When I was only 12, my mother announced that she needed to "find herself" and moved out of the house. Dad was so in love with her, he just knew she'd come back in a day or two. After a week passed, he decided it was time for us to go find her. I climbed up in the cab of his truck, determined to help him look for mother's red sports car as he combed the streets of our city.
"There it is, Dad!" I cried out, pointing to the Mustang parked in front of a run-down little house. We were both so excited to see her, we ran to the front door, which was open to let in cool air during the hot summer. Dad opened the screen door and I ran past the empty living room, down a hallway, and pushed open the first door I came to. My dad pushed open the door across the hallway from me as I peered into a vacant bedroom.
"Whore! Jezebel!" my dad thundered from behind me. I didn't have a chance to see whatever had set my father off, but at 12, I had an understanding of what those words meant and knew that Mom would never come home again. My mother was calling my name as Dad kicked open the screen door and carried me across the yard to his truck, but I squeezed my eyes shut and buried my face in Dad's neck, clinging to him as I started to cry.
As we drove away, Daddy said, "Princess, I know this is a lot for you to handle. But I promise you don't have to grow up to be like her. You can make better choices for yourself, and I will help you do just that. I love you, Katie. You're my sweet, innocent little girl."
*************
Six years later, I finally realized just how seriously he took that vow.
I had been a late bloomer, flat-chested and slim-hipped even during my junior year of high school. I spent a lot of my time dreaming of boys and reading sex tips in women's magazines, and considered it a good source of education as I waited for my body to catch up to all of the feelings those articles stirred in me. Thankfully, as senior year started, my body suddenly went from girlish to womanly. I went from a training bra to a C-cup, and was thrilled to see my image in the bathroom mirror turn more hourglass every day as my hips rounded and my butt plumped a little. Finally boys were noticing me, including Jimmy, the boy I had had a crush on since my freshman year.
Jimmy and I had our first kiss on my 18th birthday, and it was magical. He was so sweet and gentle that I felt I could trust him completely. I had invited him to my birthday party, an annual event that brought my dad's brothers and their wives, my grandparents, and assorted cousins to our backyard for a huge barbeque. Jimmy was polite to my dad when I introduced them, and they talked comfortably for a few moments before my birthday cake was brought out.
Everyone sang the happy birthday song for me, then I bent over the cake to blow out my candles. But before I could make my wish, one of my uncles let out a wolf whistle and I realized that my V-neck sweater didn't provide coverage at that angle β everyone could see down the neckline to the cups of my lacy bra! I quickly used one arm to cover myself and blew out the candles, then raced into the house with my face burning.
When I returned to the party a few minutes later, I had changed into a turtleneck. Jimmy laughed until he noticed how embarrassed I was, then gave me a hug and said, "Don't worry about it. You'll laugh about this in a few days, beautiful."
My uncles were teasing my dad when I walked over to get a piece of cake. One of them elbowed Dad in the ribs and, chuckling a little, said, "You're going to have to watch over Katie. Eighteen is the age of consent, and she doesn't look like a little girl anymore!"
I saw Dad's eyes move from me, to Jimmy, then back to me. He frowned for a moment, then changed the subject.
*************
The following Friday night, Jimmy and I went to a movie that had some pretty steamy scenes in it. Before going home, we decided to drive to a nearby playground and park. Jimmy kissed me more intensely than ever before, and soon, I was laying halfway across the bench seat of his truck, arms wound around his neck as our tongues teased and darted into each others' mouths. I felt one of Jimmy's hands slide down to my breast and instantly stiffened up, unsure if I wanted to do this or not. But he kept his hands on the outside of my clothes, and it felt so good to have him toy with my tits as we continued to kiss. I felt a heavy wetness between my legs and realized that I didn't want him to stop, at least not yet.
I was almost half an hour late by the time Jimmy dropped me off. I quietly opened the front door, only to be confronted by Dad. He looked absolutely enraged as I closed and locked the front door behind me.
"Did you have sex with Jimmy tonight? Are you a whore like your mother?" Dad yelled.
I shook my head, my eyes filling with tears, and cried, "No, Daddy, we didn't have sex. I'm a virgin. We just kissed is all."
"Well, Katie, you're going to have to prove that," he said, calming down slightly.
I just looked at him for a few moments before asking, "How can I prove that? Can't you just trust me?"
"I trusted you to come home by curfew, but you didn't do that. Your word isn't very much good right now. No, I need physical proof. I need to see your panties," Dad said.
I turned beet red and shook my head no. And Dad did something he had never done before β he slapped me, right across my face.
Quietly, he said, "Katie, drop your pants and take off your panties right now and hand them to me. Then you can go upstairs to your bedroom and go to sleep."