The summer of 1972 started off without a hitch. School had just let out, and with the anticipation of high school upon us, we hardly looked back.

Ever since the summer of 1970, the summer of "Dear Johnny" and my parents separation, the four of us had grown more and more independent from each other. But none of the four of us, I had imagined, had forgotten our pact to always be there for one another when we needed it. It was a promise that would be fulfilled several times in the many years since:

- Teeny's first wedding in '77, which of course ended in a divorce (or was "annulled" as she puts it). And her second wedding. And her third...

- Chrissy's marriage to Mort in '83, and the birth of their little girl just a few years ago.

- Roberta's brother being shipped off to Vietnam in the spring of '71.

- The publication of my first book, The Alien Next Door, back in '85.

Anyway, in the two years since making the pact, however, we had started to drift apart. What had originally been a tight-knit quartet had slowly brached off into two pairs; Teeny and I on one end, and Roberta and Chrissy on the other. Chalk it up to mutually changing interests I guess, but there was definitely no animosity. We even hung out, in the treehouse on occasion, but it was just... not the same since that last seance in the graveyard. But still, Teeny and I were (almost) just as excited about summer vacation as ever considering we were going into high school the following year, and never ruled out the possibility of hanging out with Chrissy and Roberta whenever we could.

And with that vague hope in the back of our minds, we began three months of freedom that would lead us throughout a truly unforgettable summer.