Race Bannon had known that at some point this day would come. It was a simple fact of life. It affected everyone in some way or another.

But he was still frightened.

He could still hear the words his daughter had said to him that morning.

“Daddy?” She had shuffled her feet uncomfortably, perhaps even nervously. “Daddy, I have something to tell you.”

A feeling of dread had encased his heart, and he’d sat down heavily.

“You see, at some point this happens in the lives of many people,” she’d stuttered, trying bravely to give hope to her pale father. She’d watched her own hands as they twisted in her sweatshirt, unable to meet his gaze.

Race’s lips tightened as the scene replayed itself in his memory, over and over again. He couldn’t seem to shut it out. Not those words he had never wanted to hear.

She had lowered her voice, looking around to see if anyone else was nearby.

Race had wished fervently for the support of Benton, but knew that there was nothing the slightly older man could have done. Nature was nature, and would not be stopped.

“Dad,” Jessie’d said, her voice so low it was barely a whisper.

Still Race Bannon could feel the wrenching of his heart as it dropped into the pit of his stomach.

“I need your help.”

Relieving the memories, Race took a deep breath.

“You see, I wasn’t expecting it,” she had gone on, hurriedly now as Race seemed to grow paler by the minute. “And I have no one else to turn to.”

Race’s eyes closed in painful recollection.

“I kind of, sort of, well . . . started my period.”

She was thirteen.

Race sucked in a deep breath, knowing he should be grateful it had waited until this long. But why couldn’t she have been visiting her mother??

“Next!” the woman at the cash register called, and Race moved up with the newly acquired, solely female products.

--End

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