"I'll do it," I said. I reached over, to the left, and pulled the bag, which was enormous and heavy, until it filled the space where Mom had sat moments earlier. I wore shorts, and as I shifted, I felt the weight of Mom's bottom on my thighs and knees. It wasn't much weight, because Mom had a petite, trim figure, but I felt keenly aware of it. It wasn't a bad feeling, but it was weird.

We had a long, long car ride ahead of us, and Dad and Ashley were busy gabbing about something or other, and Mom was quiet, as usual, so I knew it was up...