She removed the hose and said, "Five minutes. No cheating — I'd hate to have to do this all over again. Got a special birthday surprise for you when...I get back."She went out to the hallway, closing the door on her way. I stayed where I was, my body at an angle as I gritted my teeth and held my hind cheeks together so nothing could escape for five minutes.I was wondering if I was going to make it when I heard the phone ring. It took at least another five minutes before Mama came back."I'm sorry,. Beverly hugged me lovingly.“Thanks for explaining it to Greg,” I told her.“That’s okay, but you will need to tell him the truth.” She said.“I know, but what if he hates me afterward?” I asked.“You need to trust him as a friend, he is a good person, I am sure he will understand,” Beverly explained.“Okay.” Was all I could muster.“Everything will be alright in the morning.” Beverly comforted me. “Now lie down and get some sleep, you must be exhausted.”She tucked me under the covers and then gave. ‘I don’t know. Do you know what it is?’ Rosanna said again in her maddeningly teasing tone. ‘I haven’t seen too many, but I think it’s a laser cane. How did you find this?’ Solace breathed, utter amazement evident on her face. ‘Ah, but that would be giving away all my secrets. I have to keep some things to myself.’ Rosanna sat down next to Solace and ran a finger along the surface of the cane. ‘There are taped instructions inside.’ ‘I don’t know what to say. This must have cost a fortune.’. A few minutes later, as the bathtub was emptying, I heard her voice in the darkened hallway, outside my room, saying, “Did you have your ears pricked up?” “Not just my ears,” I said into the darkness. Fortunately, our parents’ bedroom was on the other side of the house. Finally, just before dark on a Friday night, three weeks after we had last laid hands on each other, I was sitting with my parents in the family room, watching TV, and Louise walked into the room. She was wearing a short black.