Father and Daughter

San Diego was prettier and more crowded than I had expected. It was beautiful there. I’d never seen the ocean before and as soon as I beheld it, I was astounded. The strange salty smell of the ocean breeze comforted me as Dan and I relaxed on the beach, savoring the sun’s warm embrace.

Dan took me out into the ocean, despite my fear. I’d already been practicing on my swimming ever since he taught me how to float, but I didn’t think I could handle the size of an entire ocean surrounding me.

“It’s alright, Mina,” Dan said as he led me into the water. “I’ve got you and if you happen to go out too far, I’ll be right behind you.”

Seaweed wrapped around my legs and I awkwardly kicked it away as the water grew taller and taller. My hand was in his with no plans of letting go. My steps became heavier as we walked deeper into the Pacific. When the water stopped at the bottom of my chin, I relaxed my muscles and began to float.

“Let’s swim out there,” Dan said gleefully.

I followed him as fast as I could. Dan swam like a shark and he was a few feet ahead of me. When I caught up to him, he took me into his arms while I gasped for breath. “Gosh, you swim so fast,” I commented. “How do you do it?”

“I was on the swim team in high school,” he said. “The skills stick with you.”

I knew that Dan could feel my nervousness through my tense posture. “Relax,” he said. “You’re okay.”

“Are there sharks here?” I asked.

Dan laughed. “No, of course not. Not this close to shore. If there were sharks, we wouldn’t be allowed into the water.”

I looked around at the other people swimming and balancing on their surfboards. Everyone seemed so eccentric to be in the ocean. The vast body of water honestly frightened me. If you were somehow dragged away into it and no one heard you scream, then you were lost forever until you became fish food.

My eyes stopped at the sight of a boy who was laying on his belly, paddling himself out towards a wave on his surfboard. He was looking right at us, but his gaze was more focused on me. He passed just a few feet in front of us and continued to stare until he reached a far out wave. I watched him glide along the wave as it fell forward, his perfect body holding a perfect stance. His spiky black hair and tan skin intrigued me. I’d never seen such a handsome boy before. In fact, I’d never really seen boys my age at all.

I was sure Dan noticed I was staring at the boy and purposely distracted me. “Want to swim out further?”

“No,” I said, completely in a trance as I watched the boy finish his surf. He still had his eyes on me and from what I could see--a slight smirk. He paddled himself back towards the shore and my eyes were completely glued to him.

Then he disappeared amongst the crowd.

After that, Dan and I swam around a little longer, competing with each other in stupid games where we would race each other or one of us would hunt underwater for the other while they stayed above. During one of the rounds of the hunting game, I grabbed hold onto a leg and emerged from the water with a triumphant grin--but it wasn’t Dan.

It was a blond, teenage girl who immediately started screaming at me and asking me what the hell I was doing. I apologized and looked at her group of friends in embarrassment. I turned around and Dan was right behind me, trying his best to not laugh.

“Let’s go dry off,” he said, pulling me away from the girls. He waved to them apologetically and we rushed off towards the sand.

“Well, that was embarrassing,” I said as I plopped down onto my towel.

“Perhaps we should try that game on a less busy day,” Dan suggested. He was laughing hysterically as he reached into the cooler he brought along, pulling out a bottle of water.

As soon as the water on my skin evaporated, I opened my eyes and looked around the beach. I was searching for that boy. I was so interested in him and I had no idea why. I sat up as I searched further.

A minute later, I found him. He was standing with a mixed group of boys and girls, all wielding their surfboards. He was laughing and I could faintly hear what it sounded like. It sounded perfect. Everything about that boy seemed absolutely flawless and I couldn’t bring myself to comprehend why I thought of him that way.

I wanted to know his name and how old he was. I wanted to talk with him and see if he blushed the way I did when I looked at him. I wanted to know everything about him.

He caught my glance once again and I looked down at the sand, pretending that it had only been coincidental eye contact.

His group began to disperse and soon he was left with one of the surfer girls. They were talking about something that seemed exciting and it filled me with jealousy. The girl was beautiful with her wavy blond hair, tan skin, and slim body.

My little amount of confidence was suddenly lost as I continued to look at the surfer girl. She was probably the boy’s girlfriend and there was no chance for me to talk to him. I didn’t want to act like the promiscuous girls people rolled their eyes at.

I looked over my shoulder at Dan. His eyes were closed and he looked peaceful as he rested in the sun. There was a slight smile on his face and his contentment put me at ease. “Dan,” I said. “I’m going to use one of the showers. I have a lot of sand stuck in my hair.”

He nodded. “Okay. I’ll be here.”

I hopped up too quickly and almost stumbled over. I walked over to the showers, where people were rinsing off underneath cold water. Luckily, there was one free. But I wasn’t there to rinse off--there wasn’t any sand in my hair that I noticed. I kept my eyes on the boy and he was bidding farewell to the girl with a simple wave and the girl walked off. So it wasn’t his girlfriend.

When he turned towards the showers and began walking towards them, I faced forward in a panic. I turned on the shower, holding my hand underneath the stream and adjusting the temperature. The tall, middle-aged woman next to me shut off her water and left.

I stepped underneath the shower head as casually as I could. I rinsed my hair, combing out tangles with my fingers.

“Hi,” a voice said.

I jumped and looked over at the space the woman had been before. It was him. The surfer boy was standing there, nonchalantly turning on the shower and stepping into it.

“... Hi,” I replied shyly.

His eyes finally met mine and he smiled. “What’s your name?”

“Mina,” I said. There was a pause. “... What’s yours?”

“Logan. It’s nice to meet you, Mina.”

“Nice to meet you too,” I replied as I dusted away sand from my one piece.

He closed his eyes as he let the water flow down his body and I had to stop my jaw from dropping. He was extremely fit and his abdomen showed that off. I felt a sudden, strange feeling that I’d never felt. My heart was beating fast; my eyes felt strained; and I felt sweat forming on my forehead. It couldn’t have been love--love didn’t exist on first sight. I knew those romance movies that indicated such things were complete crap and unrealistic.

“Are you from here?” he asked. “I’ve never seen you before.”

“No, I’m from Montana.”

“That’s a long way from here... Are you here with family?”

I nodded. “Yes. I’m with my...” The hesitance in my words caused him to look over at me. “My dad,” I said. “I’m with my dad.”

“Cool,” he said, shutting off his shower. I followed suit. He grabbed his surfboard and tucked it under his arm. “We should meet up later... Get together and all that. What do you think?”

My heart demanded to jump out of my chest at that point. I grinned. “Okay... Where should we meet?”

“Meet here tonight... Maybe around midnight. Be careful of the beach patrol, though.”

Midnight was such a fairy tale-like thing to think about. I knew I was no Cinderella and he was certainly not a prince, but the thought of us made my heart flutter excitedly.

I nodded again. “Okay, I’ll meet you here.”

He gave me a quick smirk and then was on his way. I watched him walk away until he left my sight. My grin went from ear to ear as I walked back to where Dan was. He was still in the same position, enjoying the summer heat.

I rested back, next to him, and was overwhelmingly happy.



Midnight came around and Dan had already fallen asleep. We were both exhausted from walking around downtown San Diego. I was glad our hotel was right by the beach, so I wouldn’t have to run to meet up with Logan.

When I arrived on the beach and snuck past the patrol, there was no sign of Logan. I was under a pier when he jumped out and covered my mouth. My shriek was muffled by his hand and he confirmed that it was him and that I was okay.

“You scared me,” I said as he let go.

He immediately took my hand and pulled me into the darkest spot underneath the pier. We sat down and he asked, “How old are you, Mina?”

“Fifteen,” I said. “Why? How old are you?”

“Let’s say I’m fifteen, too,” he said.

I laughed. “No, really, how old are you? You can tell me.”

“Alright... I’m twenty-one.”

His age took me by surprise. He hadn’t looked any older than seventeen and I didn’t want to believe it at first. He sensed my disbelief and said, “No, I really am twenty-one... Is that alright with you?”

“It’s fine,” I said. The fact that he was older--more mature and experienced with love--caused me to be even more attracted to him. I was sure he could show me the ropes of how love works.

He leaned towards me and pressed his lips against mine. The kiss sent a shock throughout my body. I didn’t think a simple kiss could feel so amazing. He kissed me again and again and I tried to follow along with what he was doing.

We kissed for what seemed like an hour until he pushed me down into the sand and looked down at me. I wasn’t sure what he was doing, but I was suddenly full of fear.

He kissed me again and then reached underneath my hoodie. I shoved his hand away and sat up. “What are you doing?” I asked.

Logan laughed and shook his head. “What do you think? Haven’t you had sex before?”

“No,” I said. “I haven’t.”

Logan turned back to me with a beguiling smirk. “Well, then that makes this much more exciting.” He got on top of me and continued to kiss me, but I whipped my head away from him. I squirmed out from under him and demanded that he stay away from me.

He grabbed my wrist and pulled me into his arms, forcing his lips onto mine again. I shoved him away and slapped him hard across his face.

I began to run along the sand, back to where I’d come from. “Mina!” he called angrily after me. I kept running until my lungs hurt and I reached the hotel again.

I entered the lobby elevator and started sobbing as I was carried up to the fourth floor. When the elevator chimed and opened its doors, I stepped dizzily out of it. Our room was at the end of the hall and I made sure I wasn’t making too much noise as I used the wall for support. I felt weak, frightened, and angry all at once. I wanted to step into Dan’s arms and just cry, but I couldn’t tell him about what I had just done. I betrayed his trust just to have my innocence nearly taken from me.

A familiar chime rang from down the hall. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Logan standing there, staring at me with all the fury he could conjure. The realization of what kind of person I’d gotten myself involved with had hit me. He’d followed me and must have watched the elevator numbers go up until they stopped. Logan was an eager predator. Someone that didn’t let their prey escape.

My heart jumped into light speed again and I ran down the hall. I shoved the key card into the door to the hotel room and slammed it shut.

“Where did you go?”

I screamed and looked over into the living room of the suite. Dan was sitting there with his elbows resting on his knees. He looked distraught and disappointed. He got up and approached me after I didn’t answer.

“Tell me now, Mina,” he said.

Instead of explaining myself, I burst into tears.

“Were you with that guy?” he asked.

“I was,” I sobbed. “And Logan tried to force himself on me. I didn’t know that that was what he wanted from me, Dan, I swear! And he tried to stop me from leaving, so I ran all the way back. But he followed me...”

“What?” he asked frantically. He charged towards the door and swung it open, revealing that Logan was standing there with the look of a murderer in his eyes.

The silent intensity that rose between Dan and Logan caused me to tremble. I didn’t know what was going to happen next, but I expected Logan to run. But he didn’t. He stood there as though he weren’t about to give me up.

“Are you Logan?” Dan asked him.

Logan nodded. He looked fearless and that was what proved that something was wrong with him. He was a disgusting, vile sadist. I was sure that, in his mind, he thought he was benefiting himself by targeting young girls with his fake charm and wandering eyes.

The next moment played out so quickly that I lost my sense of speech. Dan's arm flashed forward, his hand wrapping around Logan’s neck and squeezing it. Logan’s cry was cut by the loss of air in his lungs. Then Dan lifted him off the ground with that single arm and Logan’s legs dangled like a rag doll.

“If you ever come near my daughter again, I will choke you to death... And I will make it agonizingly painful and slow. I’ll make you suffer... Do you understand me?” Dan said.

Logan’s hands scratched furiously at Dan’s grip as his face turned red. He eventually nodded and was dropped to the ground. He gasped for air and as soon as he regained his stamina, he got up and sprinted away.

Dan looked back at me and I stared at him in awe.

Dan was so powerful. It was a frightening power but, all in all, it made me feel safe. He closed the door and walked up to me, embracing me tightly. I began to cry again and he rubbed my back. “It’s okay,” he said. “He won’t come near you again. I’ll make sure of that.”

He got down on his knees, taking my hands in his, and I was suddenly reminded of my biological father. The only difference between my first father and Dan was that Dan didn’t give up on me. He kept his fatherly vows and had no intentions of sending my life into a downward spiral.

“If anyone ever hurts you, Mina,” he began. “You tell me right away and I will take care of it for you, okay?”

“Okay,” I said as I sniffled. “Okay.”

I wrapped my arms around him, subconsciously repeating what I had done on the day my first father had killed himself. “I love you, Dan,” I said.

He looked up at me with glimmering eyes. I wasn’t certain if they were filled with tears, but his smile was enough to assure me that he was happier than he had ever been in the longest time. “I love you, Mina,” he replied.

I may have said it to a so-called father before, but this time I understood what a father’s love was really like. Though it hadn’t been long since Dan adopted me, I was sure of how I felt and I knew for a fact that I loved him. He was my guardian, my savior.

He was my dad.