The week after the beach was pretty quiet. Dad buried himself in work, Victoria in nights out with her friends. But neither could shake off what had happened and what it all might mean for them...and everyone else around them if they got caught.
Dad spent the whole week pondering that night and how it came to pass. His marriage had become a cliche that has played out so many time for so many men. The relationship early on was hot and full of passion & fire...but time, careers and child rearing took priority and even now, it seemed that bedroom energy was lost...maybe forever.
He is also a logical thinker...but that night his logic had left him. He could blame the sangria, a twinge of loneliness even...however the decisions were all his. He was impulsive, foolish and took a huge risk. The fallout if they had gotten caught would have been swift and complete, he knew this all too well. He still could not get it out of his head. It had been a long time since he felt wanted and he now knew he missed the feeling and desperately wanted it back.
For her part, Victoria felt so many of the same things. She had plenty of dates, but so many of them in the Tinder age were determined first by was there a reference to casual sex or an unwanted dick pic as a pre-requisite for even getting coffee. Then came the navigation of sensitive topics like career goals and political viewpoints that just left Victoria exhausted from the scene.
She also had her own thoughts about that night on the beach. Her skin still erupted in goosebumps at the memory of his touch, she'd ponder how she ground against him and she would get wet instantly. There was so much tension that was released and the flood of energy that flowed through them was undeniable, but definitely very wrong. "Something has to be wrong with me" she thought on more than one occasion, but then the goosebumps would come again like no other man had given her and she began to forget about her fears.
It was exactly one week after the beach night before Victoria decided to take control of the situation. One thing she always shared with Dad was a dark and juvenile sense of humor. So she logged onto her favorite app, found a particularly dark, yet funny meme and sent it to him.
Dad picked up the phone and saw the alert. He was excited and scared at the same time. They had stayed quiet all week, for no good reason he could think of other than fear. He opened the message, felt a wave at the meme and cackled out loud. His wife even looked up and asked what made him laugh. He showed her the meme from Victoria and she rolled her eyes...as she's been doing for years with the two of them. He responded with a laughing emoji and sent another meme back.
They both traded memes like this for a little while until Dad kissed his wife good night when she headed off to bed. Finally alone, Dad found his courage and sent a text...
Dad: want to talk?
Victoria saw it and knew it was time to face things. They had managed to avoid the topic all week but that time had come to an end. But of course, Dad was technology challenged and wasn't even going to consider if someone looked at his phone. Luckily, Victoria was much better trained at sneaking around with her phone, having grown up with a smartphone since middle school. Now it was time to let Dad in on a secret.
Victoria: Have you tried Snapchat? I think you should give that a try, you'll like it.
Dad was surprised by the off topic answer. He didn't have Snapchat, Victoria knew that because she had told him about it before. Why would she want him to try Snapchat right now...oh...wait...you sneaky little shit. Of course he immediately downloaded it and opened an account Wouldn't you know, it looked in his contacts and matched up Victoria's phone number with her Snapchat account. He added her as his one and only friend...which felt more like reality than Dad would have liked.
Victoria saw his account add her and immediately sent him a DM:
Victoria: you picked up the hint. I wasn't sure if you'd get it!
Dad: it took me a minute but I figured it out. I really need to get better at this stuff
Victoria: it's ok as a young woman you know I like to have some private conversations
Dad: lol I bet you do. But I was serious, I wanted to talk to you but wasn't sure how.
Victoria: I know same here. I'm just going to say it. I don't know what it is. I don't know why I feel this way and I'm sure there's something really fucked up with me but still...I don't regret it.
Dad just about fell off the couch. He wasn't ready for this. He expected her to reject him, lash out a little at least. But she didn't...she seemed to be ok and other than one self deprecating comment...comfortable with what happened. He pondered his response carefully...which to Victoria probably felt like an eternity.
Dad: I don't regret it either. Something inside got woken up and it hasn't stopped screaming inside me since then. I just don't know what to do now if I should try to stop it or not.
Victoria pondered this for a minute. She had never seen him indecisive before. He always knew what to do and exactly how to do it. She never saw him shook or timid, but he seemed to truly perplexed about what to do. That's when it hit her...and it never felt so right. He needed her...needed her to lead...he needed her to make him feel ok for once instead of the other way around. She was overcome with emotion...first with sadness for him...but then with awe that he was so quickly vulnerable with her. It was her turn now to be strong, to know what to do.
Victoria: We don't have to fix everything today. We've fixed a lot just by talking and being honest with each other. We can stop waiting for the other to get mad and distant, I won't let that happen.
Dad: I don't that to happen. I love you and couldn't imagine my life without you.
