The clock gazes past me, indifferent to my impatient glances. We’d been in our swimsuits an hour already, Mama’s snack money envelope tucked into my folded towel. In two hours, I would walk us down the block to our neighbor’s...

DashNette smashes together my first and middle names, Dasha + Ninette. Of the pet names my mother has invented --there are many-- DashNette is cutest. Sweet, deliciously corny and, consequently, a favorite charm I get to wear abou...