A Bikini Beach Summer, Part 04 free porn video

A Bikini Beach Summer by Daphne Xu Part 4 Thanks to ElrodW, Bikini Beach's creator, for invaluable comments on this story. The Bikini Beach universe and its principal characters are copyright 2001 by him. Any comments about Bikini Beach, how it works, what it does, by characters other than Anya or Grandmother are potentially non-canonical and wrong. As this story is told from a particular point of view by the protagonist, this includes comments by the narrator. The protagonist, and thus the narrative, are what the protagonist believes or interprets from what he is experiencing. Thus some of the mechanics of BB are biased by the protagonist's view and experiences. Furthermore, because of the particular viewpoint of the story, those errors often won't be corrected. When the errors are corrected, the correction will often be disbelieved and rejected. Saturday, June 28 I woke up that morning eagerly looking forward to returning to Bikini Beach. I couldn't wait to see the girls. My dick was hard at the idea. I got up to use the bathroom, wincing at the ugly view of my hairless dick and balls. Ewwwww! Ruth had spent the night at Daisy's, so she wasn't home for breakfast. She was going to spend the day as well, instead of going to Bikini Beach. But I still had to do the morning ritual of breakfast, the Mental Work, and the Lesson. I found the note I left Thursday pinned to my swimming trunks: "IMPORTANT!! Bring swimming trunks to Bikini Beach!" What the heck?! I always brought my swimming trunks to Bikini Beach. What was I thinking when I wrote that? I tossed the note in the trash and gathered my trunks, towel, flip-flops, and sunscreen. Ma and I were the only ones in the car as we drove to Bikini Beach, and standing in line with Ma was different without Ruth. We were mostly silent, just occasionally saying things. Ma brought up the subject that would embarrass me the most. "You have made new friends here at Bikini Beach." I blushed, looking down at the ground. I couldn't face Ma. "I approve," she continued. "You've been very much a loner. It's good to have good friends, and you're getting more exercise. You know, those girls could become your BFFs. That's girl-talk these days: Best Friends Forever." She touched my chin with a fingertip and forced my head up to face her. "Tell me, Luke. Is there any special girl in particular?" she asked in a voice designed to humiliate me thoroughly. "Um, they're all special," I said. Then I realized what I'd just said. My face was about to catch fire. "Say, Luke? Would it be okay if I left you here and returned home? I have chores to do." "Um, uh, sure," I answered dumbly, still brain-fried from the inquisition. "Here's the admissions fee, and enough for lunch and whatever else you may need here." She opened her purse and pulled out several bills. "Call me around 5:00 and I'll come and pick you up." "That's fine, Ma. Have a nice day, Ma." I said in a rapid patter. "You enjoy your day, and I'll see you this evening." Ma hugged me briefly, as I froze again in embarrassment. The line was extremely long on Saturday, of course. The lines through the turnstile were just as long, although moving much faster, for those already with passes. I wondered how I'd ever find the girls in this crowd, once I changed inside. As I approached the sales booths, I got progressively more and more nervous about facing the saleslady on my own. Suppose I did or said something wrong? I was a boy trying to enter a girls' water park. Ma always got the passes before, and I never paid much attention to the transactions -- except for the admonition to shower. But now, I had to face the saleslady myself. When I reached the ticket counter, I asked for a day pass. The saleslady was very pretty, which didn't help my nervousness one bit. I couldn't help looking down, away from her face. I noticed the name tag, and focused on it. Her name was Anya. No doubt I'd forget it as soon as I entered the park. She told me, "We only have a limited set of passes for men and boys. I will have to check on availability." She turned away a moment, then turned back to me. "You're in luck. We have a day guest membership, and a special offer of a two-week membership for the price of three day memberships." I didn't have the greater price on me. Even if I had the cash, I wasn't sure if Ma would like it if I got the two-week membership. So I stuck with the day membership. "Remember to shower after you change, before entering the water park," she told me. That was always their policy. I got in line for the turnstiles, and waited another endless time. Finally, I reached a turnstile, swiped my pass, and entered the park. I found the small men's changing room, changed into my swimming trunks, and showered. After the shower, I inspected myself in the mirror. Ahhh! What the heck was wrong with me! I'd left myself a note reminding me to take a one- piece suit and wear that at Bikini Beach. This morning, I'd discarded the note, then forgot about it and took the bikini. Oh well. At least no hair protruded out of my bikini bottoms. No, that wasn't quite true. A few strands were visible down at the bottom of my crotch, where I wasn't quite able to reach properly. Nobody should notice, unless she was looking carefully. It felt cool down there -- cool, crisp, and sexy. Yes, definitely an improvement, even though a couple nicked spots still itched. I felt much better about my bikini bottoms. I hooked my arms about my head -- yep, my underarms were properly shaved as well. My green and white striped bikini looked quite dashing on me, if I may brag a little. I returned to my locker, got out my purse, and smothered myself in sunscreen. I was still peeling from last Saturday and I didn't want to make it worse. I left the changing room, and entered the water park, hoping to find my friends. "Hey Lucy!" came a familiar voice from a distance away. It was Vanessa. She looked hot in her rainbow skintight bikini, contrasting with her dark-chocolate skin. I ran over and she caught me in a hug, lifting me off my feet. She was tall and very strong. This was followed by hugs from Jen and Alice, both right next to her. "So are the others here yet?" I asked. "Carol's still in the changing room," replied Alice. "She'll be out shortly." Both Carol and Becky emerged and ran up to us. We were all hugging and laughing. It was good to be together again. It would make for a perfect Bikini Beach day, no matter what else happened. We went on a couple water rides, gossiping and chatting. Around 10:45, I spotted a bulletin board with various events scheduled. I noticed a schedule of gymnastics classes -- all ages and levels at 11:00 and again at 2:00. "Hey guys!" I called the others over. "Look at this." "Gymnastics?" asked Jen. "I attended a few of their classes a while back," said Becky. "You wanna try it?" "I'm thinking of it." I started off toward the site. "By the way, any of you heard of Taekwondo?" "Taekwondo's like karate," answered Vanessa. "They teach to fight by kicking and punching." "I caught Ruth kicking and punching the air a couple times, and she called it Taekwondo. Where she got it, I haven't the foggiest." "Probably from a friend," answered Vanessa. "Anyway, I'm in on gymnastics if you are. That's the advantage of classes here: they're included in the admissions fee. I understand the gym attached to the park is a recent addition, built only a few months ago. So at 11:00, Vanessa, Alice, and I entered the gymnastics class. Unlike ballet and ordinary gymnastics classes, this class didn't require any special clothing. Everyone wore their regular Bikini Beach attire, mostly bikinis with a few tankinis, one-pieces, and thongs. Becky, Carol, and Jen watched us from the stands. My six years of ballet definitely helped, although gymnastics was rather different. I was definitely flexible enough, having absolutely no problem with the splits, either front or center. I also had some experience in tumbling. Other things such as vaulting were completely new to me. The arena was huge, with large bins of colored foam scraps to jump or fall into. There were bars to walk on, bars to vault over, bars to hang from,... My legs were strong from ballet, although my arms were much less so. At least I was light and thin, so I could pull myself to a chin-up without too much trouble. Swinging myself up and over the top to a handstand on the bar was impossible, though. Before we knew it, the hour was up. I'd worked up quite a sweat. As Vanessa, Alice, and I regrouped, the other three girls ran up and joined us, hugging us all. "I gotta take a shower," Vanessa declared. "I'm so sweaty it's disgusting." Vanessa's dark skin gleamed and glistened all over with sweat. I felt rather grimy myself. "I'll join you," I replied. Alice came as well. "We'll wait outside," said Becky. Inside the shower room, Vanessa removed her bikini before soaping herself all over. I noticed a nice, neat, vertical patch of hair above her pussy cleft. Alice removed her one-piece suit as well. I hesitated a moment, then took off my bikini, and soaped myself all over. I made sure my bikini was thoroughly cleansed of the perspiration, before putting it back on. Meanwhile, Alice changed into a spare tankini. We rejoined the other girls, and the six of us went to lunch. Carol's older sister Nancy joined us, with a friend. Nancy was sixteen, almost seventeen. Carol was slightly taller than Nancy, even though she was only fourteen. They looked very much alike. Nancy's friend Cindy was a very pretty blonde, blue-eyed girl, exactly Nancy's height. Vanessa's comment, "Rather hungry, aren't we?" made me notice that I was wolfing my lunch down. It must have been the gymnastics class. I slowed down immediately, as Becky giggled in amusement. Afterwards, we all, including Nancy and Cindy, found a nice area off to the side, spread out our towels, and sunbathed and napped for a while. I awoke shrieking, brushing away a clammy touch. "Very sorry," said Carol above me. "I noticed you were beginning to turn red, and I took the liberty of applying more sunscreen. I didn't mean..." "Thanks," I hugged her. "I hope it isn't too late. I'm still peeling from before." I pulled off a bit of dead skin from my right shoulder, and took the bottle of sunscreen and applied it generously all over. "Lucy," said Alice to my right. "You are tanner now. You won't burn or peel as much this time. As for me, though..." she didn't continue, but I could imagine, given the freckles covering her body. "Hey, let's go on the Pipeline!" exclaimed Jen, jumping up. Cindy and Nancy joined us, and stayed with us the rest of the afternoon. Sometime later, it was approaching 5:00. "Guys? I have to call home now. Ma's going to come pick me up." Carol and Nancy leaned together to whisper, and then Carol said, "We could take you home, Lucy. Nancy drives; it won't be too far out of the way. It would be nice if you could stay until closing time, too." We found a public phone nearby, and I phoned home. "Lucy!" Ma answered the phone. "I'll be there in half an hour to pick you up." "Ma? Carol's sister has offered to drive us home, so you won't have to make the trip." "Let me speak with her a moment." I handed the phone to Nancy, and they talked a couple minutes. When Nancy returned the phone to me, I queried, "Ma?" "Lucy, they wish to stay until the park closes, and then take you to dinner. I okayed that, so I'll expect you home around 9:30." I was happy with that, although just a bit nervous. I stuck to Carol like glue, to make sure I wouldn't get lost at any point. We spent a fun two-and-a-half hours that evening. We returned to the changing room, and I changed back into the skirt and blouse I'd worn today, carefully rolling my bikini up in my towel. Upon leaving Bikini Beach, we stopped at a small pizza joint and ordered a large supreme pizza. Clothed and hair-styled as they were, Nancy and Carol looked like identical twins. Both were in jeans, sandals, and tee- shirt with identical Chinese characters. Nancy's tee-shirt was green, while Carol's was red. Otherwise, their clothing was identical. Nancy's friend Cindy was dressed similarly -- jeans, sandals, and gray tee-shirt telling us that, "My eyes are up there." Tall as all three girls were, that tee-shirt could have been speaking to me. When they dropped me off at home, I invited them in for a moment. Ruth and Ma were both in the living room. Ruth was reading -- "Astronomy Magazine"? How bizarre! What a boring, adult, nerdy subject. Pa emerged from his home office to meet my friends. They talked a little, and I was relieved that Pa didn't mention his distaste for girls in bikinis. Carol joined Ruth and talked some; apparently, she found that magazine interesting as well. Eventually, they said goodbye and left, and Pa returned to his home- office. It was my bedtime and past Ruth's bedtime, so we both slipped upstairs. I was kicking myself for ignoring my note this morning, so I created several notes and put them at several locations to remind myself that I was to wear a one-piece swimsuit to Bikini Beach. I went straight to bed, falling asleep instantly. Sunday, June 29 Ooo, aya, ow! I was all sore and stiff. It wasn't just the new dosage of sun I'd received yesterday at Bikini Beach; it was that gymnastics class. Taekwondo didn't help much with gymnastics at all. I think I stretched and contorted parts of my body further than they had any right to go. The memories were utterly embarrassing. I think I was the only one over half and under twice my age there who couldn't come close to doing the splits. And all the trouble I had with balance... To cop it all, I think I was the only boy in the class. I had a partner, an adult woman, and she spotted me during certain stands and flips. I found myself getting aroused and excited. My dick made a tent in my swimming trunks, noticeable to her and anyone else watching me. It reached the absolute nadir of mortification while I was stretching and bending my back on my hands and feet with the spotter's help. I orgasmed, soaking the front of my swimming trunks. The feeling buzzing through me was one of the most pleasurable and most intense I'd ever experienced. I'm sure everyone around me noticed. It stank to high heavens as well, with that distinct smell that shouted out to the world that I had just masturbated and jizzed. Sweat from the exercise only exaggerated the smell. Thank goodness, the girls hadn't made fun of me. It seemed like they were all happy for my trying it in the first place. They'd all hugged me afterwards. Hmmm.... Being hugged by five girls at once.... Awaking to Carol massaging sunscreen on me... Spending the day playing and laughing with the five girls... I was on my stomach, thrusting back and forth with my legs, remembering the times with the girls, bikini-clad, hugging. My dick was pulsing, and the wonderful buzzing feeling swept over me again. My underpants and pajamas felt icky afterwards. It had that same distinct smell as at the gym. Phew! It was Sunday Morning, too -- Church day. That was just all the more wrong. Last night, I'd eaten out with Carol, Nancy, and Cindy. Then I'd invited them in and introduced them to Ma, Pa, and Ruth. Introducing three girls to my family was another of the most embarrassing things of my life. I wondered if they thought one of them -- or heaven forbid, all of them -- were my girlfriends. At least my family was nice to the girls. And Carol talked with Ruth about the latest Astronomy magazine. At least they weren't in bikinis when I introduced them, unlike my recent nightmare. I had to shower and put on the hated Sunday suit, and clean out my sleepwear. I grabbed the Astronomy magazine, when I went down for breakfast. Ruth had been reading it last night, when we got home, and I wanted my opportunity to read it. I kept it with me at breakfast, and listening to the Mental Work, although I couldn't read it then. I brought it with me to Sunday School, reading it in the car and while waiting for things to begin. Ruth sat down next to me. "Yesterday, when I first began reading the magazine, Ma grabbed it away. `Such a magazine is utterly inappropriate reading for a young girl!'" I couldn't help laughing at Ruth's imitation of Ma's scolding, and Ruth laughed as well. "Then Pa intervened. `Astronomy Magazine is appropriate for anyone interested in the subject, who has any chance of understanding it.' He returned the magazine to me. Remember last week, Mrs. Vancourt said some horrid anti-astronomy things?" I recalled that rather well. Then Ma had scolded Ruth about respect for her elders. I didn't know what to say, other than, "That was terrible." It was a bit strange seeing Ruth interested in astronomy, but more power to her. Come to think of it, though, Ruth had been strange all week. In Sunday School, our teacher pointed out how, "God's spiritual Law is perfect, eternal, immutable. Mortal so-called laws of nature, are temporary. They always change." He reminded us that at one time, there were only seven planets. Then there were only six. Then seven again, then eight, and then there were nine. "We grew up learning that there were nine planets. Now they tell us that numerous planets orbit other stars." "They used to tell us that Jupiter had twelve moons. Now do you know how many moons Jupiter is supposed to have?" None of us answered that question. "It depend on who you ask. They'll all give you different numbers!" Why? They are based on the illusion of material sense. The teacher illustrated how railroad tracks are parallel -- they never get closer together or farther apart. "Yet, when you look at them, they appear to get closer together the farther away they are." I sensed that something was wrong with his argument, but I was at a loss for words to express it -- something about anything appearing smaller father away, material sense telling you that the railroad tracks are there in the first place. I just couldn't figure out how to put it in words. He also told us about the water on the road, that never seems to get closer. "The water on the road is illusion." An integral part of Christian Science is that material senses are illusion, nothing more. At one point, I noticed Ruth getting up, going over to a bookshelf, and pulling out a small book that looked like the Church Manual. I guessed she might be asking about something from the Mental Work. I was relieved when we were all called together for the final part of Sunday School, and more or less forgot what the teacher taught us. When Sunday School ended, I went into the church auditorium and sat down with Astronomy Magazine. Ruth joined me, and I handed her the magazine. She took it, but set it down, and turned back to me. She paused, looking like she wanted to say something. I waited, and eventually she spoke. "I asked Mrs. Vancourt about resisting or fighting mental malpractice as the Mental Work demands. Mrs. Vancourt was unfamiliar with Mrs. Eddy's words that I quoted from the Mental Work. I had to show her a passage in the Church Manual -- the duty to defend against aggressive mental suggestion. I didn't even attempt to search `Prose Works' for the other quotations." "What did she say?" "She first told me I was too young to worry about such things. I had to learn and remember the seven synonyms of God. Focus on God is Truth and God is Mind, and God can't be manipulated by mental malpractice. When I asked about Bikini Beach, she called it a place that encourages immodesty in girls and young ladies." "That sounds like something Pa would say," I said, Pa's distaste for girls in bikinis and skimpy clothing very much in my mind. "I asked her about changing people, changing their memories, making them forget -- that type of mental malpractice." Huh? I looked pointedly down at her. Was she accusing Bikini Beach of something? Ruth burst out laughing. "That's exactly how Mrs. Vancourt looked. She warned me to be careful about rumors and stories and accusations." I didn't know what to say about that, but fortunately I didn't have to. Ruth said, "There's Ma and Pa out in the lobby, with Mrs. Vancourt." I looked, and indeed, there they were, along with an elderly woman, the church practitioner, Mrs. P--. "They're probably talking about me; I want to hear what they're saying." Ruth slipped off the end of the bench, and I followed her. We went to the bench at the rear, and sat where we could barely hear them talking. Mrs. P-- was talking, and made no attempt to tone down her voice. "Children her age aren't ready for instruction in animal magnetism, mesmerism, and the like. Teaching such things to a child induces fear, and fear brings on the very result we wish to avoid. Children are influenced most by their parents. Protect yourself against animal magnetism, and you shield your children." Ma said, "I was raised with the daily Mental Work and the Lesson, as was my mother. We turned out all the better as Christian Scientists for it." Mrs. Vancourt said, "Ruth appears to have heard the strange rumors about Bikini Beach, and seems to take those rumors seriously, accusing Bikini Beach of mental malpractice. I doubt strongly that she would not take those rumors seriously if not for your fear-inducing Mental Work." Mrs. P-- said, "You may continue as you wish, Mrs. Cuttington, but I strongly urge you to stop the Mental Work, at least your grandmother's version that emphasizes mental malpractice." Ma said, "You do realize that the mental malpractice passages of the Mental Work are Mrs. Eddy's words, Mrs. Eddy's warnings and admonitions, Mrs. Eddy's command to defend ourselves. In the Church Manual, we are told that it's the duty of every member to defend himself daily against aggressive mental suggestion. The Mental Work is an important part of that defense." Pa said, "One thing I've noticed this past week, now that it's been brought up. Ruth has sometimes been looking angrily at you, Erin, during some of the malpractice sections. I'm not sure what it means, but with Ruth bringing it up in Sunday School, I'm concerned." "Oh, I'm sure there's nothing to be concerned about," said Ma. Ruth whispered in my ear, "Liar!" "Oh, you're probably right," said Pa. "I was probably needlessly concerned." Mrs. P-- said, "I'll work on it and see if I can see what the problem is." Again, Ruth whispered, "I hope she does hit on the truth." Ruth grabbed me, and pulled me along the bench and back down to a bench closer to the front. "I don't want to whisper," she said when we sat down. "And I want to be sure to be here when Ma and Pa come down. You may have noticed that the Mental Work says nothing about how to fight mental malpractice." "Well," I said with some hesitation, "it does tell us be ever on guard, to watch our thoughts `and see whether they lead you to God and into harmony with His true followers.'" Ruth said, "Mrs. Eddy was talking of the mode of mental malpractice, `working so subtly that we mistake its suggestions for the impulses of our own thought'. The admonition is useless when, because of mental malpractice, you try to say something about a particular subject, and bingo -- you find yourself scrambling your words, no matter how hard you try otherwise." "Another Mental Work passage," I said. "We are told to lean not on our strength, but to trust God." "Actually, it's lean not on our understanding. However we would be told not to lean on our strength, but to trust God. This might be the only thing I can do. But I'm trying various things, hoping something works. As they said about Br'er Rabbit being caught in the trap, he had to stop using his feet and start using his head." The organ music began. We turned and sat forward, and Ma and Pa joined us. The church service would begin shortly. In church service, I sat back, closed my eyes, and daydreamed. After all, I'd already heard the Lesson-Sermon every day for the past week. My mind went over all sorts of things, mostly about Bikini Beach. My wonderful friends there, Jen and Alice's misfortunes, Ruth linking Bikini Beach with mental malpractice, her teacher mentioning rumors about Bikini Beach -- rumors I'd never heard of, especially since I hadn't heard of Bikini Beach until we went there. That afternoon, after Sunday socialization with Ma and Sunday dinner, Ruth joined me going to the library. I dropped the books in the book return, saw Ruth off at the children's section, and walked a bit faster - - too eager, too excited, too scared -- to find "Forbidden Flowers." I glanced about -- nobody around, good -- and slipped out "Forbidden Flowers" and read. I was so engrossed that I jumped practically out of my skin at a loud whisper of "Hey, Luke!" The book fell out of my hands. Oh God, caught -- the mortification! It was Ruth, so perhaps she wouldn't understand what her big brother was reading. She set down the three or four books she was carrying, and picked up my book and glanced at it. "Forbidden Flowers, eh?" she said, opening it and flipping through the pages. "A clue, Luke." She showed me a passage, one quite familiar to me -- in fact, one of my favorite passages from one of my favorite fantasies in the book. "Lick or tongue a girl's p-- down there, and she'll love you forever. Any girl, any age." I stood there flabbergasted, my mouth opening and closing noiselessly. My little sister, my baby sister, Ruth?! She continued confidentially, "She'll love being kissed and licked all over. Neck, breasts, elbows, knees... On the other hand..." She paused, turned to another fantasy, and pointed to an account involving an ice cube. "Many girls won't like this." She giggled at my continued petrified reaction, slipped the book back into my shaking hands, while I continued to stand there in shock and embarrassment. "Meet you in an hour at the checkout stand, just before the library closes." She picked up her books and departed. The book slid out of my hands, while I just stood there, feeling faint and immobile. Once I was able to move, I picked the book back up, and slid it back into the shelf. I couldn't bear to look at the book any more. I made my way toward a table and flopped down in one of the chairs, and rested my head face-down on the table. All sorts of thoughts ran through my mind. I was almost sick at being caught by my little sister. She knew what it really was -- and didn't hate me for it. I told myself I should be relieved, but somehow it being my little sister made it worse. I wasn't sure how I could ever face Ruth again. But I still had to get her home safely. "The library will be closing in fifteen minutes," came the announcement. I got myself up, and made my way to the checkout desk to wait for Ruth, and collapsed onto a chair near the desk, feeling faint -- very much not looking forward to the meeting. "Luke." Ruth's voice startled me. "You okay, Luke? You look a bit green. Take a long, slow, deep breath." I did as she told, and felt better -- then wondered how she knew about that. I knew it from test- taking, but how did she know? "It'll keep you from fainting at the very least." After a pause, she said, "I need you to check out these books for me." She handed me two books, both fantasy paperbacks. "They're from the adult section." You had to be thirteen to get an adult library card. We checked out the books and left the library together in silence. I couldn't bear to look at her. "Luke? Can we talk just a little? Please?" She took my hand in both of hers. "I think both of us agree that we don't want Ma and Pa to know anything about this." "Definitely," I admitted, my voice shaking. "And I have to admit that there was a time when I would have been mortified if you discovered me reading books like that. So I can guess how you feel. Being caught by anyone is bad enough. Discovering that your nine-year-old little sister knows about the subject -- well..." For a moment I wondered. Was she really my nine-year-old little sister? There was the astronomy stuff as well. "I suppose I'll get over it," I conceded. "I hope we can talk about this subject, and any other subject freely -- by ourselves of course. But if you want, we can agree never to mention this again." Never is an awful long time, I thought. Turning to her, I said, "I don't want to say never, forever. I think I might want to talk about it some time. I agree, we should at least try to be able to talk about any subject. I'm feeling better now." We spontaneously embraced, and I lifted her up so her head was level with mine, and she wrapped herself around me. This reminded me of the girls at Bikini Beach. We stood like that for a couple minutes before I let her down. We continued walking home, hand in hand. I felt a whole lot happier. I knew that things had changed between us. Ruth brought up a completely different subject. "You know why I spent Friday night sleeping over with Daisy?" "Well, you're best friends, and girls always have sleepovers," I answered. "Well, yeah. But there was another reason. Daisy's dad is a lawyer. You told me about your friend's cousin being raped and murdered. I already knew about such a case, and was pretty sure that was it. I was also pretty sure they got the wrong man, from laziness and stupidity in their investigation. "I wanted to persuade her dad to look into the case, and have DNA tested. You know what DNA is?" "I heard of it in science class, but not really. It's a chemical in all of our cells. It determines inherited characteristics," I answered. "Yes. Some parts are different for everyone," Ruth said. "DNA can be tested to see who was involved in the crime and who wasn't. I wanted Daisy's dad to get the crime scene DNA and suspect's DNA tested." Ruth sighed. "I don't know if I successfully persuaded him." That was a lot to take in. We walked home in silence. And how did Ruth know about such things? The same way she knew about Astronomy, perhaps? Monday, June 30 Despite Mrs. P--'s advice to the contrary, we listened to the Mental Work over breakfast. Then we had to record the new Lesson-Sermon for the week. After we listened to the Mental Work, Ma said, "Luke, I want you to record the Lesson with me, as Second Reader." Oh, phooey. I knew better than to object. Ma always got what she wanted. Being Second Reader meant I had to read half the Responsive Reading and the Bible part of the Lesson. I had to stand up in front and perform in front of Ruth and Pa, and my voice would be heard every day this week. Ma, playing the part of the First Reader, led off with, "Subject: God. Golden Text: Psalms. `God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.' Responsive Reading: Acts. `Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.'" It was my turn now. "`For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.'" We continued with the Responsive Reading, Ma and I alternating verses. Then we got to the Lesson proper, the readings from the Bible and "Science and Health." I began with "Psalms: `Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.' Isaiah: `I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.'" I continued on that way. Then Ma continued with readings from "Science and Health." We alternated through six whole sections of this; it took about twenty-five minutes. I was quite relieved when it was over. The rest of the day went as usual, piano lessons and Taekwondo for me, ballet for Ruth. Walking home with Ruth, I was still embarrassed from yesterday's events. We walked home together in silence, although she let me hold her hand. I couldn't think of anything to say, and it seemed as if she couldn't either.