“I turn to Slim. Do I smell? I says. He throws me a startled look. Uh - Ohmigawd, I do. I smell bad. How bad? Go on, you can tell me. Well, he says, you don't smell as bad as some. But you don't smell as good as some neether. I knew it, I says. What'm I gonna do? Yer askin me fer advice? He shakes his head as he says, I'd remind you that I'm wearin a lady dress with no unders.”

“Slim throws me a startled look. I aim my bolt shooter at him. Who am I, you sonofabitch?Helluva time for a identity crisis, he says.”

“Pa? You never said. What'm I gonna be? Good or bad? He kisses the top of my head. Whispers in my ear, so's only him and me can hear. You, my darlin daughter, are gonna be somethin else entirely.”

“You don’t fool me, he says in a low voice.Is that right?Yea, he says. I see it in yer eyes. All you care about’s yer precious brother.That aint true, I says.If it’d been Emmi they took, he says, Emmi an not Lugh…would you of gone after her?I take in a breath to say of course I would but the look on his face stops me. there ain’t no point in lyin when he already knows the truth.He leaves go of me an steps back.I thought so, he says. Yer sister’ll be safer with me than she could ever be with you. You jest ride along on yer high horse an leave her to me.”

“You can trust me, he says.You would say that. How do I know you ain’t lyin?You don’t. But I ain’t.”

“Before I know what he's up to, he grabs my hand. Hey! I try to pull it away but he holds it even tighter. Saba, he says, I dunno what happy star sent you lookin fer me but I'm mighty thankful it did. If you hadn't of turned up, I'd be dead by now.”

“We ain't got time fer you to yell at me or fer me to tell you everythin that's happened, so I'm jest gonna cover the main points real quick an then I'm gonna kiss you, he says.”