Chapter 7

The statuesque blonde ... you remember her ... she was the one who introduced Tyche to ‘keep Austin weird’ ... and beer. She also has an older brother, The one Tyche insulted. Yeah ... her. The one who is in competition with Tyche for grades.

The blonde said, “Mom?” That got a glance ... umh ... glare. “I call foul!”

“I’m not her birth mom,” said Surprise.

“Even worse ... adopted ... YOU CHOSE HER!” Now the blonde had GOSSIP!

Tyche grinned.

The blonde noticed. “Why are you grinning? Wait. That’s a smirk!”

“I wasn’t adopted ... I was sent!” Tyche said.

“What?” From the blonde.

“Yeah,” Surprise agreed. “She was in the states before I knew she was coming.”

“Ludington, mom. I was in Ludington,” Tyche said. “On the bus.”

“Your mom...” suggested Surprise.

“Your SISTER ordered me sent from Fiji. My mom wanted to keep me,” Tyche commented.

Surprise rounded on her, “Keep you? Zoe? JW?”

“Dad ... not so much, Mom ... well I was just out of the terrible twos...” said Tyche ... as if that would explain it.

“Ludington? Where is Ludington?” Time for the blonde to get back in the debate.

“North west Michigan,” Tyche said.

This is Texas ... Texans have a general idea about the rest of the Western Hemisphere ... general ... you know ... there’s a lot of directional pointing ... There’s Texas ... Mexico ... Oklahoma ... That place where Mardi Gras is ... umh ... LousyAnna ... yeah. That state west ... Arizona? New Mexico? One or the other ... doesn’t matter, it’s not Texas ... Sometimes Texas is explained...”West Texas ... King Ranch. East Texas ... Piney woods. North Texas ... The Panhandle ... umh ... Armadillo. South Texas ... SPRING BREAK!!”

“Where is Michigan?” asked the blonde.

Ah ... a geography lesson. A hand held up ... the mitten with thumb ... a general location of Ludington ... and Pentwater.

The Great Lakes explained, “If you’re in the middle and can’t see land in any direction ... that’s big.”

“Fiji?” That just dawned on the blonde. “On an airplane ... by yourself? Can you do that?”

Tyche said, “No ... but I did anyway.”

The blonde switched to Surprise, “Your sister?”

“Yes.”

The blonde looked back at Tyche. “She sent you away?”

“I was pretty much being a ‘pain in the ass.”

“So ... you have been raised by your Aunt?”

“Pretty much.”

Surprise said, “I think that worked both ways. We raised each other.”

“You’re not going to cut her any slack?”

“Nope.”

“Damn,” said Tyche.