“Your Dad and Laura want to join in our little family fun,” Mom finally explained. “That’s what took so long last night. We were discussing al... that has been happening and exploring whether or not we should continue this and whether they would join in if we did. They decided to sleep on it, and that phone call a few minutes ago was your father telling me that he and Laura would like to join our group.”I was shocked. Emily was visibly delighted.“In fact, they’re going to come over after dinner. Mistress said, " Well. Well. Look at the little sissy boy hiding in the corner. You're not dealing with some innocent teenage girl now. On your feet! Don't you dare look at me! You have to earn that right, you worthless piece of protoplasm! Stand up straight! We're going to have to work on your posture. I can see that already." "Mistress walked around me several times. Like she was trying to decide if I was worth keeping or should be thrown to the wolves. Each time clicking her tongue and. **********The girl walking down the path was so highly distracted that she bumpedin to Liz, who was walking back to the Junior Life Academy to teachswimming lessons. "Excuse me," Liz said as she turned to the girl,forcing herself to be polite even when it had obviously been the girl'sfault. "I didn't mean to bump into you." S'okay," the girl mumbled, still gazing around the path. She shook herhead. "What kind of theme is this supposed to have?" she asked absently.Liz frowned, then. She'd do anything for him, anything at all.Only after they married did she discover that believing in Christian Discipline meant he believed he had the right to beat her whenever he felt like it – on her bottom only, not her face and ears and legs like Red Fred used to, but with a hard cane thing he called his rod till she could hardly sit down, and walked – as Mr Church put it – in an even sillier way than usual.She tried – tried so hard! – to be good, but nothing worked. There was always.