I started getting off to still images instead, just like I’d had to do back when I’d been a teenager, before internet porn had become a thing. I picked the first one chronologically, figuring I should start at same place she had, and began to read. Indian Sex Text never carries inflection very well, but I was pretty sure from context that was meant as an expression of surprise and admiration, not actually a request. I’d never once considered my own daughter in that role… down to the basement I went, rooting around in my tools until I found where I’d last left my tape measure. I picked a random Daddy-like cartoon image as an avatar, and said I was from Alberta, but didn’t include the name of our town. Let her know I was close by if she looked me up, I figured, but not so close that proximity itself would risk scaring her off. Once again I felt somewhat overwhelmed, but this time I’d been expecting it.
