Lydia’s heart was light when she walked home from Beth’s the next afternoon. She never realized she could have so much in common with a girl she had just been casual friends with all these years. Beth’s ambition matched Lydia’s concerning school and visiting faraway places. The difference was that Beth’s family encouraged her goals. In spite of Beth saying she had many questions about her “lady business,” it was Beth who was able to fill her in on the facts, especially the part about being careful around strange boys. Beth had two older brothers who were protective of her and gave her some facts about the male perspective on s*x. Between the brothers and growing up on a farm, Beth had pretty much figured out what men and women did when they were alone together.
By the time they had conclu
