Page 32 of Kent's Honor
Hey, Kent. I’ve got some good news, bad news, and worse news. The good news is I found Daniel. The bad news is he’s running drugs for Pepe Fernandez out of Miami. The worse news is he was in Rivera Beach last night, and I got word he’s headed north this morning on 95. The Feds have been trying to bring down Pepe for months now. His pipeline runs from Miami to Fort Bragg. Daniel is a new runner for them, so I tipped off the Feds, but I’d watch your back.
Fucking wonderful. The only way Daniel was ever getting to Nicky again was through Kent, and that wasn’t ever going to happen.
“Don’t roll your eyes, Daddy.”
To try and lighten his now soured mood, he rolled them again.
“If you can do it, then so can I.”
He waggled his finger toward his daughter. “This is not a case of monkey see, monkey do.”
“Of course not. It’s a double standard for grown-ups just like it is between men and women.”
He opened and closed his mouth a few times before his brain could process the adult conversation he was having with a ten-year-old. “What double standards between boys and girls?”
She set the two nearly burnt pieces on his plate with some sausages and settled into the chair next to him with the perfectly good pieces. Well, she had cooked them, and he’d cooked the not-so-great ones.
“If girls are assertive and speak their minds, they are seen as bossy, or thatBword. But if men are that way, they are considered the future leaders. Women aren’t given the same opportunities as men just because we’re girls.”
He waved his fork. “The world is changing, and you’re making a blanket statement. Women can do and be anything.”
“Oh, come on, Daddy. How many female generals are there? How many women do you work with at the fire station or at the Aegis Network?” She smiled triumphantly, popping a sausage link in her mouth.
“There are some women and it’s constantly changing.”
She raised her hand in the air. “But there’s still a double standard. We live in such a patri… patriart…” She looked up at the ceiling as if the word would drop down from the sky.
“Patriarchal?” he asked.
“That’s what I was trying to say. Our society is based on the idea that women are less than men.”
“That was a long time ago and not true. Women are equal to men, just our bodies are different.”
She lowered her chin and glared at him. “Let me finish, Dad.”
He nodded, still trying to figure out when his daughter had turned into a debate queen.
“No matter how far we’ve come, it’s still a patriarchal society, and men are just given more opportunities than women.”
“You’re right,” he admitted, though this wasn’t a conversation he ever imagined having with his kid, but he certainly enjoyed it. “Where are you learning all this?”
“A book I’m reading that I checked out of the digital library. It’s all about feminism and the struggles women face in today’s world.”
He opened his mouth, but she held her hand out.
“It’s intended for girls my age, so don’t worry.”
“Ha!” He reached over, stealing a hunk of her breakfast. “That’s not what I was going to say.”
“Oh, right.” She rolled her eyes.
“Really, sweetheart, this is a good topic to be passionate about. Look at your aunt Tilly and all the good she does with her programs and helping women. We need more people in this world like her.”
Elle nodded, chewing her food vigorously. “Dixie loves her new job. When I grow up, I want to do what they are doing.”
“Sounds like a good plan, but until then, mind going to back to being Daddy’s little girl?”
“I’m going to grow up.”
