"Oh my god, dad, you're killing me!" Sarai threw her hands in the air dramatically.
"What's new?" Dean slammed plates on dining room table.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Melody said, coming into the dining room. "What's going on here?"
"Mom, he's ruining my life again!" Sarai said.
"Oh, he is?" Melody moved over to her husband and kissed him before setting down the groceries in the kitchen. "What did he do?"
"Make me the bad guy," Dean said under his breath.
"Dad says I can't go to the singing camp this weekend because there will be boys there." Sarai tried to explain as quickly as she could, still frustrated with her dad. "There will only be like two boys there. In case you didn't notice, singing camps don't draw that many boys in."
"It only takes one," Dean said. "Therefore, no."
"But this isn't fair! Everyone else is allowed to go! Even Michelle!"
"Both of you," Melody cut in. "Treehouse! Now."
Both groaned and trudged out of the house to the largest tree in the front yard. Stacks of lumber were piled under the blooms of the tree, accented with boxes of nails and two hammers.
"Gear up," Dean said fastening his work belt around his waist and loading it with nails and his hammer. Sarai groaned and did the same. "I just think your camp could become real sticky real fast." Dean began to hammer a board into the tree.
"But Dad, there will only be two boys there," Sarai said.
"Is that the truth?"
Sarai supported another board so her father could nail it in straight.
Sarai sighed. "No. At least seven boys signed up. But I knew if I told you that you wouldn't let me go."
"And you think I'm going to let you go now that I know more boys are going."
"If it helps," Sarai said quietly, "three of them are gay."
Dean rested his forehead on his arm and laughed. "How about, you can go, but you can't stay overnight."
"It's almost two hours from here."
"Then I guess we'll have to have a little camping trip of our own. But far enough away from everyone else that no funny business can happen."
"It won't be as fun, but I guess I'll have to take it." Sarai smiled. "I guess we have a deal. You're just so old sometimes." Dean nudged his daughter gently with a smile.
"Have you two made up yet?" Melody called from the house.
"Yes," Dean and Sarai said in tandem with the attitude of fifteen-year-olds.
"Get in here! Dinner's ready!"
Dean wrapped his arm around Sarai's shoulders and they walked back to the house.
