My Daddy Kisses Other Daddies
Sorry, the ending is a bit rushed.
Cleis (Sappho's daughter) and Judith Shakespeare talk about their parents and their weird ways.
Little Judith Shakespeare isn't usually this quiet on a sleepover night. As Cleis gently combs and braids Judith's long, dark hair, Judith simply swings her legs back and forth and watches Felix bat his paws at a fly.
Eventually, Cleis puts the brush and her mother's jewelled hairpins aside and scoots forward to sit beside Judith.
'What's wrong?' She asks. 'Did I pull too hard?'
Judith shakes her head and the little glass beads at the end of her braids clink against each other. 'No.'
'...I can change your hair, if you like.' Cleis says.
Judith shakes her head again. 'I like my hair like this, it's pretty.'
'Then what's wrong?' Cleis loops an arm around Judith's shoulders.
Judith heaves a sigh. 'You know how me and Susanna are staying with Daddy nd Uncle Kit just now? Well...' She looks around the bedroom, then lowers her voice to a fearful whisper. 'I saw Daddy and Uncle Kit kissing!'
Cleis blinks. 'That's why you're worried? My mummy kisses her lady-friends all the time. She kisses man-friends too. I kissed Nasrin once, just to see what it was like. She started flapping about like a chicken.' Cleis frowns.
'You don't understand!' Judith wails. 'If Daddy ad Uncle Kit get caught... They might get taken away.' She pulls her legs up, hugs them to her chest and rests her chin on her knees.
'Taken away? Why?' Cleis asks.
'Because! When Mummy takes us to church, the priest says that daddies who kiss other daddies are bad and that they go to Hell.' Judith starts to sniffle.
Cleis hugs her tightly. 'They won't go to Hell. Zeus and his brothers kiss other boys. And Aphrodite likes girls too! It's not bad at all if the gods do it.'
'But... But... But there was a man in our village who kissed other men. They took him away and no-one ever saw him again!'
Cleis wipes away the tears spilling down Judith's cheeks. 'Don't cry...'
'I don't want them to take Daddy away! And I like Uncle Kit, he says bad words when he thinks I can't hear and he makes me laugh.' Judith sobs. 'It must mean that he doesn't love Mummy any more...' Judith's shoulders shake with each little gulpy sob.
'Well... Maybe your daddy is just like my mummy. Maybe he just loves everyone. Please don't cry.' Cleis says as soothingly as she can. 'Do you still love your Daddy? You should because he's still your daddy.'
'Of course I love him! I love Daddy. I'm just worried that they'll take him away.' Judith replies.
'You can come and live with us. You and your mummy and daddy and Susanna. Mummy never gets into trouble for kissing ladies. We can have sleepovers every night.' Cleis suggests with a grin.
Judith mops at her eyes with her sleeve. 'Really? You think we'd be allowed?'
'Of course. We can ask Mummy in the morning. I'm know she'll say yes.' Cleis waves a hand dismissively. 'So, do you want to play dress-up now?'