Ididn't bother to look back as I ran up the stairs to my room."You'll have to take the bus to school tomorrow, " Mom said. We werehaving dinner."I tho...gh you were taking us?" I said. The last thing I wanted was toendure a bus ride with fifty pairs of eyes staring at me the entire way."I'm sorry, honey, but the store called. They want me to come in early. "Mom said, dabbing a fork at her peas.Dad looked up from his plate. "What's wrong with riding the bus? He asked."It's not like you haven't. We had circled and come at them from the east so they're looking in that direction instead of this one. They still outnumber us but it's close." Do you think we should consider an attack?" No. I think we should get beyond them and go about our mission, first. If that's successful, then we can worry with these guys on the way back. If we fail, we won't have to worry about them anyway." Okay, we're going to saddle up and continue north today. Please bring your people in." We will. I will check on. Now I will not bore you with the details of the conversation that I have now come to know is common among most strippers them being single moms and showing you pictures of their c***dren and talking about this and that. After a certain point in the conversation I decided I had had enough talk and wanted a lap dance she in formed me that a dance was twenty dollars and a private on was one hundred and fifty dollars, I decided on a regular non private dance. so she takes me to a little niche and. " How can they be 'right over'? It's 7am on a Sunday. I know they have emergency procedures, but things have to be running slower on a Sunday morning and..." JIMMY! You want to discuss city services scheduling NOW?" No. Of course not. I'm coming." I turned to my roommate. "It's an emergency. I need your car. Just a few hours. I promise."Mark gave me a look. "Half-sister, huh? I knew it had to be something like that." But he tossed me the keys and I was out the door in a shot.I got halfway down.