Secret

Hot summer day. The Family goes to the river. The road is white and full with small stones. The little, 5 years old girl walks next to her mother. Her cousin (9 years) walks together with her father and her mother. Suddenly the mother of the 5 years old girl lowers her voice.  “I will tell you a secret,” she says. Can you promise not to tell anybody?” The little girl is curious. A secret. New information. She nods her head. She loves to learn. “Remember, I told you how the children are made?” “Yes,” the girl answers.” She remembers perfectly well: “In the night when a mother sleeps next to a father. A baby, so small, that one can’t even see it, goes from the father’s body into the mother’s stomach.” “Exactly” The mother is satisfied. “But you see. It’s possible to be married several times.” The little girl tries to understand. “And your cousin’s mother was married with someone else before. That’s why your cousin’s father is not her real father”. The girl’s head spins. She tries to understand this new information. Suddenly she gets scared: “Is my father my real father?” “Yes, of course,” her mother smiles. “You were not married to someone else before?” “No.” Her mother smiles again.  The girl is relieved. They reach the river. The girl observes her cousin playing with her un-real father.  She has so many questions. Does her cousin know it’s not her real father? Does she know who is her real father? Do they ever meet? But the girl has promised to keep the secret. She will not speak about this with her cousin. She has promised it to her mother. “Don’t say to anybody,” her mother was saying. The girl tries to look normal. Nobody should notice she knows. It’s a secret.