I'm on my way to church, and haven't a lot of time, but I wanted to say:
1. I love this story!
Edited: This morning when I wrote this, I could not for the life of me remember the word I wanted. I even asked my family members, "What's that word that sounds like centrifuge, but means a divertionary tactic?" I finally gave up and just wrote "smoke screen". It wasn't until just now, as I was driving home in a torrential downpour that it hit me, "Subterfuge!"
