" There was a silence, a tensesilence. "Please say something."I leaned over and put my arms around her neck. I was tearing up, but itwas a sense of re...ief, of finally understanding and the peace ofaccepting a denied truth. I turned toward her ear and whispered, "What'snext?" She shuddered with slight cry, then pulled back and held both sides ofmy head, staring into my eyes with an inquiring look, "Next?" What's next for Cindy?"I was never hugged that hard by my birth mother. We cried together. In numbers greater than two, girls that age will eat a boy alive.But, business being business, I knocked. At once a tumult arose inside, and one high voice pierced the general confusion with the words, "That's him!"I heard the inside vestibule door open and the bolt in the front door shoot back. The door opened just enough to let me slip through, and, stepping inside, I found myself cornered by three girls. One of them was Risa. I didn't know the other two, but they were as beautiful as she. ’ She brought our hands up to her face, cupping it between them, I felt her skin, something I truly had missed. ‘It might be a decade ago, but I am so goddamn sorry for what I did Michael. I’m so damn sorry. For fucking it up. For leaving. For not being here for Lance. For being who I used to be, a stupid little girl who needed to grow the fuck up.’ She trailed off into a whisper with the last few words, letting go of my hands, she stood and walked to where she was earlier, facing away from me.. ....No one will be able to hear you." He said. His hand caressed and explored my naked buttocks for several minutes......but then I felt the full force of his right hand as it came down on myass with a resounding "SMACK". The first smack was quickly followed by another "SMACK"....then another "SMACK"....then more and more in rapidsuccession.."SMACK' ''SMACK'' ''SMACK' "SMACK' 'SMACK' 'SMACK' 'SMACK' 'SMACK' 'SMACK' 'SMACK' 'SMACK'..........the brutal punishmentcontinued unabated for many.