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other side of the island so I could meet my new family. New family? What new family? I loved my old family! I wanted to go home to my dolls, to our house. I desperately wanted my dad.
    After we stopped at the restaurant we went to a park so I could stretch my legs before the long drive ahead. They were taking me to Hilo, which was a two-and-a-half-hour drive. I think these strangers hoped I would burn off some energy at the park before the trip.
    My “captors” were very careful not to leave me alone, but they made one huge mistake. In conversation, they mentioned that Tucker had also been taken from Dad but had escaped. I knew then that I had to do something, or I might never see my familyagain. In my mind, these people were kidnapping me, and I was afraid Dad would be mad at me for letting them do that. So as soon as their backs were turned, I ran.
    I took off and ran as hard and as fast as I could and put as much distance as I could, as quickly as possible, between those other people and me. Fortunately, I was familiar with this park, as Dad had taken me there to play a number of times. I ran to the closest highway and an older couple picked me up in their ancient pickup truck. I am forever grateful to them. I sat between them in the front seat and asked to be dropped off at a McDonald’s that I knew was up the street. They seemed happy to do so. Today I think that if anyone saw a small, panting, frightened, out-of-breath child on a street corner, they’d probably try to find out why the child was panicked. But like an answer to a prayer, a car showed up when I needed one and the driver drove me where I needed to go, no questions asked.
    When I got to the McDonald’s, I placed a collect call to my dad with trembling fingers. Many of Dad’s bail clients called collect, so I knew what to do. I could hear the relief in Dad’s voice as he told me to hide somewhere close by; I would be rescued as soon as possible. I have always been small and I found a perfect hiding place under a seat and waited. And waited.
    My heart was thumping in my chest so hard that I was sure it would give me away. It seemed like forever, but Ginny eventually got there. Dad was afraid the police might be looking for him so he sent Ginny instead of coming himself.
    That night I was so happy to be home, surrounded by people I loved. But my happiness was not to last very long. The next morning a pounding on the door awakened me. The police were there with Child Protective Services, and I realized that they wanted Barbara, Tucker, and me to leave with them.
    “Over my dead body!” Dad shouted. “If you take them now, they will come back, just as they did yesterday.”
    If I ever doubted that Dad loved me, those fears were put to rest right then. Even I could see that this was a man who was doing his best to protect his family. I also have to admit that while most of my childhood memories are crystal clear, maybe because I was so traumatized by the event that here some of my memories are a bit foggy. My dad has a somewhat different recollection of the details of this time. However, the main facts remain clear to us both: CPS took me away from my family and I escaped.
    On hindsight, I have to acknowledge that we were minor children living in a home where a parent was doing hard drugs. Should we have been removed from the home? It’s an interesting question. I think that what my dad needed at this time more than anything was love, guidance, and support. It was about this same time that Tony Robbins stopped asking Dad to speak at his seminars, and I know how much that news must have hurt. I’ve often thought that if Dad had someone in his life who could have been there in person to give him support and encouragement daily, that life might have turned out differently for all the members of my family.
    But then again, maybe not. Maybe the wheel had turned too far and we were all on an inevitable path of implosion.
    The Child Protective Services people