Chapter Two
"Hello, Daddy," she said as she saw the call from her father.
"Cindy, I need you to come over here right away," her father said.
"Daddy, I can't right now. I'm on my way home. Can it wait until later? I really do need to get cleaned up!" she said. She just wanted to go home, shower, curl up in bed, and lick her wounds.
Her father sounded a bit put out with her, "No it can't wait. Now get over here as soon as you can. This is important!"
Cindy was shocked. He was talking to her like she was still a teenager, telling her what she would do.
Almost automatically, Cindy said "Yes Daddy. I'll be there within five minutes!"
She knew not to argue with her father when he used that tone of voice. She didn't know what was up, but she knew that her father wanted her there. She began to worry a bit. What did he have to tell her that was so important?
And then, the worst possible scenarios invaded her mind. Was he sick? Did his business go under? And then she remembered her mother dying of cancer, and fear clutched her throat. Could her sweet daddy be dying? She unconsciously speeded up as she neared her father's house.
Her father lived at the end of a cul de sac, set back from the street and hidden by trees, shrubs, and a huge lawn. Mindy drove into the circle in front of the house. She walked into the house, having her key.
"Daddy?" she called out.
"I'm in the den," she heard him answer. She walked down the hallway and into his den. Her father had on a tank top and gym shorts. He owned a major construction company and had built it with his own hands. He was still very muscular, and though a bit of grey had crept into his hair, he was still very handsome. He was standing looking out a window as she entered.
Cindy walked across the room to stand beside her father, who continued looking out over the pool and grounds. Putting her hand on his arm, Cindy softly asked in a scared voice "Daddy, what's wrong?"
Her father turned to face her. He reached out and took her shoulders and then her upper arms in his rough hands, gently holding her. His face was sober as he looked into the beautiful eyes of his daughter.
Now Cindy was really frightened. Her father was acting strange. "Oh PLEASE, Daddy...Tell me what's wrong!! Please"
"Cindy, are you and Howard having troubles?" her father softly asked her.
Cindy paused for a moment. She didn't want to lie to her father. She had tried a few times, but she had always confessed, and she had learned to simply tell him the truth.
"Well Daddy, I guess we are having troubles. But all marriages go through troubled times. We'll get through it." She said. "Why are you asking me about my marriage?" she said.
"Let me make a guess...I'm guessing that Howard isn't...satisfying you. Am I right?" He was looking into her eyes, and Cindy felt like a bug pinned to a mat.
She blushed, wondering if he was referring to sex. "Oh, well...you mean...uh, you mean like...physically?"
"Yes, Cindy. I'm talking about sex. Howard doesn't satisfy you sexually, does he?" her father said, almost sadly.
Cindy was blushing furiously. Sex had always been a kind of taboo subject. Though her father had raised Cindy since her mom died when she was 11, they had not discussed sex. She had found out through school programs and the girls' locker room.
Dropping her eyes, which suddenly felt very moist, she whispered "No. No Daddy, he doesn't."
She felt a pain shoot through her heart, for she realized for the first time that she was NOT happy with Howard, especially sexually.
"Well Cindy, I'm worried about you." her father said. Cindy lifted her face and looked him in the eyes, love on her face.
"Oh Daddy, don't worry about me, I'll be OK," she said bravely. It was so sweet of him to worry about her.
"No Cindy, you won't be OK. Howard isn't taking care of your needs, and I'm afraid that you are going to get yourself in a great deal of trouble because of it," her father said, almost harshly.
She felt a stab of fear as she said "W-What do you m-mean, Daddy?"
"Today I got a phone call from an old friend, a guy I was in the army with. You've met him a couple of times, but you probably don't remember him. His name is Ted Draper."
Cindy was confused. Why was her father mentioning an old army buddy? She was perplexed for approximately five seconds. And then she realized who Ted Draper was. He owned Ted's bar, and he had been the one she had seen just before she left the bar.
Cindy looked at her father with wide eyes, shamed beyond belief. Her father continued to hold her upper arms as he stared at his daughter.