Chapter 4

Dad quickly ran down the challenges he was facing. He called us “rebellious teenagers” and skimped on the details but assumed we were drinking, smoking, flashing our tits, and everything else like little naked daredevils.

“I don’t know if it was out of pure boredom or frustration, or if you just wanted to cause problems, and any attention is good for you, but you managed to break the washing machine and dryer at a time when money is tight. You’ve been fighting with your siblings, skipping chores, and making the house messier than when we left, after you had all day to clean under your control. We found things I never expected in your room. How am I supposed to leave you home without adult supervision?”

Dad was talking to me, not Joy, but he addressed us both.

“I am sorry, Daddy, it’s not our fault,” Joy replied in a baby voice.

“Not your fault? Joy. How did you get outside naked? Teleport? Why would you have panties asking for a spanking? How could you even have money for them? You don’t have a job or allowance, so I’m not sure if someone bought you inappropriate panties for a girl your age, or if you stole them.

“The alcohol bottle was so small that it could easily fit in a pocket, so I HOPE it was shoplifting because if there is some man who is at least 21 years of age buying you sex toys, booze, and panties, it means that he is getting something in return.

“I am on your side, or at least I want to be, Joy. You broke our family’s washing machine AND dryer, and you guys HAD to know better. You can’t keep telling me that nothing is your fault and that you’re blameless, can you?”

“No,” she looked down.

“Ladies, I think it’s time you tell us the truth,” Holly piled on. “You need to be punished. If it were up to me, I know what I would do. You have a bitter pill to swallow and a taste of your own medicine. That will cure you of this rebellious streak. I am going to ask you this one time and one time only. Don’t treat me like I am stupid just because I talk like I am from the country. I know I haven’t seen it all, but I’ve seen disobedient girls who get into mischief before.”

My mom waited for that to sink in and let her words fall on us slowly.

“Tell me why you did what you did, and don’t say that you didn’t do it. You took off your clothes and probably went out of the house with just your panties and a big mug of hot chocolate, laughing and carrying on. We found your alcohol and cigarette before you were about to throw them out in the yard. You may have hidden more things. You may even have pot; I don’t know.

“All I know is you either accidentally or intentionally broke the washer and dryer, ruined your own clothes in the process, and proceeded down the street like little hussies, touching yourself, smiling, and carrying on. There’s no doubt; we’ve seen the pictures.”

Damn. My parents had a lot of circumstantial evidence, and even though it wasn’t true, I wouldn’t have believed me either. Ethan had to have planned this. It wasn’t random; I knew that much.

If I kept pointing the finger back at Ethan and Nick, it would only make it seem like I was trying to deflect. The only viable option I could think of was to accept any punishment, take my lumps, and avoid my brothers.

All I could do was listen in silence.

Joy wasn’t protesting either. I hate injustice, but complaining would only make the situation worse.

My parents still had questions.

“What I want to know is NOT whether you did it or not. We know you did it. That ship has sailed. I want to know why. Drunk? High? Angry at me? Because if it is that, I am not here to take your dad away. I love your father with all of my heart, and you know what else? I love you girls too! You are my daughters. I’ve legally adopted you. You know what that means? I signed a paper that said you are my family, and I protect my family. But I also have a responsibility to discipline you and raise you right.

I’d prefer you admit that you did it, but if you don’t, at least tell me why?”

My sister and I had nothing we could say to fix this. I was struggling, and I am usually quick-witted. The truth wasn’t going to work in this situation. Ethan was her golden boy, and there was no way I could prove any of the things that really happened.

“Ethan dared us to go outside naked, and he said he would let us know the other dares when we finished. Then he locked us out and broke the washer and dryer, and he put those things in our room.”

Joy’s tone was still mildly energetic and enthusiastic, and she didn’t sound particularly concerned that any of this happened. She spoke the truth. Unfortunately, It sounded very implausible when I heard Joy say it.

Holly stood there staring at Joy for a long time. The food almost burned; that’s how long it took my mother to compose herself.

“I don’t know how to respond to that; I am angrier that you are lying to me than I would have been if you had said nothing,” Holly decided as she got back to finishing up the food. She made Joy move out of the way and took over finishing up the meal.

Ethan, for his part, denied ever doing such a thing, but my father shushed him.

“Let me just make sure I understand this. Ethan dared you to run outside nude in your naughty panties, and you did it at his request. And that is why you are not at fault for going outside naked?” Dad was beside himself.

“Even if I believed for one minute that this happened, you were still the one that went outside. Right? What if I dared you to get good grades in school and wear proper undergarments? Would you do that?”

“Yes, Daddy!” Joy promised.

“I want to believe you, Joy. I think your mother is right. You both deserved to be punished. What I think she wanted to hear, and what I wanted to hear, was that you took responsibility for your actions and accepted the consequences. I am less concerned about your motivations for why you did something that irresponsible. It really doesn’t matter what you think you may have accomplished. I think it is probably rebellion, and sometimes rebels don’t need a reason.”

After a pause, he said, “What I care about is the path forward. It’s not a question of whether you were playing Monopoly and lost a bet, took a dare, read a fortune cookie that told you to do it, or got in a plane and parachuted down naked. You willingly chose to run outside to that highway with your boobs out. There is no justification you could give us for all the things you did and what we found in your room. You can’t say you didn’t know any better either, or you wouldn’t have tried to ditch the naughty panties just when we rolled up to the house. You wouldn’t have tried ditching the booze and smokes as soon as you were caught, either.”

“I am sorry, Daddy. I accept any consequence,” Joy mumbled. She seemed much more serious now. The reality must have finally sunk in for her that she and I were in hot water with no way back out.

“You don’t want to suggest ANY consequence, because right now your mom and I would probably take everything away from you both and make you earn every privilege back, so you will appreciate what you have!” Dad didn’t raise his voice, exactly, but he was clearly upset. “Just saying you will take the consequences doesn’t mean you take responsibility for what you did, either.”

“I take responsibility,” Joy repeated. She would have said anything at this point.

“I don’t think you understand those words, to be quite honest. It’s mind-boggling to me that you believe it would matter if Ethan dared you or if some old man on the internet paid you for it. I hate to think that the two of you were drinking, but in the grand scheme of all the possible scenarios leading up to your choices in the past few days, I think that one might have been preferable to the idea that you just did it for the thrill of it.”

“Was it fun? Did you think it was worth it?” Holly asked, as she started putting food on the table.

“Yeah, I mean, at first, but no, we weren’t drinking. We don’t drink, Daddy!” Joy was putting her foot in her mouth, trembling and trying to say whatever she thought would make the situation better. I knew that, so I decided to speak up.

“I am sorry, Dad. We screwed up. You are absolutely right that the details don’t matter. Ethan DID dare us, but I made that decision, and so did my sister. We accept whatever punishment you and Mom have in mind. I wouldn’t blame you if you never trusted me again, because I have no excuse for it. I was outside; the pictures are real. They don’t paint the whole picture, but I am not going to argue. That would only suggest I was trying to shirk responsibility.”

My dad seemed relatively pleased by my response, but Holly didn’t. “All I hear is you trying to spin things on Ethan, and that’s he-said/she-said stuff. Your brother has no reason to dare you to do naughty things, and he’s NEVER done anything like that. The fact that you want to drag him into this is suspect to me. He didn’t dare you to ruin your own clothes. He didn’t dare you to throw away the cigarettes and booze so we wouldn’t find it. He didn’t dare you to buy those panties or throw them down when you saw us coming. Did he?”

“No, Ma’am,” I said.

“Do you like being naked?”

“No,” I was clear about that.

“You seem like you do. You seem like you like the attention. You wanted it from those truckers today.”

I couldn’t respond to that. I had nothing to say to my parents about that—what could I say that would change anything?

“You don’t have much to say now, do you? I bet you had a lot to say before. You stood pants down the other day in the living room because you said you don’t wear panties. Even that was a lie. You DO wear panties, just not the kind you want us to see. I am going to ask you another question, Mary, and I want HONESTY. Do you want us to see your naked body?”

“No!” I was emphatic.

“What about you, Joy? You have been strutting around this house, puffing up your chest. Do you like standing here naked in front of your entire family?”

“Absolutely not!”

Holly looked at my father, and then she shoved plates into my hands and made me set the table with them to help her. When I put down plates in front of my chair, she shook her head no and told me not to do that, but Dad interrupted.

“The girls are NOT going to go without dinner. We can discuss their punishment AFTER dinner, and I promise you we will think of something appropriate to punish them with, TOGETHER. I’ve never in my life thought about what to do in a situation like this, so I will lean on your guidance, Holly. However, I am going to put my foot down if you plan on sending them to bed without dinner. We aren’t going to starve them!”

I hadn’t even thought about what possible punishment my parents would give me for all this. I was usually well-behaved. If I were in their shoes, it would be a big one. I felt butterflies churning in my tummy as I anticipated what they could possibly think up. All I knew for sure was there was no way I’d try to negotiate or bargain my way out. That would only make things worse with my father.

“Oh, Sam, I am not talking about doing anything that would harm the girls. I was sent to bed without dinner when I was little, and I turned out just fine,” Holly rubbed her tummy to indicate she was healthy. She was actually a really good-looking lady in excellent shape for her age.

“I never said the girls wouldn’t eat. I just don’t want their naked bottoms on the chairs at the dinner table. They can stand right over there and eat when everyone is finished.”

My dad was perplexed by Holly’s intentions, and I was as well.

“Why can’t the girls sit down with us, Mom?” Ethan asked.

“Girls have fluids on their bottoms that can stain their chairs, Honey. I know that sounds disgusting, but it’s perfectly natural.”

“Like sweat on their butt?” Nick asked, as he took some pork chops from a serving platter. I cringed because I was not sure what was worse—sweaty butts or wet pussies. I knew what Holly was getting at wasn’t just sweat.

“Yes, exactly. I wouldn’t put it quite like that while you are eating dinner. I think it would serve the girls right to stand right over there and watch us enjoy this wonderful meal as a family. They can think about what they have said and done and whether they should feel shame for it. Then they can have their food, standing up,” my mother replied to Nick before asking my father if that would be okay.

“I would just send them to their room,” Dad suggested.

“So, they can hunt for any of their ill-begotten stash and get rid of it? Oh no, I want them right where I can see them, not in the faces of the boys while they try to eat dinner.”

Dad said that would be fine. My sister and I were made to stand off to the side near the refrigerator. We were facing our parents, so Ethan and Nick couldn’t make googly eyes at us the entire time.

“Hands behind your head, just like you were standing in the corner. I don’t want your fingers roaming. You can keep your eyes on me and your father. If you two get rambunctious or start running your mouths, I’ll put you back in the living room, each facing a different corner. Got it?””Yes, Ma’am,” I acknowledged. Joy repeated what I said, adopting the word Ma’am.

“Very good, now let’s say grace,” she announced.

Grace was a new tradition in our house, and Holly insisted upon it at meals. She usually made everyone join hands and bow their heads, and she said a short positive affirmation about our new family and how thankful she was for the food. It was short and sweet, and I didn’t mind it at all. It actually thought it was a good idea; it’s nice to give thanks for what you have no matter what beliefs you hold.

Now, my tummy was rumbling and I was watching as an outsider as my family dug into their food. Ethan and Nick’s backs were to us, but my father and mother could see us the entire time as I stood next to my sister facing them.

“Shall I turn the girls around to face the wall, honey? Is it distracting to eat this way?” she asked my father.

“No, it is fine. It’s just an odd thing to get used to, Holly.”

Dad was talking about us but not to us, and it was an odd thing to be spoken about as if I were not in the room listening.

“Let’s just talk about the positive things and our Christmas plans for now, and we can discuss the girls later, okay, honey?”

“Sure, but today really puts a damper on things. I wanted to throw a Christmas party here for the guys at work, and now I am not sure if we really can do that.”

“We don’t have much space in this trailer, Sam. But we can make it work. How many people are there?”

“Maybe eight if they bring their wives. I know it would be cozy, but some of them have kids, too; I guess I wish we had a bigger place for everyone to run around and be comfortable,” Dad lamented. It was only the four of us in our larger house in Chicago, before Holly and Ethan.

“We are doing the best we can, and your friends are park rangers. They are used to roughing it. We could build a bonfire outside on the patio, clear it off, roast marshmallows, drink eggnog, and come inside to warm up. I could get some cheese plates and potato chips, and I think that would be really festive and fun. It doesn’t have to be champagne and fancy for me to feel good.”

“I am thinking we should probably spend that money on fixing the washing machine and dryer,” Dad lamented.

“That’s a problem for tomorrow, Sam. You married a country girl, and country girls make do. We’ll get us a bucket, and I’ll teach the girls to wash their clothes the old-fashioned way. Drying can be tough in cold air, so we’ll build a little fire to dry them outside. Maybe you can find some fellow who will do the work for cheap.”

“I really do love you, Holly! We will get through this as a family. I promise.”

“I love you too, Sam! I know we will. This is something we just have to be smart about and adapt.”

I could tell they genuinely meant every word. Ethan may be a raging, manipulative narcissist, but Mom meant well, and for that, I couldn’t fault her. I had plenty of time to think while I watched my family laugh and talk over a nice meal. It helped to do that instead of focusing on naked in a room full of people wearing clothes.

It didn’t seem that bad to Joy. She wasn’t giggly and bubbly, but she also didn’t seem sullen or angry. I decided to try that approach—keeping my expression humble.