A Simple Life: Chapter 78 (Patreon)

On our drive up to the garage I sit fawning over the three pairs of nylons ‘Daddy’ just bought me.  The fact it was Daddy and not Winona or Mommy made it feel extra sexy and extra naughty, which just thrilled me to bits.  I could not wait to model these for her.  Behind the wheel Winona glanced over every few seconds looking as happy as I felt.

“Thank you.”  I say for the third time since we’d left.

She laughs.  “You’re welcome, again!”

I giggle and put the hose away.  “I like your dad.”

“Yeah.  And he seems to like you.”  She says.  “How’d ya do it?”

“I d-dunno.  I was…I was just honest with him.”  I say.  “I told him that nobody could get between us.  N-Not even him.”

“My guy!”  She nods.  “Balls of steel.”

“It w-wasn’t so scary.”  I say.  “He’s actually r-really nice.”

“Yeah, he’s the softie.”  She says.  “Mom’s the hard ass.  You might get a rougher ride from her.”

“Oh.”

“But Dad’s on our side.”  She says with the utmost confidence.  “She’ll have to come around now.”  She slows at the T intersection of the highway then blows right through the stop sign when she sees nobody coming to cross the lanes into the gravel entrance of the garage.  “Hey!  When do you think I could meet your grandpa?”

“Oh, um, I dunno.  A-Anytime really.”  I say.  “Hey, what’s going on?”

Up ahead was Amos talking to the driver of a flatbed truck.  Loaded on the truck are a stack of huge sheets of cardboard.  As we approach I see that the cardboard itself is just packaging.

“Cooool!”  Winona exclaims as she parks the truck.  “The sign’s here.”

We hop out and hurry up to stand beside Amos.  In his left hand he held mighty Brutus as he pet the orange puffball with his right.  I’d never seen the little kitten happier.

“Here they are.”  He says as the driver in the cab gives us a nod.  “This is my kid Winnie and her guy Avery.”

I was tickled right down to my toes that Amos was already introducing me as his daughter’s ‘guy’, as if I were a part of the family.  We each greet the scruffy and bleary-eyed driver before Amos sets us to work.

“Alright you two mooches.  Time to pay off that breakfast.”

“Hey!  Avery never agreed to do any heavy lifting.”

“I d-don’t mind.”  I say to her softly.

“Ah, you’re the best.”  She smiles a smile that was way more than payment enough for any amount of lifting.  “Come on.  Let’s grab some gloves.”

As Amos and the driver chat Winona and I carry the stuff she’d bought at the store inside, most of it staying in the office with just my nylons going into her suite.  She tucks them into her underwear drawer and gives me a saucy look as she pats the dresser.  She was looking forward to seeing them too.

“Hey, the place is really coming t-together.”  I say as we head back.

“Yeah.  The place was in great shape, way better than we expected.  We’re pretty much ready to open already.”  She says as she rummages around the garage to find us some gloves.  “Even the sign is early.  Everything is just…happening!”  She shoves my pair into my hands and soon we are outside again.

“You coulda at least unstrapped’em.”  Winona gripes to her father as she loosens the tiedowns.

“Gorilla not understand tiedown.  Ooo oo oo!”

Winona rolls her eyes and pulls the top sheet from the pile as Amos regales the driver with an embellished account of the breakfast he’d had to pay for.  One by one we carry each sheet to the front of the business where I could see along the front wall near the roof a row of mounts already put up.  As we work we talk and laugh about me getting shanghaied into this.  Minutes pass like seconds until we slide the final one from the bed.

Amos pats the truck’s hood.  “Catch ya later Daryl.”

“Yep.”

Amos falls in behind us as the driver heads on his way, a curious Brutus bobbing along in his big mitt.  It made me so happy to see Mama’s runt find a loving owner.  Winona and I had barely set down the last one when her dad already had pulled a box cutter from his pocket and held it out to her.

“Let’s see’em then.”

Winona rolls her eyes again at him getting us to do everything while he did nothing but her excitement to see the signs herself overrode any objections.  She cuts open the first one along the edge and tears it open.  What is revealed is a big, glossy red ‘E’.

“Oooo.”  Winona runs a hand down the letter.  “Nice.”

“Look perfect size too.  I was worried they’d be too big.”

“No way, they’re perfect.”  She takes the letter and walks down the end of the building it and sets it leaning against the building under the furthest mount.

She moves onto the next one, a ‘G’, then sets it next in line against one of the bay doors.  And so it goes until we watch ‘GARAGE’ slowly spelled out in reverse.  Next is an ‘S’, which I help Winona place, along with an apostrophe.  As she moves to open the next one I notice Amos looking at me with a big old grin on his face.  He shoots me wink though I hadn’t a clue as to why.

As Winona opens the next sign she stops and looks at the giant ‘N’.  “Shit!  They fucked it up.”

“Did they?”  Amos asks, a twinkle in his eyes.

“Well shit.  I’ll call’em and…”

“Hold on.”  He says.  “Let’s see what it spells first.”

She gives her dad a long suspicious look before carrying on.

“I.”  She announces at the next one then hurries to the last without even placing this one.  She tears the last one open then steps back to look at the row of letters.  “W?  WIN’S?  What?  Win’s Garage?  That doesn’t make…”  She lets out a gasp as meaning hits her like a lightning bolt.  She turns and looks at her father in disbelief.  “That was supposed to be Amos’ Garage!  What!?  Win’s!?”

“Short for Winona.”  His already wide smile grows even more.  “Surprise.”

“NO!”  She exclaims then launches a forceful shove into her dad’s chest.  It would have put most men on their ass but with Amos it barely backs him up a step.  “NO!  NO WAY!  Get outta here!”  She looks back and forth between the signs and her grinning Pops.

“Yep.  Definitely a mistake.”  He says in mock grimness.  “I hope they’ve got a return policy.”

“But…but…”  Winona effusive surprise was swiftly transforming into tears.  “Noooo!”

“Come here kid.”  He passes me Brutus and opens his arms wide.

Head down, tears flowing, Winona steps into her father’s embrace. He wraps his huge arms around his daughter enveloping her in an all-encompassing dad hug.  In that one instant I could see their whole life together.  From the moment he first held her as a helpless infant, to a rambunctious toddler, to a willful girl, and now as the dynamic woman she was I saw the pure love of father and daughter play out before my eyes.  It was simply the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

“But…this was your dream Papa.”  She sniffles, her voice small and meek.  “This place was your dream!”

He shrugs and pets her long hair.  “Any dream worth havin is a dream worth sharin.  So ya like it?”

“Like it?  Like it!?”  She pushes off of him and heaves a punch into his gut, which he just laughs off.  “You big…stupid…gorilla!”

“Ooo oo oo!”  He scratches his head ape style.

Winona throws herself back into her father’s arms and hugs him around his neck, planting a big kiss on his chubby cheek.  “I love you Pops!”

He closes his eyes and squeezes his kid tight.  “Love you too Winnie-bear.”

Chapter 79