But there’ve been reputations ruined when a girl has been known to share her charms with more than a few beaux, Sex in the City it’s not. I’ve heard more than a few whispers about other young girls who’d gone astray in the eyes of the town and some of those people have actually had to move far away to escape the stigma of a bad reputation.
My new rollercoaster life took another turn as I thought of their reactions to Todd and I. The way they greeted us like they would mommy and daddy. There were no sneers and no one talked behind their hands as we walked by.
And even though most of them seemed surprised to see me out and about with a boy, they didn’t seem to object. I know the love and respect most if not all the town’s people have for my parents, my whole extended family come to think of it. But I’ve never seen it directed towards me in such a way. It was something to think about.
Lyon
“It’s on the dog?” Mancini turned the shit over in his hands.
“Yeah, right under his collar, but I can’t make out what it is.” We’d spent the last half an hour trying to find whatever it is that Mengele had planted in my office without any luck.
Even Mancini’s high-tech equipment hadn’t picked up anything, but at least he’d found an interference and knew we were on the right track, which lead us to her dog. “Mengele, get up here.” I called down the stairs for her. She was down there terrorizing her brothers who were trying to watch something on TV that she didn’t want any part of.
She took her sweet time making her way up to my office and I tried to remain calm and stay my ass in my seat before I turn her little ass over my knee. I was pissed but doing my best not to show it, while Mancini the ass kept looking at that thing like it was the holy grail.
“What is that?” I didn’t have to point since her eyes had landed on it in Hank’s hand as soon as she walked in. She didn’t look scared in the least that we’d found her little surprise, in fact she looked more annoyed than anything. “Aw daddy!” She stomped her foot and flapped her arms or some shit as she marched across the room and held her hand out to him.
“Uncle Hank, I was happy to see you.” She gave him hell and then tried to slither back out of the room. “Get back here.”
“Yes daddy?”
“What is this? Where did you get it?”
“Nia taught me.”
“Who’s Nia?”
“She’s my friend from the gifted group.”
“I thought your friend’s name was Lily?”
“Lily’s one of my friends Nia is the other.”
“How old is Nia?”
“She’s my age daddy.”
“And she taught you how to make that.”
“Yep!”
“How?” She twisted her mouth and looked up at the ceiling. “I can’t tell you daddy I promised.”
“Are there anymore, anything else she taught you how to make?”
“No but….”
“Spit it out Mengele, you didn’t get that information off my computer from that thing.”
“I’ll be right back.”
She left and came back with her computer, the one the school and her mother had talked me into buying her because they said she needed one. She walked around behind my desk and all but pushed me out of the way.
Standing between me and the desk she turned her computer on. Mancini got up from his chair and came around to watch as she typed in a few letters and numbers and somehow my emails were on her computer.
“Spyware? How come I didn’t pick it up?” She smiled at Mancini’s question.
“That’s because we fixed it uncle Hank, you’re not supposed to be able to find it. I have to tell Nia and Lily that it really works.”
She grabbed her computer and started to walk away again. I had to clear my throat twice before I could find the words to tell her to bring her ass back. My head had gone light as I tried to remember what else she might’ve found on there.
“Who else has seen this?”
“No one daddy, I didn’t show anyone promise.”
“And what were you looking for on my computer?”
“I just needed some information.” I think this was the first time that I’d seen my kid in the same light as everyone around here who keeps singing her praises.
Her concoctions in the lab hadn’t done it, but the fact that her eight year old ass had pulled one over on me is an eye opener. Hank was going through her computer and playing with his toys. “This is amazing!” He said that shit like three times while I sat there wondering how the hell I was supposed to keep her out of my shit.
“You can go Catalina but we’re not done here.” She took her shit and left.