Alex smiled as he got out of his car to greet Jake. "Holy crap, kid. Are you running away? Seriously?"

Jake tried to shush his uncle as he stood next to the mountain of things he had packed into his wagon in the driveway. "Please don't tell Mom and Dad! Please?"

"Tell them?" Alex shook his head. "Don't be crazy, I'm just surprised it's taken you this long to do it. Now let me give you a hand with all that stuff."

Alex pulled Jake's Radio Flyer All-Terrain Wagon behind him as he and his nephew walked through the sub-division. "So which one was it that drove you over the edge? Your mom? 'Cause, man, she's driven me nuts a few times over the years. Nah, I bet it was Olivia. You probably made the right decision if it was her. I doubt she's going to get any more sane as she hurtles towards her teenage years."

Jake shook his head. "Ella."

"Ah, little sister Ella. Yeah, I bet she's rough to live with. What'd she do? Drool on your comics? Gnaw the head off one of your action figures?" Alex felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He glanced down to check the message he'd received from his sister: Where are you? Are you with Jake? Can't find him or you.

"She kept knocking down my buildings ON PURPOSE."

Alex quickly thumbed a reply to Michelle: Don't worry. Taking a walk w/ J. "UGH, what a little creep! Well, you did the right thing in my opinion. Packing up all your stuff and setting off on your own, just you and your wagon, is probably the best idea you've ever had. I mean, just look at this thing! It's huge. You've filled that extra-large body right up to the top of the removable wooden sides! You won't be a bored runaway, that's for sure. Except..."

"Except what?"

Alex shrugged "Well, I noticed you didn't bring any food with you. Probably going to get hungry soon, it being dinnertime and all. But I'm sure you can find something to eat after you've parked these inflatable tires somewhere." Alex then stopped himself and looked down at Jake. "Say, just where am I dragging all your stuff to, anyway? You know where you're going?"

Jake thought a moment. "My friend Amir from school lives over in Palisade Crossing."

Alex twisted his face when he heard the name. "'Palisade Crossing?' You know that's like thirty miles away. That's probably going to take you a few days."

"DAYS?" Jake's eyes went wide at the idea.

"Yeah, but you'll get there eventually. What's a few days of travel when you're running away from home? It's not like you'll miss your mom's Meal-In-A-Box night. Or the way you and your dad come up with your own stories to tell Ella at night before bed. Guess you won't miss the way Olivia helps you with homework, either. Are you even going to go to school anymore?"

Jake didn't say a word. He kicked a couple of sticks next to his feet and looked down at the ground. "Hey," Alex said. "Are you ready to turn around yet? Maybe your mom will order us pizza when we get back, and I can tell you about all the times I tried to run away."

Jake brightened. "You ran away, too?"

Alex pulled the wagon around and started heading back to Michelle's house. "Dude, I wasn't kidding when I said your mother used to drive me insane."

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