Chapter 24

“You have a roadster Ute?” That was more an accusation than a question.

“Heard that, did you?”

“You were on speaker ... of course I heard.”

“Yes ... I have two roadster utes. Why?”

“Where?”

“In storage.”

“Where did...”

“ ... I find them?”

“ ... you find ... Daddy.”

“What?”

“You are being difficult.”

“It’s part of my job description.”

“Job?”

“Single dad,” he said. “There’s a handbook.”

“I’ve never seen it.”

“Remember when you became a woman?”

She got all misty eyed ... and shyly smiled.

“Not then.”

“Oh” “You mean...”

She looked down at the vee of her jeans.

“Yes,” Daddy said.

Extreme concentration rambled across her face. Lightbulb moment.

“Yes.”

“What did you do?”

Really bright lightbulb moment.

“Went next door.”

“Then. I wasn’t home when you came back.”

“No ... you were gone.”

“Did I ever talk to you about sex?”

“No.”

“Ever wonder why not?”

More intense thought.

“No ... I always went next door.”

“All I did from then on was chase away the boys.”

“Alice?”

“What?”

“Where did you get the real revelation about sex?”

“You. You told me in detail.”

“Still got your Vee card?”

“Yes.” “You did a real good job ... I was terrified at first. Billy tried every single thing you said a guy would try to get in my panties. When he gave up, he told me it always worked before.”

Abby looked at Alice, “I AM amazed,” she said.

“Hussy,” Alice said.

“Back on track ... what did I do after Just Abby died?”

“Prospected,” I said.

“When you decided you didn’t need me any longer, I took to the hills up around NapoleonReef. I ran into a deadend ... and at the end of the deadend there were a couple of buildings ... falling down shacks, really ... the utes were in the rubble. I bought them from an older drunk in the shack at the turning. Four cartons of Resch’s Draught in 24 can cartons each.”

I did the math ... about $200 AU each. Pretty damn cheap.

“Wait ... in the turning?”

“Just after it.”

“We got the Uhaul from his ex wife.”