Chapter 6: What Has Your Dad Done?

“Look! That’s them over there. I can see Jamahl and Riona talking to Shona and there’s Chris and Tammy coming out of the music shop.”

Jessie Harper started to waved out across the food court of the Redsands Supermall as Kate Terrence’s eyes followed along to where Jessie was pointing. Kate then began to wave out too as those across the way spotted them both and began to wave back. Before long Jessie and Kate were joined up with a bunch of friends that they had known for many years and had been meeting up regularly like this for at least twelve months or more now - ever since their respective parents had deemed them each old enough to start venturing out into the big wide world in this way and in the security of the larger group.

This little happy group of friends didn’t really get up to all that much on these Saturday afternoons. They just hung out together around the fast food outlets or would sometimes catch a movie together at the Supermall’s cinema complex or play a few rounds of mini-golf at the nine hole golf course right in the centre of the structure or just sit and talk the afternoon away with lots of laughing and silly comments about all sorts of things. Sometimes those discussions could be quite serious if someone felt pretty strongly about a given topic but it very rarely ever ended in any sort of ill-feeling and the group never ever parted on a bad note. They ALWAYS said goodbye to each other with lots of hugs and kisses spread liberally around both male and female alike.

In this happy little vein the group of seven was whiling away the afternoon until Kate went all silent and started pointing surreptitiously at something, or rather someone, coming out of one of the shops way over on the other side of the busy concourse.

Jessie was the first one to see what it was that Kate was pointing at and gently put one hand over her mouth and said, “Oh my gosh! I guess our little town isn’t so conservative now after all. First it was your dad, Kate, now this!”

Jamahl was the first one to pick up on the comment ‘ ... first it was your dad... ‘ and quickly asked, “What do you mean by that, Jessie? What has Kate’s old man done?”

Jessie didn’t reply at first but just pointed to where Kate was looking then said, “That! That is what he has done. You can ask Kate the rest. She can tell you better than I can.”

Jamahl looked around to where Jessie, Kate and the rest of the gang were looking then added, “OOH! AAHHH! She’s brave!”

It was Shona’s turn to speak up now and did so by telling Jamahl off!

“What do you mean by that, Mr Male Chauvinist? Is it because she’s got saggy breasts? I’ll have saggy tits one day. Is that what you’ll think of me then? Or what about Jessie there? She won’t always have those cute little puppies she’s got now. She’ll have saggy breasts one day too - just like all us chicks will have. We’ll ALL have big ... saggy ... floppy ... swingy ... droopy ... soggy...”

“Yer, yer! I get the picture” chided back Jamahl while he continued to follow what the rest of the group’s eyes were following ... namely - a woman, probably in her mid sixties coming out of a fashion shop wearing a lovely knee length, patch-leather skirt with matching knee high boots and nothing else. In other words she was wandering around the mall topless and didn’t seem to be concerned in the least. The kids could clearly see other heads, as well as theirs, turn and look then quickly turn away, as the women moved through the milling shoppers.