"Is there something wrong with your dinner, Sarah?" Reverend Seth Watson asked his nineteen year old daughter. She had been home from her first year of college for nearly a week and he had yet to see her eat more than three or four bites of anything.
"No, Daddy, it's fine. I'm just not hungry. I ate a big lunch." She continued pushing the mashed potatoes and meat loaf around on her plate. At that moment her stomach rumbled lightly and she blushed.
"Sarah," Seth cupped her chin and lifted her face to look into her eyes. "You know better than to lie to me. You've barely eaten anything since you got home. What's going on?" He refused to let her look away, even as a tear slipped down her cheek.
"I'm too fat, Daddy," she finally replied. "None of the guys I met this year wanted to go out with me, and–" she took a deep breath, "one of them even mooed at me."
"Oh, Sarah." Seth patted her hand. His wife, God rest her, had always complained he wasn't affectionate enough with the children, but as a third generation pastor he had been raised to always conduct himself in a manner that was above reproach. If he were always hugging and kissing Sarah and her older brother Gideon, the church members might say he was molesting them secretly.
"You are beautiful just the way you are. I'd rather have you a little on the plump side than stick thin with ribs sticking out. I don't know why anyone would find that attractive." For the first time since her body had begun to blossom at twelve he let himself look at her closely. She still kept her chocolate brown hair straight and long, nearly to her waist. Her green eyes were clear and intelligent, her face perfectly symmetrical with a nose the tilted up just a bit at the tip and lush deep pink lips. And yes, she was heavier than the average girl, but her curves were really just the icing on the cake. She could have been Ruben's muse. She reminded him very much of her mother at the same age, when he'd met and married her, and the memory caused a stirring in his loins. Quickly he squelched it and sent up a prayer asking for forgiveness, then blamed the lapse in control on the fact that he hadn't looked at another woman seriously since his wife's death three years earlier, not on the fact that his daughter was exactly the kind of girl that had always aroused him.
"No more of this starvation nonsense," he said sternly. "In addition to the dangers to your health, vanity is a danger to your spirit. Besides, you don't need the distraction of dating while you're still in school. Finish up your meal and then clean the kitchen while I work on my sermon. I'll be at the church until 9 or so."
"Yes, Daddy." Sarah picked up her fork again and he watched for a moment to make sure she was actually eating before he left. He wished now that she had chosen a school closer to home so he could have kept an eye on her, made sure she wasn't negatively influenced by her peers. Seth hated to admit to himself, though, that he was very glad none of the boys she had met had expressed an interest in dating her. It was selfish of him, but he wanted her to be his little girl just a while longer. He had always believed he would be glad to see his children become self sufficient and go out on their own, and when Gideon had graduated college and moved halfway across the country four years earlier he had been. Of course Lara had still been alive and they'd been looking forward to retirement after Sarah graduated college, being able to travel without worrying about the kids.
Seth arrived at his office and settled in behind his desk. As he studied in preparation for his sermon his mind wandered and as if he were watching a film he could see himself bending Sarah over his desk, lifting up her skirt, stroking her beautiful hair as he slipped into her. Forcefully he shook himself out of the image, a part of him extremely reluctant to give up the fantasy. "No," he told himself. "No."
It was nearly midnight before Seth finally returned home. All of the lights were out, except the lamp in the hallway, which he doused on his way to his bedroom. As he passed Sarah's door a scene from the earlier fantasy hit him. Knowing he shouldn't, that he was just begging to be tempted he pushed the door open wider to check on her. This had once been a nightly ritual for him, looking in on her as she slept, making sure she was safe. Then puberty had hit her and he had found himself thinking of her in very non parental ways. He had confessed the thoughts to Lara, who reassured him it was normal and then offered to remove temptation by being to one to check in on the girl at night.
