text: Dear Ma, Loved hearing from you, thanks so much for writing! I’m glad Dad was able to set up your new email address--we’ve had our hands pretty full and it’s been hard to sit down and write anything handwritten, for once, but our family therapist tells me journaling is a healthy processing technique so I guess you’ll get an earful. Sorry in advance! I love that you still keep up with Peter and Susie Chin! I remember their kids--we used to spend hours playing with them down at the creek when we were younger, just like you said their kids do as well. I miss that place. Sometimes I wonder if we had stayed in Oregon if Johnny would grow up with an appreciation for the outdoors rather than holing up in the shed and building his rocket. Maybe he’d be out there with the Chin’s grandkids, splashing around and getting into neighborhood shenanigans like we used to. Oh right, I suppose I should tell you about the rocket. I suppose we’re to blame with his recent obsession--I think he got turned on to space after we gave him a stack of Ted’s old Superman comics, with Kal-El being from another planet and all. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s trying to visit Krypton! I normally leave him alone while he’s welding in the shed but my parenting podcast told me I should participate in my child’s interests, so the other day I walked in to see what he might be working on. He wasn’t around but he’s really a gifted artist! As I suspected, he’s obsessed with Superman. Well, the Superman universe, at least--one wall was covered with drawings of Lex Luthor. They were a little manic, scribbled in one of those avant-garde dark-red smear styles but think with a few private lessons we could have a regular little Francisco Goya! The other walls were plastered in diagrams of this rocket, and grid maps of major cities--Los Angeles, Toronto, New York, even the Distrito Federal. What struck me was the precision with which he drew everything. Notes on the side included things like population density, intercontinental flight times, fuel charts, and even notations on the city's anti-air systems. It was really riveting stuff. I also found the rocket he’s been working on--it’s smaller than I expected, but expertly welded. I told Ted about it afterwards and now we’re looking into architecture and engineering private schools to put him in once he reaches high school! I think a private trade school might be good for him. The other kids in his class don’t really get along with someone as bright as Johnny. They call him awful things, like “weird,” “creepy,” and “hell-bent on world domination.” Poor Johnny’s handling it well, though. I asked him how he felt about it one day after school, and he told me that “they’ll see. They’ll all see.” and then disappeared into the shed. You show them, Johnny! Tonight at dinner I asked him if he planned to make his rocket any bigger, because I didn’t think it could hold a person. He kind of stared at me for a long while--we call those his Johnny stares! It’s a fun game he plays. And then he said, “no, mom, I don’t need it to hold a person, I just need it to hold a payload.” That’s also part of Johnny’s game. He always responds to questions with something cryptic. It’s like a mystery we get to solve as parents. Anyway, I’ll wrap this up. Johnny’s school psychologist left me a message asking if I was available to talk ASAP, and I think I have to tell him we’re moving Johnny to a different school next year. Say hi to Dad and the Chins for me. Hope to hear from you soon.