"But Mom-"
"I said no. End of story."
Samantha took off the bikini and ran to the living room, where Dad watched television. "Dad, tell Mom I can wear whatever I want," she said.
Dad's face turned paler than usual at the sight of the bikini. "Sorry, kiddo, nothing I can do," he said.
"You two always treat me like a baby. I hate you!" Samantha stormed into her room, using the bikini as a hankie for the rest of the night.
The bikini remains in a drawer back home while Samantha has to walk the beach holding Mommy's hand in this stupid onesie with the stupid hat. Making the situation even worse, Mom wears an identical bathing suit and hat. The shrieking of Hannah's friends echoes in Samantha's ears.
None of the boys her age even give her a passing glance. She might as well be invisible. As if that weren't embarrassing enough, some of the men's eyes follow Mom as she walks by. She doesn't pay them any attention.
They walk across the hot white sand until they find a relatively quiet spot near a cluster of rocks. Mom and Samantha spread out towels and lie down. While Mom reads a book, Samantha stares out at the turquoise water, watching a girl in a bikini like the one she bought splash a boy with tanned, rippling muscles.
"Mom, am I ever going to be pretty?" she asks.
"Of course you are, honey. When you get older."
"How old?"
"That depends. Some girls develop faster than others. Your time will come."
Mom turns back to her book, leaving Samantha to ponder the topic. Even if she'd worn the bikini, no one would have noticed her, especially not the one with the tanned, rippling muscles. To him, she was still a little kid playing in the sand with Mommy and Daddy.
To make matters worse, Dad plops down onto the towel next to her, his body greasy and smelling like a medicine cabinet. "Did you put the whole bottle on?" she asks.
"Can't be too careful with this skin." He spreads out on the towel, shielding his eyes with a straw hat. "If you smell boiled lobster, wake me up, kiddo."
When Dad begins to snore, Samantha turns to her mother. "Can I go swimming?" she asks.
"All right, but stay where I can see you," Mom says.
Samantha tiptoes across the hot sand in her bare feet, wishing they'd never decided to vacation in California. So far her parents have done nothing but treat her like a baby and she knows it will only get worse tomorrow when they go to Disneyland. She has a vague memory of going there almost nine years ago and asking Daddy to give her a piggyback ride so she could see over the grown-ups. He'll probably try to do the same thing tomorrow, although she doesn't need his help to see over the grown-ups anymore.