**Giggles!**

Thanks to my Big Sister, my Mother kept me tight within the protection of her fame and grace, keeping me out of trouble and only with friends that she trusted. They were either the East Beach Gang or at least people who my folks had over for dinner or Mom grew up with when she was a teenager. Most of them became an extended family of my own, both parents and children alike. I didn't start dating until high school, though Pop often teased Mom about keeping me in a cage. My Big Sister, on the other hand, had quite the juvenile record ... being thrown out of Frederica Academy and several boarding schools, also being sent off to several other institutions and even to jail a number of times. Now, she and I are pretty close, though I still cringe at her drug usage, but I understand a bit more now that I have gotten older. I don't approve, but I understand. Thanks to the history between us though, it's made things rough. She still believes that what she does has no effect on those around her and that it's no one else's business. I had explained to her that it's that sort of thinking that makes it hard for her to find a solid and higher paying job. "No business is going to chance getting entangled with a person who does what you do, honey," I have said. Her thoughts are about what you would expect, though when she gets smashed, her mind goes into the madness of memories and guilt. Truly a hell of her own making.

Because of Mom's paranoia, which was not entirely unfounded, I found my own world in my fantasies and through RPing games like Dungeons and Dragons and Villains and Vigilantes. I did a lot of drawing back then and read tons of comic books, X-Men and Teen Titans being two personal favorites of the 1980s, though I started out with Plastic Man and the Fantastic Four back in the 1970s. One good friend of my Mom's son gave me eighteen paper sacks full of comic books one summer and I spent many evenings reading all sorts of stories. I had most of the X-Men comics as well as Avengers, Justice League, Plastic Man, Superman, Batman and the Brave and the Bold too to go along with my already enormous collection. While Mom was horrified by the potential "literary decay" of my agile mind, Pop's booming laugh filled the house. "Your cage has now become her kingdom, honey," Pop said. "She will be just fine."

**Giggles! Again!**

I like to think I was. While I was not sought after like my Big Sister was ... hey, I wasn't the exhibitionist she was! ... I still managed to have plenty of friends and even some protectors when needed. Now, I also had my plethora of bullies, true enough, but it always worked out without violence. Especially at school. It also helped that most of the teachers grew up with Mom and remembered Major, my grandfather, who was the beloved teacher, principal and vice principal of Glynn Academy.

Like the way I love to remember my teenage years, Taffy grew up to be very loved and very popular, often being the matchmaker among her friends, but also the voice of reason and compassion as well as a healer too, someone you want to keep close by. Here on Valentine's Day, Taffy dons the Clothing of Aphrodite with all of the magical accoutrements needed to complete the disguise to aid her in spreading love and joy and happiness throughout Crossroads to all, be they good or bad, heroes or villains. And, like the one of Caitlynn, this marvelous piece of work was done by the magnificent artist,  adorableinall

BE Happy!