PART TWO (CONTINUED):

After sitting in the cool movie-house for two solid hours, leaning against Pete’s shoulder, with my left buttock
pressed against the red velvet of the chair-seat and my right buttock raised, ever so slightly, in order to relieve the pain,..my mind,—like a run-on sentence–kept returning to the events of the previous afternoon;upon, just how much Mrs. Murphy SAW and just how many of the people on our block had listened (by now), to the story from her [concerning, Paula Parkstone's afternoon bush trimming;or, Paula's concluding, naked slumber, upon her tummy, upon the chaise], as it were.

At this point, I was prepared to tell it ALL to Pete:

Just tell him, I told myself, before he hears it from someone else. Before, everything is completely out of your control, and you can’t hide the sunburn any longer.

I wanted to STOP hiding the fact—the bare facts—because I was so uncomfortable.There, in the Movie theater:

Just tell him now, I thought, as my butt rubbed the red-velvet; stinging. Lean in, and whisper it in his ear;then, you can both get the hell out of here, and you can get out of these too-tight jeans, while in the car..on the way home..if you have to.

How I made it through the Movie ["Carnal Knowledge"], I’ll never know. Every time I worked my way back to the idea of “confessing” to Pete, something inside, or something from the Movie itself, held me back. I sat there, on my sore bottom, and gazed up at the screen, asking for this sexy movie..quite good really..to be over..not speaking, or really hearing the convoluted dialogue..the false Male gaze, staring back at me, from the screen. I thought it would never end.

We arrived home, at exactly, 10:30 p.m.

As soon as we’d walked into the hallway, the front door closing behind us, I ran upstairs and took off my jeans and the long-sleeve shirt and threw them both onto the bed. I ran, nude, with my ass burning, into the bathroom and slammed the door closed behind me. I ran the bathwater warm, and then switched over, quickly, to COLD; then, added some rose-scented, bath crystals and sat down on the rug-covered toilet seat, gently. Waiting for the tub to fill. I didn’t even look to see if there were any towels in the bathroom. My mind was elsewhere, hovering between shame, and an unspoken rebelliousness.

When the tub was full, I slowly lowered my body into the cool water, submerging myself fully, stretched out. I felt the tingle, two times over, along with the dissipating bubbles, upon my red back; my cherry-red buttocks. This was Heaven. My bottom, (if it could speak) would now by crying with tears of joy. The cool water was an instant balm (SooooGoooD, SOOOOgood), easing what was SOOOOooooo BAD!:

I truly felt as if I had just come away from being spanked with a hairbrush; every time I sat down. The Sunburn was a punishment from the skies, from God, (as Mrs. Murphy, would be quick to point out). I’d have to say, I agree. I deserved that Sunburn. My fanny got warmed, but good! (TO BE CONTINUED). Thanks for reading!
~love, Paula.