| Chapter four A Day To Remember |
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| The past couple days had been quite eventful. Wendy could hardly believe her brother David could be so mean as to play such a prank on her little brothers. She was happy and relieved that Mr. Parker decided not to punish them for listening in while David received his whipping. She reminded herself as she crawled into bed, that she would have to scold Ricky for leading her brothers into disobedience. Still she couldn�t think about much else except for the day that lie ahead. Tomorrow would be her 12th birthday. She had asked her father if it would be ok to take a trip into town with Patricia, Alex and Missy. She was taking the girls to lunch at the little caf� and had invited Wendy along. Though she hadn�t thought of any other woman ever taking the place of her mother, she had allowed someone to fill the role of father in her heart, and though she hadn�t though of it before, she did feel close to Patricia too. Wendy looked into her secret hiding place under the cushion in the window seat. She had managed to save a few dollars from her allowance and the change her father had given her from time to time. It added to about ten dollars. It could be just enough to buy a small bottle of perfume or maybe some ribbons for her hair. She hoped someone else knew of her birthday. It wouldn�t be right to mention it, for then it would seem as though she expected gifts when she didn�t. She only hoped. Wendy lay in the darkness of her room. A light snoring came from the bed just a few feet away. Wendy smiled. She wondered if Jessica knew she snored. Wendy snuggled down under the covers as the wind blew up under the eves of the window. Hoping tomorrow would bring only smiles and happiness, Wendy drifted off to sleep. Wendy rose as the sun peaked through the window. She smiled at the thought that today of all special days the sun had chosen to come out. She jumped out of bed and went to the window. Though it was early, she lifted the latch and opened it. The air felt warm for October and it smelled of spring. The wind blew the leaves gently from the trees down to the ground, picked them up and swirled them around the courtyard. It was going to be a perfect day. Wendy Smiled and jumped from the window with renewed energy. She gathered her things and headed for the shower. When she came back to her room, Jessica lay in bed staring at the ceiling. Humming escaped her tiny lips as she went to making her bed and tidying up the room. �You�re in a good mood this morning,� Jessica stated. �It�s a great day. The sun is out, the wind is blowing a little and it�s warm. I feel really good today,� Wendy replied. �Are you excited about going to lunch with Patricia, Alex and Missy?� �Wendy sat down on her bed and held her pajamas close. �I�m a little nervous. Alex and Missy have had lessons in uhh, I think Alex called it etiquitte? I�m not sure exactly what it is, but I think it�s the way you behave when you go out. Patricia dresses really nice and did you see the dresses she got for them to wear?� Wendy looked down at her navy blue uniform. �I�m going to be so out of place today.� She began to wonder if this was such a good idea. �Ohhh I didn�t mean to bring you sadness when you seemed in such a good mood.� �You�re right. I don�t matter. They invited me so I won�t worry about it.� Wendy slipped on her navy blue knee highs and her Mary-Janes, then skipped off down the hall. When Wendy entered the cafeteria, she saw her father at the far end talking to one of the cooks. Patricia stood next to him. Wendy smiled. She wondered what it would be like if her dad and Patricia were to get married. Would that make Patricia her mother then?� �Hi Daddy,� she shouted. �Hi Patricia. Wendy ran and stood beside them. �Good morning Wendy. Did you sleep well?� he asked. �Yes sir, just fine.� �Good morning Wendy. Are you looking forward to lunch?� Wendy looked at Patricia and frowned. �I guess so, but I�m not. . . .� �Wendy!� Patricia invited you, so be respectful.� �Yes sir.� Patricia looked Wendy over, then smiled. I think I know what the problem is. Come with me child,� she said. Wendy took Patricia�s hand and they left the cafeteria. �I think we will head for town after breakfast. Do a little shopping, then go to the caf� for lunch. How does that sound?� Remembering her father�s warning of respect, Wendy answered. �It sounds wonderful. I even have a few dollars. I want to get some ribbons for my hair or maybe a small bottle of perfume. Do you think that would be alright?� Patricia wrapped her arm around Wendy�s shoulder as they continued to walk. �I think that would be just fine.� Wendy sat with Patricia and the girls at breakfast. She talked to her father for a brief second before she was to leave. Mark reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. Wendy�s eyes widened as Mark took out ten dollars and handed it to her. �But this isn�t mine. I didn�t earn it!� She handed it back to him. �Wendy I want you to have this. I want you to buy something special while you�re in town with Patricia. I want you to have a wonderful time.� Wendy stared at the money. With ten extra dollars she wouldn�t have to choose between ribbons and perfume. She could have both. She smiled and gently took the money. �Thank you Dad,� she replied. Wendy wrapped her arms around mark and gave him a hug. Mark smiled and hugged her back. As she walked away, it hit him. She hadn�t called him Daddy. She had called him Dad. The change had began and his little girl was slowly turning into a young lady. Mark turned his attention back to his plans for the day. Wendy headed back upstairs to Alex and Missy�s room. When the call came for her to enter, she smiled. Alex had on a beautiful white dress with pink accents, white stockings and light pink shoes. Patricia stood behind Alex as she adjusted the light pink bow so it would sit perfect upon Alex�s head. Missy wore a similar dress but her�s had lavender accents. She didn�t look as pleased to be dressed so fancy. Wendy would change with her in a second. Patricia had on a white satin blouse and a light floral print skirt. They all looked so nice. Wendy looked down at her school uniform. She felt like a maid. �Wendy I hope you don�t mind, but I got you something.� Wendy looked up at Patricia, she stood holding a large box wrapped in tissue paper and a large ribbon. Wendy slowly reached over and took the box. She set it down on Alex�s bed and untied the ribbon. She tore the tissue paper from around the box, then lifted the lid. Inside was the prettiest dress Wendy had ever seen. It was light pint with little white flowers printed on the material. Wendy pulled the dress from the box and stared at it. Tears welled in her eyes as she held it up to her body. It looked like it would fit perfect. �There�s more,� Patricia said. Wendy looked into the box. It contained a pair of white dress shoes and light pink stalking. Wendy burst into tears. Patricia wrapped her arms around Wendy. �Ohhh honey don�t cry,� Patricia laughed. �It�s ok.� �It�s so pretty,� Wendy cried. I�ve never had something so nice since I lived with my mother.� Patricia wiped Wendy�s tears. �You think you should stop crying and put it on. I want to get pictures of you three before we go to town.� �Wendy turned and took the dress back from Alex. She walked to the other side of the closet and opened the door. She stood behind the door, slipped off her school uniform and put on the beautiful new dress. The fabric felt so good against her skin. With new slip, new dress, shoes and stockings, Wendy emerged. �Will you fix my hair?� she asked Patricia. �Of course I will.� Wendy stood with her back to Patricia and let her do her hair. The girls hurried and made the room neat and tidy. Wendy liked that her room could be messy sometimes and her father never said much about it, but Wendy knew Patricia expected Alex and Missy�s room to always be neat and tidy. Wendy wished Mark expected that from her and Jessica too. �I think it�s time to go now girls. Stand close and let me get a photo of you.� The girls stood with their arms around each other and smiled big smiles for the camera. Patricia snapped three pictures then told the girls it was time to go. Alex picked up her sweater and headed for the door. Missy followed close behind. Patricia stood at the door and waited for Wendy. As she passed by, Wendy stopped. �Thank you for the wonderful gifts. I will cherish them forever.� She turned and wrapped her arms around Patricia. �I love you Patricia.� �I love you too honey.� Alex and Missy stood in the hall and smiled.� Missy sat in the front seat, Alex and Wendy sat in the back. The girls chattered all the way to town. When town came into view, Wendy looked at all the shops. It had been a while since she had been into town and she had never been during fall. Small flowering trees lined the streets and the pink petals covered the pavement. Leaves blew in front of the car. The wind had picked up, but the weather still felt warm. Patricia parked in front of a small boutique and turned off the car. �Shall we go in the boutique first then the drug store?� �Yes Ma�am. Alex replied. Wendy nodded. It was close to eleven when they entered the boutique. The girls split off and looked around the store. Patricia looked at the sale items, then moved over to look at the girls sweaters. She looked through and found a light blue one with pink flowers on it. �Wendy would you come here for a minute please.� �Yes Ma�am?� �Do you like this sweater?� Wendy looked at it, then touched it. She looked at Patricia but didn�t know what to say. She liked it but didn�t want Patricia buying her anymore things. �It�s beautiful.� Wendy picked up the tag and looked. �Oh, it�s very expensive. I don�t want you to pay that much. We could look around couldn�t we?� �I suppose we could. There are a few other shops in town as well as a childrens clothing store around the corner. Things might be cheaper there.� Wendy smiled and Patricia. The girls shopped around and Patricia bought some under garments, then they left for another store. They hit two more then the childrens clothing store. Wendy looked around at the sweaters and found one she really liked, but it wasn�t much cheaper than the one she had seen earlier. Patricia saw Wendy holding the sweater, then put it back. �It�s almost time for us to go to the caf� for our lunch, then we must head back to the school.� �Can we go to the drug store first? I want to look at hair ribbons and maybe get a small bottle of perfume,� Wendy asked. Just then, Alex approached. She had with her, some under garments. �May I get these today Mother?� she asked. Patricia took the packages from Alex and examined them. �Do you need these things?� she asked. �Yes Ma�am. My other ones are getting to small.� she replied. �Yeah, her butt is getting to big for the others.� �Melissa Ann!� Patricia scolded. Missy knew she had spoken out of turn. �I�m sorry Alex.� she replied. �Why don�t the two of you go on to the drug store and we will meet you there,� Patricia suggested. Eager to get out of the clothing store, Missy grabbed Wendy and they headed for the door. Patricia handed the packages of underpants back to Alex. �Lets go pay for these,� Patricia said. Alex headed for the counter. She sat the packages down and turned to her mother. Patricia had stopped and picked up the sweater that Wendy had earlier. She sat in on the counter with the packages for Alex. �We would like this sweater as well,� she told the lady. Alex smiled. �Wendy is going to love it. Do you think by the time we eat our lunch, Mark will be ready?� She asked. �I�m sure we will be gone just long enough.� Patricia paid for the items and they headed for the drug store. Wendy looked all around the store. She found just the ribbons she wanted and a bottle of perfume as well. She felt lucky. Ten more dollars than she had expected and a new dress as well. When Patricia and Alex showed, she noticed Wendy looking at a heart shaped necklace in the display counter. �Are you getting that instead of the ribbons and perfume?� Patricia asked. �No Ma�am. I�ve already spent my money. Maybe next time.� Alex noticed Patricia�s look. �Wendy I want to show you something I saw last time I was here.� Wendy smiled, picked up her bag and followed Alex to the far side of the store. A couple minutes later she heard Patricia call to them. The girls met her by the door and they left for the caf�. Patricia, Alex, Missy and Wendy entered the caf� and took a seat at a small round table in the corner by the front window. Wendy looked all around the caf�. It was as fancy as she remembered when Alex had described. It made her nervous to be in such a place. She watched as Patricia took. She listened as the woman came over with menu�s then came back a few minutes later and took their order. After the food arrived Wendy watched as Patricia picked up the napkin and carefully placed it on her lap. Alex and Missy did the same. Wendy reached up and touched the cloth napkin. It was so fancy Wendy didn�t know if she should touch it or not. She looked at Patricia. �Patricia?� Wendy called. Patricia looked at Wendy. She could tell Wendy was nervous. �It�s ok, pick it up and place it on your lap.� Wendy obeyed. �This place is. . I don�t know what. . .If I mess up. . Wendy looked down at the table. �Patricia knew what she had to do. She had to teach Wendy like she had taught her girls.� �Sit up straight Wendy.� she ordered. Wendy did as she was told. She told Wendy how to sit while at such a luncheon and where to place her feet. She told her of the silverware and the glasses. She told her of the food and how to eat it with lady like manners. Twice through the lunch, she reminded Wendy to sit straight. Twice she told her not to place her arms and elbows on the table. The third time Wendy did so during lunch, Patricia picked up her table knife and without warning, she quickly rapped Wendy�s elbows. Surprised, Wendy quickly pulled them from the table, looked at Patricia, then turned her attention to her elbows. �If I catch them on the table again, you will sit with your hands folded neatly in your lap for the remainder of the meal. Do you understand? She felt as though she could have cried, but Wendy knew Patricia had warned her twice already and that she was just trying to teach her table manners. �Yes Ma�am.� Wendy replied. She looked at Alex and Missy. She could tell by their expressions, their elbows had been rapped before too. Wendy couldn�t believe how it hurt so. Wendy watched Alex at the table. Her manners were perfect here just like when they ate at the school. She could tell Missy did so because it was expected, though she didn�t act like it was something she chose to do. Wendy looked at Patricia. She would do anything to spend time with her. She wanted to learn all she could even if it meant getting her elbows rapped. Wendy made sure she didn�t set them on the table again. When the meal was over, Wendy noticed Alex and Missy had taken their napkins and placed them neatly on the table. They were sitting straight with their hands neatly folded on their laps. Wendy looked at Patricia. She could tell she was waiting. Wendy sat her glass down, folded her hands and sat them on her lap. Wendy watched as Patricia stood and walked around the table. When she got to Wendy she stopped and placed her hands on her shoulders. �Sit proper!� she instructed. Wendy quickly crossed her feet at her ankles and skooted her feet closer to the chair. Being a lady wasn�t easy Wendy thought to herself. Patricia paid for the lunch then returned to the table. It�s time to go!� she told the girls. The girls quickly stood and started to head for the door. �Wendy!� she called. Wendy turned and looked at Patricia. She remained standing beside the table. Wendy waited but Patricia never said another word. Finally Wendy walked around the table and stood in front of Patricia. Several of the people in the caf� were watching. Wendy feared she was in trouble though she hoped Patricia wouldn�t scold her in front of strangers. �Yes Ma�am �Please push in your chair.� Wendy smiled, turned and pushed in her chair. On the trip home Wendy sat in the back seat of the car. It had been a very strange day and she wasn�t sure what to make of it. Certainly it wasn�t the worst birthday she�d ever had but it wasn�t the best either. She thought of her mother, father and grandmother. She remembered all the special birthdays with them. She missed them. When she saw the sight of the school, she remembered she was an orphan. Even so, Barrington Hall hadn�t turned out to be such a bad place after all. Mark loved her and she thought perhaps Patricia did as well. Patricia parked the car and picked up her packages. Together they entered the school. Wendy couldn�t wait to tell her father of the day she had with the girls. She ran to her room, but Jessica wasn�t there. She looked in Sarah and Nadia�s room, but no one was there either. Wendy looked all around the school but she couldn�t find any of her family. Alex followed her everywhere and helped her look. �Maybe they�re in here!� Alex suggested as she headed for the door of one of the rec rooms. Alex reached for the door and pulled it open. When they entered, Wendy heard everyone yell �Surprise�, then everyone started singing �Happy Birthday� Wendy stood there mesmerized by all the happy voices. Mark was there with Patricia, Missy, Jessica, David, Nathan, Rebecca, Emily, Jacob, Matt, Madison, Sarah, Nadia and Ricky. By the time they were finished singing, Wendy stood there in tears. Happy tears. Slowly everyone came up and hugged her. There was the biggest cake Wendy had ever seen sitting on the table. Many presents surrounded it. Wendy didn�t know what to think. She buried her face in Marks shoulder. �I�m so happy,� she cried. �Well I think you should blow out the candles before they melt the cake don�t you?� �Yes Sir,� Wendy replied. She turned and looked at the cake. She counted the candles. �Yep, twelve,� she said, then she drew a big breath and blew real hard. All the candle went out. They had cake and ice cream. It was the best cake she had ever tasted. Wendy made it around the room and talked to everyone. When she got to David she stopped. He looked as though he would rather not be there. She knew it still bothered him about the whipping he took from Mr. Parker. �I love you David,� she said. Then she hugged him. �I love you too snoopy,� he replied. Mark called Wendy over and had her sit in a chair. She opened the presents one at a time. She didn�t remember the last time she had so many presents. Finally she got down to the last two boxes. One medium sized one and one small one. Wendy�s eyes teared, it was the sweater she had seen earlier but didn�t feel right in asking for it. The smaller gift was the gold locket she had seen in the drug store. She threw her arms around Patricia. �I love you mother. Thank you for today and for teaching me.� Patricia looked at Mark. He smiled. �I love you to sweetheart,� she replied. �Ok that�s enough mushy stuff,� Mark ordered. Besides I think it�s about time don�t you Patricia?� �Wendy turned and looked at her father. �Time for what?� �Well for your birthday spanking of course. You can�t have a birthday with out one. Can you Patricia?� he asked. �Well no, I don�t believe you can Mark.� she smiled at him. Wendy looked at her father and gulped. Chills ran up and down her spine. Her bottom began to tingle. She looked around the room. She thought, In front of all these people?� �Ok birthday girl. Come over here.� Wendy turned toward Mark. Her eyes widened. He had taken a seat in the very chair in which she sat in to open her presents. He patted his leg. Wendy slowly went to his side. Knowing he didn�t intend to spank her and make her cry, she figured it would be ok, still it made her nervous to think of being in that position. �Over my knee young lady!� he ordered. Wendy took a quick look at Ricky, he smiled at her. Wendy turned and stared at her fathers lap. She leaned forward and let herself fall over his knee. Mark positioned her so her bottom was right within smacking range. �Comfy?� he asked her. �Her voice quivered. Noooo.� Mark laughed. �Ok I want everyone to count with me. Wendy gets twelve spanks so she can officially turn twelve today.� Wendy closed her eyes tight. �One,� Mark said. Wendy heard everyone count, but she only felt the weight of her fathers hand on her bottom. No pain and no real spank. Wendy couldn�t help it. She giggled. Every swat echoed with the count from everyone in the room, followed by giggles from Wendy. By the time Mark reached twelve, Wendy couldn�t stop giggling. Mark lifted her fom his lap and hugged her. �Happy Birthday sweetie.� �Can all my spankings be like that one?� �Mark smiled, then laughed. The party lasted forever. When it ended, Alex and Jessica helped Wendy carry her new things to her room. A few minutes later a knock came to the door. Mr. Parker stood just outside. �Will you girls excuse us for a moment?� Alex and Jessica scurried from the room. Mr. Parker took a seat on Wendy�s bed. I know today is a very special day for you but I don�t much believe in material things. Have you ever heard of the Genie in the bottle?� �No sir.� �Well it�s a long story but what it comes down to, is the finder of the Genie�s bottle gets three wishes, and since I�m the principal here, basically I have the power to grant you three wishes. My gift to you for your birthday is to grant you any three wishes you like. Do you have any ideas? Wendy looked around the room, then went and stared out the window. �I can have any three wishes?� �Yes,� �I like that gift. Thank you Mr. Parker.� �You�re welcome Wendy.� �Do I have to use them all today?� �No. You don�t have to use them at all today. They are good until they are used up.� Wendy smiled then put her hand to her mouth. �I do have one I�d like to use today if I may?� �The Genie is listening,� Mr. Parker replied. Wendy turned from the window. She took on a solemn look and hoped her request wouldn�t earn her a non kind of birthday spanking. Supper gets over at 5:30. My wish is that you will let Ricky come and hang out with me, Alex and Jessica up here until ten tonight.� Wendy�s eyes widened and she waited for Mr. Parkers reply. � Your father isn�t going to like this. What is it that you have planned for tonight?� �To be able to hang out and talk to him about what ever I want without thinking I shouldn�t. Alex and Jessica will be here,� she said softly. Maybe hit him with pillows and stuff?� When Mr. Parker smiled, Wendy relaxed a little. I will grant you your wish on one condition.� Wendy nodded. �The door stays open at all times. I know your father will be up here every 5 seconds so I will let Patricia be in charge of keeping an eye. If she finds the door closed, Ricky has to come back downstairs immediately. Do we have a deal?� It was all Wendy could do to contain her joy �Yes Sir. The door will stay open.� �Is that the only wish you are using right now?� Wendy nodded. �Very well then. From 5:30 until 10, Ricky can keep you company. �Thank you Mr. Parker.� Wendy changed from her dress into her uniform. She hung the dress in her closet then slipped on her new sweater. Being Saturday, she didn�t think Mr. Parker would care. Wendy looked at the things she got for her birthday. She thought about her real mother and her father. She wondered if they knew how happy she was. �You will always have a special place in my heart,� she whispered as she looked out into the darkening sky. �I know you�re watching out for me and I know you sent me Mark and Patricia. I love you.� Wendy took her perfume and gave it a quick squirt, then headed downstairs to dinner. Wendy spent the rest of the evening in her room, with door open. Jessica came in and out, Alex did the same. Wendy and Ricky sat in the window seat and talked, played card games at the table and when no one was looking, he leaned over the table and gave her a quick kiss. �Ricky!� �I know, no kisses but it is your birthday.� Wendy smiled. Patricia came and went every few minutes to make sure they were behaving. The talk Patricia had before Ricky came up, helped to keep Wendy in check as to how a young lady should act. Wendy didn�t want to disappoint her. When ten p.m came around, Mark stood in the doorway. Ricky knew it was time to go. Mark could tell what Ricky wanted by the expression on his face. �Go ahead,� he said. Ricky tunred and gave Wendy a hug. �Happy Birthday Wendy,� he said. Wendy rested her head on Ricky�s shoulder. She felt all warm and happy inside.� �Time to go young man!� Ricky smiled , then disappeared around the corner, Mark close behind. Wendy jumped into bed and snuggled under the covers. She thought about her trip to town, her new found closeness with Patricia, the only spanking that would probably ever make her laugh and the fact that she still had two wishes left. It had indeed been a wonderful day. |