Note to the reader: I love engaging in online roleplays because it helps insert some female perspective into the story. I always appreciate feedback from readers, but I'm particularly interested in the female perspective, so leave a comment!
*
It was a day like any other for Jeff, he was at his daughter's house babysitting his 2 year old granddaughter Emma while his own daughter, Cynthia, was out running errands. He didn't really mind--he loved how involved his daughter wanted him to be with her family, and his granddaughter was the most well-mannered two year old he had ever known. The only thing that ate at him was how often his son-in-law was absent; always away on business leaving his daughter to fend for herself. It would be a bit different if he were actually successful at sales and could provide for his family--but somehow money was always short and Jeff found himself pitching in where he could--toys and diapers for the granddaughter, and even lately Cynthia was asking him to pay for a pottery class that she was taking at night. Again, he didn't mind; he wanted Cynthia to get out of the house a couple of nights a week and have an activity to do with other adults.
What quietly burned inside Jeff was the fact that his daughter never could pick the right guy, it was always the asshole that never really cared for her--and it was all his fault.
He thought back to the day she was married--he was walking her down the aisle still confused why, at 22, she would be so eager to marry a guy she had known all of 3 months. It was not until a few months later--and at a full 7 months and 1 day from her wedding day, Emma was born. Jeff loved his granddaughter very much, but he saw the price that Cynthia had to pay--an absent father and husband, unable to fully support them and, worse still, he did not really see love in Cynthia's eyes for her husband Chris. It's at this point that most father's ask themselves 'Where did I go wrong' and 'What more could I have done?' But Jeff already knew where he went wrong with raising his daughter Cynthia, why she always went for the best looking guy with the worst of intentions. In fact, he could tell you the exact day.
It was not even 10am on a busy day at his office when he received a call from Cynthia's high school principal. He informed Jeff that she was suspended for wearing inappropriate clothing to school and that he'd have to come by right away to pick her up. There was nothing he could do but call his wife and have her pick Cynthia up. He knew he was a pushover when it came to his daughter--she was obviously trying to avoid the wrath of her mother by having her principal call him, but he simply couldn't pull himself away from work. How he regretted that decision in retrospect...
His wife Audrey was constantly over-reacting to everything as Cynthia reached adulthood. Turning 18 several months before graduation had given her a sense of freedom she had not yet earned, and she was constantly testing boundaries with her mother--boundaries Jeff thought were appropriate for a young girl that would soon be out in the world and learning lessons on her own. 'Better to make mistakes now, where the consequences are much less...' he would constantly say to his wife, only to receive a scathing rebuttal in return. Then she would launch into what a pushover he was with her, how it was not enabling her to make her own decisions, it was just coddling her. 'Seriously Jeff, you still have that ridiculous nickname you've been calling her since she was 5--it's not normal to call your 18 year old daughter 'Babygirl' anymore.' He just rolled his eyes, his wife never seemed to understand that no matter how old Cynthia was, she would always be his little girl; more precisely his 'babygirl.'
This day was altogether different. When he got home at 7pm that night, he could tell his wife was visibly upset and his daughter upstairs in her bedroom--probably crying her eyes out, he said to himself. After calming his wife down from her erratic explanation, he assured her that this was just yet another boundary she was testing and that clothing was a sign of individuality and adulthood. Audrey's eyes went wide, 'you haven't seen what she was wearing Jeff! She looked like a complete SLUT.' He cringed at the harsh words coming from his wife. He reassured himself that it wasn't that bad, and went upstairs, knocking on Cynthia's door, Audrey close behind him.
'Go away' she said between sobs, crying on her bed, in just a t-shirt and gym shorts, her outfit balled up lying on her bedroom floor.
'Babygirl, I just want to talk' Jeff said, his wife already giving him a disappointed look before the conversation even started. 'Cynthia, I'm coming in okay?' he said opening the door and walking inside.
'Daddy I don't want to talk about it, you won't understand.'
Her mother already chiming in 'Oh I understand perfectly, you meant to look like a little TRAMP and embarrass us as parents.'
Jeff shot back quickly, 'Audrey, quiet. This isn't about YOU, so let's see what Cynthia has to say.'
Cynthia loved her father so very much, especially at moments like these. He always seem to implicitly understand her, what she needed, how as she straddled being an kid all her life and was now an adult--how confused she was. She wasn't exactly sure how to articulate it, but she knew that she wanted more attention, and that she craved it from boys. All her life there was only her father, hugs, encouragement, he was there at every turn for her emotionally, psychologically, even physically when she needed a hug. It was her mother that started putting an end to their relationship as soon as she was 13. All of the sudden it wasn't lady like to come bouncing up to daddy as he came home from work, sitting on his lap telling him about her day and all that happened in his life.
In all honesty, Jeff missed it too. But Cynthia was an early bloomer and that did not escape him and especially not Audrey. All of the sudden it was inappropriate for her to sit on his lap or hug as often as they did. Fast forwarding to Cynthia at 18--she was a gorgeous 5'5 blonde with 32C-25-36 measurements. Bouncing up to daddy and throwing her arms around him usually meant her sizeable teenage breasts being pressed against him. While Jeff wasn't sure about his daughter's bra size, he knew his wife was a B cup at most and that his daughter's tits were much bigger. It was almost as if Audrey was jealous of the attention he lavished on Cynthia; and constantly interrupting any bonding moment a father and daughter might have together.
At any rate, Cynthia started to explain to her parents in the most subtle way that she could that she was 18, an adult now, and could choose her own wardrobe. Audrey stared daggers at Jeff sitting on Cynthia's bed, touching her hand as he calmed her and explained that, while she was an adult that could make her own decisions, that those decisions came with consequences. Namely that she was suspended from school and that it was unacceptable for him, as a parent, to have a child without a high school diploma.