Love & Sex in Times of Corona

Kaily & Robert V

Wed., May 27th early afternoon

He reaches out and grabs her hand, pulling her off the couch. Standing so close together, he notices how tall she is, something he noticed before, but didn't pay much attention to.

"Kaily, remind me to remind you not to wear heels when we go out on dates."

"Daddy, I don't think you could afford me."

"We'll see who can't afford who. Go get the leashes." At the sound of the leashes, the dogs came running and sat by the door leading to the back. Kaily didn't understand why her father always insisted on the leashes as he never put it on them.

"But, uhhh, you may want to change those clothes. We're gonna be walking in the woods. You don't want the branches, bushes and thorns catching on them and messing them up. Put on something a little more woodsy."

"Woodsy?"

"Yeah, you know jeans and maybe a strong top. Actually, I have some outdoorsy shirts upstairs in my closet. Take your pick."

Robert suggested the change of clothing because he didn't want to spend the entire afternoon staring at his daughter like a pervert. She still had on the grey yoga pants and top she wore when they were playing ball earlier. The outfit that left nothing to the imagination.

She came back down after changing. She had on a pair of jeans, something he rarely saw her wear, and an old camouflage t-shirt. They gathered the leashes and dogs and stepped out into the afternoon sun. It was still early, about 3 o'clock. It was a warm May afternoon with a light gust of wind which caressed their faces like little fairies fluttering about. The air was dry and crisp. And although it was daylight, the sky was so clear that one could almost see the stars in the sky. They headed for the trail behind their house which leads to the lake.

"Wow, daddy, I almost forgot how beautiful it is out here."

They walk awhile in silence, hand in hand. Every now and then she would swing her arm with his and skip in place. He was amazed that someone her size could actually skip and look like a ten year old.

"Baby, why dodn't you go stand over there so I can take a picture of you so when you're old and wrinkled like a prune, you'll look at it and see how beautiful you used to be once upon a time."

"I'm never getting old and wrinkled daddy. Plus, you gonna be all pruned up waaaaaay before I am." And she skips towards a bunch of trees.

"That's it Kaily, right there. He snaps a few shots. "Perfect."

"Lemme see." He shows her the pictures. She seems to approve. They keep walking.

"Daddy, you remember how we would come back here and walk to the lake, me you and Robbie, when we were small. And then I'll have to pee and Robbie would have to pee and he'll just whip it out and do his thing and when he finished you would always tell him, just shake it Robbie, shake it good. But when I had to pee, you would make me take my panties off, so I don't get them wet and then you'd put em in your pocket, then I had to squat. And then like magic, and I don't know where you got it from, but you always had like this never ending supply of toilet paper in your pocket, you'd give me some and say, 'ok mommy, clean yourself,' and you remember what I would always tell you?"

"What in heavens name made you think of that?" surprised that she would remember such a thing and more surprised that she would even mention it. This was part of the mystery that confounded him about her for the last ten weeks. Walking next to him was for all intents and purposes, a grown woman, but she insisted on acting like a little girl. Most women, he knew, wouldn't bring up such a thing to their fathers. And her skipping like a small child while holding his hand didn't help any. Perhaps if she was more diminutive in stature and not so athletic, his mind could accept it easier.