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My phone rang as I was flipping a couple of corncobs, so I answered, holding it with

“Hey, Ma”

“Cubby,”randdaughter doing?”

“We’re good,” I replied, glancing over my shoulder as Kara ca hanging fro like always and soaking up this sun e can”

“How’s Kara enjoying her su fun planned?”

“She’s lovin’ havin’ no school,” I replied h “But she’s not too happy that she still has to get up before noon”

“It’s good that she’s got somewhere to spend her days while you’re at work,”her tone

“You and Dad did the best you could,” I said “I just got lucky with the friends I’ve got She’s got soe, and Trix doesn’t h her house all day”

“That’s awesome,” she replied

“And she’s got ca up, too She’s pretty psyched for that”

“The sleep-away camp she was so excited about?”

“Yep Did so it It’s next month”

“Only twenty-seven days!” Kara yelled fro with a whoop

“Twenty-seven days,” I repeated toher chuckle

“But who’s counting?” she said dryly

“How are you and Dad doing? Still enjoying tripping all over each other?” My parents never had any extra cash while I was growing up, but the plant my dad had worked for had a hell of a pension When he retired, they’d sold the little house I’d grown up in and bought a tiny RV outright, and they’d been travelling ever since They always made it ho the wintertheir way north in the summer They stopped where they wanted, left when they wanted, and generally had the time of their lives I couldn’t have been happier for them

“The RV had a water leak,” she griped “So we’ve been stuck in this little town in Iowa for a week, but I think your dad finally figured out the proble the road soon”

“Why didn’t he just take it into a shop?” I asked, going inside to get the steaks

“You know your dad, he wasn’t going to wasteit to someone else if he could do it for free”

“Understandable,” I replied, grabbing the uys have the cash now Don’t scrimp when you don’t have to”