Chapter 7

"What's the matter with you?" Montana asked later when Paul came to bed.

"My oldest daughter no longer hates me," he said with a grin.

"I really don't think Mac hated you to begin with," she shook her head.. "It's a teenage thing."

"Call it a parent thing or whatever, Mon, but I just had a bad feeling about that party tonight, and you know I wasn't too crazy about her hanging out with that Tonya character. It turns out, I was right. Brian said they had a drug bust down there."

"I know," Montana said. "Beverly told me when I was over there earlier."

"Could you imagine if I had let Mac go? Jesus, the news sites would have had a field day with that shit, and you know how I am about clean living and stuff."

"But of course. That's part of your appeal. You know, I really think that's why the other three look up to you so much."

"Yeah?"

"Absolutely. Naomi thinks you practically do no wrong and it wouldn't surprise me if Michael follows in your footsteps. And we know how Kira feels about you from the time she was little."

"Imagine that. Me, a role model."

"You're more of one than you think, big man," Montana reassured him. "When your own kids look up to you, you're definitely doing something right."

"I honestly think I may have gotten through to Mac anyway," Paul replied.

"Given the events earlier this evening, I would have to agree."

"She wants to go flying with that Mormon kid and his parents tomorrow."

"Oh, that sounds like a lot of fun!"

"Yeah, it does. I didn't see a problem with it, especially since she's interested in getting a pilot's license when she turns eighteen."

"Wait…what?"

"I didn't tell you that part?"

Montana gave him a look. "No, you didn't."

"It isn't a commercial license or anything, so relax. Just to fly small planes. I figured if Mac went with this Josh kid or whatever his name is, she'd get some experience before she turned eighteen, then maybe take some lessons from there. Hell, she could be doing worse."

"Yes……true."

"I know you're not a big fan of flying, babe, but it doesn't mean the kids have to be scared shitless of it."

"Well, I guess if she has someone with her that knows what they're doing, maybe it won't be so bad."

Paul grinned again. "Now you're coming around to thinking positively. Now let's get some sleep."

The next day:

"God, Abraham, and Moses," Mariah groaned. "Thank goodness I have a place to go that actually has females in it."

"Why, what's the matter?" Montana asked.

"It isn't bad enough I had to listen to Brian's snoring symphony last night tenfold since he had that cold, now I spent all morning with him and Leif in a belching contest."

"Good grief." Montana made a face. "At least Paul hasn't done that with Michael. Yet."

"Count your blessings. What's next for those two, a contest emitting gas from the other end? Why couldn't I have had a sweet little girl like Naomi?"

"Hey, Leif isn't all bad; he has brains."

"Keep him around his father much longer, he may lose those too. So what's this I hear about Mac out flying?"

"She's with a friend of hers and his parents. Mac has this thing about getting her pilot's license when she turns eighteen."

"Say what?" Mariah was shocked.

"My initial reaction too when Paul told me last night. Apparently the two of them had a long chat last night."

"Wow, a real father-daughter sit down, huh?"

"I guess so. They were downstairs until at least one in the morning anyway. They were watching a movie and talking."

"Since when does Paul let anyone talk during a movie?"

"I guess considering the circumstances at the time, he made an exception for Mac."

"Hey, did you see the paper today? God, it must suck to be the parents of those kids that were taken in for drugs last night."

"And to think Mac would have been one of them had Paul not been insistent that she not go to that party. She would have been in a cell instead of on a small aircraft today. I doubt she would have taken anything, but still……"

"Mac would have gone with the rest of those kids anyway," Mariah finished.

"Exactly. And her dad has enough headaches in his own career without dealing with that kind of thing. I think Mac realizes that now after such a close call."

"You aren't kidding there."

"But on to more positive things," Montana smiled. "What is this I hear about Leif being moved to gifted classes?"

"Well, most of them. He's still in the regular classes for math and reading. Now if his dad and I can get Leif to keep his damn glasses on while he's doing his work, we may accomplish something. If that isn't bad enough, I caught him trying to light his own farts the other night."

"Good lord!" Montana exclaimed.

"He said it was some kind of experiment to see if it can really be done, but my guess is that he got that craziness off of Brian."

"I'm guessing nothing caught on fire then."

"No, which is a miracle. Now he wants a chemistry set for his birthday."

"Wow, that's a first. Most kids want video games and whatnot," Montana replied. "I don't think I've heard anyone wanting chemistry sets for years."

"He has this interest in science all of the sudden. I'm guessing he got that from Michael, so I shouldn't complain."

"Given his fascination with taking things apart and putting them together, along with figuring out the how's and why's of thing working, I can't say I'm shocked."

"Well," Mariah smiled, "as long as he's going to use it for something constructive when he gets older, it's safe to say I won't mind my son having this kind of hobby."