“Right, young lady. Ten swats for fighting at school. Same position as before. Don’t move.”
I bent over the table, and braced myself. It wasn’t as comfortable a position as the previous year. I was taller. I spared my dad the trouble and pulled my dress up to expose my bottom.
Crack! The first swat landed, terrifically hard. It stung and I remember wishing that Felipe was there too. We’d been punished together age ten and having someone sharing the experience had been comforting. This time, with my bottom receiving my dad’s undivided attention, it felt lonelier.
I gasped as the second stroke landed right where the first had. It was getting hot back there and no mistake. The sound echoed around the house. There was no way my brother wouldn’t be able to hear it. The fourth stroke landed higher, near my spine. My bottom was, shall we say, feeling very much alive at this point.