Chapter 29

Daddy has ‘office hours’ during regular business hours ... and by appointment. He is the assistant Dean of the Graduate Studies program. Any time one of his advisee’s calls, he’ll either go to UT Austin or they come out here ... depending.

Depending on how urgent or critical the problem is.

When they come out here, I am the ditzy 16 year old. When we go there, I am the 16 year old grad student secretary who takes notes ... if it’s not written down it never happened. Daddy is a shoe-in for Dean when the active Dean retires. Soon ... fingers crossed ... knock on wood ... soon.

If daddy is working with a grad student at home ... he’s NOT Here. He is out.

The other reason why daddy might be gone is Marsha ... Marsha is the sales lady who sold me my sauna ... when Marsha is here ... daddy is out.

Sure ... he’s out on the deck with Marsha ... and I’m too young to know what it is ... exactly ... that they do. Or so they say. Parents ... typical ignorers of history. They refuse to admit they were young and horney once. Probably because they are middle aged and horney now.

On the weekends, she has been used to calling first ... before she comes out. Since it’s the weekend, daddy is close to the phone.

I walked in his part of the house ... I don’t knock ... we’re family ... I unplugged his phone and accosted him.

“Tell me ... what are the rules for spelunking in a new cave?”

“New cave?”

“Yup.”

“Never go in a new cave alone.”

“Good ... get your gear.”

“All of it?”

“Probably not. I don’t intend to go very far.”

“All of it ... first intentions are often subject to real life ... like military plans ... they don’t survive first contact.”

“How about going to the first complication and retreating?”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Daddy said. “Basic gear.”

“Suits, boots, gloves, multiple sources of light and trail marking.”

“Where?”

I pointed down.

“Really?”

“Yup ... my cat spent yesterday afternoon in the ‘basement.’”

As we were walking through the hangar, daddy noticed the nest of shredded wing fabric. He didn’t hesitate, “Your cat spent the night out here.”

“Yup,” I replied. “Can we not talk about it?”

“Sore spot?”

“Uh huh.”

There’s a regular path from my deck ... in particular ... from the kayak rack ... that’s the east end ... to the river. My Aunt, Alice Lovisa Dent keeps her kayak on my back porch. Alice is married to daddy’s twin, Everette ... Adam and Ev.

It was her porch before it was mine. Aunt Alice is a fount of knowledge about mom. She helped Adam ... daddy ... raise me from a pup ... her words.

Half way down the kayak path there is a small flat. The flat is at the base of the bluff. The path at the bluff is easy to see ... now. I trimmed the cane away from the rock. With the cane in the way, we had no idea there was a limestone component to the bluff.

“Oh ... neat ... you did this?” he asked.

“Yes ... the dwarf leopard insisted.”