When I was David Michael's age, my Dad walked out and I never saw him again. He and my Mom fought all the time before he left. I guess Sam, Charlie and I hoped that having David Michael come into the family would renew my parent's love for one another. Mom and Dad must have thought that too. The fighting only intensified as Mom grew more and more stressed and Dad grew more and more absent from the family until one day he just walked out. David Michael was only just out of Diapers by this stage and it was up to all of us to help raise him, include me, Kristin Amanda Thomas or Kristy to my friends.

My friends are Mary-Anne Spier, who lives next door and Claudia Kishi, who lives across the street. We all live on Bradford Court. Claudia is Japanese-American, has both her parents and her genius older Sister Janine, living with her, until recently her Grandmother, Mimi moved in to help care for the girls, now Claud's mom has returned to work. Mary-Anne is an only child who lives with her strict dad. Her mother died when she was a baby.

Mary-Anne is my best friend. We look so alike that we pretend sometimes that we are sisters. We've both got brown hair and brown eyes and a are small for our age, although Mary-Anne is almost three inches taller. Mary-Anne are so different it's amazing that we are even friends. She's quiet and shy, while I'm boisterous and outgoing (Claud sometimes says I'm bossy). She likes reading and playing with her dolls, while I like Baseball, Softball and everything else that requires me to be outdoors.

The one thing we had in common (other than our looks) is that we both like Claudia and think she is the most interesting person we know. Claudia is really good at drawing and Mary-Anne and I both know that she is going to be a famous Artist one day, even if her parents don't agree. Mr and Mrs Kishi's main aim for Claudia is that she at least makes it through school, preferably with a B-Average or Higher, but Claud just isn't interested in school and usually only gets a C if she's lucky.

Now Mary-Anne and I have another thing in common. We both only have one parent left. That's what gave me the idea. I hated seeing my mom sad all the time and I knew my dad was never coming back. It's what Charlie and Sam always say and I gave up hope long ago of seeing my dad again. Mary-Anne's dad never went out on dates. It seems he never really got over losing Mary-Anne's mom.

So for Valentines Day I decided I would set them up, you know, on a date. Mary-Anne was thrilled and hoped that her dad would loosen up if he had a steady girlfriend and what better girlfriend could Richard Spier have than Elizabeth Thomas? We had been watching the Parent Trap, one of Mary-Anne's favourite movies when the idea popped into my head like my ideas usually do. The wheels of the Kristy Thomas Ideas Factory were set in motion and I blurted it out to Mary-Anne.

"I've got it!" I cried.

"Got what?" Mary-Anne was confused as she dabbed the tears away from her eyes with a Kleenex.

"Your dad. My mom. Valentines day...." I was rolling my hand in a forward motion, hoping Mary-Anne would get my drift.

Mary-Anne sat up suddenly. "Let me get this straight! You want my dad to go on a date with you mom?"

"Why not? They'd be perfect for each other!" I cried, hoping Mary-Anne would agree.

"Well I guess my dad has been so sad an lonely, just like your mom. It would be good to see them happy together for a change." She stood up and was rewinding the tape in the VCR. I gathered up the remaining popcorn in the bowl and shovelled it into my mouth. "Emmwajhajhwunvesosic!"

"Sorry, what was that?" Mary-Anne asked, going green around the gills. Mary-Anne has a very weak stomach. I love grossing her out. I suck my pop-corny tongue out and she grimaced, desperately trying not to think of puking. Having got the reaction I was hoping for I swallowed and spoke again. "And your dad won't be so strict!"

"That's true! He won't be worried about me so much, because he'll have your mom!"

That night, by Torchlight, we hatched the plan that I was sure would be our best project ever.