[Confrontation. 15 minutes]

Meera leapt to get the door before Uncle Ram got there. Scarcely a knock had landed before she swung the door open, and there was Dick.  Uncle Ram was behind her, ready to answer the door, too, but too late. Meera slipped out and pulled the door shut before he had a chance to say anything or do more than scowl at the young man in his doorway.

“So he’s still angry with me, then?”

“I’m not sure if he’s angry at you or just angry.”

“Maybe that’s it.” Dick shrugged.

Meera yanked on the left door of the old truck, opening it on the first try. Dick nodded appreciatively and swung into the driver’s seat and turned the key. The truck rattled to life.

	—

Meera’s mobile rang, and when she silenced it, Dick’s rang.  He answered it without thinking, and a roaring voice met him. 

“Get my neice home this instant.”

Meera cringed at Uncle Ram’s roar and packed up her schoolwork from the little table in Dick’s kitchen. 

Dick mumbled “Yes, sir. Right away,” and slapped his phone shut.

“He’s getting worse, isn’t he?”

“He’s only getting moodier. He’s not so stern most of the time anymore, but he has these moods. It’s been a week this time. Ranting and roaring every chance he can get, and sitting and glowering the rest. He threw a plate at me when we ran out of marmite on Tuesday.”

“He’s starting to scare me.”

“Me too. Though I’m getting to be good at dodging.”

They got in the old truck, and Dick turned the key. Just a dull whirr from the engine compartment.

“Oh-oh.”

He popped the bonnet and fussed with something. Another try, and the engine sputtered to life, then died again.

He fetched a toolbox from the shed, and Meera pulled out a schoolbook to work through a problem.

She thought she heard the engine roar to life, but looked up and Dick was still under the bonnet. Coming up the driveway was Uncle Ram’s big black car. It jerked to a stop, looking as angry as its driver. Uncle Ram stomped out and over to Meera’s window and gave it a solid thump.