It's a Wonderful Knife by Christine Wenger

Author:Christine Wenger
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2016-01-05T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

“Mom . . . Dad . . . what are you doing here?” I asked, giving and receiving hugs.

“We got a call that you needed some help,” Mom said. “How are you feeling, honey?”

“I’m okay. I wish I could do more, but luckily I have help. Aunt Stella is here with her friends from Boca, and my staff is doing double and triple duty. And the missing Bob has returned. He’s been invaluable.”

“Fabulous! It’ll be great to see Stella,” my dad said. Aunt Stella was his sister-in-law.

I was glad to see them but hated that they’d interrupted their retirement in Tucson. They were entrenched in the culture of the over-fifty-five crowd in Cactus Wheels, a motor home community: golf, pickle ball, rallies, potluck dinners, dances, and more.

They loved it there.

“Who called you?” I asked.

“Clyde,” Dad said. “We have an agreement that if anything happens to you, he will call me.”

“Oh? I hope he’s not calling you a lot,” I said.

“Let me just say that you’ve been very busy!” He wagged his finger at me. “How about some introductions, Trix?”

“Where are my manners? I was just so excited to see you both!” I hadn’t seen them since Uncle Porky’s funeral about three years ago.

“You might remember Ty Brisco. He’s a deputy sheriff here. He used to camp in cottage six with his father and grandfather and fish nonstop.”

They both shook hands. “I couldn’t pick you out of a lineup, Ty. You’ve grown a bit!”

My mother reached up to hug him. “I remember you. You loved root beer and pepperoni.”

He laughed. “That was me.”

“And, Mom and Dad, you remember Antoinette Chloe Brownelli. She goes by the name of Brown now. Since I moved here, she’s been a great friend.”

“I know your mom and dad. Sal, my ex, and I used to double-date with them all the time,” ACB said.

I’d forgotten that ACB and my parents were about the same age.

“I am sorry about Sal’s incarceration,” Mom said.

ACB grunted. “Don’t be. He tried to kill me.”

Thank goodness she hadn’t mentioned that Sal had tried to kill me, too, or my folks would never leave my side, no matter what my age was.

My mom put her arm around Antoinette Chloe. “I heard about that. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay.” She sniffed. “But I’m getting along fine. Trixie and I have had many fun adventures together.”

“Too many,” Ty added sarcastically.

ACB gave him a pointed look that meant not in front of her parents. Then she turned to me. “I’ll clear my things out of the front bedroom and get the room ready for your parents.”

I’d never thought of that! With the Busy Boca Babes staying there and Aunt Stella, where was I going to put my parents?

“We won’t hear of it!” Mom said. “We drove up in our motor home. We’ll stay in that.”

Dad nodded. “Forty-five feet of bliss with all the conveniences of home on eight wheels. It’s parked in the parking lot in front of the house. Is that all right, Trixie?”

I remembered another motor home parked out there not too long ago.

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