Chapter 43

"Nan, who is Karen?"

"I'm not at liberty to say."

"What does that mean?"

"All I will say is she is a lawyer, and if you want to adopt Sarah and Hannah in Connecticut you will need her on your side."

"I don't think she is. She came over Saturday acting very strange. She appeared to be a little resentful towards Cathy."

"You have to remember that she has known Sarah since she came out here when she was six, always with the backup plan that if anything ever happened to me she would adopt her. Until six months ago all three of us were happy with that knowledge. When you showed up and Sarah fell in love with you and opened up into this beautiful vibrant little girl we now have, I think Karen felt bad or left out because she wasn't the one able to help Sarah, even though she had tried constantly."

"Oh! Pride is involved, not just her love of Sarah. Now I think I'm beginning to understand. You know I'm rich enough to have anybody in the world investigated, except military and intelligence operatives, of course."

"I wish you wouldn't. Give it another month or so, and since the girls love you so madly I can't believe it will turn out any other way than for the best, which I can't believe I'm saying this about somebody I've only known six months, but that is the girls being with you."

Christopher sighs, looks at Nan and then smiles. "Okay."

"If Karen tries to keep me or Hannah away from Christopher I won't like her anymore."

Christopher looks at Sarah, "Oh, baby, I think she is just watching out for you."

"I don't care!" says Sarah, defiantly.

"See, we wouldn't have gotten that kind of passionate response from her six months ago." smiles Nan.

"I am most proud of this young lady." Sarah is beaming, but with a glint in her eye. "You want to hang out with Nana for a while? I'm gonna go for a drive and clear my head."

The phone rings. "Yeah, she's right here, sweetheart. It's Hannah." says Nan, handing the phone to Sarah.

"Speaking of the angel."

"Hi, Hannah. No, he's right here. You want to say hello to him? It's Hannah."

"Good morning, Hannah. How is my lovely girl this morning?"

"I'm good."

In the background Christopher hears. "That's seven."

"Seven? Isn't this only five?"

"I left two messages on the phone at our home."

"Just write them down for her so she doesn't try to use that to be mean to you."

"Okay."

"I'm going to go somewhere for a bit, so talk with Sarah and I'll be back at home in three or four hours."

"I love you, daddy."

"I love you, too, babygirl."

Christopher goes out to his sixty-seven Chevelle SS and the engine roars to life. When he pulls onto the freeway he points himself northeast instead of southwest where Hartford lies.

As the onramp stretches forth, Christopher shifts into second and mashes the throttle. He soon hard shifts to third and right when he reaches the freeway he shifts into fourth already doing eighty miles per hour. He pulls over into the fast lane and lays the hammer down.

Soon he is going so fast that time-elapsed scenery is flying by, and before he knows it a day has passed and then two. He only slows down enough to pick Hannah up that Wednesday July eleventh.

Again the roaring horsepower enters him and time and reality, that hold so much wonder and glory for him these days, no longer holds to the physics of creation. Scenes from smiling faces and giggles echo through out the spiraling galaxy known as the Milky Way, causing it to reverberate in ecstasy.

Saturday comes and the cheers as his girls come in one two again ring in his ears for all eternity. It is a sound he will hear long after he has left this realm. The extra day of a little girl's love turns their home into Eden, and even having to take Hannah home that Sunday isn't as scary, because Christopher has found an edge and that edge is greed, but one thing about a sharp edge is it can cut both ways.

Nan has been feeling weak of late, so Sarah is staying at her home there. In fact, when Hannah comes over the Wednesday of the eighteenth they both sleep over there to keep her company.

As Christopher looks down he sees the gas gauge move as his 396 C.I. big block motor again turns his beloved hotrod into a time machine. Trees are a blur. The blue sky fractures and the road comes up graciously to meet him as the yellow dots and white lines turn into one long fairytale trail to be explored.

"Good afternoon, sir."

"Good afternoon."

"I think you might have been speeding back there."

"You're kidding?"

"No, in fact I have you clocked at ninety miles per hour."

Christopher sighs and thinks it's a good thing he slowed down for the mild bend in the road. "Well, I'll pay more attention in the future, officer."

"You do that. I'd hate to see you lose this beautiful car!" the officer says, as he tears the ticket from its book.

Christopher frowns because he has had more than one car temporarily taken from him for doing triple digit speeds. Finally he decides his head is clear so he returns home. As he pulls into the driveway he says, "Well, tomorrow is race day so we better edge up."

He walks over to Nan's and finds the girls playing a board game with Nan. "When you girls are done there let's get some laps in."

Both of the girls look at Nan and she laughs. "Go ahead."

As they are walking over there, Hannah asks, "Daddy, why don't we get to go with you when you go for your drives?"

"Because I drive too fast."

"I like to drive fast."

"Me too." adds Sarah.

"Okay, the next time you can go with me." Of course, there is no way in hell that he is going to do the hundred and sixty with them in the car, but he can turn their beautiful little selves into motor heads just the same. "Get your suits on."

"Daddy?"

"Yes, my precious girl."

"My suit is kind of tight down in my girl area."

Christopher looks at Hannah and he notices she is looking leaner. Originally he thought it was because of the exercise and competition, but now he's not so sure. He grabs her hand and pulls her over to the wall that separates the kitchen from the living room. He drops her hand and opens the junk drawer and pulls out a black fine point marker.

"Get your cute little butt up against the thickness part of the wall there. Stand up nice and straight. Okay. Your turn, Sarah." From this day forth that wall will remain marked up with the advances of Sarah and Hannah.

"Go put on one of your bikinis and then when we are done practicing we'll go back to the store and get some new swimsuits." Sarah looks at him. "Yes, you can put on a bikini too."