CHP9

We went downstairs to grab a coke and ran into my mom and Al in the kitchen. They didn't hear us at first and I caught part of the conversation. Seems Al was telling mom about this really good bone specialist he had heard about that had a reputation of diagnosing problems that others couldn't find. Good old Al.

I was glad he hadn't wasted any time. Mom had a non-cancerous cyst that was quickly growing. I found out on my first time through how painful that could be, and how dangerous. By the time it was discovered before, simply stepping off a curb could have snapped her hip like a twig. As we came in the room she was saying she might see this Dr. Mitchum.

She had left work early because of the pain today. I piped in with "sounds like a great Idea. Those quacks you've been seeing are clueless. Just because they're not good enough to find what's wrong they pretend it doesn't exist."

Mom jumped two feet offthe ground "Matt! I didn't hear you come in! It has been kind of hard not slapping some of those idiots when they insinuate I'm just looking for a prescription of pain pills that I can't take at work anyway. I see you've got company, too. Who's the pretty girl with you?"

I turned to see a furiously blushing Jan and replied "mom, this is Jan. She followed me home, can I keep her?" I didn't realize a blush could get that deep. Jan didn't know how we were around my house.

Mom looked thoughtful for a moment before telling me we'd have to check with dad first. Finally after asking if Jan could cook or do laundry and various other chores my mother relented. "I'm sorry Jan, I couldn't help it. You just looked so cute, and the expression on your face!"

Jan recovered quickly, to my surprise. She looked at mom and said wryly "I see where he gets his sense of humor from now"

Mom quickly corrected her. "Oh, don't give me all the credit! We've all warped around here."

Dad came in then, handing me a fuse as he said "talking about me when I'm not here, huh!" of course he had to get the introductions and had his own questions about how why I was with a girl as pretty as Jan. I rescued her finally to put the fuse in.

When we got to the living room Jan related how she wished her house was as laid back as ours. Her parents were much stricter and she would've had problems if her parents showed up and I was there with her.

"Of course" I said with a leer "you're a girl and I would obviously be there to corrupt their lovely daughter. It's not as easy as you think though. I'm sure I'll get the sex lecture about protection, respect, and all the other stuff that I already know. Here, hold this will you?" I had her hold the back of the television while I screwed it down. When we were done I plugged it in and turned it on.

Of course it worked fine. Actually this wasn't the first set I had repaired. When I was ten another uncle (not the same one) whom I also detested gave me a set he was going to throw out. He thought it was hilarious that I thought I could fix it.

Poor slob didn't think it was so funny when I had it working the next day, especially when I told him it had a bad seventy-five cent rectifier tube and that I had already sold the set for fifty bucks.

My thoughts were interrupted by the phone ringing and Al screaming "I'VE GOT IT" Jan and I looked at each other and laughed.

I cornered Al that night, and found out it went better than I could have hoped. Not only had he and Joyce hit it off, they had a date Saturday night. He also told me he had stopped by the track and put three separate bets down.

He put a hundred to win on Dust Commander and bet a fifty dollar perfecta with My Dad George. He also put a hundred dollars on my superfecta.

I was even more surprised when my dad told me he had put a hundred to win on my horse and a fifty dollar superfecta. "You saved us at least half that much on the TV." he had told me. Knowing my brother as well as I did a mobile home was not in our future this time.

I was in somewhat of a dilemma though. My "earlier" self had had a blast after we had moved. Should I try to arrange things so we stayed here or should we move? Things were going well here but when we had moved before I had eventually met who I had always considered the "love of my life" and had always thought it was my fault that we split up. Looking back, I wasn't as sure now whose fault it was but I wanted another shot and resolved to do better.

After that I started thinking about Janie and Kim. I remembered them very well from before but with regret. They were both a year older than Jan and I and had been very outgoing and precocious. They flirted with not only me but several other guys.

The problem was that we had been scared to death of them. I was the only guy who would even talk to either of them and tried to make sure we were always in a crowd when I did. It seemed to me that both girls got a woman's body early and were determined to find out what it could do. I was surprised to discover that I didn't really want to show them this time, either.

I got up early and filled Al in on part two of my plan for our "evil empire" as he had begun to call it before he left. This guy would definitely get a kick out of Reagan.

The Wal-Mart IPO would happen on October 1st of this year. The next HUGE killing would be Microsoft in March of 1986. In between were others too good to pass up. The oil embargo was right around the corner and we needed capital to take advantage of two things quickly.

Too bad oil futures didn't exist now! The rest of the Triple Crown races had promise. While the odds weren't high in the Preakness, the perfecta would do well with Personality and My Dad George. The Belmont had real possibilities.

High Echelon would win but at a payoff of $4.50. The place (Needles and Pins) $11.50 and show (Naskra) $9.50 were where the money would come from. The superfecta would be amazing once again. I was quickly becoming happy with the fact that I had always been a horse racing fan. I was even happier that Loki had granted my entire wish. To be able to remember all these details was a trip.

When I saw the crowd waiting for me outside I cracked up. The phone lines must have been active again last night. I was a little confused though. Janie and Kim were with Jan but so was another girl I didn't recognize and I surely would have if I had ever met her.

The others introduced her as Beth and explained that she was Kim's cousin. They went on to tell me that she was also twelve. I found that a little hard to believe because she was a foot taller than they were.

I could tell she was more self conscious about her early development than her friends. She seemed very pleased that I talked to her face instead of her chest and before we got to the school she was talking as much as the rest of us.

From the shade of red she turned when she asked if I minded if she came over with the rest of them after school I figured she knew what we'd be doing. I didn't have to think long to tell her she'd be welcome.