Hypotheses

“A situation?” You ask Becca for clarification.

“Yes, and I volunteered to assist her.” Becca repeats. “One of her requests is that you not be around, Jay. I’ll drive Maddy back to your apartment once we’re done here, so the four of you can already head back.” Becca informs you.

“I hope you can drop off Paige for me?” Becca asks you.

“Yeah. Of course, but—” You answer Becca. As soon as she hears your answer though, she immediately addresses Paige and cuts you off from continuing your question, and effectively stops Paige from protesting as well.

“Paige. I do need your assistance for a moment.” Becca adds before you could even interject, and Paige immediately and eagerly stands up from her seat. “Ask the manager for some tissues, please.” Becca instructs her. Paige moves quickly, and Becca’s about to walk away before you grab her attention.

“Tissues? What kind of situation? Why doesn’t Maddy want me around?” You finally get to ask Becca.

“A situation of the female variety. It’ll cause her to feel more embarrassed than she already is if you’re around.” Becca explains, and Cassie and Stella react in understanding, as do you.

“Are you sure she doesn’t need our help?” You ask.

“You can help her by respecting her wishes so she can be more comfortable.” Becca answers. “Also, she already has my help, Jay. I volunteered to help her so you don’t need to worry that I’m being inconvenienced either. I’m gladly doing this for Maddy.” Becca assures you.

“I just want her to know it’s not a big deal for me and she doesn’t need to be embarrassed.” You tell Becca.

“How big of a deal it is is Maddy’s decision.” Becca corrects you.

“Right. I’m sorry.” You tell Becca.

“I have tampons if she needs—” Cassie starts offering before Becca raises a hand to stop her.

“There’s no need. It’s taken care of.” Becca tells Cassie, while Paige returns with a box of tissues. Feeling that Becca’s not going to give you any more room for discussion, you stand up from the couch. Seeing that you’ve accepted to follow Maddy’s wishes, Becca grabs her bag from the coffee table and says your name as a goodbye like she usually does.

“Alright. We’ll do as she asks. Thanks for taking care of her, Becca.” You tell her, before giving her a hug, which takes her by surprise. Cassie and Stella follow your lead and give Becca a hug too. As your group proceeds to walk to the exit, it seems Paige follows Becca towards the changing area. The three of you pause as you wait for the outcome of Becca and Paige’s discussion.

“I’ll help.” Paige tells Becca.

“No, Paige. I appreciate the initiative; but if you and I are going to be working together, you need to understand that what I say goes.” Becca puts her foot down. You see Paige give her an understanding nod, before offering her hand for a handshake. Becca accepts and shakes Paige’s hand, before quickly going back to the changing room with the box of tissues.

After exiting the boutique, the four of you start making your way back to where you parked your car. Stella takes your hand and interlocks her fingers with yours, trying to stop you from worrying about Maddy.

“She’ll be fine, Dad. If she had her period, she’s probably just panicking about how to handle staining expensive clothes. Even if Becca said she’ll pay for them, it’s still probably a big deal to her that she’s potentially taking advantage of Becca’s generosity.” Stella tries to comfort you. Cassie joins Stella by holding your other hand to make you not worry too much also.

“I don’t think it’s that though.” Cassie chimes in, getting you and Stella curious.

“Becca said it’s a female situation. That’s only code for one thing.” Stella argues.

“Is it though?” Paige asks from behind the three of you, casting doubt on Stella’s point, and also reminding the three of you that you’re being incredibly rude by outright treating her like a fourth wheel.

“YES!” Stella answers emphatically, after breaking away her hand from yours. “What else could it mean other than the monthly curse that befalls our uteri?” Stella asks, further emphasizing her point, after allowing Paige to catch up with her.

“I don’t know. I have a feeling there’s more to it than just her getting her period at an inconvenient time.” Cassie says, not in an argumentative way so that Stella doesn’t push her point further.

“What do you mean, Cassie?” You ask her, as you all arrive near the area where you parked your car.

“Shotgun!” Cassie shouts upon seeing the car in the distance before running forward, ostensibly avoiding your question.

“Hey! I already called shotgun when we left!” Stella shouts before chasing after Cassie. You unlock your doors so that Cassie can enter the front passenger seat before Stella can catch up to her. You stop walking, as memories of Stella and Cassie’s childhood flash before your eyes. A memory of them playing hide and seek and chasing after each other all over your apartment whenever they found each other.

The memory is a great one…

… but you immediately shake your entire body after feeling some form of disgust from realizing you’re fucking the grown up versions of both those kids you used to take care of.

“You alright, Mr. Craig?” Paige asks from behind you, after seeing you shake.

“Oh, yeah. Don’t mind me.” You tell her. Paige stands next to you, watching the two bicker for the front seat. Cassie’s already inside the passenger seat, as Stella playfully tries to pull her off.

“They really have been friends forever.” Paige observes, while chuckling.

“Yeah, they revert back to their six year old selves if they’re around each other long enough.” You joke, getting a genuine laugh out of Paige.

“I guess that explains the sisterly bond they have.” Paige replies. “Can I ask you something, Mr. Craig?” Paige then adds.

“Of course.” You answer.

“Is it ever weird for you that you’re dating someone your daughter’s age?” Paige asks.

“You figured out why I shook the disgust off my body, huh?” You say with a chuckle.

“It was hard to miss.” Paige jokes.

“I don’t think about it often, to be honest. There was just something about them chasing after each other that made me realize how much older I am from them.” You tell Paige.

“I know what you mean. I just realized how much you look like their Dad when they act like that too.” Paige replies with a laugh.

“I am their ‘Dad’. Literally for one of them.” You jokingly correct Paige.

“I know. I guess that’s why I think you should really embrace that aspect of your relationship with Cassie. I don’t know why, but it’s less weird that you’re dating your daughter than dating someone your daughter’s age, you know? So if you think that they’re both your daughters, and fully embrace that for Cassie, you’d be less conscious about the age difference with her.” Paige advises you.

You completely understand why her understanding of the situation is completely backwards, but you figure that it must be a side effect of the Normalized **** trait. The taboo about an age gap is less weird if people see you just dating another one of your daughters because of Normalized ****.

It doesn’t get rid of the sudden pang of guilt you felt momentarily though; after feeling like you groomed them into falling in love with you. As a positive, it does give you an insight as to how the magic of the app has affected perception. Other people think **** is so normal for you, other taboos can be made to seem normal if you try to associate it with ****.

‘What the fuck did I really just do to the world around me?’

You look back at Stella and Cassie arguing playfully, and instead of being reminded of the times they were children, you start remembering the events of these past couple of weeks and how it’s changed for the better because you’re with both of them. You imagine a future with the two of them… and it immediately grows into a future with everyone you’ve told the app about — Tanya, Viv, Brooke, Becca, and Maddy; are all in the future you’re imagining.

‘You changed the world into something better for you.’ You answer yourself.

It’s time to accept Becca’s point. It’s time to truly and fully utilize the magic at your disposal.

“Thanks, Paige. I didn’t see it that way.” You tell her sincerely.

The two of you then start walking towards your daughter and Cassie who are still arguing.

“Shotgun’s called every trip, not per day.” Cassie argues before sticking her tongue out at Stella.

“You can keep repeating it, but it doesn’t mean you’re not making that up!” Stella argues.

“You snooze, you lose, baby!” You teasingly tell your daughter, getting a laugh out of Cassie, before patting her on the shoulder to signal to her that she should just accept defeat.

You enter your vehicle and wait for Stella and Paige to settle in the back before starting the engine of your car.

“By the way, why do you think Maddy’s situation is more than just what Becca implied it was?” You ask Cassie as you buckle your seat belt.

“I mean…” Cassie starts saying as you begin to drive. “She wouldn’t have needed you to leave the store just from that, I think. Maddy’s sheltered, but I don’t get from her that she places a taboo on that sort of thing. Also, if Maddy wanted to keep it a secret and asked Becca to keep it a secret too, Becca wouldn’t have heavily implied it with her wording. Becca didn’t even need to tell us that Maddy had a situation. Even if Maddy specifically asked you to leave because she was embarrassed for you to find out she got her period, Becca would have told her that it’s unnecessary. Becca would have just approached the manager, asked for some tissues, helped her clean up, gave her a tampon, bought the dress, told Maddy she’ll have it cleaned or something, both of them can act like nothing happened… you get what I’m saying?” Cassie explains.

“You’re saying things aren’t adding up.” You summarize Cassie’s point.

“Yeah. It just felt like a smokescreen to me. Like, Maddy wanted to leave with Becca and not us.” Cassie adds on.

“That, or you’re overanalyzing a situation that can be easily explained by a heavy flow and a wide set vagina.” Stella jokes, getting a snorting laugh from Paige.

“Jesus Christ.” You react, unprepared for Stella’s joke.

“Get used to it, Dad. Your exposure to problems related to lady parts is going to exponentially increase now that you have a bunch of girlfriends.” Stella teases you.

Diane’s not here to cover for you in that area of parenting now, either.

SHUT UP BRAIN!

‘I wish there was a trait that filters my dumbass thoughts.’ You think to yourself.

“Yeah, yeah.” You tell your daughter dismissively, trying to cover up your own fucked up thoughts.

“Whatever the case, I hope Maddy’s doing alright.” You think out loud.

Meanwhile, back at the boutique…

“They left, Maddy. You can relax, somewhat, now.” Becca tells Maddy as she enters the changing room with a box of tissues.

“What did you tell them?” Maddy asks Becca.

“I strongly implied you had your period and that you were embarrassed…” Becca answers Maddy.

“... As you requested.”