Chapter 1

Selene

Home from the grind ... I HATE Freshmen!

I need a beer ... and a sauna ... the beer fridge is on the deck with the sauna ... handy, that.

The sauna made a puddle out of me ... the beer kept me hydrated.

A dip in the pond ... thank the gods that it flows ... all that grease ... grime ... and stress. Washed away.

Another beer ... a soak in the hot tub ... a rinse under the deck shower.

My bed! A flop ... a dive really ... outen the light.

The answering machine is flashing ... I’ll get it in the morning.

No, I won’t.

As soon as I slapped the alarm and turned on the light, daddy ... Mr. Dean of Graduate Students ... buzzed me.

“Yes?”

“Breakfast burritos at Mi Casita? As soon as I’m dressed.”

A quick shower on the deck ... towel dry. I dressed for work. Check the mirror ... is that a wrinkle? No ... whew ... just a bad light.

HONK

Out the door. Daddy has a new car. A Lexus. An LC 500 ... a candy apple red two door ‘sportscar.’ Daddy is in ‘middle age crisis.’ Marsha thinks they’re cute ... both the crisis and the car.

“Commensurate with my new and august position,” he said.

Three days later, I got a call from my provider ... my answering machine is full, “Do something about it,” the office said.

I flat forgot it.

At home I checked;

“You have three hundred ninety nine new messages. Your mailbox is full.”

I pushed the ‘delete’ button.

The phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Selene?”

“Abby?”

“Where have you been? No ... don’t tell me. Rhetorical question. Daddy is selling my airplanes ... buy them.”