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Hadn't aited long enough?

Later thatI had a talk with Cindy "Cindy, I aed, even though I disapprove of the way he was so rough on that boy I can understand his actions, but not yours Any young ly opened your door and invited hi like that again Once you are eighteen, you become your own boss--but until that day, and while you are under this roof, you will not play sex games with anyone here or anywhere else Do you understand?"

Her blue eyes widened, took on the shine of forthcohteenth century! All the girls are doing it! I held out er than most do, and from all I've heard about youyou went after men, too"

"Cindy!" I snapped sharply "Don't you ever throw my past or present in my face! You don't knohat I had to endure--while you have had nothing but happy days full of everything that was denied me"

"Happy days?" she asked bitterly "Have you forgotten all the nasty, s Bart did to me? Maybe I wasn't locked up, starved or beaten, but I've had my problems, and don't think I haven't Bart makes me feel so unsure about my femininity that I have to test all the boys I meetI just can't help it"

We were at that time in her bedroom, while Bart was downstairs

I stepped forward to take Cindy intoI do understand how you must feel But you hters Your father and I want only the best for you, We don't want you to be hurt Let this experience with Lance teach you a lesson, and hold back until you are eighteen and able to reason wither than that if you can When you grab at sex too soon, it has a way of biting back and giving you exactly what you don't want It did that to e and filirl has been thwarted by a baby that started because of

uncontrollable passion Be careful before co yourself to anyone Don't fall in love too soon, for when you do you make yourself vulnerable to so many unforeseen events Give romance a try without sex, Cindy, and save yourself all the pain of giving too much too soon"

Her arht about ain hter

Later Cindy and I stood side by side downstairs, watching everything whiten with snow, growus even more from the rest of the world "Now all roads from Charlottesville will be blocked," I said tonelessly to Cindy "What's ely shein his room as if he doesn't want to encounter her, or any of us Bart saunters around like he owns all of us as well as the house Oh, I wish Chris were here I hate it when he's gone"

I turned to find Cindy staring at me with a kind of wonderment She flushed when she met my eyes When I asked why, sheon to what you have, when I fall in and out of love so often Moot to tell me how to make a man really love me, and not just my bo

dy I wish boys would look first into my eyes like Daddy looks into yours; I wish they'd look at ly face, but they all stare at my boobs I wish their eyes would follow me around like Jory's follow Melodie"

Cindy put her arainst my shoulder "I'm so sorry, Moht Thank you for not scoldingabout what you said, and you're right Lance has paid a heavy price, and I should have known better" Pleadingly she gazed into irls at school started way back when they were eleven, twelve and thirteen, and I love Lance And I held back, although all the boys chased after ht I was doing it when I wasn't I pretended to be really with it, but then one day I heard so they hadn't scored all the ith me They talked as if I were some kind of freak--or maybe a lesbian That's when I decided I'd let Lance have his way this Christift I had for him"

I stared at her hard, wondering if she told all the truth, as she went on to tell roup to hold out until sixteen, and that was really old for a girl in today's world "Please don't be ashamed, for if you are, then I'll be I've wanted to do it since I elve but held back because of what you said But you've got to understand that what I did with Lance wasn't casual I love him And for a while, before you and Bart caood"

What could I say now?