Chapter 2

Before I took another step, two boys went running past me towards the front door. Curiously, neither one of them said a word.

Both of daughters came out of the bedroom wearing only robes. I directed them, “Go back in there and put some clothes on.”

I went out and sat in my chair. My mind reeling from what I just saw. I know that all my girls were ‘technically’ adults but, they were still ‘my little girls’. Virtually no Dad that I know of wants to see his daughter(s) having sex.

Jane went into the bedroom to chat with her two younger sisters while they were changing. Finally, after what seemed like an hour of waiting, my three daughters sat down together on the couch.

I didn’t know how to start. I just sat there looking at them in silence.

Finally, to break the ice, my youngest Jesse spoke up, “Dad, are you mad at us?”

“I’m not sure what I’m feeling Jesse.” I replied still quite stunned.

I still sat there quite stunned. As calmly as I could I said, “Ladies, I sure do miss your Mother. She would know what to say to you three. She was a beautiful woman who was a free spirit and I loved her with all my heart. However, now I realize that I need to put some guidelines or rules in place before you three give me a massive heart attack or stroke.”

This sort of broke the ice and made the girls giggle a bit.

I put on a forced smile the best I could muster.

“Before I start, I would like to hear your ideas of what rules I should put into place.” I said softly.

Jane was the first to speak, “Dad, you know we all love you. You and Mom have done an incredible job raising us. We all know you are lonely and feel lost since Mom passed. I was thinking that maybe we need to somehow put a ‘marker’ on the bedroom door knob as a signal not to come in without knocking. Dad, we are all of age and we are all sexually active. Mom taught us well about using birth control and getting checked out regularly. But, I don’t think any of us thought about you and for that we are all sorry.”

I just looked at the floor trying to keep my eyes from welling up.

Jesse piped up next, “Yeah, my boyfriend says that his fraternity uses a sock on the doorknob as a signal.”

I looked at Jill. She stayed quiet. I thought to myself, she has always been the critical thinker of the bunch.

“Jill, any thoughts?” I asked kind of sheepishly.

“Um, yes. But, I don’t think my sisters will like my thoughts.” She said with hesitation in her voice.

“Go ahead, yeah, go ahead” Jane and Jesse chimed in together. They knew all to well that Jill was the one whom I relied on the most since Janice died.

“Ah, Ok then. Here’s my ideas: first, no boy stays past 11pm. Second, none of us ‘sneak out’. Third, there needs to be some sort of set punishment if we break the rules.”