Arc and Dinky awaken the next morning. The sun is already up. He sits up slowly as Dinky opens her eyes.
Arc and Dinky awaken the next morning. The sun is already up. He sits up slowly as Dinky opens her eyes.
“This is a change.”
Dinky rubs her eyes. “What is, dad?”
“We’re usually up with the birds!”
She yawns and stretches. “I guess we were more tired than we thought.”
Arc sits up. “I suppose we were, sweetheart.”
Dinky stands up and stretches. She suddenly falls to the floor!
“WOAH!”
Looking over the side of the bed at Dinky. “You okay down there?”
“Y-yeah dad. I just feel a little dizzy.”
Arc nods. “All of us humans feel that way when we first get up. It’ll pass in a few moments.”
Dinky slowly stands up. “What causes it?!”
“I dunno. Humans fall over easier though, being so tall and walking on only two legs. Feeling better now?”
“Yes. It’s passed now. Although I do feel a bit… I don’t know… dirty.”
Arc nods. “Humans sweat more than ponies methinks. How about you take a shower?”
Dinky sniffs herself and makes a face. “Good idea. I don’t like the way I smell right now.”
“You can use the main bathroom and I’ll use the guest room’s bathroom.”
As the pair leave the bedroom Dinky turns to her father. “This house has more than one bathroom?”
Arc nods. “It has three in total.”
“Do we live in a mansion, dad?!”
“Not really. Human houses usually need more than one bathroom though, as some of us take quite a while to clean up and make ourselves look presentable.”
They enter the bathroom together. Arc walks toward the shower and turns on the water.
“Let me show you how to get the water temperature set so you can…”
He glances over at the toilet and notices the seat is wet.
“Um Dinky? Did you have an accident last night?”
“An accident?”
Arc points to the toilet. “You didn’t quite make it to the bathroom in time, huh?”
Dinky face turns red. “Um… not exactly. I was too embarrassed to say anything, but yesterday after supper when I used the toilet… um… everything came out… funny, I guess. Sorry dad.”
He picks up some toilet paper and dries the seat. “It’s okay sweetheart.”
Dinky watches her father wipe up the mess and sighs. “I guess I should have cleaned up after myself, huh?”
Arc follows up with some toilet cleaner. “In the future that would be nice, yes. I forgive you though.”
He steps back and looks to Dinky.
“I think I know what happened though. Would you please show me how you sit on the toilet? Just keep your shorts on, okay?”
Dinky walks toward the toilet, confused. “Okay dad.”
She crouches down on the toilet seat, like Arc assumes a pony would, with her feet on the seat along with her hands.
“Um, Dinky? That’s not how a human does it. Let me show you.”
Dinky stands up and Arc walks over to the toilet and sits down.
“You sit like you would on a normal chair. After pulling down your pants, of course. Do your business, wipe and then wash your hands. Any questions? “
Dinky nods her head with a pained look on her face. “Yeah dad! Can I go to the bathroom now?! The water…”
Arc walks quickly out of the room and closes the door behind him. “Say no more! Go ahead!”
Dinky sits down on the toilet and does her business. She calls out through the door to her father. “This feels much better! Thanks dad!”
Arc nods as he calls out. “I’ll get you some clean clothes. Are you okay in there?”
“I’m fine!”
“You get in the shower and get cleaned up. I’ll toss some fresh clothes in there in a few minutes. Just be careful not to slip!”
Dinky taking her clothes off and carefully steps into the shower. “Okay dad! Thanks!”
Arc makes his way back to the attic and grabs some more clothes for Dinky. He then returns to the bathroom and, opening the door partway, tosses the clothes inside. Shutting the door behind him, he mutters to himself.
“I guess I had better take a shower too.”
He grabs some fresh clothes for himself and heads to guest room’s bathroom. Arc turns on the water and steps into the shower.
“I hope Dinky won’t be too scared seeing other humans for the first time.”
Arc finishes, dries off, puts on his clothes and steps out of the room. He hears the phone ringing down the hall.
“Hello? Ah, good! Glad it wasn’t anything serious. Can you have your tow truck bring it back please? I’m kinda stuck at home for the moment.”
Dinky walks up to Arc, freshly bathed as he talks on the phone.
“Thank you very much. See you in a bit.”
Arc hangs up the phone and turns to his daughter.
“What was that about, dad?”
“My Jeep’s fixed. They’re towing it back here now.”
“What was wrong with it?”
“Nothing too serious. They put in a new battery, filled it up with new fuel, checked the brakes, replaced the belts and ran it around a bit to clear out the cobwebs. It’s running like a top, or so they say.”
“I’m still kinda confused as to what a Jeep is, dad.”
Arc chuckles. “You have to see it to understand. Don’t worry, they’ll be here in about an hour.”
“What do we do until then?”
“Do you want to watch some more cartoons?”
Dinky throws her hands up excitedly! “YEAH!”
She runs over to the couch and picks up the remote as Arc follows her.
“How do I turn it on?!”
“The red ‘power’ button on the upper left.”
Dinky presses the button and the TV turns on. She sits on the floor and laughs at the characters on the screen! Arc leaves the room and returns a few minutes later with a hairbrush and a small sweatshirt. He sits down on the couch behind her and begins to brush her long hair.
“You forgot to brush your hair, sweetheart. We don’t want everyone thinking you just rolled out of bed now.”
“Sorry dad.”
The pair watch TV together for a time before there is the sound of heavy machinery outside. Dinky hides under the blanket on the couch as she peeks out nervously!
“Dad! What’s that sound?!”
Arc puts on his boots. “Must be the tow truck unloading the Jeep. I’ll go out there and take care of things. You stay here.”
Dinky covers her face with the blanket. “O-okay!”
Arc walks outside as the tow truck lowers his vehicle onto the driveway. The mechanic turns to Arc.
“Here okay?”
“Yup! I’m heading out soon. Thanks for bringing it back.”
He pulls some papers out of his pocket. “No problem. Sign here please.”
Arc signs for it and hands over a check. The mechanic starts the Jeep.
“Thanks. Now you’re going to want to do a fair bit of driving to keep the battery and fuel from going bad again. Take it out on the highway if you can to finish cleaning things out.”
“I will. Thanks again!”
Arc walks inside the house as the mechanic drives away. He returns to the living room and Dinky.
“Ready to go.
“Go where?”
“We should probably start with breakfast. Are you hungry, sweetheart?”
“Starved!”
Arc walks over to the back door with Dinky. “There’s a little diner nearby that I used to go to for breakfast. Want to check it out?”
Dinky nods nervously. “Okay.”
Arc hands Dinky an old coat from the attic. She puts it on as they step out the back door and walk out the gate to the driveway. Arc points to his Jeep.
“There she is. It’s not the prettiest on the road, but it’s reliable.”
Dinky looks confused. “How does this thing work?!”
“I’ll show you.”
Arc opens the passenger door for Dinky. She climbs in as Arc walks around to the driver side. As they both close their doors Arc reaches over and puts Dinky’s seatbelt on before doing the same for himself.
“Always put your seatbelt on when you get in a car, Dinky.”
Dinky nods. “Okay! But can you turn on the furnace? It’s cold in here!”
Arc turns on the heat. “There you go, sweetheart. Better?”
She puts her small hands in front of the vent. “Much!”
“Okay. Here we go.”
Arc puts the Jeep in gear and slowly pulls out of the driveway. Dinky’s eyes grow wide as they begin to move.
“WHAT?! HOW?!”
“It’s a combustion engine. Think of it kinda like a mechanical science of sorts.”
“Human science is amazing!”
“You like this, sweetheart?”
Dinky smiles! “Yeah! It’s fun! Can I try?!”
“Sorry, but you’re a bit too young to drive.”
“Awww…”
In a short time the pair arrive at their destination. Arc pulls into a parking spot and turns off the engine.
“Here we are. Shelly’s Kitchen.”
They get out of the Jeep and head for the small but well-kept building. Dinky looks around as they step inside.
“Wow! It’s so big in here!”
“Follow me, sweetheart.”
He leads Dinky to a small booth in the corner and they sit down across from each other. In a few moments a waitress comes over to take their order. She is about Arc’s age with brown hair and pretty blue eyes.
“Good morning! What can I… ARC?!”
Arc stands up. “Hi Lily! It’s been awhile!”
She gives him a hug. “A while?! More like a year! Where have you been?!”
“I… uh… went looking for some family members.”
“Oh? Did you find them?”
Arc gestures to Dinky. “I did! This is my daughter Din… Daisy!”
Dinky nervously looks up. “Um… hi.”
Lily kneels down and gives Dinky’s small hand a shake. “Hello there! My name is Lily! Arc and I grew up together.”
She turns back to Arc
“She’s adorable! Arc, you never said anything about having a child!”
“She’s my… cousin’s daughter. You see, her biological father isn’t man enough to be there for them, so I stepped up and took over.”
Dinky nods! “Yeah! My dad even took care of my mom when she was in labor!”
Lily turns back to Arc, wide-eyed! “You delivered her too?! That’s really impressive, Arc! I didn’t know you could do that!”
Arc chuckles. “Neither did I, but we didn’t have a choice! There was a snowstorm outside at the time, so we couldn’t get her to the hospital. I just did what had to be done.”
“We’ll it looks like you did a fine job! But the two of you must be hungry! What can I bring you, Daisy?”
Dinky looks over the menu before her and points at a picture. “What are these?”
“Those are waffles, dear. Is that what you’d like to order?”
“Yes please.”
Lily writes something down on her order pad. “Alright. Would you like bacon or sausage with that?”
Dinky looks to her father for help! “I… um…”
“How about a couple eggs, sweetheart?”
“Yes! That does sound tasty!”
“Okay. Would you like milk or juice?”
“Milk please!”
Lily looks back to Arc. “The usual for you?”
“Yes indeed!”
“I’ll get that right in for you two.”
“Thanks Lily! “
Lily smiles at Arc and walks back to the kitchen. Dinky smiles.
“She seems nice dad! Are all humans like that?”
“Most are friendly, yes. But you shouldn’t talk to strangers without me around though.”
“Okay!
Lily returns a few moments later with a glass of milk for Dinky and a cup of a dark, black liquid for Arc.
“Your order shouldn’t take too long.”
Arc nods. “Thanks Lily. We have plenty of time!”
A short time later Lily returns with their food. She sets a plate of waffles and eggs in front of Dinky.
“Here you are dear. Enjoy!”
Dinky smiles as she carefully picks up her silverware. “I will! This looks great!”
Lily puts down a burger and fries in front of Arc. “There you go, Arc! Your regular!”
Arc picks up the ketchup. “Thanks! You and Shelly sure know how to cook! Say, how’s she doing these days?”
Lily looks down sadly. “She’s… been better. When you’re done eating why don’t you two go upstairs and say hello? I’m sure she’d be happy to see you again Arc!”
“We’ll do that, thanks!”
Lily returns to the counter. Dinky munches away happily!
“This tastes even better than it looks!”
Arc nods as he takes a bite of his burger. “That it does!”
Dinky eyes Arc’s food. “Dad? What are you eating?”
“This is called a cheeseburger, sweetheart. It’s ground cow meat.”
She wrinkles her nose! “Do you always eat that for breakfast?!”
“Sometimes. It’s traditionally a lunch or supper food. Would you like to try it?”
“Well… it does smell kinda tasty. I’m just having trouble with the idea of eating another animal!”
Arc nods. “You don’t have to if it makes you feel uncomfortable, sweetheart. A lot of humans don’t eat meat. They’re called vegetarians.”
Dinky thinks for a few moments. “I… think I’d like to try it.”
“Okay. But only if you want to.”
She takes a small bite and chews it slowly.
“It’s actually pretty good! “
Arc gestures to his plate. “Try eating a couple French Fries with it.”
She does so as she takes a larger bit of the cheeseburger and a few fried before handing it back to her father.
“This is awesome! Can I have one of these?!
Arc laughs as he takes his burger back. “You can if you finish your waffles!”
Dinky goes back to eating. “Okay!”
A short time later the pair finish their meal.
“Still want that cheeseburger?”
Dinky shakes her head as she sits back and rubs her tummy. “Maybe next time! I’m full!”
Lily walks up with the check as Arc opens his wallet. He hands her some money.
“A fine meal, Lily!”
“Yeah! It was great! Next time I want to try a cheeseburger though!”
“I’m glad you two enjoyed it!
Arc looks toward the stairs. “Is Shelly feeling well enough for visitors?”
Lily walks with them toward the stairs. “Arc, you know she’d love to see you even if it wasn’t a good day! You can introduce her to your daughter! I’m sure she’d love that!”
Lily opens the door and they proceed up the stairs together. She calls up after them.
“Shelly! We have visitors!”
A voice rings out.
“I’m in the living room.”
The group enters the room to see a young woman about Arc’s age with fair skin, black hair and brown eyes sitting in a wheelchair looking out the window. As she turns to look at her guests Shelly’s eyes grow wide! She attempts to stand with great difficulty as she winces in pain!
“Arc!”
He quickly walks over to her and gives her a hug. “Woah! Easy there! I know that can’t be easy for you!”
There is a sharp intake of breath as Arc helps her sit back down. “I’m fine, Arc! But what about you?! Where did you go?!”
“It’s… quite a long story. But before we talk about that, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.”
He motions for Dinky to step forward.
“This is my daughter, Daisy. She’s really my cousin’s child, but I adopted her. Daisy, this is my good friend Shelly. She’s the owner of this restaurant and the one who came up with all the recipes that are served here.”
Shelly extends a shaky hand. “Please to meet you, Daisy!”
Dinky nods shyly. “Um… hi.”
As she cautiously shakes Shelly’s hand, she winces. Dinky instinctively draws back.
“I’m sorry! Did I hurt you?!”
“No, no dear! I’ve been in pain for… let’s just say a long time.”
Arc nods at Dinky. “Shelly has what’s called muscular dystrophy, sweetheart.”
“What’s that?”
“It means I have trouble moving around. Doing so is… somewhat uncomfortable.”
She gestures to her wheelchair.
“Walking unassisted is nearly impossible for me now, as I just keep falling down.”
Lily nods. “I carefully help her downstairs on good days, but it takes a while.”
Shelly turns to her friend. “Sorry for being such a burden.”
“You’re no such thing, Shelly! We grew up together after all!”
Shelly sighs. “Good times.”
Arc smiles. “You and I remember orphanage life very differently.”
Lily nods. “At least we had each other.”
“Yes, that did make it somewhat bearable.”
“Well, I should be getting back downstairs. Someone has to watch the restaurant.”
“Is it busy down there?”
Lily shakes her head with a pained expression on her face. “About as busy as usual, I guess.”
Shelly sighs. “Okay.”
She leaves the apartment and returns to the restaurant’s ground floor. There are no other customers to serve.
“Having Arc back in town should be a welcome bit of good news in the midst of so much bad.”
Meanwhile, Arc sits down with Dinky on the nearby couch. “So, what’s the deal with business? I didn’t see any other customers down there! Usually it’s fairly busy right now!”
Shelly nods. “Business has been bad lately.”
Dinky looks confused. “How?! Your food was great!”
“Let’s just say things have gotten… progressively worse in our town since you left a year ago, Arc.”
“How so?”
“The local businesses have been being victimized lately by the local ruffians.”
Arc frowns. “The Shards?! But they’re small time punks!”
“Well, they’re a lot more organized than they used to be.”
Dinky looks to Shelly. “Don’t you have guards to handle this sort of thing?”
Arc quickly looks to Shelly. “She’s talking about the police! I can’t see Marshal Raynor letting this happen!”
“His hands are tied in the matter.”
“Tied?”
Shelly nods. “The FBI has seen fit to take over the investigation.”
“Okay… why?!”
“It all started about six months ago when the Shards decided to go big and try to rob the bank one night.”
“Are they nuts?! They couldn’t rob a gas station without getting caught!”
Shelly sighs. “Well, they tried to blow the vault, but all they accomplished was burning down the building! Luckily it was late at night, so no one was hurt.”
Arc thinks for a moment. “A bank heist would fall under the jurisdiction of the feds. But if this happened six months ago, why haven’t they been put away?”
“I’m not sure. “
“Now I know they’re are a bit… slow moving, but this is ridiculous!”
Shelly nods. “The Marshal has orders to turn over jurisdiction of any crimes committed by the Shards to the proper authorities.”
Arc shakes his head. “That doesn’t make any sense! Other than the botched bank job, he IS the proper authority!”
“Not much any of us can do about it. You included. People are leery to leave their homes other than to go to work and buy groceries. That doesn’t leave time for things like restaurant meals.”
“How about the other local officials? Is anyone doing anything?!”
Shelly sighs. “Kinda. The mayor went so far as to go visit the nearby military base to ask for help. He was told this was outside their jurisdiction and to just let to feds deal with it.”
Arc rolls his eyes. “Why am I not surprised?”
Dink looks to Shelly. “Have the bad humans come here?!”
“Bad people, Daisy. People. Got it?”
Dinky nods. “Bad people. I understand.”
Shelly nods. “Yes. They make the rounds on the first of every month to collect their ‘protection money’. I’ve been dipping pretty heavily into my business’ savings to pay. Even if they hadn’t, I’m not sure how much longer we can go on with no customers though.”
Dinky looks to her father with a hopeful gleam in her eye. “Dad, you’re pretty good at solving problems! Can’t you do something?!”
“Not sure what I CAN do. But I’ll certainly give the matter some thought.”
“But…!”
Arc looks at Dinky and shakes his head soberly.
“If you do think of something, let Marshal Raynor know! Don’t do anything reckless though! Lily and I would rather go out of business than see any harm come to you! Remember, you’re the only family the two of us have!”
Arc nods. “I’ll do what I can.”
“Good. That’s all we can ask for, really. Are you planning on sticking around for a while?”
“Off and on.”
Shelly looks nervous. “Where did you go anyways?!”
“I went looking for my family.”
She looks at Dinky and smiles! “I suppose you found it.”
Arc puts am arm around his daughter. “That I did!”
Shelly smiles at Dinky. “I do hope your mother is well, dear.”
Dinky nods. “She is! Hopefully she can join dad and I soon. Right now she’s busy with her job at the orphanage!”
Arc nods. “She had a very rough upbringing.”
“Just like us, huh?”
“If not worse, yes.”
Shelly looks hopeful. “Did you find anyone else? Like your dad?”
“Well… yes and no. Other than my cousin, I’ve made several very good friends whom I now view as family. No sign of my father though.”
“I’m glad to hear your search was at least somewhat fruitful! How about your studies? Are you any closer to realizing your dream?”
Arc looks a bit embarrassed. “I haven’t studied since I left. But I have been learning quite a bit from a very harsh teacher called life!”
Shelly giggles. “I’m familiar with them. Hard and not always fair.”
“Tell me something. What do you think it would take to fix our Shard problem? Were it so easy, that is.”
Shelly thinks for a moment. “Someone with the authority to look into these matters without having to go through a lot a bureaucratic red tape!”
“That would certainly be a good place to start. You know anyone?”
Shelly laughs! “I wish!”
The pair enjoy a good laugh as Dinky looks on bewildered.
“If it’s any consolation, the Shards have given up vandalism and petty theft. You don’t have to worry about them breaking into your house, as it’s much more profitable for them to go after us business owners.”
Arc sighs. “That’s what I’m worried about.”
Dinky frowns. “They try, and my dad will make them regret it!”
“That I will, sweetheart.”
He looks at his pocket watch and stands up.
“Well, we should be getting to the store. Daisy here needs some new clothes before the weather gets too cold. You have any trouble, you call me and I’ll come right over!”
“Thank you Arc, but we’ll manage.”
“I mean that! Us orphans have to stick together!”
Shelly turns her wheelchair to face the window. It was nice meeting you, Daisy. Take care of your dad.”
“I will! Hope you feel better soon!”
Arc walks with Dinky toward the door. “I’ll try to come by for breakfast whenever I’m in town. After all, one must start the day with a healthy breakfast!”
Shelly nods as Arc leaves with Dinky.
“Don’t be a stranger now, my friend.”
Arc and Dinky return to the main floor. There are no other customers. Lily looks over from the front counter.
“Did you have a nice visit?”
“We did! It was nice to see you two again. Daisy and I will be back tomorrow for another wonderful breakfast.”
Dinky smiles! “Yeah! I wanna try a cheeseburger!”
Lily waves after them as the pair leave the restaurant. “See you tomorrow then!”
She watches them leave.
“That Daisy sure is a cutie! She’s really fortunate to have someone as caring as Arc to take her in like that!”
Meanwhile, Arc and Dinky get back into his Jeep. Dinky looks over to him as Arc starts the engine.
“Dad? How long has your friend Shelly been like that?”
Arc sighs as he pulls out of the parking lot. “It started when we entered high school. She kept falling down all the time! At first everyone just wrote it off as her being clumsy. But eventually she was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy.”
“Can’t the doctors on Earth help her?”
“Sadly, no. There is no known cure for this particular ailment.”
“So, she just has to sit there and suffer?!”
Arc sadly nods. “I wish there was some way to help her, but there isn’t.”
Dinky looks down at her hands. “But she’s such a nice human! She doesn’t deserve this!”
“I know sweetheart.”
Dinky turns the to her father with a mischievous smile on her face. “Maybe she would feel better if ‘somepony’ took care of those troublemakers?”
Arc nods as they turn the corner. “You mean someone like the Hero of Light?”
“Yeah! They wouldn’t know what hit them!”
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea. Someone could get hurt.”
Dinky smiles! “Right! Like the bad people! You could easily teach them a lesson!”
Arc sighs. “The sight of a large, heavily armed, and armored creature walking the streets would certainly make everyone run in fear. Good and bad alike. We’re trying to keep a low profile at the moment, dear. If we get caught now, who will rescue Princess Celestia?”
Dinky looks down sadly. “Okay dad.”
Arc puts a hand on hers. “If I can help some way, I will though. You can count on that!”
“I know you will dad! By the way… where are we going?”
The Jeep turns onto the highway. “Clothes shopping for you! You deserve better than my old hand-me-down boys’ clothes. There a mall about fifteen miles down the highway that should have everything we need to make you look like a normal little girl.”
“Mall?”
Arc nods as he accelerates. “It’s a big building with a lot of different stores in it. They sell pretty much everything!”
Dinky looks straight ahead as they merge onto the highway, nervously. “Aren’t we going a bit fast, dad?! I mean what’s the rush?!”
“This is the highway, sweetheart. You’re supposed to drive fast.”
She covers her eyes! “Is this the only way to get to the mall?!”
Arc shakes his head as he exits the. “No. We can take the regular roads if this frightens you.”
Dinky breathes a sigh of relief. “Thanks dad! By the way… why did you tell your friends my name was Daisy?”
“I’m sorry for having to do that sweetheart, but it makes you sound more like one of us. While I do think your name is pretty, Dinky isn’t a normal human name. “
“I understand… I think.”
A short time later the pair arrive at the shopping mall.
Dinky peers out the window in awe! “That building… it’s HUGE!!!”
Arc nods as he parks. “Just wait until you see the inside! It’s the prettiest shopping experience you’ll ever see!”
The pair walk inside. Dinky marvels at the brightly lit stores and high ceilings!
“I feel so small in here!”
Arc laughs! “And this is just the first floor.”
“You mean there’s MORE?!”
“Yes. Look up there. Do you see those guardrails? There’s another floor up there with more shops to see!”
Dinky looks to Arc excitedly! “Can we see them all?!”
“If you want to, sure!”
Dinky takes her father’s hand in hers and pulls him toward a shop. “Let’s start here!”
Arc laughs as he redirects Dinky toward another nearby shop. “That’s a tool store, sweetheart! Let’s start with getting you some clothes!”
“Okay!”
He leads her into a clothing store and helps her pick out some more feminine clothes her size. As the pair walk over to the changing rooms, he hands her some of the clothes.
“Okay sweetheart, these are called changing rooms. You go in there and try on the clothes to make sure they fit before you buy them.”
Dinky nods. "So, I change my clothes in there?"
“Something like that.”
“Why?”
Arc hangs up the rest of the clothes on a hook just inside. “To make sure they fit before you buy them.”
Dinky begins unbuttoning her shirt. “Okay!“
“Hold on a second sweetheart! I need to wait outside!”
“You can stay here dad! I don’t mind! That and I might need help putting these new clothes on anyways!”
“No Dinky. I have to wait outside. It’s not proper for others to see you without clothes on!”
Dinky looks up at him confused. “I don’t understand. You’re my dad!”
"I… we’ll talk about it more at home, sweetheart. One more thing though…”
He picks up a small package, opens it and hands its contents to Dinky.
“What is it?”
“They’re called panties, as they’re worn under your pants. After I leave, I want you to take everything off and put these on first. Then you can try on your new clothes.”
"Um… okay."
Arc leaves the changing room to give Dinky some privacy. A few minutes pass. He knocks on the door.
“Everything okay in there?”
“I’m fine. Just having a little... trouble. Be right out.”
A minute later Dinky emerges in her new clothes.
“How do I look?!”
“Very ladylike.”
Dinky smiles at him. “Thanks for the panties! This feels MUCH better!”
“Um… don’t mention it.”
She tries on numerous outfits before the pair leave the store with several large bags of clothes. Dinky is wearing one of her new outfits.
“Thanks for the clothes, dad! I feel a lot more comfortable in these!”
Arc nods. “You’re very pretty in them as well.”
“Can we see the rest of the mall now?!”
“Yes. After we take these bags to the Jeep.”
Dinky carries a smaller bag in her arms. “Okay!”
The pair drop off their purchases and return to the mall. They spend the next several hours walking the halls and going into various stores. As the pair return to their vehicle with even more purchases Arc turns to Dinky.
“So how do you like the mall, sweetheart?”
Dinky nods, carrying yet another bag from yet another store! “I like it! There’s so much to see! Can we come back another day?!”
Arc nods as they get into the Jeep. “If we need something, yes.”
Dinky buckles her seatbelt. “Was that a lot of bits you spent in there? “
“Yes Dinky. And here they’re not called bits, but dollars.”
“I’m sorry.”
Arc backs out of the parking spot. “Not to worry, sweetheart. You’ll learn as you go.”
“No, I mean sorry for costing you so much money.”
“It’s okay. Feeding and clothing a child is what every father should do.”
“It makes me feel a little guilty knowing you spent so much on me. By the way, what was that strange looking furniture you bought back there?”
Arc turns onto the main road. “Some special beds for another day. You’ll see when they’re delivered day after tomorrow.”
“Anywhere else we have to go?”
“We need to head back to town and visit the local market.”
“For food?”
He nods! “Right! We need bread, eggs, milk, cereal and a few things to make supper with.”
“What should we cook?”
“I can make us some hamburgers if you would like. They’re not as good as Shelly’s, but…”
Dinky smiles! “Sounds tasty! We should hurry to the market then!”
“Want me to take the freeway?”
“O-okay. “
Arc looks at the on ramp coming up. “You sure?”
“Yeah dad! I can handle it.”
As he turns onto the freeway. “That’s my brave little filly!”
Dinky laughs! “You mean brave little girl, right dad?”
He chuckles. “Right!”
The pair drive in silence for a time.
“What’s the name of your hometown, dad?”
Arc points to the town limit sign. “You mean OUR town, right? It’s your home now too, you know.”
“Right!”
As they enter town, they pass a sign that reads ‘Angel Grove - Population 15,000 – The Little Town With a Big Heart’.