushies already. With six grand, we'd be swimming in stuffed animals." Jennifer clapped Cameron on the back. "Speaking of
stuffed, I'm not. I'm hungry, and you're apparently flush with cash. Let's
go out for breakfast."

* * * *

The restaurant was new, and not a chain. It wasn't quite a diner, but
it had some of the trappings. There was a counter with stools. There were waitresses, though they didn't appear to wear any uniform beyond an apron.
Their waitress, Sharon, led Cameron and Jennifer to a booth. Cameron wasn't sure he picked up a lot of the nonverbal queues, but he felt confident Jennifer knew Sharon, Sharon knew something about Cameron, and that Sharon
was feeling a bit warm. That last one didn't seem related, but Cameron
caught her fanning herself out of the corner of his eye.
"Ready to order," Sharon asked, "or do you need a minute?" She held out two menus.
Jennifer waves her away. "I'll get the usual, she said, "but Cameron
may need one."
"Do you have pancakes?" he asked.
"Sure do."
"I'll take an order of pancakes and coffee, please."
Sharon's eyes sparked. "Two usuals it is." She smiled brightly at Jennifer and went to deliver their order.
Before Cameron could ask, Jennifer offered an answer. "Cammy and I eat here," she trailed off, "more often than we probably should, but they have really good food. And they never seemed to mind a very tired museum
researcher bringing her hyperactive daughter."
"Where is Cammy today?" Sharon asked. She set the two coffee cups down
on the table, one for each.
"Her friends took her shopping," Jennifer explained. "They'd been planning this for a while. I didn't have the heart to tell her to cancel,
even though it's Cameron's first day home. By the way, Sharon, this is my husband, Cameron."
Sharon offered Cameron her hand, which he shook. "It is nice to finally meet you. I'd be lying if I said Jenny shared your life story, but she let a few things slip over the years." Jennifer buried her head in her hands, feigning embarrassment.
"Thank you," Cameron said. He was at a loss for more.
Sharon smiled. "I'll let you two have some privacy. The stacks will be done soon."
"Thanks, Sharon," Jennifer called. She turned back to look at Cameron, rested her chin on one hand, and continued. "Can't say much, Sharon's
secrets are her own, but we've had overlapping professional circles in our pasts. I let mine slip one night, and we bonded over it."
"I'm glad you had a friend," Cameron said.
Jennifer put her free hand to her chest and gasped. "What do you mean? I'm a social butterfly!" She giggled, "But I will admit, having a kid will
drag even the most social butterfly back into her cocoon of hermitage."
Cameron actually smiled. "So will a maximum security cell."
Despite herself, Jennifer laughed out loud. She quickly covered her
mouth and blushed. "Deedee," she asked, "was that a joke?" She reached out
and lovingly punched his arm. She was about to say something else when her pocket started buzzing.
"A beeper?" Cameron asked.
Jennifer didn't answer right away. She pulled the black, plastic slab
out of her pocket and the screen lit up. Cameron watched as she touched the screen. He felt silly, it was a PDA. Obviously the screen resolution
improved over the years.
"Did your timer go off?" he asked.
Jennifer shook her head. "Cammy sent me a picture of a skirt she
wants." She turned the PDA around to show Cameron. Cammy was holding a
plaid, denim skirt next to her. It was from a similar angle as the Wrigley Field photo. The camera was obviously at arm's length, but...
Cameron grabbed Jennifer's PDA.
"Does this have a, uh, camera in it?" he asked, "and a network connection?" He felt something switch on in his brain. He was trying to remember part numbers and specs, extrapolate them out using Moore's Law as a rough guide, and work out just what the device in his hands could do.
Jennifer looked puzzled. "Yeah, all phones have them...these...days."
Her eyes widened. "You've never seen a smartphone?"
"That's a phone, with a camera, and a touchscreen interface?" he was almost sputtering. He'd seen some pretty powerful handheld computers in his day. He even built a few. Those were always one-offs, heavily kludged, and often packed with paratech to give them a boost. Even then, he'd never seen one as sleek and vibrant as Jennifer's.
"Oh, Deedee," Jennifer said. She took the phone back. "I'm glad you're sitting down, because I have got a story to tell you. The year was two thousand seven and a guy you may have heard of named Steve Jobs had a brainstorm...."

* * * *

Hank's Hardware was exactly like Cameron remembered it. As he and Jennifer walked in and the bell above the door jingled, he felt his pulse quicken. There was nothing in the world like a well stocked hardware store.
"Be with you in a minute," Hank called out from somewhere in the back of the store.
Cameron was already wandering over to the tool aisle as Jennifer
answered. "No rush. We're just browsing," she told the owner. She followed Cameron.
"Don't go crazy," she said with a wink.
Cameron mumbled back, "Just a few essentials."
Jennifer knew that was going to be a stretch. Despite the lack of his security clearances, even with something akin to a parole agreement barring
him from getting them back, she knew Cameron was already working on
something. She suspected it might have something to do with his sudden fascination with smartphones. Her brief introduction had sparked something.
"Mrs. McKay," Hank said as he walked around the aisle, "Did I hear you
say 'we?'" he asked. "Is little Cammy here?"
Jennifer tugged on Cameron's arm so he was facing Hank as the shop owner stepped onto the aisle with them. "No, but my big one is," she beamed.
Hank's jaw dropped, and Cameron's cheeks flushed. "I don't believe it!" Hank extended a hand, and Cameron unexpectedly reacted by reaching out to
shake it. Jennifer could count on one hand the people Cameron was willing to physically interact with, and she felt herself getting a little misty witnessing a reunion with one.
"I just got, ah, home," Cameron explained.
"Just last night," Jennifer added. "I'm giving him the grand tour."
"Well, I'm glad I'm on the tour," Hank quipped back. He and Cameron finished shaking hands. "Where are my manners, I'm sure you two don't need
me butting in..."
"Do you have any smartphones?" Cameron asked.
"Got a few of the pay as you go kind," Hank thought aloud, "but they're cheap. Mostly sell them to contractors when they drop their own off a roof."
Cameron shrugged. "I'll take three," he said.
Hank grinned, quickly slipping back into the role of Cameron's supplier
of sometimes mundane, sometimes esoteric, but never boring hardware requests. "They're behind the counter. You want a charger for them?"
Cameron furrowed his brow. Jennifer nodded. "I know where those are," she said, "Come on, let me introduce you to the world of phone chargers. If you're lucky, I'll even show you some screen covers."

* * * *

Cameron's idea of essentials filled six bags. It was mostly random
items: a few tools Jennifer knew she didn't have; some tools Cameron swore
were new; a few rolls of duct tape; the three phones and miscellaneous accessories for them, and a toy drone that Hank had remaining from his stock
of Christmas wares. Jennifer knew the purchases weren't completely random,
but she wasn't sure what he was planning.
"I didn't know you knew Hank," Cameron said. He set his load of bags down, and Jennifer passed him two more.
"When Cammy was three or four, she had kind of an artistic streak," Jennifer explained, "and the walls were her canvas. Crayons, markers, lipstick. She was determined to draw on anything except paper. I went to
buy some paint supplies. Over the years, I picked up some things here and there.
"I told you, I'm a social butterfly."
She didn't mention that when she really missed Cameron, she would go to Hank's. After Cameron's indictment, the DSHA cleared the equipment out of
his workshops. The government even took a lot of his equipment from their house. She and Cameron managed to hide away a few critical pieces, but any
of the places where she could have gone to feel a connection with Cameron or Doctor Developer disappeared. Hank's Hardware was the only surviving refuge
of Cameron-ness.
Jennifer felt like Hank suspected as much, but he never seemed to object to her browsing quietly for half an hour every couple of months for a screwdriver or lightbulbs. If Cameron's shopping spree today was any indication of things to come, it was a good investment.
Cameron accepted her answer. If he suspected anything else, he kept it
to himself. Jennifer assumed he was more interested in sorting out his purchases than digging into her sappy ulterior motives.
The sound of a car pulling up interrupted Jennifer's thoughts. It was
the Verma family dropping off Cammy. "Be right back. I need to thank the Vermas for taking Cammy today."
Cammy was already saying her goodbyes by the time Jennifer got the Vermas's car. It took less than five minutes for her to make a bit of smalltalk and thank them. It took half that for Cammy to sneak away. Only when Jennifer headed back to the garage did she see Cameron and Cammy
comparing their loot.
Cameron was holding a tube shaped, plush cat. He squeezed it a couple
of times. "What does it do?" he asked. Cammy took the toy back.
"He looks cute," she told him.
"Is that all?"
"No," Jennifer added, "it takes up space. And sometimes it sneaks into the refrigerator and scares me when I'm trying to make breakfast."
"That happened one time," Cammy said defensively. She pleaded her case directly to Cameron. "I was six, and I just learned that penguins lived in cold regions. I thought Mr. Tuxedo would feel better in the cool air."
"That makes sense," Cameron considered, "but why not the freezer? It's colder."
"I was six," Cammy said. "I was going to do that, but I was too short.
I settled on the fridge."
"And I knocked over a gallon of milk because I thought a rat got in somehow," Jennifer added to the story. "All plushies in this house have a curfew now."
Cammy shook her head and focused on Cameron's bags. She picked up one
of the unopened phones. "This is a cheap model," she said. "You should get
a DocDroid like mine." She showed Cameron her smartphone.
"Oh, have no fear, Cammy," Jennifer said. "If I know your dad, he'll
have the best phone in the neighborhood soon enough. These are for
research." Cammy looked confused. "You know how you bought all those little Mr. Tuxedos before getting the," Jennifer paused and closed her eyes to remember, "Shining Star Super Cute Mr. Tuxedo Special Edition Plush?"
This made perfect sense to Cammy. "Oh, you collect phones. That's
cool." Cammy pivoted the conversation again. "Mom, I got the skirt. I'm going to try it on." She turned and headed inside.
"I'll be up in a minute so you can show it to me," Jennifer called out
as Cammy vanished inside.
Cameron was silent as Jennifer watched Cammy disappear. He quietly
said, "She really likes those stuffed animals."
Jennifer nodded. "You've got to see her room."

* * * *

"Do you think this is a good idea?" Cameron asked. He paused walking up the stairs until Jennifer gave him a nudge.
"I'm sure it's not a good idea," she chuckled, "but just because it's
not a good idea, that doesn't make it a bad idea." She patted his shoulder. "I'll be right over here," she told him.
As they reached the top of the stairs, Cameron went left. Jennifer went right. He stopped right in front of the door to Cammy's room. Jennifer
leaned against the wall to keep out of sight, but not let him out of her
sight. He stared at the door, but couldn't bring himself to knock. Jennifer took matters into her own hands, or fists, and wrapped on the door.
"It's open!" Cammy called from inside.
Jennifer pantomimed turning the door knob.
Cameron took the hint, and stepped into Cammy's room.

* * * *

Cammy was scratching through a plastic tub of toy bricks as her door
open. She spotted the one-by-four blue brick she was after, and focused on extracting it before an avalanche covered it. Only when she had the brick in hand did she look up.
"Cameron!" she yelped. The brick fell back into the tub. Shock and irritation combined enough that she let out a short string of curses. As
soon as the last syllable came out, Cammy realized what it sounded like.
Before she could apologize, Jennifer appeared in the doorway.
"Would you care to repeat that, Cameryn?" she asked.
"I'm sorry!" Cammy said to Cameron, then to her mother. "I'm sorry. He...you...I..." she sighed. "Dad startled me. I thought it was you, mom. That was your knock." Jennifer looked sheepish. "Then I dropped the piece I was looking for."
"She did," Cameron corroborated.
"It won't happen again," Cammy promised.
"It better not," Jennifer said with a motherly stare. Then she raised
an eyebrow. "Language like that should only be used when something goes through a part of you."
Cammy muttered, "Gross."
Cameron used the lull to step forward and extend his arm toward Cammy, offering an envelope in his hand. Cammy stood up and took it from him. "I, ah, figured since I missed, uh, all your birthdays and Christmases that you were due," he explained.
Cammy opened the envelope and looked at the card. She read the rainbow "Happy birthday, dad!" set against a grassy green background. Cammy's mouth dropped when she opened the card, but to her credit, she read the rest of the card. "Here's to mower and mower birthdays."
"Hank doesn't have the best stock of cards," Cameron explained.
Cammy was focused on the five $100 bills in the card. She looked at Cameron, then to her mom. "Don't look at me," Jennifer chucked. "I told him to put it toward your college fund."
Cammy hugged the card and bills close to her chest. Then she cackled. "I'm rich! Rich!" A tilt of Jennifer's head and Cammy calmed down. She gave
a slight curtsey. "What I intended to say, father," she said in her most
prim voice, "is that your belated gift is most appreciated, but it pales in comparison to the gift of your return."
Cameron looked back at Jennifer, and Jennifer slow clapped. Cammy gave
a bow. Then she looked up at Cameron. "Thank you! Thank you! I've never
had this much money." She began giggling again.
"Maybe it was a bad idea," Jennifer said thoughtfully.

* * * *

Jennifer's field of expertise at the Museum of Science and Industry was super-hero technology. She spent her time cataloging and maintaining pieces
in the archive, updating displays with new features, and performing research and verifications on new acquisitions. It was one part historian and another part ordnance disposal. You couldn't just display Tinker Tom's Robbin' Roadster without thoroughly, and often repeatedly...given some paratech... disarming the displays.
Ancient texts were a little out of her domain of expertise, but they
were right in the middle of Heathrow Chesterton's. That was why, when an ancient manuscript was found powering a mechanized warrior, she had been
asked to work with him on figuring out a safe way to display the
pre-industrial age robot with the texts.
The robot was the easy part. Once the manuscripts were removed from
slots in its chest cavity, it was inert. She wasn't completely sure of the internal workings, but there seemed to be some magical form of character recognition at play. It only activated with the right pages were placed in
the right order.
Heathrow was less than sure. He insisted there was something more going on. He cited a seal on the back of the pages that linked up with his family. He was sure his family archives held the secrets to the power in the manuscript, but thus far was forbidden from taking the pages off museum premises.
That was why Jennifer was reading through occult books, comparing the symbols on the manuscript with previously recorded ones. Heathrow sat across from her at the end of her desk. He was working through his own library of sigils, glyphs, and seals.
If she had her way, it'd be Cameron sitting across from her. He might
not have a Magene or multiple degrees in historical languages, but she'd seen him extract order from mad science chaos more times than she could count. Unfortunately, at the moment, that wasn't an option.
"Any luck on your end?" Jennifer asked. She closed the book, and put it in her "done" stack. "I'm coming up dry."
"Unfortunately my search has not proven any more fruitful," Heathrow answered. He ran a hand over his graying hair. "I wish I could take the
pages back to my family home. The library there is much better suited to
this kind of thing."
"What about bringing the books here?" Jennifer asked.
Heathrow shook his head and smiled sadly. "Father was something of a paratech tinkerer, but he didn't pass on the knack. If I could put these
pages on the 'scrying board,'" he used air quotes for that, "the library
would show us what we needed. Unfortunately, if a single book is moved out
of place...."
He trailed off, and Jennifer understood. The double-edged blade of Magene-powered paratech. People with the right aptitude could build
fantastic, magical systems, but they could be as fragile as crystal or temperamental as a cat. Jennifer had experience with the latter as Lady Lawful. Only she and her mother were able to wear her Enhancement Belt to
any benefit.
"I fear my eyes are going cross," Heathrow said, "Would you mind if I
took my leave?"
"Please," she said. Heathrow began to stack his books, and Jennifer started to think about her belt, her mother, and Cammy. Cammy would be
getting out of school soon. "I think I'm going to see about clearing my head too," Jennifer said.
"Then we shall begin anew tomorrow," Heathrow said.
Jennifer nodded. "Tomorrow it is."

* * * *

There was a secret part of Jennifer that she almost hated. If she were
to try to explain it, she would feel embarrassed and guilty. If she were offered a means to exorcize it, she would decline the offer. It was a small, selfish, and perhaps even petty part of her. She almost hated it, but not fully.
Jennifer waved to Cammy from her perch, leaning against her car parked across from her daughter's school. Cammy was walking with a small cluster of friends until she saw her mother. With haste and a few quick waves to her friends, Cammy broke from the pack and ran toward Jennifer.
Cameron being back was a relief beyond words could express. After years of feeling like the only thread that held together a family that didn't know the other halves, she was finally at peace watching as their unit knit itself back together on a daily basis. After years living that dichotomy, there
were times she missed it.
Rationally she knew they were all adjusting to a rather large upheaval,
or perhaps resettling, depending on how you looked at it. There were going
to be tensions, slights, and recalibrations for a while. Maybe forever. A family was hardly something that ever stopped changing.
Irrationally, maybe selfishly, she wanted to pick Cammy up from school, take her to get milkshakes, and for an hour be the only parent in her life again.

* * * *

They weren't even fully through the door before Cammy took off for one
of the empty stools at the counter. She preferred the stools. Her
preference came from a time when she was small enough to spin around on the stool. Jennifer was glad that age had tempered Cammy's energy enough that sitting on the stool was enough.
Almost enough.
Cammy spun the stool halfway around to face the still approaching Jennifer. "Mom, can I get fries?"
Jennifer took a seat next to Cammy. "It's kind of close to dinner."
Cammy clasped her hands together, pleading. "Please. I didn't eat lunch."
"Why didn't you eat lunch?" Jennifer asked. Cammy smiled nervously and looked away from Jennifer. "Are you going to tell me, or should I expect a call from Principal Reed...again?"
"No," Cammy answered, irritated to be reminded of her recent visit to
the principal's office. She let out an exasperated sigh, and reached into
her pocket to pull out a small, stuffed toucan. "We were trading birds.
Mari's dad brought her back some new Wing-A-Longs from his trip. She was showing them off, and we started to trade."
Jennifer didn't remember seeing any toys on Cammy or in her backpack
when she checked before school. "What did you trade?" Jennifer asked, more curious about her oversight than worried about Cammy getting caught with contraband.
Cammy looked away from Jennifer, but before Cammy could answer a
waitress approached to take their order. Once the order for two milkshakes
and a small fry was placed, Jennifer nudged Cammy. Cammy was very
preoccupied with her toucan. It took another nudge for her to look up.
"What did you trade?" Jennifer asked again. "I don't remember you
trying to smuggle anything to school today. Are you swallowing plushies
now?"
Cammy giggled. "Gross! No."
"Then what?"
Cammy sighed forlornly. "Money. I took dad's 'birthday present' with me." Jennifer tried not to scowl, but some disappointment slipped through.
"I promise I was just going to show it to Swetha, but then Marin had the Wing-A-Longs..."
"It's your gift, your money, Cammy," Jennifer said, "but as your mother, please tell me you didn't pay five hundred dollars for a stuffed toucan."
Cammy let out a, "Mooom," that almost made Jennifer ashamed that she suspected her daughter would be that irresponsible. "A new, unopened toucan only goes for a hundred and fifty, and she already opened it up."
"So a hundred?" Jennifer asked.
"I think I could have gotten her down to eighty, but I only had
hundreds," Cammy shrugged. She held up the toucan, flapping its wings with
her fingers. "I need to get some twenties next time her dad goes on a trip."
Jennifer was trying her best to decide how to punish Cammy, but she

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