At five years old I could never stay awake past the first few pages of my book. It often took me several nights to read one book.

I would wake up in the morning to see that the sun was shining, and I would get furious that I, again, missed spending quality time with my mom in the middle of the night. 

OVERNIGHT ADVENTURE BY TIAARA ANDERSON 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 66

“If you need anything, I will just be right over there. You will be able to see me and I can see you. Okay?” 

My mother kissed me on the forehead and got out of the car. She left the door unlocked and she walked over to the booth where she worked nights in a downtown Chicago parking garage. The windows were tinted and no one could see me in the back seat of the car, but my mom could see me through the windshield. 

I loved going to work with my mom, it was one of our many “adventures”. The back seat of her purple Malibu was my toy box. I had crossword puzzles and a variety of Disney Books to read. 

My mom was an avid reader and I had begged her to buy me some books after I grew jealous that she was getting books in the mail and there was nothing for me…