Cassie woke the morning of her 18th birthday feeling somewhat... Let down. For some reason, she'd always thought that when she crossed the line from child to adult, she'd feel different. But, of course, she didn't. She felt as she always had. A little grumpy, half asleep, and not really looking forward to the day ahead.
Cassie was most definitely not a morning person.
Turning her head, she glanced at the clock on the nightstand and gave a little sigh when she saw that it was past 9. Dragging herself out of bed, she made her way to the bathroom and did her business, brushing her teeth and reminding herself that she was really very lucky. Several of her friends had fathers who were much stricter than hers, and required that they be up at dawn for morning prayers. Cassie's father was very strict, but since he also hated mornings, he did allow her to sleep in, within reason.
Returning to her room, she got dressed, pulling on jeans and a t-shirt, another allowance he made. Though she was required to wear dresses or long skirts to church each week, he gave her a certain amount of leeway at home with her wardrobe. As long as it wasn't anything revealing, she was fine. Considering that she'd been home schooled and brought up in a very conservative house, she really had it quite easy. She had to go without some things that many people her age took for granted, but, she reasoned, since she'd never had those things, she really didn't know what she was missing.
Well, she did have an inkling about a few things, but she just put those out of her mind. Her father might not see everything, but God certainly did!
Finally, Cassie made her way downstairs, knowing what would greet her before she even got into the kitchen. Her father would be drinking coffee at the table, reading the paper, and muttering about all the heathens causing trouble in the world. Cassie wasn't even sure why he read the newspaper, since it only made him mad, but it was part of the routine. And sure enough, when she walked in, he was doing exactly that.
"Morning, Daddy!" Cassie sang, as she walked in. She hated mornings, but she hated listening to her father grumble even more.
Looking up, he gave her a small smile, "Morning, Miss Cassie. Happy Birthday!"
Smiling, she went to the fridge and pulled out eggs and bacon, setting them on the counter before pulling out a pan and setting it on the range, turning the gas on. "Thanks, daddy. Ready for breakfast?"
"Sure am."
Cassie busied herself, frying the bacon to perfect crispness and then following up with the eggs, putting bread in the toaster and pulling plates down. Humming quietly to herself, she thought about the day ahead of her, full of chores and figuring out what to cook for dinner. Ever since her mother had died, five years ago, it had been up to her to take care of the house, and she thought she did a pretty good job of it. She knew most girls her age would be getting ready for college, but she had no interest in it. She loved taking care of her father, and she imagined that when she met her husband, she would love taking care of him and her kids. Maybe it was old-fashioned, but she didn't really care. She knew a few of the girls from her church thought she was crazy. They talked about escaping as soon as they turned 18 and leaving their way of life behind, but Cassie loved it. She took comfort in the routine... And in knowing her place in the world.
And her place was right across the table from her daddy, eating the breakfast she had prepared.
"This is great, honey. You've really turned into a good cook."
"Thanks, dad!"
She watched him as he finished his last piece of bacon, and then looked up at her. He looked like he needed to say something important, and she was all ears. She'd been waiting for this conversation for 18 years.
"Cassie... Do you remember how, when you turned 13, I told you that I would tell you about certain things when you were 18? And that I asked you not to discuss those things with any of your church friends, or to try to find out on your own?"
"Of course, daddy."
"And did you?"
"No. I promise I didn't." And she hadn't. It had been difficult, of course. Her friends would always want to talk about sex, but she'd get up and leave the room anytime anyone brought it up. She'd heard a few things, even in spite of her efforts, but for the most part, she'd remained fairly ignorant. She knew it involved putting a part of the male into the female, but after that, she really didn't know much.
