DSP-- Megan: Understanding

It was a lazy, fall evening in Megan's senior year of high school. Kyle was
on his way downstairs as he passed her on her way upstairs, looking for him,
it turned out.
"Oh Dad, there you are," She started, gazing up at him with those huge blue
eyes. "I was coming up to see where you were."
"Any particular reason?" Kyle asked cautiously. Now that she was almost 18
and an "adult," he rarely saw her. And then it almost always meant that she
wanted something or needed permission to go somewhere.
He was not in the least suprised when he heard the next few words come out
of her mouth. "Well,.. I kinda wondered if you would let me use your car
tonight. Just for a little while. I'll be sooooooo careful, I promise."
She looked up at him and grinned so sweetly that he could just feel
himself melting. But as much as those big blue eyes and that innocent grin
meant to him, he was also well aware of her inclinations to act exactly like
Kayley did.
"Why do you need my car? Its Wednesday night, hon. You have school in the
morning."
"Yes, Sir, I know. But I wanted to meet some friends at the mall for
supper and then maybe look around some. I won't be out late, I promise. I
asked Mom and she said she didn't care if I went out but she won't let me use
her car." Megan pleaded and pouted. Kayley had informed her that she couldn't
use her car again for a while after she took it the last time and returned it
with no gas in it and an almost flat tire.
Kyle thought for a minute. Megan really wasn't a bad kid. She had calmed
down substantially since her early teenage years when she seemed to be in
some kind of trouble or another all the time. She was a good student and he
liked her friends. And he had no reason to doubt her.
"I guess I will let you take it. But I want you to be very very careful in
it. Wear your seat belt and do NOT speed, do you understand me? And I expect
you home no later than 10."
"Yes, Sir, I will be sooooooo very careful. And I'll be home by 10, if not
sooner." She promised with a triumphant grin on her face. He handed her his
keys and hugged her to him.
"Just please be careful, Angel."
She hugged him back and promised to be extra careful and ran out the
door, stopping only to grab her jacket on the way out.
******************************************************************************
**************

Megan pulled into Jodi's driveway just a few minutes later. She parked
next to Jodi's little red convertible and jumped out. Jodi had just gotten
the car for her birthday the week before and then her parents had been
called out of town due to an unexpected illness in the family. So Jodi had
the place to herself and no one to make sure she was following the rules.
Lucky, lucky girl.......Megan thought as she climbed into her best friend's
car.
"Come on, Meg. Nick and Corey are waiting for us. You were supposed to be
here 15 minutes ago. " Jodi complained, starting the car.
"Yeah, well my Mom was giving me a hard time about the car. Make one little
mistake and she never lets go of it. I swear, you'd think she was perfect or
something. "Megan answered, rolling her eyes. "Had to wheedle my Dad's keys
out of him. And then get the safety lecture, you know how HE is."
Jodi nodded her head sympathetically. Kyle's tendency towards being
overprotective of his children was no secret.
"What did you have to tell him you were doing?" She asked.
"Going to eat with some friends and maybe do a little shopping at the
mall. " Megan said with a giggle. "But he wants me back by 10 since its a
school night."
Jodi groaned. "You are the only one who will be there who has a curfew."
She scoffed.
"I know," Megan whined. "But the only reason that YOU don't is because
your parents are gone. Otherwise you'd have to be home by then too. If not
earlier."
"Well, I'm just glad I have some freedom." Jodi remarked with a grin.
Megan nodded her head. Must be nice........
Just then they pulled up to the apartment building where Jodi's current
boyfriend, Nick, lived with his roommate, Corey. Jodi hadn't mentioned to
her parents that Nick was in college and not high school. And she was
determined to set up her best friend and Nick's best friend.
The girls climbed out of the car and headed up the stairs to the
apartment. Once they reached it, they were greeted by two gorgeous older men.
Megan took one look at Corey and silently thanked Jodi. He was 6 feet tall
with broad shoulders and sandy blonde hair. He had the most beautiful green
eyes. Megan could just feel herself melting as she stood there.
"Come on in, girls. The pizza was getting cold while we waited." Nick
said as he ushered them in. Holding out a can of beer, he offered one to
each of them. Jodi immediately took him up on the offer but Megan shook her
head. "I'd really rather just have water I think."
Corey and Nick seemed surprised that she turned them down and Jodi shot
her an annoyed look. "One won't kill you, Megs."
"I know it won't but I really don't like the way it tastes." Megan said
back. Actually, she had never tasted it and didn't plan to start tonight. She
sat down with her water and ate a piece of pizza.
The first hour of the visit went well. They ate and drank and laughed and
talked. It was nice. But then, with Jodi on her third beer of the night,
things started to get a little uncomfortable.
Nick started kissing on Jodi first. It bothered Megan that they were doing
it right in front of her but she dismissed it. I'm just being a prude, she
thought to herself as she stared at the TV set and tried to ignore them. But
they kept getting worse and worse. After about half an hour, the headed off
for Nick's bedroom. Megan couldn't believe it. It was already almost 9 and
she had to go home in an hour. She knew that Jodi was in no shape to drive
but at least she could drive them both home. And she wondered if Jodi would
act the same way if she were sober. Although, because of some of the things
that Jodi had confided in her lately, she had a feeling that being drunk had
nothing to do with what Jodi and Nick were up to.
Shortly after the departure of her friend and Nick, she felt Corey moving
closer to her. She tried to concentrate on the sitcom on the TV but he kept
inching closer. Finally, she felt him slip an arm around her. Still nothing
to panic over, she thought. Although she realized that maybe Nick's friend
had plans of his own for her tonight.
She felt his hand slipping lower and lower on her arm and moving towards
her chest. She stiffened as he began to rub at her small chest. Pulling
away, she tried to stand up but he caught her by the arm. "Don't run away
little girl. I won't hurt you, I promise."
"Just let me go." She answered. "I'm not going to let you touch me like
that. I don't even know you."
Corey grinned up at her. Pulling her back down to the couch, he grabbed
her head and kissed her hard. "Well, then maybe we should get to know each
other better."
Megan pushed against his chest and moved out of his reach. "I don't WANT
to get to know you. I don't want you touching me. I am going home!"
He just shook his head and looked at her. "Suit yourself, baby girl but I
don't think that your good buddy Jodi has any plans to leave just now. In
fact, I believe she is spending the night from what I over heard her and Nick
talking about earlier. Now I guess you could walk home but I think it would
be more fun if you would just come down off that high horse of yours and come
back over here."
Megan headed for the door. She had a feeling that Jodi had planned on her
spending the night here, too. She needed to have a long talk with her "best
friend" tomorrow about all of this. But for now she just wanted to go home.
She practically ran down the stairs and headed towards Jodi's house and
her car and the safety of her own house. Glancing down at her watch, she
groaned. It was already 10:20. She was already late and she had no idea how
long it would take her to walk all the way across town to where Jodi lived.
Taking a deep breath, she started walking.
******************************************************************************
****************

Kyle was pacing the living room, getting more and more frantic as each
minute passed. He hadn't gotten truly worried until 11:00. It was then that
he realized that she was doing more than being a little irresponsible about
time. Finally, at 12:05, he heard his car pulling into the garage. The door
opened, and his daughter tried to sneak up the stairs. Could she really have
thought that he would be asleep?
"Freeze, Megan Elise Stephens." He called out after her. She froze.
"Do you have any idea what time it is, young lady?" He barked.
"Yes, Sir." She answered softly. "Its after midnight."
"And what time were you supposed to be back?"
"By 10." She said, barely audible.
"Would you like to tell me WHY you are over 2 hours late?" He asked,
trying to be calm. She might have a decent explanation. He doubted it, but
she might.
She looked up at him and then looked down at her feet. "I'm sorry. I
went with Jodi over to her boyfriend, Nick's, apartment. And his roommate was
there. And they were all drinking and then Jodi and Nick disappeared and that
Corey guy was all over me and I pushed him off and I had to walk back to
Jodi's because your car was there and I'm sorry......." She said in a rush.
Her voice totally tapering off at the end.
Kyle's eyes grew huge at the words "guy was all over me". He took a deep
breath and tried to sound much calmer than he was."All over you? Are you all
right?"
Megan nodded her head."I'm fine. Nothing happened. He started pawing and
he tried to kiss me and I pushed him off of me. I'm OK. And I didn't drink
anything, I swear it."
Kyle noticed for the first time that she was shaking. He pulled her to him
and hugged her tightly. "I was so worried about you. I was about to call the
police to look for you. I called all the hospitals and checked to see if
anyone matching your description had been brought in. Why didn't you call me?
You know that I would come and pick you up. That was a long walk and it was
way after dark, Baby."
Megan nodded, her face against his chest. "I know but I was afraid that
you would be mad at me. So I didn't call. I thought I could get back here
faster than I did. I didn't mean to worry you. I didn't, I promise."
Kyle hugged her. "I know that you didn't intend to worry me. But the fact
is that you did worry both me and your mother. We were worried sick about
you, Megan. You had to have realized that while I probably would have been
upset at you for being somewhere you were not supposed to be, I would have
been far less upset than having to worry about where you were until after
midnight."
Megan nodded. The shaking had stopped and she could feel tears in her
eyes. She hadn't wanted to worry her parents. All she wanted was to go and do
something fun with Jodi. Something that she had known that her parents would
never have allowed her to do had she asked. And in the end something that she
wished she hadn't done. Maybe her parents knew what they were doing, she
thought.
"I am so glad that you are safe, Baby. But we need to talk about what you
did tonight. I trusted you to go and do what you told me you were planning to
do. But you didn't tell me the truth. You went and did something that I am
sure you knew your mother and I would never allow you to do. And then you got
in a situation that you shouldn't have been in and you walked across town
after dark instead of calling me. You broke your curfew by over 2 hours on a
school night and you worried me and your mother terribly."
Megan nodded her head again. She was going to be grounded forever........
"I want you to go up to your room and change into your pajama's. I'll be
up to talk to you in a few minutes. I need to talk to you mother first and
then calm down some. I'll be up in a minute. Now go." He said as he let go of
her.
Megan started to disagree and then thought better of it. She headed up the
stairs to the safely of her own room. Changing quickly into her pajama's, she
sat down on the edge of her bed and looked around. Her room had changed so
much over the years. From stuffed animals to dinosaurs to soccer balls to her
new neutral almost-an-adult room. Staring at her from a shelf though was her
bear, the one she used to drag everywhere. One eye had long ago fallen off
and his fur was rubbed off in places. She stood up and picked him up. How
many nights had she fallen asleep with that bear? Fallen asleep in the safety
and comfort of her home. She could only imagine the number of times she had
cried into that bear after she had gotten herself into some trouble or
another..or when she was afraid of something.....or when she was sad. Her
father had given her that bear when she was little bitty. She didn't really
even remember getting it. She'd always just had it. And it had always
reminded her of her father. She guessed it was because he was always there
for her when she was sad or scared or even in trouble. And he had always made
her feel safe and loved, no matter what. Just like her bear.
She was sitting on the bed, staring at the bear when Kyle opened the door.
Looking up, she realized that he was holding the evil hairbrush. She hadn't
had a run in with that thing in years. Her eyes went wide.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to come home so late. Please don't spank me,
at least not with THAT."
Kyle silenced her with a look. He sat down next to her. "Your mother and I
were very worried about you tonight. There are so many things that can happen
to you when you are on your own out there. So many horrible, frightening
things. And I think that you saw that tonight, didn't you?"
Megan nodded her head again.
"I realize that we cannot protect you from everything, Megan. I wish we
could, but we can't. We have to try our best to teach you how to handle
things, and avoid bad situations, and how to behave correctly. Thats our
responsibility as your parents. And your responsibility as our daughter is to
try and learn what we are trying to teach you. And to listen to us and obey
and tell us the truth. I do appreciate you telling me the truth right off
about what happened tonight. That does show me that you are mature enough not
to try and lie to get out of trouble. But the fact is that you did lie to me
about where you were going and what you were doing. You knew that we would
never allow you to do that and so you lied to me. And I will not tolerate
that."
Again all Megan could do was nod. She realized that what he was saying was
true. She had disobeyed him and lied to him and she could have paid much
worse consequences for it tonight than whatever he and that awful hairbrush
were about to do to her.
"Stand up, Megan." He ordered.
Slowly she stood up next to him. "I think that you know what is about to
happen. It hasn't happened in a long time and I hate to do it now. But I
think that maybe you will remember this in the future. I truly hope that this
is the last time you and I are ever in this situation. Now pants down and
over my lap."
Without a word of protest, which was strange for Megan, she slipped her
pajama bottoms down and laid herself over his lap. She had been in this
position so many times over the years, it should feel like home. She felt
him pulling her panties down to her thighs. He had spared her the humiliation
of having to pull them down in front of him. For that she was thankful.
SMACK!! SMACK!! SMACK!! Her head flew back as the first swats hit
her bottom. It had been years since she had felt the hairbrush and the sting
caught her by surprise. "Owwwww. I forgot how much that hurt!"
Kyle made no comment and kept spanking her. Alternating sides, he
spanked until her backside went from white to pink to crimson.
"I will NOT allow SMACK!! you to CRACK!! run around SMACK!! at night. I
will NOT WHACK!! allow you to SMACK !! be around people who are drinking.
SMACK!! And WHACK!! I SMACK!! will WHACK!! not CRACK!! allow SWATT!! you
SMACK!! to CRACK!! lie SMACK!! to me. Do you SMACK!! understand?"
Megan was sobbing hysterically over his lap by then. She was past the
point of trying to fight him, past caring about anything other than him
forgiving her and letting her up. "Yesssss Sirrrrrrr"
"Good. SMACK!! SMACK!! SMACK!!" And he stopped. He let her cry over
his lap for a long time and then he helped her to sit on his lap. Hugging her
to him, he just let her cry. "I'm ssssooooooo s-sorry D-daddy."
He rubbed her back and smoothed her hair down. "I know you are baby. And
its over now. SHHHhh. You are forgiven. I was just so worried about you
Meggie."
Burying her head in his shoulder she cried for a long while. When she
regained control, she looked up at him. He was holding her bear and looking
down at it.
"Why is Papa Bear down? I haven't seen him in years." He asked.
"I was just looking at him and thinking about when I was little. How safe
I always felt. " She laughed softly.
"What are you laughing at?" He asked.
"Well, its not really about anything funny. I was just thinking about
how when I was little you were like superman. You could do anything. There
was no problem that you couldn't fix."
"There are going to be problems that I can't fix, baby. Especially now
that you are older. But I have to believe that I have instilled enough value
and information in you that you can fix them yourself. And if you can't I'll
always be here to help. I wanted to tell you that I was very proud of you for
standing up to that boy tonight. That was a very brave thing to do and I am
very proud of you. "
Megan smiled at him. "Thanks Daddy."
Kyle laughed softly. "But you know if you want to believe that this old
guy is like Superman-that's still fine."
Megan hugged him tight. "Nahhhhh, You can't be superman. You are
something better. You're my Daddy."
They stayed up late that night, talking and remembering. That night
marked the end of an era. Megan had started to see why her parents acted as
they did and Kyle began to see his daughter as more of an adult. It was also
the last time that Megan ever found herself looking at the familiar patch of
carpet on her bedroom floor.