He was in the kitchen. Daddy, Im sorry, she started as he sat the glass in his hand on the counter top. I didnt know&hellip, Her words were cut off by...his fist slamming into her stomach. She hit the wall behind her and then the floor. He kicked her and she rolled away. Rising unsteadily onto her hands and knees she backed away as she struggled to her feet. Shed seen this side of her dad before, but it had never been directed at her. As he lunged for her again she turned and ran for the stairs.. From the other side of her, Mark caught Doug's eye and said good-naturedly, "Come on Doug, Cool it. Keep things cool okay?" nudging his friend under the table with his foot.Nena glanced up, her eyes furtively scanning the room for Constancia, but didn't see her anywhere. She took a deep breath. 'Where could she be, ' she wondered."I have an idea," Mark said, interrupting Nena's train of thought as he took another long pull of his beer, "Why don't we play a little language game before the band. I knew that with no one around to keep her even a little under control, she would be a demon to live with!"She carried on, "That was about four years ago, I guess, and I have been hopping around ever since. At first, I stayed with friends, but that couldn't last forever and after awhile I had run out of warm places to stay. If I got lucky, I could get into a shelter or something for the night."She finished with, "Otherwise, it was sleep wherever I could. I've spent nights in doorways and under. ..How about this: If you lose, we put make-up on you and curlyour hair. How about it?" Make-up?" I was startled. "Whatever for?" Just as a penalty," Liz urged. "Come on, be a sport!" Okay." My cards looked pretty good, really. "You're on. I'll take twocards."Eagerly, the girls dealt me my cards and drew some for themselves.Mine were excellent. A second Jack and a Ten. That gave me two pair."Well, Clinton," Liz looked at me. "I'll bet your pants and shirt. That'shigh stakes." I'll match them.