Rachel didn't want to go to school, but if Momma saw her still in bed, she'd be in trouble. She told Teddy Bear Blue good morning, hugged him and stood up. Every morning, Rachel colored yesterday's square on the calendar on her wall so she could practice coloring inside the lines. Today, she picked a red marker for the job. That was Daddy's favorite color, but Momma didn't like red anymore.

Momma and Daddy still loved each other. Rachel knew that. She knew they loved each other and loved her. Daddy told her so. Momma didn't talk a lot about what she and Daddy called their "separation," but Daddy talked about it all the time when Momma wasn't there. Usually Rachel didn't talk about things in front of Momma if she thought Momma would say she was wrong, like when she tied her shoes Daddy's way: loop, loop, knot.

"No," Momma had said. Momma's way was more like knot, loop, wrap, loop, knot. "That way your shoes will stay tied longer, sweetheart."

Maybe Daddy was afraid Momma would say he was wrong, too.

Rachel knew she had to decide where she wanted to live soon. Daddy was moving to a place called Michigan, with lakes. Rachel didn't know how far that was from their home in Dallas, but it seemed like a long way. Momma and Daddy had sat her down a few days ago and told her that she had to pick one of them to live with most of the time, at least for a while, because they would be living so far apart. She could still talk to Momma if she lived with Daddy, or Daddy if she lived with Momma, but she had to live with one of them. They told her it was her decision and they both loved her very much no matter which one of them she picked.

Momma poked her head into Rachel's room and smiled. "Rachel, honey, you need to hurry or you won't have time to eat before school."

With the door open, Rachel could smell the bacon Daddy was cooking in the kitchen. He always made breakfast for her and Momma. He used to make pancakes some days because that's what Momma liked and make biscuits other days because that's what Rachel liked. For a couple weeks, they'd only had biscuits. There was always bacon, though.

The door closed again and Rachel went over to her outfit cubby, where Momma always put her school clothes for the day. Today Momma had laid out Rachel's favorite turquoise shirt. Turquoise—that was Rachel's favorite color because it was her favorite word. Momma knew she loved turquoise.

Rachel got a little lost in her shirt, but eventually she managed to find the neck hole and the arm holes. Momma had taught her a trick for making sure it wasn't backward, but she couldn't remember if she was or wasn't supposed to see the tag when she looked down the front of the shirt. She probably was…she figured that way she could see her size easily if Grandma asked.

She put her jeans on and buttoned them, and then picked up her tennis shoes. She had to sit down to put them on, so she sat on the little chair Daddy had made her when she was still a baby. She wondered if she could keep the chair wherever she decided to go.

She wished she didn't have to choose. Momma and Daddy both loved her, and she loved both of them. She didn't want to give up Daddy's breakfasts or Momma's outfits or night-night hugs from either of them. How could she choose?