“Your mom is wrong,” Melinda said indignantly. It was difficult looking graceful while climbing into the craft. She made it to the top and climbed...into the seat. The seat was a tad tight.“Mom is never wrong,” Mike said while coming around the side of the craft. “A woman sets the tone of the date by the clothes she wears. She knows exactly what she is offering with every square inch of skin that she’s showing.”“I never heard it put like that,” Melinda said.“Our family is rather honest about. Reprisal. But that was unthinkable, because the only kind of retribution or reprisal which this untenable situation warrented was doing the same thing - or at least the same type of thing - that Jack had done. In plain terms, it meant making love to another man, and she simply couldn't do that.Or - could she?No, no, no, no! her mind repeated, over and over. No, that's liquor talking, liquor and shame and hurt talking; I really shouldn't have had all these drinks... oh God, I don't know what to. He’s busy all the time. All he talks about is economics, finances and other fancy stuff that are boring enough to kill a dead man. I have a suspicion that Karen married my dad just for his money. She loves sex and money. But, of course, she loves those things separately. And I don’t think it’s a bad thing. I actually admire her. She’s courageous enough to fulfill her needs even though she does it secretly.An important phone call distracted my father from the dinner, so he retired to another. He helped her up and then put the ice-cold bottle against her ribs. She squealed and jumped, then looked at him with a hurt expression on her face but with her eyes dancing."Why did you do that?" she asked."I just wanted to be sure it was cold enough." He grinned and added, "It is."She stuck out her tongue.The day was perfect for July 4th. There was not a cloud in the sky and the temperature quickly rose past ninety. In spite of the heat, they were soon on the court playing tennis. Playing.