An average family, 2.3 and a plasma TV. Dog, cat, soccer practice and piano. Mom running out the door, late for work. Dad with his briefcase and tie. Carpool duty, then office duty. Traditional parents, regular jobs. Raising their kids to be traditional little people. Pushing them towards regular jobs. Swim team, piano lessons, band practice, the school play. Its all fine for now, fun for kids. The neighbor always drove her to swim meets. Mom and Dad couldn’t get away. Waiting after track practice with the janitor. Everyone else had already gone home. No, its fine, my mom will be here soon, she would tell the other kids. Sometimes it was true. After a while when she realized they wouldn’t come, she stopped inviting them. Yeah, there was a school play. It was good, she would say. The audition went fine. No parents aren’t allowed, she told them even though plently of parents went. College took her 1000 miles away where she didn’t have to lie to them. She stopped telling and they didn’t ask.