Change of Scenery-chapter 3
by SamPast
and Huggedlots
Copyright (c) 1999
Friday, and the big moving
day finally came. Jennifer and Robin whined that they wanted to go with Maggie
to help finish packing.
"No, girls, this is
Maggie's time to say goodbye to her friends, and grandmother and Heather does
NOT need all three of you. Got it?" Charlie told them. "AND, what do
whiny girls get?"
"Sorry, Daddy,"
they both answered at once.
"Okay, that's better.
Besides I have something to tell you." Charlie began whispering in their
ears and the girls started to giggle. They were going to be part of the
surprise that Charlie and Lisa had planned for Heather and Maggie.
Right after Charlie and
Maggie left, the girls and Lisa headed over to the new apartment and cleaned
the place until it shone. Then Lisa had the girls start working on a big banner
that said "WELCOME HOME".
The next day, they went to Foodtown, and got lots of yummy stuff and put it in the
refrigerator, so Heather wouldn't have to run out and shop first thing. They
were all pretty proud of themselves when they heard the truck pulling up
outside. Rushing down, they greeted everyone with loud shouts and dancing
around.
Charlie kissed Lisa and
said, "Wow, you would think they hadn't seen each other in a whole week,
instead of a day. They really are getting to be inseparable, you know?"
Heather looked around with
tears in her eyes at all that Lisa and the girls had accomplished. "I
can't thank you enough. You are just the greatest," and with that, Heather
burst into tears.
Lisa hugged her, sending
the girls downstairs to help Charlie. "I know this is an emotional time
for you, Heather, but Charlie and I are really here for you, you know that,
don't you?"
"Yes, I do, and thank
you, but I am scared of failing Lisa, I really am. I have never lived on my own
before, and as much as I want this, I am also terrified. My mother went on and
on all week, until I felt so pounded down and confused that I couldn't stand
it. What if she is right?" Heather wailed.
"Heather, Charlie and
I are two blocks away. Together, there isn't anything we all can't handle,
right? Even if Charlie has to spank you again to get you to
see it!" Lisa said smiling.
Heather smiled back, but
rubbed her bottom in memory. "No thanks. Let's skip that, shall we?"
But the reference made Heather smile, and lighten up. Straightening her
shoulders she said, "Okay, let's get to work!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That night, the twins
wanted to stay over at Maggie's new place, but Charlie and Lisa insisted that
they come home and leave Maggie and Heather alone. Heather finally got things
in order enough for them to get to their beds and after bathing Maggie and
taking a shower herself, she tucked Maggie into her new bed. Her mother had let
her take very little with her, so the apartment would look pretty sparse until
she got a job and some money for a few things.
Maggie looked up and asked
her mom if she was scared. "Yes, sweetie, I am," Heather answered,
wanting to be honest with her daughter. "BUT, I am also very excited, and
I know this is going to be great for both of us. A real new
start. How about you, baby, are you scared?" Heather asked.
Maggie hesitated and then
said, "Well, I am going to miss my old friends, Mom. And Grandma looked soooo sad when we left. It made me want to cry."
"I know, baby, but we
will go visit, I promise, okay?" Heather said as she tucked Maggie in real
tight.
Maggie whispered, "I
love you, Mom."
"I love you too,
baby." With tears in her eyes, Heather collapsed on her own bed. For the
first time, she really felt like an adult, and a full-time mom.
All day Saturday, Maggie
and Heather unpacked, and by Sunday afternoon, they were ready for a rest.
Charlie and Lisa invited them over for dinner, and
they gratefully accepted.
Heather looked so tired and
worried that Charlie took her aside to find out what the matter was.
"I am scared about the
interview tomorrow, Charlie, and I have also been wondering about child care. I
don't know my hours yet, but if I work part time, I can't make enough to
support us, and if I have to put Maggie in child care, I can't afford that
either. What am I going to do?" Heather whined.
Heather looked as though
she was going to fall apart, and Charlie knew he had to quickly get her in
hand.
"YOUNG
LADY, you will listen to me, okay?" Hearing that tone in Charlie's voice,
Heather immediately straightened up and answered, "Yes sir."
Charlie said, "First
of all, there will be no whining. We are going to take one step at a time,
okay?" "Yes, Sir."
"Have you studied the
want ads today?" Charlie asked. Heather shook her head no.
"Okay then, young
lady, sit down and do it, and circle anything that looks as if you are
qualified for it. That way, if you don't like the job at Foodtown,
or see something with higher pay, you can go for it. Then, when you have a job,
and know the hours, we can discuss child care. Depending on your income, the
Boys and Girls Club has free after school care five days a week until six p.m.
So, remember, we'll work together, okay?" Charlie finished.
Heather smiled up at him
and said, "You know Charlie, you really is my big brother, aren't
you?"
"Yes, I am, and if you
don't straighten up and fly right young lady---" he left the sentence unfinished,
and Heather laughed and said, "I know, I know, I will be over your knee
before I know it, right?" They both laughed and went back into the
kitchen. Lisa, looking at both their faces, knew that everything was going to
be okay.
Heather dropped Maggie off
with Lisa and the girls on the day of her interview at Foodtown.
The manager offered her a job as a cashier, with the potential to train for
bookkeeping within two months. The position of bookkeeper was at a higher
salary than she had thought to be offered. She was thrilled and accepted
immediately.
On the way home, she
stopped at the bakery to buy something special to take to the Clementes to say thanks for their help. She wouldn't start
until the following Monday, which would give her time to be with Maggie the
rest of the week, get her registered in school, and check out the Boys and
Girls Club.
The following Monday,
Heather dropped Maggie off at school and hugged her hard. "Be good,
sweetie, and remember that the Boys and Girls Club bus will pick you up and
that I will be there at six o'clock to get you. Okay?"
"Yes, Mom, we have
gone over this about a hundred times. I've got it, really. Stop worrying,"
Maggie answered.
Hugging her again, Heather
let Maggie go off to her first day, and drove herself over to Foodtown in Levittown. Her first day was pleasant and she
really liked the people she worked with.
Meanwhile Maggie was
meeting all kinds of new friends in her fourth grade class, but really didn't
like the idea of going to the Boys and Girls Club without Jennifer and Robin.
She saw them on the playground at lunchtime. It was hard being in a different
grade than them.
They convinced her she had
to go that day, but maybe she would be able to come to their place later in the
week. Maggie really did NOT like that idea, but figured she had no real choice,
at least not yet, but she was stubborn, and figured
she could find a way to get her OWN WAY.
Maggie got on the Boys and
Girls Club bus and did not recognize anyone, which did NOT improve her mood. At
the club there was a lot to do, but it all seemed very chaotic with little
supervision. Maggie wandered over to the big screen TV, and sat down on the
couch with some other girls that looked like they were about her age.
They all introduced
themselves, and Gretchen, a pretty blonde girl about 12 said she sure wasn't gonna waste a great day inside. "Let's go out and take
a walk."
Maggie was hesitant but
remembered that when they were taking the tour of the club, they were told that
there was an open door policy. This meant that kids could sign themselves in
and out, and that parents had to make the rules clear to their children if they
did not have permission to go off campus. Heather hadn't specifically told
Maggie she had to stay there; she just assumed she would.
BUT, to Maggie, that meant
she wasn't really disobeying to go out for a walk. Not knowing her way around
the neighborhood, she had to rely on the others. They walked awhile and then
came to an ice cream store. The others had money, but Maggie didn't, so she
hung back.
"Come on,"
Gretchen told her, "I will treat today, tomorrow
it's your turn, okay?" "Sure," Maggie replied, liking this new
friend a lot.
They all sat happily eating
ice cream, not noticing the time at all. Heather arrived at the club a little
earlier than planned. The woman she was training with had a doctor's
appointment and had to leave early, so she told Heather to knock off early too.
Heather looked all over the
club and couldn't find Maggie anywhere. Not wanting to panic, she talked to the
staff who didn't really know Maggie yet but helped to
look for her. Heather was beginning to get really worried that something had
happened to her and regretted her decision to leave her there.
Her first instinct was to
call Charlie, but she felt she needed to do this on her own, to show both him
and herself that she could be a good parent. But as the minutes went by, she
was terrified. She began to berate herself, and wondered if her mother was
right all along, that she couldn't do it on her own.
At that point, she couldn't
stand it anymore, and dialed Charlie's number at work. As she waited for him to
answer his page, she tried not to panic. Heather quickly told him what was going
on, and Charlie told her to keep breathing, he would be right there.
Just before he was ready to
hang up, Heather saw Maggie stroll in the back door with three other girls. So
relieved she didn't think her knees would hold her up, she told Charlie that
Maggie was back.
"Okay, Heather,"
Charlie said, "what are you going to do about this?"
"Do?" Heather
questioned.
"Yes! If you let her
get away with this, Heather, you will regret it. Discipline her in your own
way, but you know what I recommend. Take control, Heather. You can do it,"
Charlie advised.
"You're right,
Charlie. I can and I will. Thanks. I will call you later. Right now I have a
very naughty little girl to deal with," Heather said with determination.
Charlie smiled as he hung up the phone.
"Where have you been
young lady?" Heather asked as she approached Maggie.
"Oh, hi, Mom,"
Maggie replied. "We just went for some ice cream. No big deal."
"Really, young lady? I
guess we will discuss what kind of deal it is at home. Now lets
go!" Heather shouted.
Maggie got her backpack and
said goodbye to her new friends.
"NOW,
young lady!"
Heather repeated.
"Okay, Mom, don't have
a cow!" Maggie said fliply. This was the old
Maggie, and Heather realized just how right Charlie was.
During the ride home,
Heather asked Maggie all about her day, but only got one word answers. Heather
felt really disappointed. This was NOT the way she had envisioned this.
Back in their apartment,
Maggie tried to go to her room but Heather stopped her. "We
have some talking to do, young lady, don't we?"
"Do we, Mom?" Maggie asked, almost insolently.
"Come here,
Maggie," Heather said. "Now, tell me why you chose to be so
disobedient."
Maggie won't look at her,
but finally Heather forced her to look up and saw the tears in her eyes.
"What is it, baby? Talk to me."
"Ohhh
Mom. It was sooo hard, and I miss my old friends, and
I want to be with Robin and Jenn in the afternoons, and I, I,
I," Maggie just cried in her mother's arms.
Heather hugged and cuddled
her and let her cry it out. "Maggie, I know this is hard for you. It is
for me, too, but being defiant, disobedient and rude is NOT the answer, is
it?"
"No, Mommy, I'm
sorry," Maggie said.
"Well, little one, I
hate to do this, but I feel I need to," said Heather reluctantly.
"What, Mommy?"
Maggie asked.
Maggie's eyes opened wide
as Heather pulled down her shorts and panties, and was too shocked to react
when she was pulled over her mother's knee. Heather spanked Maggie just as
Charlie had spanked her, alternating cheeks and lecturing at the same time.
"You will SWAT, not
SWAT, ever SWAT, ever SWAT, leave SWAT, anywhere SWAT, without SWAT, permission
SWAT, will SWAT, you SWAT, SWAT, SWAT?"
"OUCHHHHH, no Mommy, I
won't, pleaseeeee stop!" Maggie howled.
Heather wasn't ready to
stop yet, because she didn't feel Maggie had learned her lesson yet. She
continued to lecture and spank until Maggie was one well-spanked little girl,
sobbing and limp over her knee.
Standing Maggie up, Heather
hugged her tight, and told her how scared she was when she went to the club and
couldn't find her, and that she was the most important thing in her life, and
how loved she was.
Maggie couldn't believe her
mom had actually spanked her, and knew that her old life was definitely gone
for good. She held onto her mom tightly and wasn't sure if she was glad or not
because her bottom sure was sore, but felt, more than ever before how very
loved she was.