You should not get married, or even get engaged, within two years of a divorce. It is a huge mistake. That is the voice of experience talking. I try to learn from my mistakes and I had learned quite a bit from this experience.
The silver lining in the cloud was Pam's daughter, Kelly. Kelly referred to her biological father as "the sperm donor" so you can guess that she did not feel very close to him. There had been a step-father in between "the sperm donor" and me, but he had died a sudden and very unexpected coronary death about a year before I met Miss Kelly.
Pam and I married when Kelly was 15 years old. She was at that awkward age where she was in between being a little kid and being a young adult. She obviously needed a father figure for guidance and support.
I taught Kelly how to drive. I took her out on father/daughter "date" nights so she could learn how a lady should be treated by a gentleman. We went out to dinner and sometimes to movies afterwards, or sometimes we went shopping. I had really bonded with Kelly and, a few times, she had "slipped" and called me "Daddy." She didn't have a steady boyfriend when she reached her 18th birthday, so I sent roses to her at her work. I bought her the dress she wanted for senior prom and, as she and her escort were leaving that night, she gave me a hug and whispered 'you're the most special guy in my life, Daddy.' I was a proud daddy that night and even prouder when I attended her high school graduation the following month.
Kelly loved me and I loved her. It was simple and pure father/daughter affection.
Pam, Kelly, and I had been together for more than four years and we tried to have a relaxed and happy home. We didn't live in a luxurious mansion but we had a nice house with a pool, we ate well, and we had nice clothes. We all had decent cars to drive and we didn't have to worry about paying the monthly bills.
Inside the protection of the castle walls, when no one else was present, none of us was overly modest or prudish. We were all comfortable seeing each other in our underwear. We didn't lounge around naked or just sit and watch TV in our underwear, but Kelly sometimes came into our bedroom to talk when I was getting dressed and she had seen me in my boxers on several occasions.
Conversely, sometimes she would walk from her bedroom to her bathroom while just in her panties and bra and she didn't always have her bedroom door closed when she was getting dressed. I had even seen her topless once or twice when I came home a bit earlier than usual and found her sunbathing at the pool. I had never seen her bottomless; I think her mother would have been too insecure to handle that if it had ever happened.
Pam had recently become convinced that she had been an alcoholic when she was younger and she had devoted her life to paying penance by attending A.A. meetings and never drinking another drop of liquor. That meant that she was out of the house every morning and quite often in the evenings while she commiserated with other sober alcoholics at meetings. She had also become very less affectionate and I felt that she wanted me solely to support her financially. All of the joy had left our life and our marriage was dying. Four years into the marriage, I was spending time out of the house as much as possible. Things had started out idyllic but, recently, Pam was driving me crazy and I knew it was just a matter of time before one of us filed for divorce.
Kelly had a part-time job the summer after she graduated and she was home by 3:00 pm every day. She called me on my cell phone one afternoon around 4:30 pm. "Daddy, what time are you gonna be home?" she asked.
"Why are you asking, sweetie? Are you running around the house naked while you have it to yourself?" I teased her. Every time she inquired about how long she would have the house to herself, I teased her about being a closet nudist.
"Maybe," she replied coyly. "Mom's not here and I just wanted to know how long I'd be alone."
"I'll be home around 6 o'clock, maybe just a little bit sooner."
"Okay, daddy. I'll see you then."
I wondered what was up with her inquiry. I really did believe that Kelly was a clothing optional girl and that, if she knew her mother would never catch her at it, she would walk around nude in my presence.
Kelly was a cute girl and, in my mind, the best way to deal with temptation was to avoid it, so I was somewhat relieved that she didn't prance around au naturel. That doesn't mean that I didn't fantasize about her body; I'll admit to some rather impure and not-at-all-fatherly impulses from time to time. Seeing her naked would have been like showing a kid some cookies and then telling them that they can't have any.
Around 5:45 pm, I got in the car and headed home. I had warned Kelly that I might be home earlier than 6:00 pm, so I was hopeful that she would certainly be "proper" by 6:00 pm. As I drove up our home, I noticed a strange car parked in front of the neighbor's house.
I parked my car in the driveway and walked up to the front door. I was happy to find it locked, as I had always emphasized safety to Kelly. Just in case she was still frolicking in the buff, I made an object of making some noise as I came through the front door.
As I walked through the foyer and into the family room, I could look down the hallway into Kelly's bedroom. The door was open and I saw a momentary flash of skin.
For a second, I was anxious. I didn't really trust myself to see Kelly naked. Pam and I had been drifting apart for quite a while and it had been a few months since I had sex with anyone other than myself. Despite my usual attitude about temptation, I convinced myself that walking up to her bedroom door and surprising her might convince her to be a bit more careful in the future.
As I walked down the carpeted hallway, I knew that she couldn't hear me approaching. I didn't want to scare her but, when I got to the doorway and looked in, I was the one who got a surprise.
In the bedroom were Kelly and a boy who appeared to be her age. Both of them were completely naked and both had their backs towards the door.
"So this is why you wanted to know when I would be home?" I asked in a loud voice.
Both of them jumped and then turned towards me with a look of surprise on their faces.
"Uh . . . uh . . ." was all the boy could muster in response. I didn't stare at him but it would have been impossible to not notice his erection.
"Daddy," Kelly started to say something but I interrupted her.
"No, I'll doing the talking. Young man, get dressed and I had better hear the front door slamming behind you in less than two minutes. Kelly, come with me!" My voice left no question about whether she should obey.
"Can I get dressed first?" she asked.
"No, I want you out of this room THIS INSTANT and, besides, I've already seen you naked so what's the big deal? You can grab a towel from the bathroom but I want you in my office now!" I barked at her.
As I turned, I saw the young man pulling his clothes on as fast as humanly possible. I assume that he was grateful to not hear something about 'I'm gonna go get a shotgun' and he was leaving before I had any second thoughts on that subject.
I walked to my office and Kelly followed behind me. She briefly ducked into the bathroom and grabbed a towel to wrap around her but the one she grabbed was too small to cover her top and bottom, so she opted to cover just the bottom. When she walked into my office, I closed the door.
"Explain!" I commanded. My anger was obvious.
"Nothing happened, Daddy . . .."
"Hold on a second. I walk in and you and this kid are totally naked and you tell me nothing happened? Am I supposed to believe that you were getting ready to go to the park and play on the see-saw?"