In junior high I discovered romance novels, hoarding my allowance each month until the new Harlequins came out – I couldn’t get enough. However, I did make a few wrong turns in my pubescent quest for literary romance. I learned after one interesting trip to the local drugstore, which had quite a varied adult paperback selection - right out there on the rack where anyone could come along and just slide one into her Esprit shoulder bag and walk out of the store with no one being the wiser! - the difference between soft porn and romance novels. I also learned not to pass around said soft porn to your friends, because when they get caught with it in Mr. Russell’s science class, they rat you out. But I digress.

I broke up the monotony of high school by spending a year as an exchange student in Brazil, which was fun, and broke up the monotony of college by working as a nanny. Also fun, but much more work and much less booze. I studied business because I figured I’d need a career one day, graduated, got a dog, rented a house, and threw money around like candy at a parade.

I went broke fast, and moved back in with my parents to save money. Talk about a humbling experience – if you ever think you’re getting too big for your britches, move back in with Ma and Pa again. There’s nothing quite like being twenty-five and having your mother tell you, “You’re not going anywhere until your room is clean, missy” to put life in perspective.

After two years of that I was ready to move out – so I moved to Texas. Why? Well, why not? The kid sister who I’d spent twenty years fighting with was already here, and we ended up being pretty good friends.

So we got a place together, introduced her dog to my dog, and spent a couple years hanging out. But eventually we got on each others nerves again, and decided in the interest of staying friends to quit being roomies.

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