Stag/Vixen

As we drove away from the house South toward the coast, both at one time or another, demanded to know where I was taking them. After a while, Samantha remembered, she covered her face with her hands and began to cry.

This only added confusion to our daughter, but it would soon be revealed.

When I came home from the Middle East for the first time, I brought Samantha to this spot, we came here and told each other of our past mistakes and confessed all our truths. It was the changing of the tides that washed away our past indiscretions. It was symbolic of starting our lives anew.

There was a housing project going up near this spot along the coast, but I knew exactly where we needed to be for this to work.

With the tide at its furthest, the three of us walked out on the hardened sand. Princess complained with each step.

Samantha stopped first and sat down. "If we go any further, I'll drown before the day is out."

We joined her and sat as a triangle so we could face each other as we spoke. That's when I explained to our daughter the rules of this day. No lying and only the truth can pass your lips. There would be no repercussions to anything we say, and there would be nothing held back. "Today we would speak only the truth."

Since this was my stupid idea, (Samantha would call it, 'Silly') I went first.

I went back to the beginning of my life at home. How I had seen my life, my home, my country and my wife for all these years. Princess started to interrupt several times, but both Samantha and I would stop her. After a while, she understood and allowed me to tell her all my truth. She was crying at times and laughing at others.

When I was finished, I told Samantha to tell our daughter her story. "There are things I can only tell you...." She said to me.

"No, if she is going to understand, we must be truthful. She saw what was going on in the kitchen. Do you think she's stupid? We can't survive as a family if we are going to live under a cloud of lies."

"SHUT-UP both of you!" Princess yelled, in an effort to stop the back and forth of her parents. "Maybe you two need to hear from me first." She had our attention. "What my mother has done is unforgiveable, and you're just as guilty." She said, shaking an accusing finger in my face.

I had never in my life hit a woman, but my daughter as getting close to being the first. "Did you know the car you were given yesterday was bought and paid for by your mother. She shopped for that damn car for over six months to make sure you were protected by the safest car on the road. I just wanted you to have a piece of junk you could wreck all you wanted. Your mother wouldn't hear of it. She is the driver behind everything you have. She's the one that sacrifices to see you have the tutor you need, and gives up her precious time with you so, when I'm home I can have a few minutes with you. Don't you dare throw away all the tears and countless hours of sleep she has given up for you."

With her back up straight, Princess reached her hand out to touch her mother, and then to me. We knew she wasn't finished with us.

"You guys surprise the hell out of me. Maybe you shouldn't leave your fourteen-year-old daughter at home, babysitting the neighbor's twins. Remember that? Do you think I wouldn't look into mom's special hiding places? Do you think I didn't find all her toys, the dildos, the vibrators, and that stupid machine that weighs a ton that's supposed to be daddy when he's not here?"

She turned her face and pointed that accusatory finger at me. "And dad.... don't think you're going to get off easy. Don't leave your cloud password hidden on the bottom of your monitor. I think that was the first place I looked. I saw all that trash you were filming... the directions you were giving mom and her boy-toys. "What?".... she said glaring at me. "Do you think you're going to be the next great director of motion pictures?"

She gave us both a break from our heart attacks when she stopped telling us what she already knew. It seems that was just the beginning.

"Now let me tell my truth. You don't have to protect me from every boy that walks by the house. I lost my virginity last year, and I hate to tell you, you can't get it back for me. And another thing... Bart and I didn't make love. We were finding out about sex. It was pretty good for the first time, and it was even better the fourth time, so just get over it."

Her mother and I were listening to this as two statues that would never move again for the remainder of our lives.

"Dad.... Can we go now, I have to pee?"

Samantha was the first to speak. She smiled and said. "Honey, you're sitting waist deep in the Gulf of Mexico. Just let it go."

After walking back to the car, Princess behind the steering wheel. We watched till late into the night, the tide carried our stories and our tears away from the shore.

We were both, Samantha and I, taken aback by the boldness of our daughter. There seemed to be a smile of pride growing on Samantha's face as she hugged our precious Princess and promised to never hide the truth from our lives.

That night, and for the many nights to follow, my dreams were only of the ones I loved so very much. My monsters that came out when I slept, were gone with the tide.

End