That went on till I was fifteen or so. One day I came home late 'cause I'd been playing touch football and lost track of time. The minute I walked in the door, Daddy came flying in my face. "Down to the cellar!"
And down we went. Except now I had grown taller than him, and was fifty pounds heavier. So when he told me to drop my pants, I yanked the belt out of his hands and said, "No, sir. Now you take off your shirt!"
After that, Daddy never laid another hand on Mama or me.