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<div class=Section1>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#993366'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#993366'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#993366'>My child is gone.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#993366'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#993366'>Organized, labeled, packed up, morale rescued from the
clutches of a sniveling father, Stephen has left to go wilderness camping with
a slew of big, burly men and a bunch of Tenderfoot Boy Scouts.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#993366'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#993366'>Here’s the place, in the heart of the </span></font><st1:place><font
size=2 color="#993366" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:#993366'>Adirondack Mountains</span></font></st1:place><font
size=2 color="#993366" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:#993366'>, hours form home, 45 minutes from what
I loosely call “civilization.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#993366'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#993366'><a
href="http://cnyscouts.homestead.com/files/asc/camp_sabattis_history.html">http://cnyscouts.homestead.com/files/asc/camp_sabattis_history.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#993366'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#993366'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#993366'>It was touch and go for a few days and the father telling
me he wouldn’t force him to go when I hadn’t heard a fearful peep
from him, and guess what?<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>This
wasn’t my idea, ANYway…it was the FATHER’S.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>So, when Thursday evening came and Stephen
came to me wringing his hands, saying that he didn’t think he was ready
to go to Sabattis, my jaw hit the floor.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>
</span>I said, “The time to decide not to go to Sabattis was before we
spent 300 dollars on registration and equipment.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>I sent him to take a shower.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>Christine informed me that her father told
him he would have a good time but that “no one is going to force you to
go.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#993366'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#993366'>I really hate when exes make decisions for everyone and
especially when they play with your checkbook.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>
</span>It’s just so rude.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#993366'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#993366'>He came out of the shower and cried and carried on about
how he wasn’t up to the<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>___ (pick
a number) mile hike every morning, so finally, at 11 PM, I called his father on
the phone (kinda hoping I’d wake him up) and had him talk to him.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>Yes, I was desperate.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>I had to find out about the dreaded hike,
which was reminding Stephen of his winter camping hike where his snowshoes
broke and he had to hike uphill, both ways, barefoot in the snow for 15 miles
which ultimately translated to 3 miles, once I talked to the Scout leaders, but
you get the picture.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#993366'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#993366'>Got him to bed, spent all of yesterday preparing to leave,
dodged a few bullets sent out by the ex, snatched Stephen from the jaws of hell
by not allowing him to sleep over at his dad’s the night before moving
out….and, well, you probably have got the idea that I am exhausted.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>This house looks like someone turned it on
its side and shook it, then put it down, again and my in-laws are coming on
Tuesday.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#993366'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#993366'>Anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#993366'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#993366'>My child is gone.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>
</span>Both the ex and my husband tell me that they didn’t think he was
going to make it, but he was happy to go, in the end,<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#993366'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#993366'>And now, we dance.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#993366'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#993366'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#993366'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#993366;mso-no-proof:
yes'> .+'*'+.+'*'+.<br>
. <br>
*'+. .+'*<br>
*<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#993366;mso-no-proof:
yes'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#993366;mso-no-proof:
yes'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color="#993366"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#993366'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div style='border:none;border-left:solid blue 1.5pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 4.0pt'>
<div style='border:none;border-left:solid blue 1.5pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 4.0pt'>
<blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid blue 1.5pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 4.0pt;
margin-left:3.75pt;margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
12.0pt;margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</blockquote>
</div>
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