Many, many thanks to my friend Gayle for editing this story! Comments welcome.
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I'm not going to lie to you; the last few years of my life were not exactly a non-stop highlight reel of happy events. My wife Janet and I had been having trouble for quite a while, but decided to stay together until our only child went off to college. We made it a point to appear every bit the loving couple in front of our daughter Heather, but in reality we had fallen out of love some time before. Just weeks after Heather left for university, Janet had filed all the necessary paperwork and our union of twenty two years was dissolved in the blink of an eye.
It was a difficult period for me, trying to adjust to life without both my wife and daughter. I purchased a small home closer to my job, while Janet was awarded our old place as part of the settlement. I think Heather blamed me for the divorce as when she was home from school she seemed to gravitate towards her mother more than to me. Maybe it was just that she enjoyed staying in the old house as it provided some stability and comfort. Regardless, I rarely got to see her, although we often exchanged e-mails and chatted on the phone regularly.
I could never tell my daughter the truth of course, that her mother was a frigid bitch. When we dated, Janet said she was saving herself for marriage, so I looked forward to many nights of passion after our wedding. The reality proved much different from my fantasies, as she was strictly a missionary girl, and even then only when I begged. I was surprised when we received word she was pregnant with Heather as we made love so infrequently. Up until then I had actually contemplated divorce, but after the happy news that quickly went on the back burner.
When Heather was born I can honestly say I fell in love on the spot. She was a tiny little thing, all of four and a half pounds, but just as cute as a button. As she grew into a toddler and beyond, my love only grew right along with her. Every day I found something new and wonderful to cherish about her.
Heather was in every way a completely normal child, until an event changed one aspect of her life. Around the time she was six or seven, our neighbor's home was struck by lightning, and burned to the ground. Janet and I did our best to shelter Heather from the reality of what had happened, but of course the older children on the block were not as cautious. As kids are wont to do, they spoke about the horrors of lightning, and its destructive capacity. Heather would come home telling tall tales of people being hit and exploding into millions of pieces, or having their bodies incinerated on the spot, all courtesy of the neighborhood kids.
From then on, anytime we experienced an electrical storm, Heather was sure to be found nearby. When thunder and lightning rolled by during the evening, she would instantly be between us in our bed, her head buried in the nape of my neck, holding on for dear life. Her pediatrician told us she would outgrow it, and she did to a small extent, yet still became scared by the slightest rumble even into her high school years.
Time flew by and before I knew it Heather was in her junior year at State. In the two-plus years since she started school, I had probably seen her no more than a dozen times, which bothered me immensely. I felt like a big part of me had been taken away, and I was left with a huge void in my life.
Janet's and my relationship was pretty much nonexistent, so I had not been aware that she had begun dating again until Heather mentioned how much she despised her mom's new boyfriend, Grant. I must say, I did feel a momentary pang of jealousy that my ex had chosen another man, but in reality it was high time we moved on. Unlike Janet, I had poured myself into work and had only dated one woman a few times before we both realized we just didn't click. I was puzzled that the one who seemed to hate affection found a partner, while I could not.
I was thrilled when Heather asked if she could move in with me for her summer break. She had spent the previous two summers with her mom, but apparently did not want to be around Grant on a frequent basis. Naturally, I instantly agreed, and looked forward to having my princess back.
The first few days after Heather moved in seemed awkward as we both tried to reestablish what had been so natural only a few years before. My home was smaller than what my daughter was used to, but we quickly settled into a peaceful coexistence which seemed to work for us both. I did my best to provide her as much privacy as possible, but welcomed every minute she chose to spend with me.
About three weeks after she was home, the weather forecast called for a strong front to blow through that evening, packing heavy winds, thunder and lightning. Heather and I were watching the news together when the meteorologist passed along the details. While I tried to appear outwardly unconcerned, inside I was actually quite worried about her reaction. I glanced over at her and could see the tension written clearly across her pretty face.
When we made ready for bed, Heather gave me a long hug. I could tell she was nervous, so I held her tightly and whispered in her ear, "I'm always here if you need anything, sweetheart."
"Thanks, Daddy," she responded with a forced smile, just before she trotted off to her room.
I'm not sure what time it was, but the house was dark when a loud crash woke me from my slumber. The storm had clearly rolled in and was unleashing its fury. Rain pelted my windows and wind whipped over the house, causing it to shudder. Only seconds later, I heard a soft voice from my open door, "Daddy, are you awake?"
I could just barely make out a small form near the door, and replied towards it, "Yes, baby."
I knew what she was going to say before she uttered another word, so I was not surprised when she asked, "May I get in bed with you?"
At twenty one years of age, Heather clearly had not outgrown her fear of thunder and lightning, so I just had to say yes. I pulled the thin sheet off my body and patted the open spot beside me and said simply, "Get over here."