Chapter 94

“Aunt,” I said. “Zoe Flintkote, JW’s wife is my mom.”

“JW?” When she said it the initials sounded like a name ... not just initials.

“It’s a Suthern thing ... John Walter Flintkote. We’re from Tennessee ... except me ... I’m Australian.” I mumbled, “And New Zealander.” I didn’t mumble it too loud ... I didn’t feel like giving a lesson in geography.

“How did your parents meet?” someone asked.

It’s a circular table and there’s a bunch of us. Our conversations seem to draw smart girls ... I’m not sure who everyone is ... we flux.

“JW and Zoe and Cyn and Malcolm ... that’s my mom and dad and Aunt Cynthiamae and her Australian teenage lover ... were heading for Japan on the Farr 48. JW was a devote of Japanese Martial Arts, and Mom was on the pill ... she missed a day.”

Zoe decided she was sick of JW and went home. She took Malcolm with her when she left. Gone to Brisbane.”

There was more to it than that ... but I like my dad. Zoe WAS pregnant and didn’t know it. JW for sure didn’t.

There was a problem with the Japanese Border Patrol ... and Maritime Control and they took the Farr apart. Auntie Surprise knew about a real deal on a hundred foot catamaran ... bought it and shipped it to JW and Cyn in Japan. Remember the big tsunami a few years ago?”

That brought nods and extended discussion about living in disaster zones.

“The Japanese commandeered the hundred and used it during the rescue and recovery operations.

They were at Tokashiki Island in the Sound Beach Cafe having the engines replaced ... the rescue effort had used them up ... the Diet replaced them.”

I hadn’t lied ... yet ... it was the omission of certain facts that I didn’t think germane to the subject that obfuscated the story. They didn’t need to know about Crossroads or Chaos.

The mention of the missed pill caused a swift inhalation of female breath and That caused a vacuum at the table ... WE ALL know what happens when a pill is missed.

“Yup, nine months brief interruption of real life.” I said. “Then there was me.

“Auntie Surprise was working in OZ ... Zo and I were living with her. Surprise quit her job and took us to Hong Kong ... JW married mom there. I was two.”