Chapter 9

"I think," David said after a while, "that we really need to break her spirit. If we get her to the point where there is no hope left, we can rebuild her however we want."

"What do you mean, honey?"

"I think that she has too much time to think, and that her lessons have become predictable, at least in terms of the time of day." David stopped and pondered for a while. "We also need different ways to reinforce the lessons."

"C'mon," he said with a smile, "It's about time that we took Sharon to Wal-Mart for the very first time. They are open 24 hours, so we have plenty of time."

"Wal-Mart," Danielle queried?

"Wal-Mart!"

Naturally, it took a while to get Sharon ready for a road drip, but eventually they get the car carrier strapped in, the diaper and snack bags loaded, and they headed across the county to the large Wal-Mart that had opened a bout a year ago.

During the ride, they talked about everything, and they talked about nothing. It was the kind of conversation that two people who are deeply in love have. Sharon, who decided to sleep during the hour long road trip, didn't contribute to the conversation (other than an occasional gurgle or sigh), but she was certainly the object of much of the discussion.

At one point, David and Danielle discussed the merits, or lack of merits, of Wal-Mart. Jobs, economic impact, wages and class of customers all came under fairly strong criticism from David, who was no fan of the mega chain.

Eventually, they found their way into the parking lot, dodged abandoned shopping carts that seemed to have a will of their own, and found a place to park. They got the car carrier loaded into a cart, and placed Sharon safely inside.

First stop was sporting goods, where David picked up several ping-pong paddles, some with a rubber surface and a few with the old fashioned sandpaper surface. An inexpensive rubber hose was next. An athletic supporter, some soccer shin guards, some wide adhesive tape, and some lightweight boxing gloves were also added. In the school supplies area they got poster board, and lots of colorful marker pens. Lots of baby clothes and baby food filled the cart, and a few trips through the grocery section soon had the cart overflowing.

Soon they were on the way back home, loaded to the gills.

Once home, David put away the groceries and baby items, and laid the rest of the items on the kitchen table.

"First we need some posters. We have three themes we need to drive home: Obedience, Attitude, and Respect. We need posters that reflect those themes."

"I can do those," Danielle offered, "I was good in art. Do you want them serious or frilly?"

"Serious, I think."

"I agree. What else?"

"As long as she is resisting, I've going to start wearing the cup and the shin guards. I wouldn't be surprised if she attacked me at some point, and I need to be prepared.

"I'm going to tape the boxing gloves on her so that she loses the use of her fingers or her grip. It will give her a bit more clout if she attacks me, but it will also limit her in a lot of ways."

"I'm going to spend several hours with her on my next visit, and I'll use the paddles and some lengths of hose on her. She won't be pretty when I am done, but there will be no permanent damage. Plus, she won't be expecting me this late at night."