doughnut day.” Ignoring Bob, Beth ran out and headed for the house.

"I hate you!" Bob shook his fist at me. "Hate you to pieces!"

I turned my back on him and followed Beth into the cinnamon-scented kitchen.

Early that evening we heard chopping noises.. "What's that?” Beth asked Mother.

"Probably someone chopping down a dead tree, Mother said.

That sounded logical to me, so I accepted it.

We forgot all about the incident until the next morning. Then when Beth and I raced out to our playhouse we found out what the chopping noise had been.

Someone had hacked our playhouse with a hatchet. One wall was completely wrecked.

Beth ran into the house to report our finding to Mother.

While I stood there staring at what had once been a snug playhouse and now was a mess, Bob climbed the fence between our yards. I tried to hide the tears in my eyes by blinking quickly.

Bob stood in front of me, his lips curling in a surly smile. His eyes were gloating as he said,

"That's what you get!" He pointed toward the wrecked playhouse. "You wouldn't let me feel in your panties. You wouldn't let me look between your legs. But now I've got even with you!"

Infuriated, I started slamming at him with my doubled fists. Just then I heard Beth yelling,

"Mother, make Melba stop! She's beating up on Bob!"

He was taller and stronger than I was, but of course Beth, as usual, sided with him, against me. That hurt. I turned and ran toward the beach. I wanted to be alone.

16

My dislike of Bob increased with each passing year.

Beth's liking for him grew stronger. Beth and I became even farther apart.

When I had curves in the right places, wore lipstick and was fifteen, Bob tried to date me. I wasn't interested. Bob dated other girls but kept after me. Beth was crazy about him, but he couldn't see her as a date. Not even when she wore a tight black dress, sprayed herself with perfume and put on high heels.

One night when I was helping load the cakes and pies with which Mother supplied cafes, into a pickup truck, Bob accused me of flirting with the young driver. I cared so little that I didn't even bother to deny it. Though it wasn't true.

As soon as the pick-up truck drove away, Bob grabbed me by the wrist and told me,

"Melba, your green eyes and your sexy mouth really send me. " Then he tried to kiss me.

I dodged and ran away from him.

I didn't want to be bothered with him. But as time passed, because Mother pleaded with me to be sweet to Bob, occasionally I'd sit in the lawn swing in the patio with him. But it always ended the same way. He'd crowd too close to me, and try to slide his hand along my thigh, or feel my breast. I'd leap up and scold, "I don't care to be pawed!" Then I'd streak into the house.

Bob got sore about it, every time. But it didn't stop him from trying again.

Beth couldn't understand why I didn't want to be alone with Bob. She thought he was exciting. His athletic body, his year-round tan, and those big brown eyes, and that wavy dark hair sent tingles up her spine.

"Can't figure you out," Beth frowned, tugging at her short dark curls. "Not getting a charge out of Bob. Not wanting to smooch with him." A grin lit her gamin face. She shrugged her pert shoulders. "You can't be

17