Chapter 39

No. Seriously ... the high piedmont west of the Blue is having a ‘porker’ problem. We bought a couple of chilled piglets in Sydney ... Vickies was not the only place we went. I had a yearning for ‘pig in the ground.’ All my rowdy friends are coming over tonight ... Big Aussie rules match on the telly.

Oh ... lest I forget ... I found the parts to fix the house unit in Sydney. Daddy is pissed...

“Who shall we call to do the repairs,” I will admit ... the statement was said a little more smugly than I should have used.

“I don’t care ... call who you like.” That was almost regal. Yup ... daddy is pissed.

I checked the ‘net ... fingered my way down to the only 5.0 in the comments. Daddy had called the first listing ... wasn’t going to use them ... nope ... they were the ones who called in the backorder.

I clicked on my choice ... WEBSITE ... well ... how about that. “Affiliates in Canberra, Cowra, Dubbo ... and Sydney.” Where I bought the parts. I ‘accidentally’ read the blurb out-loud ... a little louder than absolutely necessary. The Palace has double doors ... both of them slammed shut.

Daddy appeared half an hour later with a carton of liter cans. He was wet.

“You are wet,” I said.

“Raining.”

He proceeded to get ‘toasty.’

“Keys, Father,” I said.

He was ‘reluctant.’

“If you head out doors after three of those cans ... I’ll call the police,” I said. “Give me your keys.”

He huffed.

I huffed right back.

After his third liter I wrestled him to the ground, took his keys and locked his Shelby ... I’ve never met mom ... I don’t intend to lose the only parent I have.

I have never seen Daddy so despondent or that drunk. Then ... It dawned on me ... I am 20 ... today. Mom ... twentieth ... now I’m depressed.

Alice took my keys. I helped daddy finish the 24 pack.

“I’m going to be 19,” she said.

She was born a year after me. I was born the year before she. I’m a year older ... Alice is a year younger. (Some times I hate english. OMWP)

“Yes ... you are. Shall we have a party?” That was what we ... daddy and I meant. What came out was garbled... “Yesh yerare ... shuweave a ... part ... e?” ... and opened another can.

“Oh ... Thash ‘t lashcan,” I said. I took daddy’s keys out of my pocket.

“Get smore.”

I headed for the door.

They LET me!

Alice ... ooo ... Alish wash hepping with thish.

There is a sill that seals the bottom of the door ... it’s about an inch tall. It was a climb ... but I made it.

I believe I have mentioned ... before ... that we live on a cul-de-sac. Jim’s used to be house is next door ... to the westish ... the nosy little old lady is eastish two houses away. On the other side of our enclosed pool is a fair bit of grass that daddy mows ... because no one else can start his fucking mower ... and we are all to cheap to hire it done. The back fence is a stone wall ... quite high.

The wall is new because Alice and I have been known to skinny dip ... beyond the privacy wall is a large lot and backing that is Marsden ... a boundary road ... used to be boundary ... there are newish housing beyond.

The large lot contains the Skate Palace and its related parking. The Palace is so constructed that the entry way faces our house. We ... our house ... possesses ‘the Tree’. The Tree is huge ... old growth. The Tree had more to do with daddy buying our house than the house did.

I negotiated the climb of the sill ... instantly soaking wet ... We are in the palace because it’s pouring out side.

And lightning struck the Tree.

I was looking right at it.