NB: Cradle Time-chapter 6 (M/f x2)
Copyright © 1999

by SamPast and Huggedlots

(and a little help from Don A. Landhill)

 

 

Heather had a fitful night but was finally sleeping soundly, when suddenly she heard "Mommy, Mommy".

Jumping out of bed, she ran to Maggie's room, and saw that she was tossing and turning, but was still asleep. She didn't know whether to wake her up or not, and as she was trying to decide, she felt Bob's presence beside her. They both looked into each others eyes, and Bob hugged her tight, whispering to her that Maggie was just dreaming, and then he walked over and kissed Maggie's forehead, covered her up tightly, and stroked her back until he felt her relax in sleep.

When Heather woke up the next morning, she was very grateful that she didn't have to rush off to class. Bob forbidding her to go to school anymore was the greatest gift he could have given her, even if HE didn't know it, she thought, and giggled to herself. She realized suddenly that it was really late, and hurried out to the kitchen.

There she found a big note on the kitchen table. "Hey, sleepyhead, Maggie and I are both fine and off to school. See you tonight. Get some rest. That's an order! We love you. Bob."

 

Maggie had scribbled a quick note too. Heather felt really loved, and sat sipping herbal tea and suddenly thought about all the times lately she had not paid a whole lot of attention to Maggie. She knew she had to do something BEFORE the baby came to cement their relationship. She also knew that Bob was right, and she had to be a better mother, but HOW?

How could it all come naturally to Lisa but not to her? And the twins weren't even really hers! Life was sooo unfair. Heather decided to go back to bed, and alternated between dozing and moping until Maggie got home.

Rushing into the house, Maggie was surprised not to see or hear anything. She tiptoed into the bedroom, and realized her mom was asleep, so she did what she had been doing, and went to defrost something for dinner and started picking up the house. Before she knew it, her dad was walking through the door.

"Hi, Magpie, what are you doing? Where's Mommy?"

"Ohh, she's sleeping, Daddy."

Maggie rushed into her daddy's arms, and felt his love surround her like a cloak. "Well, let's wake Mommy up. I have news for the two of you."

"You do? What is it, Daddy? Tell me! Tell me!"

"Whoa, hold up, Magpie," and with that admonishment, he lifted her up in the air and threw her until she giggled. He was still holding her in his arms when they walked into the bedroom. Bob walked over, dumped Maggie on the bed, and said, "Wake up, sleepyhead!"

Heather slowly opened her eyes and looked at both of them, slightly confused.

"What did you do all day, hon?" Bob asked.

"I guess I slept," Heather replied with a guilty laugh.

 
"It's okay, sweetheart, pregnant women need lots of sleep. Trust me, I have been reading lots on the subject."

Heather rolled her eyes. Just like an academician to READ all about things. "Sheesh," she said playfully. Maggie giggled as she watched her parents tease each other. Then suddenly she remembered.

"DADDY! You SAID you had news. Come on, Daddy, tell us, tell us!"

Bob smiled. "Well, Charlie called me at work today and guess what?"

"What?" Maggie cried.

"They are having a baby, too!" Bob announced.

Heather just smiled, and as Bob looked at her, he could see that she already knew. Leaning over, he whispered in her ear, "Hmm, keeping secrets from me, young lady?"

Batting her eyelashes at him, she replied, "Who, me?"

Tugging on his shirt to get his attention, Maggie asked if she could go call the twins. "Sure sweetie, go ahead."

Maggie ran out to call, and waited impatiently for someone to answer. Robin picked up the phone. She had barely said hello before Maggie rushed, "Hey Robin, it's me."

"Hey Maggs, did you hear the news?"

"Yeah, I sure did. How do you feel about it?"

"Well, I think it's great, but Jenn had a full blown tantrum," Robin explained.

"She did?" Maggie asked. "Wow, did your daddy spank her hard?"

 
"Nope, Mommy said she was entitled to her feelings."

Maggie thought about that. "I do kinda know how she feels, Robin, but I have had more time to get used to the idea."

"Well, I think having a little brother or sister to take care of and play with is neat," Robin expressed.

"I guess," Maggie replied softly. "Is Jenn around?"

 
"Yeah, but she is doing homework so she can't talk on the phone. I can have her call you later if you want me to."

 
"Sure, Robin, talk to you later."

Maggie hung up the phone and thought about what Robin had said about Jenn. She wasn't sure if she felt more like Robin did, or more like Jenn. What she DID know was that things were different, and it didn't make her all that happy.

The next weekend, Charlie called and invited them over for a barbeque. Everyone was excited for different reasons. Maggie was still watching Heather like a hawk, and Heather found she liked being waited on hand and foot. She liked not having to work, or go to school, and just sitting home all day. She was starting to feel less nauseous all the time, and that suited her just fine. But, she was still worried about Maggie, and wanted to talk to Lisa. Bob couldn't wait to see Charlie and really congratulate him on the news, and Maggie sure wanted to see what was up with Jenn.

Arriving there early afternoon, Jenn immediately grabbed Maggie and rushed into her room. Robin wasn't home yet, as she had gone to a friend's house for the morning, and had called to say she would be a little late, because her friend's mom had to do some errands before she could drop her off.

Jenn was grateful to have her cousin to herself for a bit, as she was tired of Robin's too sweet attitude. Jenn was upset, and no amount of telling her she would still be her Daddy's baby was going to pacify her. She had talked to kids at school and all of them had told her that things would be a lot different, and she would be thrust aside as everyone oohed and ahhhed over the new baby.

Jenn related all of this to Maggie, who got paler by the moment. She hadn't told any of her friends about Heather having the baby. She was so scared her mom would die and leave her, that she hadn't really given a whole lot of thought to being pushed aside in favor of a new baby. She suddenly started realizing that maybe they were all lying to her, that her daddy wouldn't really love HER when he had his OWN real kid.

"Ohh Jenn, what are we going to do?" Maggie wailed.
Jenn was equally clueless and unhappy.

Meanwhile, Heather offered to help Lisa in the kitchen, while Bob and Charlie went out on the patio to start the grill.

"You know, Heather, I was sooo busy with my own news the other day, we never did get to talk much about Maggie. How is everything going with her?" Lisa asked.

"Ohh, fine. Things have settled down, and are great. How about the twins?"

"Well, Robin is really happy and wants to be a big sister, but I am worried about Jennifer. She didn't take the news well at all. And I am afraid I didn't handle it well either," Lisa admitted.

"You?" Heather asked incredulously. "YOU always handle things exactly right!"

Lisa laughed and thanked her for the compliment, undeserved as it was. "Look, all the girls need is for us to be extra loving, but still firm in what the rules are. That way they will feel loved, and nurtured. What is Maggie doing that is upsetting you so much?" Lisa asked.

"Well, she can't seem to concentrate in school, and worries about me all the time," Heather replied.

"Heather, I'm sure you and Bob are doing a fine job in reassuring her. These things just take time. Now come on, and help me with this salad."

Meanwhile, Jenn and Maggie were in the twins' bedroom, talking and playing.

"I just don't think it's fair," Jenn said. "She already has me and Robin. What does she want with another kid around here?"

"Beats me. You'd think with all the trouble I get into, my mommy and daddy wouldn't want another kid around, either," Maggie said.

"Wish we didn't have to stick around all day, for the stupid celebration. I don't want to celebrate two more babies," Jenn said, moping.

"Yeah, I know. Me either. Robin's lucky that she's at her friend's house," Maggie said.

"She'll be home soon. And probably telling Mommy and Daddy how WONDERFUL it's going to be to be a big sister!" Jenn said, jumping across the room.

Just then, the telephone rang. Jenn ran to get it. It was just as well, since all the adults were out on the patio.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Jenn? It's Robin."

"Hi. What's up?" Jenn asked.

"Listen, is Mommy or Daddy there?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Jenn, I need to talk to one of them. Stacy's mom is going to the mall. And she wants to know if I can come with them, and then she'll drop me off a little bit later."

 
Jenn paused. "Okay, hold on, Robin, I'll go ask for you."

Jenn put the phone down. Maggie had been standing there trying to figure out the conversation. Jennifer started to run for the patio doors, but Maggie stopped her.

"What's going on, Jenn? Where's the fire?" Maggie asked.

Jenn explained the whole thing to Maggie, on the way over to the patio. Through the doors, both girls watched as their parents raised their glasses of sparkling apple cider. They got there just in time to hear Charlie making a toast.

"And here's to both new babies. May they be happy and healthy and grow up wonderfully together!"

"CHEERS!" Everyone shouted.

Heather hugged Lisa and said, "This is going to be so great!"

Jenn and Maggie stood there dumbfounded. Jenn forgot what she was there to ask. When she recovered, she reached for the handle on the door, but Maggie stopped her.

"What?" Jennifer snapped.

"Stop. Think about this, Jenn. This could work to our advantage. Listen, here's the plan," Maggie whispered.

Jennifer ran back to the phone. "Robin?"

"Jennifer! Why didn't you get Mommy or Daddy? Stacy's mom needs to go!" Robin whined.

Jenn smiled to herself, thinking how her dad would react to her sister's whining. Into the phone she said, "Relax, Robin. I spoke to them. They're kind of busy right now. They told me to tell you that it was fine. We'll see you later."

Robin sighed and said, "Okay, thanks, Jenn."

Jennifer hung up the phone and turned to Maggie. "Come on, let's go get ready!"

The two girls ran back to the twins' room. They started getting all dressed up and put on makeup. After a few minutes, there was a knock on the door. It was Charlie.

"Girls, what are you doing in there? Jennifer! Who was on the phone?"

Jennifer opened the bedroom door. "It was Robin, Daddy. She's getting dropped off and she wanted me and Maggie to meet her at the corner. Is that okay?"

Charlie looked at both Jennifer and Maggie's outfits. He looked at their faces. "What's with the clothes and makeup, girls?"

"Oh, well, we were playing dress up, Uncle Charlie. Can we go meet Robin?" Maggie asked.

Charlie said. "You're not going out like that. Wash off that make-up and then you can go."

Jenn and Maggie looked at each other, and then at Charlie. "Okay, Daddy," Jenn said. "Okay, Uncle Charlie," Maggie said.

As soon as Charlie went back out onto the patio, Jenn told Maggie the coast was clear. They ran for the apartment door, calling back to the adults that they were going to meet Robin.

Maggie stopped. "Wait, do you have money?" she asked Jenn.

Jenn reached into her pocket and pulled out a wad of singles. "Yeah, I took it out of my money stash."

Maggie looked around and said, "Hold on."

She walked over to Heather's purse, which was draped around the back of a chair and pulled out a twenty dollar bill. She held it up to Jenn, whose eyes got real wide.

"Okay, now I'm ready," Maggie whispered.

They ran out the door and onto the elevator. By the time they reached the bus stop outside the building, they were hysterically laughing.

"Wow! I can't believe we made it!" Maggie said.

"I know. That was incredible. This is such a great plan, Maggs," Jenn praised her cousin. "Of course, you know, we're going to get into SO much trouble."

Maggie looked at Jenn and said, "Nah. They probably won't even notice we're gone. They're too busy with talk of the NEW BABIES!"

The two girls were all dressed up and had on loads of makeup. Anyone looking at them would think they were playing dress up. But they weren't. They were waiting on the corner for the bus that would take them to the Sunrise Mall, in Massapequa.

Upstairs, the party was just beginning. Charlie, Lisa, Bob and Heather had no idea what was going on.

Once at the mall, Maggie and Jennifer looked up at all the stores. The mall seemed so big to them, being there by themselves. They didn't know what to do first.

Jenn stated, "Um, I'm kinda hungry, let's go to the food court."

Maggie eagerly agreed. "Okay, let's get some cinnabuns -- my daddy never lets me have a whole one."

"Yeah, that sounds good. "Or Nathan's. I love their hot dogs," Jenn said.

"Let's get both!" Maggie shouted.

The two girls ran to the food court, and got a large cinnabun each, a hot dog and a large coke.

After eating half the hot dog and half the cinnabun, Jenn announced, "I'm stuffed." She sipped her coke. She was so excited because at home she was never allowed to have soda with caffeine. It affected her bladder problems.

After eating, the girls decided to look around in the toy store. Both of them had greasy, sticky hands from their lunch. In each aisle, Jennifer pointed out the things she wanted to Maggie. Maggie showed Jenn what items she wished she could have. At one point, they knocked over an entire display table.

They looked around. They didn't see anyone so they quickly ducked into a different aisle. Maggie looked at Jenn and the two of them burst out laughing.

Just then a store manager came along. "Girls, where is your mother or father?"

Jenn looked up at the man and said, "Oh, he's uh, um." She looked at Maggie.

"Oh, he's over in Macy's -- he told us to keep ourselves amused while he tried on his new suit." Jenn stared agape at her cousin. That lie came out so naturally to her. And she thought she lied well.

The store manager walked away and the girls burst out laughing again. "C'mon, let's go to the record store," Maggie said.

Meanwhile, back at home, Lisa returned to the patio, and said, "Charlie, where are Jennifer and Maggie?"

Charlie looked up from the grill. Something was wrong with it and he and Bob were trying to fix it. "Oh, they went to meet Robin at the corner."

Lisa asked, "Well, how long ago did they leave?"

Charlie glanced at his watch. "Hmm, had to be at least a half hour ago, come to think of it."

"I want them to come and set the table."

Charlie chuckled. "Knowing those three, they're probably down in the playground, hoping we don't notice they're missing." Too bad Charlie was kidding when he said this. If he only knew!

"Well, I need them to wash up and everything," Lisa said.

"I'll go down and get them, hon," Charlie said, standing up. "The grill is fixed and ready to go."

"But Charlie, I need you to put the extra leaf in the table!" Lisa begged.

"I'll go, Lisa," Bob said.

Bob took the elevator down to the first floor and headed out to the playground. He saw a group of kids on the swings and smiled as he walked over to them. His smile turned to a frown when he realized that Maggie and the twins were not there.

"Hmmm, where could they be?" he wondered aloud.

Bob did a quick check of the apartment grounds and even walked around the block. There was no sign of Robin, Jennifer, or Maggie. He started to run back towards the building. Right outside, he spotted Mrs. Pingle.

"Hello, Mrs. Pingle. Nice day out today," he called. Mrs. Pingle was a little hard of hearing.

"What's that, sonny?" she asked. Mrs. Pingle was a tad old, too.
After repeating his statement about the weather, Bob asked her if she'd seen the twins and Maggie. She told him about seeing one of the twins and another little girl, all dressed up.

"Oh, that must have been my daughter, Maggie. Where did you say they went?" Bob asked.

"I'm not really sure. Just told me they were going to meet Robin. They sure were dressed up, with gobs of make-up on, to boot," the old woman replied.

Bob thanked Mrs. Pingle and ran upstairs to let the others know what was going on.

Back at the mall, Robin walked around with Stacy and her mom.
"Okay, girls, last stop, I promise. I know you have to get home, Robin," Stacy's mom said.

"It's all right, Mrs. Harrison," Robin said.

"Mommy, can we wait out here?" Stacy asked.

"Yes, but stay near the door where I can see you," Mrs. Harrison said.

Robin and Stacy hung out at the rail of the second floor. Stacy was looking down over the fountain. She pointed and said, "Robin, look there!"

Robin looked to where Stacy was pointing. "What?"

"Doesn't that girl look like your sister?"

 
Robin looked. The girl did sort of look like Jenn. But this girl was much older. She had on a lot of makeup and was wearing fancy clothes. Also, it was pretty far away. Robin squinted but she could not make her face out.

She called down, "JENN!?"

Stacy laughed and pulled Robin back. "I can't believe you just did that!"

Downstairs, Maggie heard Robin's voice and pulled Jenn away from the fountain. She looked up and saw Stacy pull Robin away from the railing.

"Whoa! That was a little too close, Jenn. Come on, let's go!" Maggie said.

They ran into the record store, giggling. Soon they were trying out CDS on the demo headphones. Jenn said, "Oh, I love this song, listen to this." She held the headphones up for Maggie to hear. Maggie started to sing along. Several people stared at the two girls.

Back at home, all the adults were frantic looking for the three girls. Lisa called the Harrisons' house, but no one was home. She left a message on their answering machine. Charlie and Bob went door to door in the apartment building, asking the neighbors if any of them had seen the girls. Lisa tried calling all the twins' friends' houses. They were almost at the point of calling the police, when Robin walked through the door.

"Hi, Mommy," she said. "I'm home."

"I see that. Where have you been?" Lisa asked, hands on her hips.

"What do you mean, Mommy?"

Charlie and Bob returned at that point, about to explain they had had no luck when they spotted Robin. "Robin! Where is your sister and your cousin?" Charlie inquired.

He was so glad to see his daughter, that he almost knocked her down while hugging her. When she recovered from the hug, she looked up at her aunt and uncle and her parents. She was confused.

"What do you mean, Daddy? Stacy's mom just dropped me off."

"She just dropped you off? You called, what, two hours ago and asked Jennifer and Maggie to meet you at the corner? Did you three dawdle on the way back here? Where are Jennifer and Maggie?" Charlie yelled

Robin started to cry. "Daddy! I don't know what you're talking about. Didn't Jennifer ask you if I could go to the mall with Stacy and her mom?"

"To the mall? What do you mean? I never heard about any trip to the mall," Charlie said.

Robin was crying pretty steadily then. Charlie took a deep breath. "Okay, lovey, calm down. Come, let's go into the den."

Robin followed her dad into the den. Heather, Bob and Lisa followed them, too. Charlie motioned to the couch and told Robin to sit down. "Now, tell me what happened, please."

Robin sobbed, and wiped some tears away. Bob handed her his handkerchief. She took a deep breath and began. "Daddy! When I called, I asked Jenn to put you on the phone. Stacy's mom had to make a stop at the mall and asked me to ask you if I could come and then she would drop me off. So she wouldn't have to make two trips. Jenn said you said it was okay."

Charlie said, "I see. Robin, are you sure? Will this check out if I call Stacy's mom?" He knew that someone was lying and suspected who but he wanted to make sure.

"Of course, Daddy. I'm not lying, honest. Where's Jenn and Maggie? Why aren't they here?"

Charlie sighed. "That's exactly what I want to know, lovey. Don't worry, you aren't in trouble -- but I think I know someone else who tried to get you in trouble."

He looked at Lisa and Heather and Bob. "What are we going to do about this? Where could those girls be?"

While the adults were trying to figure out what to do, Robin was trying to calm down from her crying escapade. Then she had a thought. "Daddy?"

Charlie looked at Robin. "What is it, lovey? We are kind of busy trying to find Jennifer and Maggie."

"But Daddy, you know what?"

Charlie was getting impatient now. "No, I don't, Robin. Please just say what you have to say."

Robin waited until she had everyone's attention. "But Daddy, the strange thing was, me and Stacy thought we saw Jennifer at the mall!"

Suddenly Charlie started paying a lot of attention. "You did? I wonder if," Charlie paused. "You said that you told Jennifer that you were going to the mall, lovey? Is that right?"

"Yes, Daddy. But the weird thing was, when I was with Stacy, I called out Jenn's name but the girl didn't answer. And this girl looked a lot older. She had on fancy clothes and makeup."

Bob started putting two and two together. So did Charlie. "So that's why they were all dressed up. Bob, you had better come with me. Our little demons are loose at the mall and who knows what they are getting into, besides trouble. And lots of it. Robin, where in the mall were they?"

Robin tried to think. "It was by one of the fountains. I think it was near the food court, Daddy, but I'm not sure. Want me to come with you?"

"No, I think you had better stay here. I am sure we will be able to find them. Thank you, sweetie," Charlie said to Robin, kissing her on the cheek.

He turned to Lisa and said, "We'll be back, with two naughty little girls in tow."

Charlie and Bob made mild chitchat on the twenty minute ride to the mall. They were both thinking how much trouble their daughters were in. Just as they pulled up to the mall, the cell phone rang. It was Lisa from home.

After hanging up, Charlie turned to his brother and said, "They are in Tower Records. The store just called home looking for a parent."

Bob smacked his hand to his forehead. "God only knows what for!"
Charlie and Bob did not waste any time going towards the record store. As they approached the store, Jennifer came barreling out. She ran smack dab into Charlie. It seemed that the coke had caught up with her and she needed to use the bathroom desperately.

She was startled to have run into someone. Also, she could hear the record store manager shouting at her to stop. Jennifer had just one agenda and she wanted to make sure she made it.

Charlie put out his hand. "Jennifer Lynn Clemente! You stop right there!"

Jennifer froze. Hearing her daddy's voice scared the daylights out of her. She looked up at him and her lip started to tremble. "Daddy! What are you doing here?"

In a deep voice, Charlie boomed, "I am looking for you. The question is, young lady, what are YOU doing here? I don't recall giving you permission to go to the mall."

"I, uh, I, oh," Jenn stammered. She looked back at the store and saw Maggie standing in the doorway with Uncle Bob and the store manager. She knew they were both in a lot of trouble.

Charlie looked to see what Jennifer was looking at. "And what is the store manager so upset about?" he shouted. Charlie started to lead Jenn back towards the record store.

Then Jenn remembered why she was in such a hurry. "But, wait, Daddy, I gotta go pee." She started jumping up and down and holding herself.

Charlie knew this was a sign that she meant business. He hated when she waited until the last minute. Even though she was nine years old, she often had daytime accidents.

"Well, all right, but I am going right with you," Charlie stated, leading Jenn towards the bathrooms.

Halfway there, Jenn began to cry. "I'm sorry, Daddy."

Charlie looked down and saw the puddle. He saw that Jenn's clothes were all wet. "Oh, Jennifer!"

They walked the rest of the way to the bathroom. "Go in and try to clean yourself up the best you can."

Jenn came out a few minutes later. Her eyes were red and she was crying. "I'm sorry, Daddy. Are you very mad?"

"I am not happy with you, young lady. Not about the accident, although we'll talk about that later. But with everything else you did today. Now let's go back to the record store. I want to hear what that's all about."

As they approached the store, Charlie could see the store manager talking and motioning wildly as he explained things to Bob. Jennifer and Charlie caught the tail end of the conversation. The manager seemed frantic.

"They have gotten sugar or something over quite a few displays and several CD’s. We don't usually allow kids in the store without parents at their age, because of this kind of thing."

"I understand," Bob was saying. He looked up as his brother neared. He said to Charlie. "Our girls have been quite busy, bro." Bob went on to explain to Charlie what Maggie and Jenn had been up to.

The girls were scared. They knew they were in big trouble. They hadn't really thought how they were going to get home and explain where they'd been, but they didn't think their day would end like this, either.

Charlie looked down at Maggie and Jennifer. "Is that the truth, girls?"

"Yes, Daddy, I guess so," Jenn admitted.

"Yes, sir," Maggie said, looking at the floor.

"That was very naughty, Jennifer." He turned to the manager, "How much are the damages, sir?"

The manager swayed from one foot to the other and looked down at the two little girls and their fathers. "Well, nothing was stolen or smashed. I'm sure that some time cleaning will do it. But I don't want to see either of these two in my store again, without an adult present."

"Thank you, sir. Don't worry, you can be sure about that. I will call tomorrow and find out if you were able to clean everything off. Come along, girls."

Bob led a very unhappy Maggie out, while Charlie steered Jennifer along. "We are going home and we are going to have a very serious discussion about your escapades, young ladies."

In the car on the way home, Maggie looked as miserable as Jennifer felt. No one said a word. As they pulled up to the apartment building, Jennifer said, "I'm sorrrrrry, Daddy."

"You will be, Jennifer. I don't know what you two were thinking. . ." Charlie began.

And Bob finished, "But you're both in a lot of trouble."

As they walked to the door of the apartment, Charlie heard his name. He looked and saw Lisa, Heather, and Robin in the playground. They detoured so that Charlie could talk to Lisa.

She said, "I see you found them."

Charlie nodded. "Yes."

Lisa looked at Jennifer. "Jennifer Lynn, what are you wearing? I am so disappointed in you, young lady. You should be ashamed for the worry you caused all of us." Then she looked at Maggie. "You, too, Maggie."

"Yes, ma'am," Maggie said sullenly.

Heather looked down at her daughter and said she was ashamed of her, also.

Lisa started to lecture Jennifer, but Charlie put up a hand to stop her. "I need to get her inside, hon. She's wet and needs a bath."

Lisa shook her head. "Again? I see. Okay, you go do what you need to do. Heather and I will stay out here with Robin for awhile."

Bob said, "That's a good idea. We're going to be quite busy upstairs."

Charlie and Bob led the girls into the apartment. "Jennifer, I'm going to run a bath for you. Go into the bathroom, and put those clothes in the hamper." He walked into the bathroom and turned on the water.

Bob looked at Maggie and said, "I want you to go into the twins' room and change out of those clothes. Then I want you to use the bathroom in Uncle Charlie's room and wash off as much of that makeup as you can. If you can't do it, young lady, I will come in and scrub it off of you. Then I want you in the corner in the den. Do you understand? I want you to be thinking about what you did today and what you are going to tell me in a few minutes."

Maggie looked up at Bob. He had spoken to her very sternly. He wasn't yelling, but Maggie knew he was awfully mad. "Yes, sir," she said.

Charlie pulled Bob aside. "I'm going to give Jennifer a quick bath. Feel free to use my bedroom or the den to punish Maggie."

Bob said, "Well, how do you want to do this? Divide and conquer? Or question them together?"

Charlie took a moment to think about it. "Well, it wouldn't make much sense for either of them to lie now. So we might as well question them together. Jennifer, for one, would know better than to lie to me at this point."

"In that case, we'll wait for you guys," Bob said.

Charlie nodded and returned to the bathroom to bathe Jennifer.
Awhile later, Jennifer came into the den freshly clean, in a purple jogging outfit. Maggie stood, nose pressed into the corner. Charlie and Bob sat on the couch in the den and called the two girls over.

"Okay, I want you to start from the beginning and tell us everything. Don't leave a single detail out. And don't lie. We've pretty much figured it all out anyway," Charlie began.

"Well, then why don't you just spank us and get it over with?" Maggie suggested.

"Margaret Anne! There's no need to be rude. You apologize this instant!" Bob warned.

Maggie looked up at her daddy and her uncle. "I'm sorry."

"Okay, now, let's go. We want to hear everything," Charlie said.

Jennifer looked at Maggie. She wasn't sure where to begin. But she did. She told them about Robin's phone call. Then Maggie confessed that the idea to run off had been hers.

Charlie looked at Jenn and said, "So, you lied to your sister? And then you lied to me?"

Jenn looked down. "Yes, Daddy."

"You will get a good mouth soaping for that, young lady." He paused. "And then you directly defied me by not removing the make-up, didn't you?" Charlie questioned the two girls. They both shook their heads in affirmation. "Okay, continue, please."

Maggie continued to tell them about their bus ride to the mall and going to the food court.

"I cannot believe that you two thought it would be okay to take a public bus and go to a huge mall by yourselves. What were you thinking?" Bob questioned them.

"Well, truthfully, Daddy?" Maggie said. Bob nodded. "We really didn't think you'd notice that we were gone."

"What do you mean, Maggie?"

"Well, you were so busy talking about the babies that we didn't think you'd remember us," Maggie explained.

"Yeah, we saw you. You were drinking wine and saying how great it was going to be. That's when I was supposed to ask you about Robin. I just got so, so," Jenn couldn't go on.

"Jealous?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah, I guess. I was mad, Daddy," Jenn said.

"Well, Jennifer, you can be mad all you want, but your mommy and I are having this baby and there's nothing you can do about it. We both love you and have told you that many times. I'm sorry you feel so bad about it. But you may not, I repeat NOT, just go off and do whatever you want. What you two girls did was very naughty," Charlie stated.

"Any number of things could have happened to you while you were off by yourselves. You don't ever have permission to go off on your own. Do you understand that?" Bob asked.

Both girls nodded.

"Now, Jennifer, Maggie, we love you very much. You're both going to have to start dealing with these babies in a better way," Charlie cautioned.

"Girls, I can promise you, we will love you just as much after the babies get here as before. Parents can love each child lots and lots without taking ANYTHING away from the others. Do you understand that?" Bob asked.

Both girls nodded again. They were feeling pretty bad already.

"Now let's continue. You took the bus to the mall. What did you do when you got there?" Charlie asked.

Jenn looked at Maggie and she nodded to Jenn. So Jenn said, "Well, we walked around and had lunch and went to the toy store and the record store, Daddy."

Jenn looked at her daddy and wondered when he was going to explode. She knew she had left out a few major details, but she hoped not to have to say them unless asked. Maggie was unusually quiet on the couch next to her.

Bob looked at his daughter and asked, "Maggie, would you care to elaborate on this?"

"No, Daddy," she said, looking at the floor. "I know you're probably really mad at us."

"Well, I am not happy. Now what did you have for lunch?" Bob asked them.

Maggie looked at Jenn, and wondered to herself if she should lie. Thinking that was probably not a good idea, she told the truth, "A hot dog, and a coke, and um, a sticky bun."

Charlie looked at Jennifer. "You drank coke, too, young lady?"

"Yes, Daddy," Jenn said, trying not to cry.

"You know you're not allowed to have caffeine, Jennifer Lynn!"

"Yes, I know. I'm sorry, Daddy," Jenn cried. She could not hold back the tears now. She felt terrible for doing something she knew she shouldn't have.

Charlie just shook his head. "That's why you . . . never mind, we'll discuss this later."

Meanwhile, Bob was speaking to Maggie. "I asked you, Margaret Anne, where did you get the money to buy all that? You were just saying the other day you had no money."

"Well, Daddy, I. . ." Maggie began. She couldn't go on. She began to cry and turned away.

Bob went over and put his arm around her. "Maggs, you know that I love you, no matter what. But now I need you to tell me the truth."

Maggie looked up at her daddy. "I'm afraid to tell you. You're gonna be really mad."

Bob put his hands on Maggie's shoulders and turned her so that she was staring straight at him. "I need you to tell me right now."

"Yes, sir. I, well, uh, oh," Maggie cried. She paused and started again. "Daddy, I took a twenty dollar bill out of Mommy's purse. I'm sorry."

As soon as she said it, she turned away and cried into the sofa cushions.

"Oh my, Maggie." Bob waited for Maggie to recover a bit. "You know that that was very wrong to do, Magpie, but I love you, anyway. But just because I love you, I am going to have to punish you now."

"Yes, sir. I know," Maggie sobbed.

Bob caught Charlie's eye and Charlie winked at his brother. "Come along, Jennifer. You and I need to take care of some business in my bedroom."

Charlie led Jennifer out of the den, while Bob stayed behind to deal with Maggie. As soon as Charlie brought Jennifer into his room, he pulled out his dressing chair and sat down on it. He pulled Jennifer in front of him and made her look into his eyes.

"Let's get this straight. You lied to Robin, and to me. You defied me by not removing the makeup, you went to the mall without permission, you had food that you knew we wouldn't approve of, you messed things up in the record store, and Maggie stole money. Did you know that she stole it, Jennifer?"

Jenn nodded. "Yes, sir."

"So you are in trouble for that, too. I think I've heard enough, unless there is something more that you want to say right now?"

"Just that I'm sorry, Daddy," Jenn said.

 

"Well, you will be. Let's go!" Charlie said, pulling Jennifer closer to his right side. He pulled down her purple jogging pants and then lowered her panties. He then pulled her over his lap and started to spank. {Smack} {Smack} {Smack} {Smack} {Smack}

Then he began his lecture. {Smack} "You will not {Smack} go off {Smack} without getting permission." {Smack}

"Yes, Daddy."

{Smack} "You will not {Smack} make messes {Smack} in stores. {Smack} You will not {Smack} eat sweets without permission." {Smack}

"Yes, sir!" Jennifer cried. Her bottom was already heating up.
Charlie picked up a hairbrush. "And now for the most serious things. {WHACK!} You do not,{WHACK!} ever {WHACK!} lie to your sister. {WHACK!} {WHACK!} You do not {WHACK!} fail {WHACK!} to pass on messages to us." {WHACK!}

"OW, Daddy! I didn't mean to!" Jenn wailed.

"Excuse ME? {WHACK!} {WHACK!} {WHACK!} Yes, you meant to. You did it {WHACK!} on purpose, {WHACK!} telling her {WHACK!} that I said she could go to the mall, {WHACK!} when you knew I had said nothing of the sort." {WHACK!}

"Yes, Daddy, you're right, I'm sorry!"

{WHACK!} "And you do not EVER {WHACK!} steal {WHACK!} or help a thief. {WHACK!} Is that understood, Jennifer Lynn?"

"Yes, Daddy, I'm sorry!"

{WHACK!} {WHACK!} {WHACK!} {WHACK!} {WHACK!} "Very well. I think this spanking is over. But you have got a mouth soaping coming for your lie, Jennifer, and I will talk with your mother about any additional punishment -- you were WAY out of line this time."

Charlie stood Jennifer up and told her to step out of her panties and pants. Jennifer started rubbing her bottom and jumping all around. She could not get the fire out of her poor rear. The tears were coming steadily down her face.

When she finished dancing around, Charlie pulled her close to him and comforted her. He pulled her into his lap, so that she was on her knees, and rubbed her back and bottom. Jennifer put her head on his shoulder and cried into his neck.

"I'm so so so so so sorry, Daddy."

"Shhh, there, there. I forgive you now."

Charlie soothed and comforted Jenn for awhile until she calmed down. Then he stood her in front of him and said to her, "Now, Jennifer, you have been punished, and are forgiven. BUT, it is going to take me a long time to trust you again. You are grounded for three weeks."

He paused to gauge her reaction. She knew better than to whine or complain at the length of her grounding.

"Baby, I love you very much, but what you and your cousin did today, for whatever reasons you felt you had, was completely out of line. And you are never to act this way again. I suggest you use the next three weeks to earn back my trust."

"Yes, Daddy," Jenn said.

"Now, come along with me. We still have your mouth soaping to do, for those lies."

Meanwhile, in the den, Bob had pulled Maggie close to him and put his arm around her. "Maggie, you know I love you, don't you?"

"Yes, Daddy."

"But what you did today was completely inappropriate. You know that, don't you?"

"Yes, sir," Maggie said, meekly.

"You left the house and went to the mall without permission. That alone was unacceptable. But lying to Robin and to us about Robin, was the icing on the cake. Who knows what could have happened to her? And Uncle Charlie and Aunt Lisa wouldn't have known where she was."

"Yes, Daddy. But Daddy, we did have permission to leave. Just not to go to the mall."

"Maggie! You know what I meant. You lied about where you were going. Now don't get mouthy with me."

"I'm sorry, Daddy."

"And you STOLE money from Mommy's wallet! I still cannot believe you did that!" Bob exclaimed.

"Yes, Daddy, I know that was wrong. I'll pay it back," Maggie cried. She was so upset that she had disappointed her daddy. The whole day's events came crashing down around her. She suddenly felt so sorry for what she had done, and what she had helped Jennifer to do.

"Yes, you will. I am suspending your allowance until the twenty dollars is paid off."

Maggie nodded. She knew better than to protest any type of punishment.

"And you are grounded for three weeks. No t.v., no phone, no friends. I want you to really think about what you did today! Is that understood?"

Maggie cried. "Yes, Daddy."

"I suggest you save that crying, young lady. It's time."

Bob pulled Maggie to his side, and pulled down her jeans. He made her step out of them. Then he lowered her panties and laid her across his lap. He began to spank with his hand, alternating cheeks.

While he spanked, he lectured her. "Maggie, I don't ever {spank!} want you to do anything {spank!} like this again. {spank!} {spank!} Do you understand {spank!} me?"

"Yes, Daddy!" Maggie cried.

Bob continued spanking Maggie and lecturing her on everything she had done that day. Then suddenly, he picked up a paddle and continued with that. Maggie had no idea where that thing had come from.

{Whap!} {Whap!} {Whap!} "Your mother and I have told you {Whap!} a million times {Whap!} how much we love you. {Whap!} And that is not {Whap!} going to stop {Whap!} after this baby is born. {Whap!} You had better {Whap!} start accepting things, Margaret Anne. {Whap!} {Whap!} Or you're going to find yourself {Whap!} in this very place {Whap!} over and over {Whap!} again. Am I making myself clear?" {Whap!} {Whap!} {Whap!}

"Crystal, Daddy."

"Good, then we are done here. Bob laid down the paddle and pulled Maggie to her feet. He hugged her close to him and started rubbing her back and bottom. Maggie couldn't see the tears that had already formed in her daddy's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Daddy, I truly am," Maggie cried.

"I know you are, sweetie. And I'm sorry I had to punish you so hard," Bob said, trying not to cry himself.

But Maggie heard the sound in his voice. She remembered back to that time, at the dude ranch, after her daddy had fallen into the rapids. She remembered how he had cried after spanking her.

 

And she felt TERRIBLE. She didn't say anything this time, for she knew how embarrassed he had been the last time. "I'm so sorry, Daddy. I will never, ever, do anything like this again. I promise," Maggie vowed.

Bob just held her tight and said, "I hope so, Magpie."

Hearing her nickname, Maggie knew that her daddy truly forgave her. The two stayed like that for a long time.

Later, after dinner was finally eaten, and dishes were put away, Jennifer and Maggie sought out Robin. She was in the den watching television. She hadn't spoken to them the entire afternoon.

They walked into the den and said, timidly, "Robin?"

Robin looked up from the t.v. and said, "Oh, hi."

Jenn asked, "Can we talk to you?"

"What about?"

"Well, um, can you turn the t.v. off?" Maggie suggested.

Robin looked at her cousin. "Why?"

"Well, we want to talk to you. And also, um, my daddy put me on restriction. I can't watch any t.v.," Maggie announced.

"Yeah, me either," said Jenn.

Robin said, "Yeah, I guess so." She picked up the remote and turned off the set. Then she sat and stared at her sister and cousin.

Jenn and Maggie carefully eased themselves onto the couch. They were still very sore from their earlier spankings.

"Robin, I'm sorry I lied to you on the phone," Jenn said quickly.

"Yes, and I'm sorry I told her to. It was all my idea," Maggie stated.

Robin jumped up. "That's it? You're sorry? Do you have any idea what you did?"

Maggie and Jenn just stared at Robin. They didn't know what to think.

Robin looked at them incredulously. "Do you have any idea what could have happened to me? First of all, Mommy and Daddy didn't know where I was. Second of all, Mrs. Harrison thought I had permission to be at the mall with her. Anything could have happened, Jennifer, and Maggie."

Maggie had heard all of this earlier, from her dad. But now, hearing it from Robin, who was just a nine-year-old girl, made it seem that much more real. She started to cry.

"I'm sorry, Robin. We just didn't think. Honest," Maggie sobbed.

Jenn looked at Maggie crying and couldn't believe it. Sure, she was sorry, but she wasn't THAT sorry. She went over to Maggie and put her arm around her shoulders and squeezed.

"Don't cry, Maggs."

Robin looked at Maggie. "Why are you crying, Maggie?" she asked, a little impatiently. She was the one who should have been mad, and crying.

Maggie said, "Because. I feel bad, Robin. I'm sorry that what we did was so bad that you can't even forgive us."

Robin didn't answer. She needed time to think. "Well, can you tell me why you did it?"

Maggie looked at Jennifer. She nodded.  Maggie said, "Robin, we just needed to get outta here. Your phone call was just the means to an end."

Robin stared at Maggie. "WHAT!?"

"What I mean is, your phone call just came at a good time. Jenn and I were trying to think of a way to get out of here. I know what we did was stupid, but. . ."

Jenn said, "It was nothing personal, Robin. I mean, I wasn't trying to get you into trouble. It just worked with our plan. I'm sorry!"

This time it sounded like Jennifer actually meant it. Robin looked at her sister and then at her cousin, who was still sobbing a bit. Her heart softened.

"Wellllllll," she said and paused. "I don't really understand why you did it."

"But?" Jenn asked.

"But I forgive you for using me and trying to get me into trouble," she said.

Maggie shook her head. Robin stared at her. "What?"

"I want you to understand why we did it, Robin. It's just that. . . you weren't here. You didn't see them. They were standing around drinking, and toasting to the new babies."

"They were totally ignoring us, Robin. We didn't even think they would miss us," Jenn explained.

Robin got up then, and stood in front of Maggie and Jenn. "Guys, I forgive you, okay? But you know, you're going to have to get used to the idea of a couple of new babies around here. Jenn, Mommy's gonna have the baby in like eight months. And Maggs, your new baby brother or sister will be here before that. I suggest you deal with it."

Robin left the room then. Jenn and Maggie just sat on the couch, thinking about it.

 

to be continued...

 

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