Rebecca’s sister Julie was complaining that she never got to go anywhere. “It’s not fair,” she whined.

Bob announced that he was flying to Vancouver to get Rebecca, to bring her home. Julie wanted to go, walk on the beach, meet some guys who didn’t know her family was a freak show.

“It’s not a vacation, Julie,” said Lisa.

“It should be. It could be. I mean, for me anyway. You have no idea what it’s like!” Julie glared at her mother.
“You agreed that you would get a job this summer, Julie. It’s almost August,” said Bob.

“But that was before.”

“You need to get a job. Maybe talk to Kelly at Caribou Corner. We know they’re short-staffed,” said Lisa, trying her best to match her words with the appropriate parental enthusiasm.

Julie snorted.

“We all have to make an effort to get our lives back on track here, and I think getting a job is an excellent start,” said Bob.

“Back on track? It’s never going to be the same!” Julie’s eyes narrowed. “You do know that, right?” She glared again – first at her father, then her mother — and stormed out of the room.

Lisa cracked open a can of beer. It was two in the afternoon. “I was thinking that maybe you might want to give Rebecca some time.”

“Time? Time for what? We need to make sure she’s safe. She barely knows Vancouver, and this Yoshi Oba or whatever her name is, this Art Motel….”

“Bob, she’s nearly eighteen. She’s not a kid anymore. I’m just saying that maybe she could use a bit of space, a little time.” Lisa paced behind Bob’s chair. For a moment she almost forgot her personal humiliation, being the wife of that man who had sex with the Lady Sasquatch, the stepmother of that girl everyone was calling a Halfsquatch, but it was only a moment.

Bob covered his face with his hands. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I should give it a few days. Maybe I should call this Yoshi Oba character.”

Lisa shook her head and swallowed hard on her beer. “No way. Just give everything some time to settle. And then maybe I should go to Vancouver and talk to Rebecca. It’ll be better that way.”

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