Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 The plan worked.  I got off work early and watched the park office while
Helen took Cindy into the nearby big town for some real shopping.  I was
sitting in the office reading when they got back.  Cindy ran into the
office squealing, carrying shopping bags.  Helen followed her in.

   "Dammit, Dan," she said.  "I'm too old to be doin' this!"

   "Yeah, thought about that after you left.  Madhouse, huh?"

   "Wasn't quite as bad as Wal-Mart.  But bad.  An' "Princess", here..."
She paused.  "Awwww, I can't say that.  She was good.  She watched the
money better than I'd have expected.  Had to MAKE her get stuff."

   Cindy was rifling through the bags.  Every ten seconds was punctuated
with "LOOK!" and a squeal.

   I smiled.  And then she hauled out a dark green sweater.  "Tell me you
didn't get a dark green sweater," I said.

   "Why?" she asked, her face dropping.  "You don't like it?"

   "No, little red-headed child.  Not in the least.  It's just that dark
green is going to go perfectly with that head of hair of yours.  It will
look especially nice."

   "Awwww, hon," Helen cooed, "you know he's right!"

   Cindy was ecstatic as she left for her trailer.

   I looked at Helen.  "So how'd it go?"

   Helen said, "Well, Dan, don't think you were gonna keep a secret. 
Little snoop there read your credit card first time I whipped it out."

   "Oh."

   "But you know," she continued, "the way it affected that child, I wish
I'da thought of it myself.  I could've afforded it too, you know."

   "Oh, don't worry about it, Helen.  I don't mind it a bit.  It was worth
it to see her happy for a while.

   I walked to my trailer as Helen locked up the office.

   The next day, well, things at the project got rather busy and I worked
late.  I missed my evening swim.  Things leveled out the following Friday
though, and I was looking forward to another swim.  What I didn't know is
that I would have a different swimming partner that afternoon.

   While I was driving back to the trailer, and thinking about Cindy, she
and Mizz Helen were talking about me, again.

   "Hi Mizz Helen" Cindy chirped as she walked into the office after being
dropped off by her school bus.

   "Hi, hon" Mizz Helen responded.

   "Don'tcha think Mr.  Dan was sweet buying me all those new clothes?" She
added, "An' you too, taking me there an' walking all over to get those new
clothes.  Neither one of ya had to do that you know."

   "Don't fret about my part, it was kinda fun shopping like that, hadn't
done that in years!" In a more conspirational tone Helen continued "And
yes, Mister Dan was sweet to do that for you."

   "So why did he do it, we spent a LOT of money and he didn't act like he
cared how much we spent!"

   "Well hon, if he was like most men, he would be trying to get something
from you.  But he don't seem that way, he just wanted to see you happy. 
All he wanted was to see ya smile."

   "I know, that's what I think too, and a few other things too!" Cindy
giggled and continued "He isn't like any other guy I ever met, Mom's
boyfriends never made me feel like Mr.  Dan does.  I want to run away
screaming from them, but I want to run TO Mr.  Dan and squeeze him as hard
as I can" and in a softer voice "an' maybe more".

   "Don'tcha think that just maybe Mr.  Dan might be wanting the same
thing? Men don't always know in their brain what their heart is a tellin'
them, sometimes the girl has to show them that it is OK to take a chance."

   Cindy thought about that for a minute, "Mizz Helen, you think there is a
chance he could be feelin the same things I'm feelin?  Cause I'm a thinkin'
he could be marryin' special, and I ain't ever thought that way in my whole
LIFE!

   "Well hon, he seems to care for you, but maybe not like you're thinkin'.
Not sayin' he couldn't get to thinkin' that way, but older guys let their
head control them, takes some work to get their barriers down to let their
heart take over again." Helen paused, and as she started again, the door
opened.  She didn't notice Donna walking in as she said "He seems to be
single, hasn't mentioned any woman in his life, seems to have money and has
a good job too, at that new construction site."

   Donna caught that last part, and her eyes lit up, single (although that
had never been a prerequisite with her), money, good job and male, Helen
had her attention now.

   Both Cindy and Mizz Helen paused their conversation as Donna walked in
and asked, "So who is this guy, single ...  money ...  good job, sounds
like someone I WANNA know!"

   Mizz Helen caught herself and said "Donna, he ain't your kinda of fella!
Dan is a GOOD guy, doesn't hang out in bars and ain't lookin' for a "good
time"!

   "Hmmm" Donna said, "Dan.  Yeah, that's the guy that came in a couple
weeks ago, has that nice truck and trailer over in the corner. 
Construction guys make a LOT of money, and being by himself, may be lookin'
for a little company to help him pass the time."

   Donna wasn't looking at either Cindy or Mizz Helen as she said that, she
was looking at Dan's trailer, with a slight smile on her face, and if
either Cindy or Mizz Helen would have been looking at hers hands, they
would have seen them flexing just slightly, just like a cat flexing their
claws before they exposed them just before sinking them into their next
prey.

   Before they could react to Donna's statement, the door to the office
opened and in walked the subject of their conversation.  Dan didn't know he
was aptly named, as he was repeating the story of his namesake by walking
into the lion's den.

   "Afternoon ladies" Dan greeted them, not noticing the wildly different
looks in each of their faces.  "Mizz Helen, any mail for me today?"

   "Nope, nothin' today Dan" Mizz Helen tried to get the shocked expression
off her face and look as normal as she could under the circumstances.

   Dan didn't pick up on her change in demeanor, and turned to Cindy and
asked, "and, if your Mom doesn't have plans for you" glancing at Donna "you
up for an afternoon swim today?"

   Before Cindy could respond, Donna spoke up.  "I was just gonna ask Cindy
if she wanted to go swimmin', so your timing is perfect!"

   Dan was looking at Donna when she spoke and missed the change in Cindy's
face.  He would have seen absolute shock if he had been looking, but what
he saw was Donna, with a smile that he had seen before, and before, caused
him to run in fear.  Time has a way of dimming unpleasant memories, and all
he had was a vague sense of unease about Donna's tone and expression, and
responded "Well, I guess I'll see you two at the pool then."

   As Dan walked out to his truck, his logical side kept trying to tell the
other part of his brain that he was reading more into Donna's actions than
he should.  Nobody could be THAT blatant.  He had convinced himself of that
before he finished cleaning up and heading to the pool.

   Not too far away, Donna and Cindy were also going through a similar
process in getting ready, but their motives were radically different from
what Dan perceived them to be.

   Once in the trailer, Cindy had recovered from her shock of seeing her
mom hit on Mister Dan.  Normally, she only saw her mom with a guy after she
had reeled him in, she had never seen the beginning part, the flirtation
stage, even though with Donna that often lasted only minutes.

   "Mom, you never went swimmin' with me before.  Why all of a sudden now?"

   "Cindy, it ain't about swimmin' with you, it's about swimmin' with HIM!"

   "But you don't like swimmin', why now, and why with Mister Dan?"

   "Cindy, you need to learn how to land a guy, and Momma knows ALL the
tricks!" As Donna was saying this, she was going through a drawer looking
for a swim suit she knew she had somewhere.  She considered briefly using
some lingerie, knowing the effect water had on it, but found a suit she
hadn't worn in years and decided that it might be better.  She didn't want
to scare the prey before she went in for the kill.

   Cindy was changing into her suit, the only one she had.  She knew, at
least she hoped and desperately wanted Mister Dan to not be interested in
her mom, but as she saw her getting her suit on, she started having doubts.
Mom wasn't fat, being on her feet at the bar kept her in shape, and the
exercises she knew she did after work didn't hurt her figure either.  Her
tits were much bigger, and when she put her top on, she noticed she had
made sure the strap was tight across the back, forcing them to push
together and kinda spill out the top.  Her mom came out of her end smiling,
her makeup touched up, and walked to the refrigerator.

   "One more trick, Cindy, and then we can go see if anything's biting out
there."

   Donna reached into the freezer and grabbed two ice cubes.  She carefully
rubbed them over her tits, and Cindy could tell they were right over her
nipples.  She continued this until she saw out their window that Dan was
leaving his trailer for the pool.

   "Come on, Cindy!  Watch and learn something about landing a guy." Donna
and Cindy walked out of their trailer towards the pool, and Cindy knew
Mister Dan was about to get the full force of her mom and didn't know how
he would handle it.  She realized she didn't know how she would handle it
either and the thought of her mom and Mister Dan doing what Mom's other
boyfriends did scared and hurt her in a way she didn't understand.

   Donna didn't walk to the pool, it was more of a parade.  Dan had just
settled into one of the lounge chairs and was looking her way, looking for
Cindy.  Donna made sure he had something to watch as she worked her way
towards him.  The smile on her face would have been cute except for the
gleam in her eyes that said she was on the prowl.  Her head kind of bobbed
with each step forcing her longer hair to swirl from side to side, and
fluff out.  Each step was measured, and ended in a hard thump, making sure
the bulges at the top of her suit rippled just a little with each step, and
that her thighs rubbed together every time she made a move, and she was
definitely making HER moves.

   Dan saw Donna and Cindy approaching, and was briefly mesmerized by the
show Donna was putting on.  The bathing suit was obviously small for her,
and while not indecent by any means, it was showing a lot and her effort to
maximize the effect did have an effect on Dan.  Part of Dan took notice and
immediately reacted, wanting to give its own praise to the show being put
on for his benefit.

   "Hi Dan," Donna said.  As soon as she got inside the pool area she
purposefully walked next to Dan, then stretched across him to toss her
towel on the lounge on the other side.  The fact that this put her tits
just inches from his face, as well as her scent almost touching his nose
wasn't an accident, and she observed that this had the desired effect, he
was reacting just the way she wanted, and the game was on.

   Cindy was having to struggle with her own fire storm of emotions as she
watched the spectacle her mother was making of herself.  "I mean, why
didn't she just whip the suit off and sit on his face!!!!" Cindy thought.

   Then Cindy saw her mom almost shoving her cleavage in his face.  How
could she be so blatant about what she wanted.  Didn't she have any shame
left?  Wouldn't it have been easier to just say "Wanna fuck?"

   Before she could get her breath to say anything, she also noticed where
Donna had been looking, and knew that Dan wasn't immune to her mother's
charms.  She didn't know if he ever reacted that way towards her.  It had
never occurred to her to look before, but he was reacting now and Cindy
didn't like that one little bit.

   Dan knew from previous experiences with predatory females what Donna was
doing, and while his baser male instincts liked what she was doing, his
common sense said he had to find a way out of this predicament.

   In his head, Dan was doing a tattoo inventory.  Donna had one on her
left breast, showing above the bikini cup, and the tramp stamp on her back
was indeed turning blue.  It was some kind of tribal design.  Her left
shoulder was some gaudy floral thing.

   "Time to disengage," Dan thought.  He said, "Hey, Donna, ready to go
swimming?" A little cold water was exactly what he wanted right now, and he
doubted that she'd let her hairdo suffer the dunking.

   "No, I think I will just stretch out here, I get enough exercise at
night, at the bar, ya know?" And she giggled as she said that.

   Dan didn't think as he responded back, "Well, swimming is about the only
exercise I get anymore, gotta get the heart goin' at least once in a
while." He didn't want her in the water.  He couldn't imagine what must be
going on in Cindy's mind.  Wait!  Maybe he could.  Cindy's face was stone.

   "Darlin', I can think of LOTS of ways to do that for ya!" Donna
responded with that gleam in her eye.  She knew she had him ready, now it
was just figurin how to dump Cindy and get him back into his trailer, just
the two of 'em.  She hadn't needed to try and land a guy in years, show a
little interest and they ALWAYS took over from there.

   "Donna, as much as I can only imagine how enjoyable that might be"
(yeah, he had been in this position before) "my momma raised me to believe
love comes first." "Like," he thought, "you should be raising Cindy."

   "Oh hon, you'll be in love, at least you'll love what I can do to you"
Donna didn't just say the words, she said it in that breathy, throaty way
that promised Nirvana with a definite incentive of pushing those breasts
together just a little more, and the rubbing of thighs that showed
something should be between them to keep them from getting chafed.

   If it wouldn't have been for Cindy, Dan would have just gotten up and
walked away with as much dignity as he could muster.  He knew she was being
exposed to something she shouldn't be at her young age, or any age for that
matter.  Donna had all the subtlety of a vulture at a carcass, and from his
past experiences, just about as much appeal.

   "Sorry, just not the way I was raised.  My Momma would haunt me if I
didn't respect what she taught me." And what little respect Dan had for
Donna was totally gone by this point.  He knew what Mizz Helen had said,
but now he realized she hadn't conveyed how derailed Donna really was.

   Donna was in shock.  She had never, ever, had a guy say no to HER.  Of
course, it didn't occur to her that the only guys she normally met were at
the bar, and at the kind of bar she worked at, the only difference in any
of them was their names.

   Gathering herself back, Donna responded "Well, Dan, if you ever feel
like relieving some of that "loneliness", you come on over, ya hear?" She
slowly lifted herself out of her lounge and walked slowly to the gate. 
Giving a long look over the shoulder, and making sure there was an extra
swing to those hips, she slowly walked back to her trailer.

   Dan realized during the entire exchange, he hadn't said a word to Cindy.
He didn't know what to say.  What do you say to a girl that just witnessed
the performance her mom had just put on?  He decided the safest thing to do
was to let Cindy take the lead, so he just shook his head slowly, letting
Cindy know without words what he thought of Donna's actions, and smiled at
her.

   "Hey, Mr.  Dan," she said."Hey, Cin," I replied.  "I am dying to get in
the water." I flopped backward off the rim into the deep end.  I was still
under the surface when Cindy jumped in.  I surfaced into her arms.

   "Cindy," I said.  "What are you doing?"

   "Giving you a hug."

   "Why?"

   "You know why."

   We swam for a while and she climbed out first.  "Come sit," she said.

   I climbed out and lay back on the lounge next to hers.  "Okay.  Here I
am."

   "Why'd you do that?  The other day I mean, not just now with Mom."

   "Do what?"

   "You know.  That was YOUR credit card Mizz Helen used."

   "Can't fool you, huh?

   She looked at me.  "So why?"

   "Because you're a sweet girl who should get a break every now and then.
I just wanted to do something nice for you."

   "We spent four hundred dollars."

   "Baby, I make a thousand dollars a day.  They pay me almost two hundred
a day just to live here.  Four hundred bucks ain't much money.  Really."

   "Mr.  Dan," she asked, "don't you have kids of your own to buy stuff
for?"

   "That's a long story, darlin'," I said.  "I don't tell many people.  But
I had a daughter who'd be twelve this year.  She and my wife were killed by
a drunk driver while they were coming home from a movie one night seven
years ago."

   "I'm sorry, Mr.  Dan," she said.

   "Oh, it's not your fault.  But if I want to do something nice for a
young lady, it's kind of like I was doing it for my daughter."

   "Okay."

   "So," I said, "how'd your mom react?"

   "Oh, she didn't say much.  I'm just glad she ain't the same size as me
or I'd have lost my new clothes."

   We both turned in the direction of a beeping car horn.  A beater Toyota
headed out of the park.  The woman inside waved.

   "Well," said Cindy, "there goes Mom..."

   I looked at Cindy.  "Why don't you go home and get dressed and let's go
out for dinner..."

   Squeal.  "Pizza?"

   "You're gonna turn into a pizza.  But yeah, if that's what you want."

   We both headed to our respective trailers.  I got inside mine, showered,
shaved and, hmmmm ...  A splash of cologne.  Jeans.  Polo shirt.  Was
sitting on the sofa tying my shoes when the knock came.

   "Come in or wait outside," I yelled.  I heard the door open then close.
I turned and saw a vision.

   Cindy.  Oh, she was always clean and unless her hair was wet, it was
short and combed easily into place.  But there she was.  Wearing that
damned green sweater.  And a matching skirt.  And not a speck of makeup. 
Her complexion, her eyes, her hair, her lips, they were what sane women
used makeup to vainly try to create.

   I'd never seen Cindy wear a skirt before.  It was always shorts, jeans
or her one bathing suit.  But a skirt?!?

   And before I could stand up she was on the sofa beside me, kneeling,
facing me.  Bronze hair.  Not a single hair out of place.  Green eyes
twinkling.  And she leaned forward and I detected a hint of fragrance on
her.  And she put her arms around my neck and kissed me on the lips.  Maybe
just a little harder and a little longer than a little girl kiss.  But I
could have been wrong.  "Thank you, Mr.  Dan," she said.

   "Goodness, Cindy, you look perfect!"

   Squeal!  Giggle.  "Oh, do you REALLY think so Mr.  Dan?  Really?"

   "Yes.  Really.  Absolutely Perfect!  There's not a prettier girl on the
planet right now."

   "I remembered what you said about the green sweater." She smiled.  "I
wanted to look pretty for you."

   "My dear, you have exceeded your goal."

   "So," she said, "I was thinking..."

   "Uh-oh.  That's trouble..."

   "Oh, don't be mean!  I'm trying to be more mature."

   "Sorry, baby.  You're exactly as mature as you need to be."

   "But I was thinking, like, maybe NOT pizza tonight.  I mean, if you want
to take me someplace else..."

   And that's where the other neuron fired and I saw a menu roll through my
mind of all the places that I'd like to take this doll.  But instead of
going crazy, I said, "Are you up for a nice restaurant?  Not too fancy, but
a step up from Pizza Hut."

   "Uh-huh.  But you'll have to help me.  I've never been to a fancy
restaurant before."

   "We won't do something too fancy.  But it's a longer drive.  Is that
going to be okay?  Will your mom be home early?"

   "Mr.  Dan, I'll be surprised if she's back before Sunday night."

   "Okay, princess.  Let's go." And I walked her out to the truck and went
on her side to open the door for her.  I found out then that big pickup
trucks and girls in short skirts are a deadly combination, especially
little girls who don't spend a lot of time in skirts in the first place.  I
helped her into the truck and as she sat on the seat her legs were hanging
out the door.  Swiveling in, her legs spread, her skirt went ALL the way
up, and I saw the spread crotch of a thirteen year old angel and it was
clad in powder blue panties.

   Her eyes latched with mine as she pulled her skirt down.  "Oops!" she
said.  "Didn't mean to flash you!"

   I couldn't talk until I got safely in on my side of the truck.

   "Are you okay, Mr.  Dan?"

   "Yeah, baby, I'm okay."

   "You stopped talking."

   "Sorry.  I'm okay."

   So off we drove, mercifully letting the conversation wander around about
her new school year and the first week and teachers and kids.

   "At least they aren't kidding me about my clothes this year," she said.

   "Good!" I smiled.  "You'll have another problem, though."

   "What's that?" she asked.

   "Boys.  You wear stuff like that to school and you're gonna have a line
of 'em following you around."

   "Oh, yeah ...  Well, I'm not much on boys..."

   My antennae went up.  "Oh?"

   "No, not like THAT, not interested ...  It's just that I've pretty much
seen too much of boys and men with Mom an' all..."

   "Uh-huh."

   "An' I'm NOT gonna be like that."

   "You shouldn't be."

   She looked at me.  I glanced over as I drove.  "Yeah," she said.  "I
don't know how many men Mom's been with.  Just this year.  I don't know who
my dad is.  I asked Mom.  She doesn't know.  At least she won't tell me. 
An' I'm just NOT gonna be that way.  Never."

   "Good," I said.  "You'll be better for that.

   Cindy looked quizzically at Dan "Uh Mister Dan, remember what I said
about not bein' interested in boys?"

   "Yes" and I was wondering if Cindy was going to change that statement.

   "Can I ask, after that show Mom put on and all, are you still interested
in girls?"

   "Oh yes Cindy, I am still interested, but not in what your mom had to
offer.  I was telling her the truth, I don't want what she was offerin' if
love didn't come first.  Ain't worth the pain, like you said." We pulled
into the parking lot just as I finished talking.

   We had a pleasant dinner at a mid-scale steakhouse.  I took time to talk
her through ordering and silverware and etiquette, at least steakhouse
level etiquette.  She was attentive and well-mannered.  I never saw or
expected otherwise from Cindy.

   As the dinner ended, I reached into my pocket and pulled out an object.
I shoved it across the table to Cindy.  "Here," I said.

   "That's a cellphone," she said.  "For me?"

   "Yes, baby.  I get worried about you staying home by yourself all the
time with no way to call anybody for help.  That's for you.  I programmed
my number and Mizz Helen's number in it already for you."

   "Wow!  Thanks, Mr.  Dan."

   "Now, it's got limited minutes, so let's not get into the habit of
calling friends and talking on it too long.  And I don't think your mom's
gonna be understanding if she sees it."

   "Oh, no she won't.  I asked her about one and she said we didn't have
that kind of money.  But she has one.  And the day she told me that she got
a new tattoo.  But maybe she didn't pay for that tattoo." Her brow
wrinkled. "Or the phone either.  She's had the same boyfriend for three
weeks now."

   "Baby, I understand your disappointment with your mom, but she may not
see a lot of choices." Then I thought for a second.  "Three weeks?  And she
did THAT to me today?"

   Cindy said, "I wish I was surprised, Mister Dan.  But she goes through
men pretty fast."

   "Maybe she doesn't think about any other way out."

   "Maybe.  But she could go to school and do something besides work in
bars.  The state will pay her to go to school.  I read the stuff she
brought home one time."

   "Okay baby.  Let's change the subject." I paid the restaurant bill and
we went out in the parking lot to ride home.  I decided to help her into
the truck again.  This time, though, when she was in the door, sideways in
her seat, before I could back away, she put her arms around my neck. 
Before I could react, I received a full kiss on the lips.  Much longer than
a "thank you for supper, Mr.  Dan" kiss.  Then she demurely (no skirt
displacement this time) turned and clicked her seatbelt as I closed her
door.

   I walked around the truck and got in, fastened my own seatbelt, and
backed out.  And drove out onto the street.

   "Not talking again, Mr.  Dan?"

   "No, Cindy.  Why'd you kiss me like that?"

   "Like what?" she asked innocently.

   "You kissed me pretty hard..."

   "Oh, I'm sorry.  I just wanted to give you a 'thank you' kiss and I
guess we both moved in the same direction." She paused and almost sadly
said, "I didn't mean to do anything wrong."

   Driving home, we could see lightning in the distance, late summer
storms. Nature was majestic.  Cindy said "majestic".

   "So, Mr.  Dan, like, if I DID kiss you, like, serious, you'd be mad?"

   "Baby..." I was calling Cindy pet names now.  I knew it.  I caught
myself several times.  "The thing is, you're what, thirteen..."

   "Fourteen in a week..."

   "Okay, fourteen.  I'm forty-one.  There are laws."

   "I know," she said meekly.  "They talked to us about those laws in
health class.  Took the boys in one room an' the girls in another.  About
'inappropriate touching' and stuff.  An' sex crimes.  But, like, just a
kiss..."

   "Baby..."

   "You call me baby, an' sweetie, an' cutie..."

   "I know.  And you're desperately cute.  And sweet."

   "So," she said, "if I kissed all over a boy who was thirteen or fourteen
or fifteen, it would be okay, but if I kissed a real MAN who I wanted to
kiss, that's wrong."

   "That's the law."

   "An'," she continued, "if the boy was thirteen or fourteen or fifteen
an' we went all the way an', like, DID it, that's legal..."

   "Cindy, that would be a bad idea..."

   "Oh, I know, Mr.  Dan, an' I'd NEVER do it, but I'm just sayin', IF I
did, that would be legal, but if I just kissed a real MAN, that's not?

   "That's the law."

   "Hmph!" she said.  "That's stupid." She crossed her arms for emphasis.

   I thought it was stupid, too.  But I said, "Maybe so, but that's the
law. It's there to make it wrong for old men to take advantage of young
girls.  That probably happens more than it does the way you're talking
about."

   "It's stupid!" Cindy was sitting there, arms folded, lips pursed, chin
tucked in.  She sighed.  "But then you admit it..."

   "Admit what?"

   "That it's stupid.  That I should be able to kiss you." And a giggle.

   "I don't know what you're giggling about, cutie.  I'm not admitting
anything." I sighed.  "And you're making it hard for me..."

   That got another giggle.

   "Stop that.  You're making it DIFFICULT for me.  I want to be your
friend and to help you out, not take advantage of you."

   "B-but Mr.  Dan," she sighed, "Don'tcha see?  You're NOT taking
advantage of me."

   "But, Cindy..." I said, "that's what it looks like.  I'm nice to you.  I
buy you things.  I take you places.  People will say "That old man did all
that to take advantage of that little girl." And the law believes them."

   "Well I don't believe it.  And neither does Mizz Helen."

   "Mizz Helen?  What did she say about this?"

   Cindy took her breath.  "She says that you are a very nice person and
that you an' her talked about me an' my mom an' you just wanted to help. 
Said I was lucky to find somebody like you."

   "Oh..."

   "Look, Mr.  Dan, I would have NEVER got nothin' like this from Mom.  Or
any of her boyfriends.  An' some of them look at me an' say little things
when Mom can't hear.  You know, THOSE men want to take advantage of me."

   "I was afraid of that.  You have that cellphone..."

   "I know.  YOU gave me that.  Not exactly the thing you'd do if you were
trying to take advantage of me, huh?"

   "I'm not."

   "You're not what?"

   "I'm not trying to take advantage of you."

   "Okay," she said, "then that's settled."

   Lightning slashed across the far horizon.  "Ooohhhh," she said.  "that's
magnificent..."

   We talked about thunder and lightning and storms and seasons and she was
babbling happily about the year it snowed and I was thinking of lonely
nights where the only warm place in the bed was the spot I just rolled out
of.

   We finally pulled into the RV park.  No car at her trailer.  No lights.
"Cindy," I said, "At least let me go inside with you and make sure nobody's
in there..."

   "There's no cars."

   "Yeah, but baby, since you said that about your mom's boyfriends, I am
going to worry."

   She smiled a little.  "Thank you for caring, Mr.  Dan.  Yeah.  Come
check it out."

   I did that.  She waited outside while I flipped on lights and looked in
the very few places in the trailer.  It was cluttered and that stench of
stale cigarette smoke was there.  Finally I opened the door.  Before I
could step out, Cindy stepped in.  And kissed me very demurely.  "Thank
you, Mr.  Dan."