A Chicago girl.

My mom and dad lived in the city and took me everywhere.

My dad competed in triathlons. He ran with me through Lincoln Park Zoo, always stopping to say “hi” to my favorite animal, the tigers.

My mom planted a garden in front of our walk up on Marshfield. She put a sign in the ground, “Chloe’s Garden”.

I had an old tabby cat, Sammy. I grabbed her tail with my fist and pulled at her whiskers. I was a baby so she tolerated me.

My first friend lived on our block, Kiki Kate. I don’t know if it’s a memory or a dream but Kiki Kate had a loft in her house and tried to teach me to read. I held my books upside down and flipped the pages.

In my mind, I was reading.