In fact, she reminded me of my own mom in many ways, right down to her warm face and loving smile.
By late September, I had a crush on Aunt Sheila which only deepened over the next few years.
As the fall wore on, I came to develop a new understanding of my mom’s methods of punishment.
The distance I enjoyed from home and my talks with Michael and Aunt Sheila seemed to put things in a new perspective.
While it was clear most boys our age would have been horrified at the idea of regular spankings – this had to remain Michael’s and my secret – it did help to know that my best friend was disciplined the same way.
Unfortunately, there was no way Michael could keep his secret in his immediate neighborhood.