The Day I Kissed An Older Man

Karen tried to comfort him, but at the same time, she found an opportunity to insert a casual suggestion. "First and foremost, I believe we should ask Rita to come home. We need to know if she's been assaulted. If so, we'll have to involve the police, don't you think?"

Vince appeared somewhat uneasy. "I can't bring myself to ask her that. I warned her long ago not to pursue a career in journalism, but she chose to disregard my advice. Where did that bring her now? Having to answer to people is bad enough. Now she got herself violated by someone."

The image of Rita being gripped tightly by a drunken assailant was heartbreaking for Vince.

"You're right." Vince snapped back resolutely to his senses. "I'll tell her to come back home and ask her about what happened. If she didn't do anything, then we will have to clear her name as quickly as possible. I don't want her to be judged by other people."

Karen nodded. "You're right. That is the best course of action. I'm just worried Rita might be too stubborn to confide in us."

significant." Vince expressed his confidence with a wave of

father's call, Rita immediately called Camille. "Your predictions came true. My dad just asked me to come home for

her except for whether or not her father would exploit the opportunity to coerce her into abandoning her fledgling career as a reporter. Meanwhile, Camille' expressed fears that

imagine the accusations they'll hurl at me," Rita mused aloud. The more she feigned indifference, the more distressed

else fails, I'll contact the newspaper tomorrow and demand a retraction. They're in the wrong for

felt touched by her friend's concern. "The article has been published. A retraction won't undo the damage. Those who have read it will remember. But you know what, Camille? I couldn't care less. You can never stop those rumors. The only way to set the record straight is to do my job as a reporter and do it well. There weren't a lot of reporters present that night, and I was the only one remaining when the incident happened. The only people who could've known about this

to so many soap operas as a child.