"We need to talk." Then he looked at me. All of me. He even got a silly little grin. "I must say, you have grown up to be a beautiful young woman, Punkin."
"Thanks, Daddy," I smiled at him. "I can throw something on if you want to talk."
"If it doesn’t bother you, it doesn’t bother me," he said. He grabbed the chair that was at my desk, and straddled it. "I hear you had a little blow out with your mother this afternoon."
"Yeah. She was pretty shocked to see me like this."
"You walked home like that?"
"Yeah," I admitted.
"You have changed so much in just three short days, I can’t believe it. And you’re going to The Mariner tonight like that? What happened to my sweet, demure little girl?" He laughed. "I’m teasing. I’m OK with it, really I am."
"I’m glad someone is."
"Look, the only thing that counts is that you are OK with it. Forget me, forget your mother. If this is who you really are, than that’s that. Enjoy yourself. You’re only young once." He looked at me. "You really like this Jared guy, huh? And I take it he really likes you."
"More than I ever imagined," I laughed, and then told him the whole story.
"Wow. Sounds like he’s a keeper, anyone that realizes how special you are has to have something on the ball."
"Oh, Daddy," I sighed. "Thank you for understanding. But what are we going to do about Mom?"
"I’ll handle your mother." He sighed. "You know she had a rough childhood. By the time I met her, in college, she seemed past it. It all came back after we had you. Not right away, but, as you grew, she became more overprotective. But you seemed fine with it, so I didn’t know what I should do."
"I was fine with it. But that was a mistake." I sighed. "What I’ve gone through this week has brought home some unpleasant truths. I have been hiding all my life behind Happy Smiling Amanda, the class social butterfly. I’ve been hiding my feelings, my wants, my needs-all so that I won’t feel any pain. The problem is, I don’t feel any joy, either. Not until this week. I’ve been a phony, Daddy, for a long time. It’s all a fake. And, after this experience, I know it-and I can’t do it anymore."
"Jared saw through you, didn’t he?"
"He did," I confirmed. "Before I even realized he was doing it."
"The only thing that worries me is that it’s been very fast."
"You think that doesn’t worry me?" I laughed. "But this week, and Jared especially, make me feel whole. And, as an added bonus, every time I even think about him, my nipples crinkle."
Daddy laughed. "You didn’t have to tell me that!"
"True, you could probably see for yourself."
"I’m trying not to look," he laughed.
"Why bother? God knows I’m not making it easy not to look!"
He smiled at me then. "You really are very beautiful. All over, and inside and out. You just remember that."
"Thanks, Daddy." I stood up, as did he, and hugged him. With me being the way that I was, I don’t think it was all that comfortable for him-but he dealt. "You’re the best. I need to take a shower."
"You do that. Have a good time tonight. And be careful."
"I’m sick of being careful."
"OK, how about, be smart?"
"That I can do. I haven’t lost all my marbles." He laughed, and left the room. I let him go, then walked into the shower.
PART FOUR-WEDNESDAY EVENING
So, I walked out of my house, stark naked. Drove the car, stark naked. And went to ring Amanda’s doorbell, stark naked.
I’ve got to be nuts.
The door opened, and there she was, in all her glory. She had left her hair down, had a little makeup on, a gold necklace, a bracelet, her watch, shoes-and an ankle bracelet. And that was it. Boy, was she beautiful.
She kissed me on the cheek. "Hi. We need to go, my Mother’s lost her mind. Daddy is fending her off for me."
"Wait a minute. You need a purse or something."
"Why?"
"Because I need to bring my keys and my wallet into the restaurant, and I seem not to have any pockets."
"Good point," she giggled. "Wait here, be right back." She was back in a flash, with a small purse. I handed her my wallet, and she put it in. I could hear the yelling and screaming from the house.
"What’s that all about?" I asked as I opened her door.
"My lunatic mother," she sighed. I walked around and got in and started the car. "She’s shocked I’m going out like this." She looked at me with a little grin. "She was really shocked when I walked in the house this afternoon after school like this."
"You didn’t!"
"I did. Call it a test run. Walked home from school naked. In fact, I haven’t had a stitch of clothing on since I took them off at school this morning."
"You sound proud of yourself."
"I am."
"You should be," I told her. She lit up like a Christmas tree.
The Mariner wasn’t far, so we got there in no time. I handed her my keys, and she put them in her purse. "Ready?" I asked.
"Yeah. Let’s do it." I walked around and opened her door. She stepped out, I grabbed her hand, and we headed for the entrance. I took a big breath as we stepped in.
You go to the counter to order at The Mariner. Then, you get a number, and, when they call your number, you go get your food. The part of the counter where you order is around the corner from the dining room, so only a few people saw us at first. Of course, they were all staring. And everybody working behind the counter was staring, too. That was bad enough. Then we turned the corner, into the dining room.
Every head turned. I even heard a gasp or two. And then I heard, loud as day, "Look, it’s my big little brother!"
Oh, shit. Tina hadn’t been bluffing. She was here.
Amanda looked at me with a question in her eyes, but I just led her to an empty table. Everyone around us was staring. And here came Tina.
"You did it, big little brother!"
"Hi, Tina."
"And you must be Amanda. I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Tina, his sister."
"Hi," she said, grinning. "I figured out the sister part. But why do you call him your big little brother?"
"Well, I’m a year older, so he’s always been my little brother." She grinned, the rat, and then pointed at my crotch. "And then I got a load of that, and now he’s my big little brother!" I turned bright red, while Amanda started laughing so hard she almost choked. "I keep telling all my friends he’s my really really big little brother." Amanda couldn’t stop laughing. "Anyhow, I just wanted to see if you had the guts to do it, Jared. Good for you. Have fun." With that, she went back to her table.
"That’s your sister?" Amanda gasped.
"Yeah."
"Wow. She’s really cool."
"You know what? You’re right," I agreed. "Even if she does tease me mercilessly." Just then, we heard a rustling from the entrance, and then a familiar voice bellowed, "Hey guys! Check out the scenery!" Oh, shit. It was Maggie, along with a couple of other people from Amanda’s crowd.
"Oh no," Amanda whispered. Maggie came right up to us, her friends in tow.
"Look at this, our two nudists!"
"Hello, Maggie," I said.
"So, what’s up with this? Is this, like, a date?" she said.
"Yes," Amanda told her. "It is most indubitably a date."
"Good. I thought I saw something brewing there." Amanda and I looked at each other incredulously. "Hey, I’m good at spotting these things." Then she leaned in. "And I have to say that you two have more guts than any two people I know. I can’t believe you’re here like this. I’d never do it. Good for you."
"Thanks, Maggie," Amanda beamed.
"Ditto. You’re all right in my book." I said. Her friends came over, and they were all remarking on how brave we were. Amanda looked at them, and said, "You know what? I don’t feel brave. I feel free."