Chapter 34

University was an eye opener for Alice.

Alice is a great hit ... mixed race and all. Guys ... actual european men ... hit on her for the car ... a little conversation and males discovered Alice Li was considerably more than a hot car.

She is smart ... intelligent even. A junior ... third year ... taking and acing every advanced class. And she is pretty ... more Maori looking than abo ... and she is spectacular in a bikini.

Saturdays, we stayed home ... usually because of Friday nights. That is to say ... we are hormonally driven. From 12 or 13 on there is a great push to obey the ‘prime directive.’

Propagate.

Truly, the longevity of the race, homo-sapiens, is the only reason we are here.

The ‘pill’ is only 97 percent efective. One of us is pregnant ... not the two of us.

The all encompassing US.

Somewhere on the planet ... pregnant.

P R O P A G A T E

Friday nights we take our chances. There are parties ... dancing ... practicing. Maybe ... nah ... maybe ... ooo.

Play the game ... fiddle with my hair ... walk the walk that I NEVER walk during the week.

Saturday ... UGH ... and duty calls ... sanding ... is there a better way? Explore the internet. All those places that are filled with ‘parts.’

They need a bigger place. We need more space. Or I need to stop buying tools.

“Daddy, I need a bigger garage.”

“Let’s go see.”

Some few years ago ... someone, a Mr. Morris, had a better idea ... and Not enough money to finish it. The building was going to be an indoor ‘Skate Palace.’

The building was finished ... but not the floor.

Mrs. Morris had been putting up with Mr. Morris’ fits, starts and disasters for 40 years. She revolted.

In the finality of the decree Mrs. Morris got the building. It had been sitting vacant for 10 years. Three years ago, Mrs. Morris stopped paying the city county fees and the long wide low building was being auctioned off.

Today.

Daddy gathered up Alice and I. We went ... not to buy ... but to watch the circus. Defaulters were auctioned off at the courthouse steps.

New South Wales was in the middle of a flood after a disastrous drought. The flood was welcome ... it put out the fire.

All that wet smoke ... and I sneezed. Trying to be polite I covered my nose with a white linen handkerchief.

There was no more bidding. After hammering the few interested for another bid, the gavel rapped out the end.

“Sold to Miss Austin.”