"Well, heck...I might....But we're on the same wave,
Kit....Do you realize we've stayed in love with each other
during ten years of being totally apart?...I mean, you couldn't
even send me a postcard?!" she smiled, but she had meant it.
        "Aw, God....They would've thought I was a perv....I'm
sorry, though, Jess. All I know is...I loved you...more than
anything...in Heaven...from the moment I saw you walking
through the gate with Felecia...and know I've felt the same
ever since. And I'm sorry I didn't do more for you while I had
thc chance, besides being sorry I'm not twenty years younger,
or thought to send you a postcard. I'm an idiot, Jess....I'm just
an idiot."
        "Yeah, what do they call idiot geniuses. I forget. And
why in fecal matter would you want to be younger?" she
cajoled. "And what do you mean do more for me? You left
me the piano and the guitar...the big steel-plate heart...the
new mattress and boxsprings...all those flowers...besides the
total devotion, Kit. You gave me all your love....That's why
Mom bailed out on you. She was jealous. But you sparked
my soul, Kit. You didn't need to do more....But you could've
stayed in touch."
        "God...wow," he let out without a thought, just reveling
in the memories, then came back to her point, "yeah, I know,
Jess....I wish I would've....I sure am dumb, I'm tellin' ya. And
...I wanted to be your step-Dad...but got all screwed up when
she had that night with whoever that was...and I got my D-U-
I."
        "It was my step-Dad..." and smiled over to him. "And O
...did you want to be my step-Dad?! Then what about all of
this...? You wanted me....If you didn't, you would've come
back when Ginny called you....But I'm glad as...fuck...that you
did what you did....Because now we have now....I wanted you
as much as you wanted me, Kit....I'm on your side, Cody.
And I love breakin' the rules....I'm a rebel....Just like you..."
        "Aww....Jeezus," he came back in deep heartness...."I'd
thought it was just...a ten-year-old's infatuation....I thought
you would've forgotten about me by now..."
        "Well, if anyone could have made that happen, Cody,
it'd be you," and gave him a funny look.
        "Wait just a Mississippi moment here...women don't tell
me all this. What's right with this picture?" and smiled over to
her.
        "I told ya. I'm a rebel. Stop, look and listen there, ole
trailbuddy," she smiled back, but with more knowledge of their
romantic future than he apparently had.
        "But I never thought you'd want to come with me....This
should change Pute's odds...."
        "Who the heck is Pute?!"
        "The puter...."
        "O, cute....What are the odds now?"
        "Well...before the Chief...they were about one in two
billion," he reported pretty much matter of fact.
        She had a look of bad news taken, then asked, "what are
they since?.." hoping upon hope.
        "He hasn't figured that up yet."
        "What a slug, huh?" she couldn't resist. Then she returned
right to seriousness, "well, the Chief...should really change it...
shouldn't he?" and quickly did her own calc and trig in her own
brain, then thought a few more moments and added, "but I don't
see how I'll change them any...WOW! Those are hellacious odds,
huh!?"
        "Yeahup," and he raised his brows in appropriate concern.
"That's the high side of the range, though."
        "Ho! That's good...."
        "I bet your help will bring them down real good...precious.
You had that dream...from the Chief too!...Plus you...double the
people working on it now. Well...not includin' Pute, of course.
But then that's still a...5o percent gain."
        "Wo...ho...that's real encouraging, Cody," and gave him a
one-eyed-closed look with the start of a smile, "...and I was
wonderin' what to do with Spring break...silly me," and snickered.
"...May as well try to change life on Earth as we know it with the
man I love, huh?"
        Kit smiled back at her.
        "Well..." she continued, "this is everything I wanted...Daddy
....God, did you get the passion for me or what, Kit!...AND you
got the best podner you could've ever imagined."
        He looked at her and took that all in as she looked back, even
showing a little beautiful tooth with her smile, then he smiled back,
once more, thought, then spoke, "that's real true story....But are you
just being young and impressionable...precious?"
        "Oooo...I don't think so. I'm pretty mature. I'm pretty level-
headed, they tell me. And I'm pretty aware..." she said pretty
seriously.
        "You're pretty pretty," he smiled again, of course.
        She gave him a rib poke. "You're pretty silly."
        "O...maybe I'm just an egomaniacle tycoon doing Don
Quixote," he said with a pensive look in his face as he kept track
of the traffic.
        "Or Don Juan doing Don Quixote....And maybe I'm Lady
Godiva doing Joan of Arc...."
        "WO! My holograph girl reminded me of them!"
        "Holograph girl?! Ohhh...yeah...in your plan....Yeah, well,
there's serendipity, A? Cool....So, anyway...Kit Cody...Quixote
...what do you do for money, if I may be so bold?"
        "Wuh, hay, my mightyfull, be bold all you want there...
right now, stocks and...somethin'...maybe...on the side," having
an automatic reaction to telling anyone about the mine.
        "Hmm, side things, A? What...if I might still be so bold...
you know...for our plan's sake," and smiled at him, "if I ask you
how much you have?"
        "Well, then I'd have to say..." he smiled back at her, "that
you're right on there, your rightonness."
        "OK...OK," liking the game, "say I'm Gold diggin'..." she
kept on, and he raised his brows at her reference, "um...
how much have you made today? Is that too precocious?"
        "Not at all, diggy....I don't know," and reached into the back
seat, lifted Pute over and put "Lappy" on her lap. "Let's
check."


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