Chapter 21
When Dipper came out of the store with his bag of picture frames, he noticed Manly Dan was of course in the driver seat, but Wendy and her brothers were all in the truck bed in the back. He started to climb in the back but Wendy nodded no and pointed to the cab, smiling. Then he saw her dad looking back through the rear window, not smiling, and pointing to the seat in front next to him.
Oh oh.
Dipper smiled and nodded and then opened the passenger door. Dan then looked ahead and started the truck as Dipper got in and buckled up, and closed the door.
Dan backed up the truck and then pulled out of the parking lot driveway onto the road back home.
Dipper nervously smiled and tried his best to sound calm.
"Thanks Mr. Corduroy, for uh, saving me back there. Thanks a lot."
Dan slowly turned to look at Dipper, still not smiling, but not frowning either, and then looked ahead.
"What would you have done if I hadn't been there?"
"Uh...probably run. Run fast."
Dan turned to look at Dipper briefly and then looked ahead again.
"Uh-huh. And what would you have done if Wendy had been with you?"
Dipper swallowed and furiously tried to think of a safe answer.
"Uh...well...first I would have made sure she was safe. And then we would...both run?"
He knew it was a bad answer as soon as he said it.
Again, Dan looked back at Dipper, but this time he frowned, then looked ahead again.
"Wendy wouldn't run."
Dipper knew that this was a conversation in an entirely different context from what he was used to, and it was no use faking it. "I...I know sir. She...would...probably save me."
Now Dan smiled but kept looking ahead.
"You're plum right she would."
Dipper allowed himself a smile since her dad was smiling. But then Dan turned back to Dipper and the smile was gone.
"You're smart. So I expect you to think ahead, and NOT put her into situations where she has to save you."
"Yes sir! I don't want to put her in harm's way either! Honest! Nate was just crazy and..."
"You don't have the problem Nate has, which is why I put up with your shenanigans with my daughter."
Dipper turned bright red. "Uh no sir, I promise there are no shenanigans..."
"Shutup, I'm trying to tell you something."
"Yes sir!"
Dan turned to Dipper and then turned his attention back to the road.
"Nate thinks being a man means being tough and dangerous."
"Well yeah it looked that way today..."
"Shutup!"
"Yes sir!"
Dan clenched his right hand and slightly pounded the steering wheel. Dipper was getting very nervous now.
"You need to use what nature gives you in life to survive. In your case..." and Dan turned to look at Dipper, sizing him up and looking him up and down, then back to looking ahead. "...in your case, don't ever try tough your way out. I could teach Wendy to tough her way out 'cause she's got a lot of me in her. But you...you would be better at preventing situations that call for being tough. You got the brains and the gift of gab. I'll bet you were never in a fist fight once."
