Kathy loved summertime with her family at their summer cottage on Cape Cod because it meant she could spend more time with her father. Her father often took a month off from his work at the beginning of summer and they would fish and snorkle together. When they weren't fishing and snorkling, they were usually sailing. Her mother didn't care for boats and the water so her mother seldom went along on their sea adventures.

This morning Kathy pulled on her shorts, her yellow T, and as she headed for the door, she grabbed her favorite red sweatshirt. Her father was ready to shove off by the time she got to the pier so she stowed their lunches and hauled out the fishing rods. It was a beautiful morning for fishing and she hoped they caught a lot.

The fishing boat was just big enough for two. It was old, but quite water worthy. Kathy clamored in and sat down. Her father untied the boat and climbed in too. With a shove of one oar, they were off on their fishing adventure.

Morning pleasantries had been exchanged, a place to fish had been found and poles were now resting comfortably in their laps. It was a warm day for the Cape and she had started to doze when her father's words brought her wide awake. "Why no man, honey? You're twenty two years old and you've never spoken of, much less introduced your mother and I to a young man."

She felt a moment of panic. She had been anticipating this question ever since her first year of college. Should she tell the truth? Should she lie? Was this the right time to try and explain why there was no man in her life? Her mind raced from one possibility to another. No, the truth was definitely out of the question. How could she possibly say to her father "There is no one man, Dad." What would she say when her father sat back and, in that easy going way of his, said "Tell me about it. If there's a problem, tell me".

The truth was that she liked to play the field. She thought most men to be silly and less than intelligent. Often she matched wits with them and liked to play "head games". She usually had three or four going at one time and delighted in pitching them against each other and stringing them along. She had no intention of getting involved with one guy. It was too much fun messing with their egos. How could she tell her Dad this? He would think she was cruel. Actually, she just thought men were inferior and not worth any serious thoughts. She liked being idependent and on her own person.

"You know," her father said, interrupting her thoughts. "Maybe I shouldn't say this, but the older you get, the more you're like your Aunt Lucille."

"Aunt Lucille?" Kathy's features registered her surprise. She turned, picked up her fishing rod, and began to reel in the line. "You mean because I'm smart and can THINK?"

The older man chuckled. "Well, I grant you that when it came to books, your Aunt Lucille knew her stuff. But no, Kathy, what I'm attempting to do is to point out that up to now, your style of living, your philosophy, and your attitude toward the opposite sex, parallels the way your Aunt Lucille thought when she was in her twenties."

Kathy shrugged. "So?"

"Yes," her father said. "Just like Aunt Lucille in everyway." and then he shut his mouth and turned back to his fishing with a sigh." Kathy could only wonder what he meant by that.

He tried another approach. "Kathy, sure your aunt was a leader in the feminist movement and, sure she made a fortune writing books on the subject. But, look what it did to her personal life."

Kathy shifted about uneasily. Why couldn't the family just accept her aunt's success and leave her personal life out of the equation. Whose business was it anyway?

"Honey, do you know why your uncle Jarod committed suicide?"

Kathy rolled her eyes and made a point of looking disgusted. "No, I don't know, but I'll bet you're going to tell me, right?"

Several minutes passed while the older man reeled in a 2# flounder and re-baited his hooks. Then after a smooth cast to the spot where he'd caught the two pounder, he responded to Kathy's question. "Kath, I don't know if you knew it, but your Uncle Jarod was gay."

"I knew, Dad, but what's that got to do with anything?"

"It has everything to do with the subject at hand," her father told her. "He wasn't gay when he and your aunt married. Your three cousins are testimony to that. He turned gay late in life because your aunt emasculated him just as surely as if she had used this knife here." Her father held up the knife he was using to gut the fish he had just caught.

Kathy gave a derisive snort and said "I can't believe you are really using the lame excuse 'a strong woman castrates men'. Are men so pathetic that they can only function around weak, ignorant, airheaded bimbos?"

"Whoa.., Kath." Jim's head went back and his hands came up. "I didn't mean to infer that your uncle turned gay because his wife was a strong woman. If you recall, your Uncle Jarod was also strong. No, a strong woman doesn't castrate a man if she's considerate and loving, but unfortunately, too many women equate strength with control. Lucille was too self-centered to be loving, and it was a well known fact that her needs came first in family decisions. Maybe your Uncle Jarod was a latent homosexual, I don't know. But I feel certain that if Lucille had been more considerate and not so determined to do her own thing, Jarod would still be with us today."

Kathy didn't respond immediately but brought out the bag of lunch she'd packed and brought along. "I think I understand what you're getting at, Dad," she said, finally, and the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile. "You may have gone all around the mulberry bush to say it, but I think I know what you mean."

"Dad, you want grandchildren. I know that as I am the only child, you have nobody else to carry on the family name.But you can't blame a woman for a man being gay. That is born in him. A woman doesn't make him that way."

Her father looked a bit ashamed. "I know Kathy. I shouldn't have said that your aunt made him turn that way."

She spoke again. "Dad, part of the problem actually is yours, when it comes to my behavior. You always treated me like the son you didn't have."

Both the girl and her father became quiet. They continued fishing in silence. It was no longer fun and relaxing for either of them. The mood was ruined.

Back home and later that evening, Kathy decided to call her friend, Matt, and invite him to come for the weekend. Of her many male friends, Matt was the one she liked the most. They shared many common interests and they were equals intellectually. He would be surprised when he got her call but he would be more surprised when he realized she was inviting him to spend the weekend. She suspected her father would be surprised, too, when he found out, so she was smiling when she picked up the phone.

Matt was, like all Kathy's male friends, rather weak and ineffectual. While he was her intellectual equal, he had nowhere her drive or her determination to succeed in life. She had already demonstrated that she could make him jump through hoops whenever she wished. He would make an interesting diversion for the weekend. And, who knows, she thought, maybe this would satisfy her father that she liked men as much as did any other young woman.

Hanging up the phone, Matt turned to his roommate. "Carlos, do you know Kathy Wellington? She just extended an invitation for the weekend. How about going with me. Frankly, I'm a little afraid to be alone with the girl. I know they have tons of room, so how about it?"

Carlos stood and stretched his six-five swimmer's body. "I've never met her." he said. "Tell me, would she be a challenge for me? I'm bored to tears with girls who are neither a mental nor a social challenge. That's one reason I left Argentina to study here in the States. Little girls who throw themselves at me no longer interest me."

Matt's grin spoke volumnes. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about that, my friend. That will be the least of your problems."

Kathy was up early Friday morning and went for a swim right after breakfast. It was a warm and sunny morning and she didn't expect Matt and his friend until lunchtime. So when she finished her swim and crossed the lawn on her way to the house, her hair wet and without makeup, she was surprised to see Matt's car.

"Hiya Kath," Matt said when he saw her. He greeted her with a hug. "It's good to see you, Kath," he added, then turned to his friend. "This is Carlos."

Her first thought as her eyes traveled up the length and bredth of the young man was "WOW! No complete thought, just "WOW! Her first complete thought was 'Oh noooooo, I must look like a drowned rat. Immediately after THAT thought, she felt a wave of anger. Determined to take control of the situation, she turned to Matt and said "Your friend's a jock, right?" Turning back to Carlos, she said "What's your sport, big guy? Is it basketball?"

His smile was an amused one. "My sport, as you call it, is Economics. I'm working toward a doctorate. I have a master's in Political Science as well. These are areas of knowledge I will need when I return to Argentina to help in leading it through this new century."

For what may have been the first time in her life, Kathy was at a loss for words. But she found her voice before too many seconds had passed and said: "�Tan, Carlos, qu� los cambios quisiera Usted ver en su pa�s?" They began a casual stroll across the lawn, toward the house. "Seg�n los �ltimos informes en el peri�dico, yo veo que la econom�a de Argentina es en un punto muerto. �Con el paro en el veintid�s por ciento, qu� usted sugerir�a lo que podr�a ayudar?"

Carlos paused, looked her in the eye, and with one of the most engaging smiles she had seen in years, he gave his answer. "Kathy, I am pleased that you speak the language of my people. But it is rude to leave Matt out of the conversation. So, if you please, would you rephrase that question in English?

She was mentally rephrasing when Carlos interrupted her thoughts. "I'm impressed with your command of my launguage, but you made a mistake in letting an opponant know of your strengths."

"In what way are we opponants?" she asked quriously.

"You have something I want. Something I doubt you will give up willingly. That makes us adversaries, does it not?"

Kathy felt a momentary wave of disappointment. Somehow, she hadn't expected this man to be as shallow as all the others she had known in her life. At the same time, she felt a burst of confidence. The game of flirting was one she was familiar with. It was one she excelled at.

"So tell me about this 'thing' I have that you want, Carlos. Perhaps something could be arranged" she said in a voice bordering on contempt.

Suddenly, his mischievous smile and the twinkle in his eyes were gone. They were replaced by total seriousness as he said quietly "Que quiero de usted, Kathy es su corazon. No mas, no menos. I know now it's what I've wanted all my life. I want your heart."

Her mind was racing to assimilate what he had said. This was crazy. No one fell in love at first sight. No one knew just from looking at someone that this was the right person. Even in a cheap romance novel, no author would dare to write of such a thing happening.

Looking up at his face, she saw he was telling her the truth. Moving closer, she looked into his eyes and it was as though each was looking into the soul of the other. She reached out and took his hand. "I think we both need to speak to my father. I think my father is going to be a very happy man today." Hand in hand, they walked toward the house. His arm went around her waist as they reached the steps. At the top of the steps, they turned and he kissed her. In that kiss was the promise of a lifetime together.

"Hey! I'm starving. What's a guy gotta do to get some food around here?" Matt yelled as he hurried after the two lovers.

THE END