The Secret

The Secret

         “I have a secret.”  Six-year-old Kacie whispered the words to her best friend Kyle.  It was a big secret, and she wasn’t sure if Kyle would tell someone.  She had to tell someone, though.  It was a secret that she had not told anyone else about.  She wasn’t supposed to tell anyone. 
         Kyle looked at her.  “Tell me!”  He liked secrets!  Sometimes he had secrets, too, but none that were important secrets. 
         Kacie looked around the playground, making sure that no one was listening.  “Promise not to tell anyone?”
         Kyle gave her his best adult look.  “I won’t tell.  Cross my heart,” he insisted, suiting actions to words.
         Kacie paused only a moment before nodding her head once; the decision made.  She leaned over and whispered in his ear.  “You can’t tell, because I’m not sposed to tell anyone,” she cautioned in a whisper.
         “I won’t,” he promised again.  “Now just tell me.”
         Kacie whispered again, her lips warm on his ear.  “Daddy and me play a secret game.”
         Kyle felt a knot in his belly.  His mom had warned him about secret games.  He didn’t think he wanted to know her secret after all; but still, he nodded.  “Tell me.”
         Kacie lowered her voice even more.  “Daddy and I play the touch game.”
         Kyle, a much wiser seven-year-old tightened his mouth.  “What’s he do?”
         Kacie whispered again.  “He touches me.  But I don’t like it very much,” she admitted.
         Kyle felt a knot of anger in his stomach.  This sounded an awful lot like the secrets that his mommy had told him weren’t good secrets.  “Do you tell him you don’t like it?” he asked.
         Kacie nodded, her dark eyes damp.  “But he said that I would like it when I’m older,” she whispered.  “You promise not to tell?”
         Kyle didn’t know for sure what he was supposed to do now.  He had always kept secrets that he promised he’d keep.  But this secret was one that he wasn’t sure he should keep.  He didn’t want Kacie to be mad at him, but he was afraid for her.  “Does he touch your private places?” he asked.
         Kacie blushed and nodded.  “Almost every night,” she admitted softly.
         Kyle made up his mind.  He was going to tell her secret; he had to.  He’d rather she was mad at him.  “I have to tell,” he explained.  “Mommy told me that this was the only kind of secret that I wasn’t allowed to keep.”
         Kacie’s eyes filled with tears.  “If you tell, I’ll be in trouble,” she cried.  “Please don’t tell. You promised!”
         Kyle took her hand and pulled her over closer to the fence.  He didn’t want anyone else to overhear them talking.  “I think we should tell your secret to Mrs. Simms.  She’ll know what to do.  She won’t tell anyone if it’s not a bad secret,” he reasoned. 
         Kacie considered that for a moment.  “You don’t think Daddy will be mad at me if I tell, do you?”
         “No,” Kyle lied.  “Let’s go tell Mrs. Simms.  She’ll know what to do.  She knows a lot of stuff, I bet!” 
         Hand in hand they went to tell Mrs. Simms the secret.  They found their beloved teacher next to the door of the school.  Kyle spoke first.  “Mrs. Simms?”
         Mrs. Simms looked down and a smile touched her lips.  “Yes, Kyle?”
         He looked around briefly before speaking.  “We need to tell you a secret,” he said, his voice a loud whisper.
         Mrs. Simms felt the smile leave her lips.  The intent look on Kyle’s face, combined with the tears in Kacie’s eyes told her that this wasn’t something that she was going to like.  “Should we go inside?” she asked kindly.
         Both children nodded and followed her inside the classroom.  She sat on one of the chairs so she was eye level with them.  “Tell me,” she prodded gently.
         Kyle looked at Kacie, and at her slight nod, spoke.  “Kacie’s daddy is making her play a touching game that she doesn’t like.  My mommy said that it was a bad secret and that I had to tell an adult,” he explained quickly, the words rushing out of his mouth.
         Mrs. Simms felt a flash of rage, and a second flash of pride in Kyle.  “I see.”  She took Kacie’s hand in hers.  “I can help you, sweetheart.  I promise you won’t be in any trouble.”  Mrs. Simms had wondered why Kacie had been so quiet over the last several weeks.  She’d suspected some kind of abuse.
         “Promise?” she asked softly.  “Daddy said I wasn’t supposed to tell.  He said secrets couldn’t be told, ‘cause they were secrets.”
         Mrs. Simms smiled gently at the young girl, mentally considering all the steps it would take to keep Kacie safe.  “I promise this is a secret that you don’t have to keep, Kacie.”  She turned her attention Kyle.  “Thank you.”
         Kyle nodded, sure that Kacie would be safe now.  “You’re welcome, Mrs. Simms.  I didn’t think this was a good secret that I had to keep.”
         “You were right, Kyle.  Some secrets are not supposed to be kept.  This was one of those kinds.  I’m very proud of you.”
         Kacie smiled at Kyle.  “You were right.”