Change of Scenery-chapter 6
by SamPast and Huggedlots
Copyright (c) 1999

"But Mommy, I don't want to be a ballerina!" Robin whined.

Lisa smacked Robin on the behind. "Don't you whine, young lady!"

Robin reached back to massage her bottom. "OW, Mommmmmmeeee!" she shouted.

Lisa took Robin by the hand and put her in the corner. "I think someone needs a time-out! You stand there until you can speak to me without whining."

It was just two weeks until Halloween and the girls did not have their costumes yet. Mostly, because every few days they changed their minds about what they were going to be.

Jennifer sat at the kitchen table pouring over the Pennysaver. There were all kinds of advertisements for costumes in there.

"Jennifer, you'd better decide what you want to be. We're going to get to the store and there won't be any costumes left," Lisa warned.

"Can I be a clown, Mommy?" Jenn asked.

"Sure, I saw that one somewhere. Here, let me look!" Lisa said, putting her hand out for the papers.

"I'm ready, Mommy," Robin sniffled from the corner.

"Okay, come here," Lisa replied.

Robin sat next to Lisa at the table and looked at the Pennysaver. "Mommy, I really don't want a store-bought costume!" Robin tried not to whine.

Lisa stared at her. "What do you want me to do, Robin? Sew you a costume?"

"Can I be a bunny? I can wear my pink pajamas. Then we just have to buy ears, buck teeth, and a tail," Robin suggested.

"Okay, we can do that," Lisa said. Robin smiled.

"Oh, Jenn, here, this is the one!" Lisa pointed.

"Can we go get it now?" Jenn asked.

"Okay, let's go!" Lisa said. The girls went to the store with their mother.

~~~~~~~~~~

The morning before Halloween arrived. It was a Friday. The children were wearing their costumes to school. Each class was going to have a party. Then the children were going to march around the playground and the school in their costumes.

All the kids were looking forward to it. Maggie was excited. It was her first Halloween where she would wear a costume to school. She was going dressed as Wonder Woman. Heather had bought her the costume at the Five and Ten. There was a mask that made her look just like Lynda Carter. It even came with a magic lasso.

Charlie had woken up early to get ready for work. Lisa went in to wake the girls. Jennifer got up and went to change and brush her teeth. Robin wouldn't get up.

"Mommy, I don't feel well," Robin said.

Lisa felt her forehead. "What's the matter, honey? Oh, you feel warm. Charlie!" she called.

Charlie went into the twins' room. "What's wrong?"

"Feel Robin's head. It feels warm. And she says she doesn't feel well," Lisa said concerned.

Lisa and Charlie knew that Robin would not be faking it. Not on the day before Halloween!

"I'll go get the thermometer!" Charlie said.

He returned a minute later and they took Robin's temperature. It was 101.6.

"You're not going to school today, honey. Here, let me tuck you back in!" Lisa said.

"But I'll miss the parade! I want to go, Mommy!" Robin cried.

She tried to sit up, but it made her dizzy. "I don't think so, young lady, you lay right back down!" Charlie told her.

Robin did as she was told, mainly because she really didn't feel well. Jennifer came back into the room.

"How come Robin's not getting up?" she asked.

"Robin's sick. She's not going to school today!" Charlie explained.

Jennifer pouted. "Oh, that's too bad, Robin. I'll bring you home some stuff from my party. Okay?" she asked kindly.

Robin nodded. Then she closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

At school, the children had a blast. Maggie saw Jenn on the playground at lunchtime. "Hey, where's Robin? I didn't see her in her bunny costume yet!"

"Robin's home, in bed. She's sick!" Jennifer informed Maggie.

"Really? Oh, that's too bad. I hope she'll be able to come trick-or-treating with us tomorrow. And then to the party in my apartment building. It's supposed to be really fun!" Maggie said.

"Yeah, hopefully she'll be okay by then," Jenn said worriedly.

Maggie had never seen Jennifer like this. "What's the matter, Jenn?"

"I don't know. I guess I'm just worried about my sister," she said and started to cry.

Maggie didn't know what to do. "Don't cry, Jennifer. Your clown makeup will run!"

She tried to make Jenn laugh. Finally, it worked.

~~~~~~~~~~~

After school, Jennifer showed Robin all the toys she got. She shared everything with Robin, who was feeling a little bit better. She had had soup for lunch, and her fever was down to 99.0.

"Robin'll be able to go trick-or-treating tomorrow, won't she, Mommy?" Jenn asked.

"I don't know, sweetie. We'll have to see how she's feeling," Lisa responded.

"Yes, Mommmmeeee!" Robin cried.

"Robin, we'll see how you're feeling. That's enough, now!" Lisa warned.

Charlie came home for dinner. "I have some bad news, girls. I won't be able to take you trick-or-treating. I have to work. All day, and night!"

"Oh, honey! How'd you get stuck with that shift?" Lisa asked.

"But Dadddddy! You said!" Jennifer whined.

Charlie overlooked the whining and said, "I know, baby, but my boss has to go somewhere. And he trusts me to take over. You don't want him to think I don't do a good job, do you?"

"No, Daddy, but it's still not fair!" Jenn said.

"No, it isn't. But I'm sure you'll save me some of the good candy, won't you?" Charlie asked.

"Oh, Charlie, really!" Lisa laughed.

Robin woke up from a nap, and came into the kitchen when she heard her daddy's voice. She went right to him and cuddled into his lap.

"Hiya, sweetie. How're you feeling?" Charlie asked. He felt Robin's forehead. "Doesn't feel as warm. Did you take her temperature lately, Lisa?"

"Yes, it's almost down to normal," Lisa said. "An hour ago, it was 99 degrees."

"I don't know if Robin is going to go trick-or-treating tomorrow," Charlie said.

"Please, Daddy!" Robin cried.

Lisa spoke up. "I told you, Robin, we'll see how you're feeling. I'm not sure I like the idea of you going out tomorrow after having a fever all day today."

"Mommy's right, sweetie. It's probably not a good idea," Charlie said.

~~~~~~~~~~

Finally, it was here. Halloween morning. It was all Lisa could do to keep Jennifer from putting on her costume at 7:00 am. She made Jennifer go watch t.v. while Robin slept. At 9:00, the telephone rang. It was Maggie.

"I can't wait, Jennifer!" Maggie said. "I'm so excited."

"Me, too. Mommy won't let me put my costume on until after lunch," Jenn explained.

"How's Robin feeling? Is she gonna come with us?" Maggie asked.

"I don't know. She's still sleeping. I don't know if she can go. Mommy and Daddy said last night they didn't think it was a good idea," Jenn explained.

Robin woke up. She felt much better. She spent the better part of the morning trying to convince her mother that she was fine. Lisa didn't know. She called Charlie at work and asked what he thought.

"Well, if she doesn't have a fever, and she says she's fine, then I guess it couldn't hurt," Charlie said. He knew how much this meant to Robin, and to Jennifer.

"I still don't know," Lisa said.

"Just make sure you bundle her up. It's pretty nice out today, so she should be all right. How long do you think you'll be out?" Charlie asked.

"Hopefully, not too long," Lisa answered. "We'll do the apartment building first, and then all the houses and stores on the way to Heather's. And then there are all the apartments over there. Then the party starts at 4:00."

"Well, it sounds like you'll be inside mostly. Lisa, Halloween comes but once a year. I think it will be all right. Besides, it would be worse if we had to listen to Robin cry over it for the next 364 days!" laughed Charlie.

Then it was settled. Robin cried when Lisa told her she would have to wear her coat over her pink pajamas. "But I won't look like a bunny! No one will know what I am!" Robin sobbed.

"Or you could just stay home!" Lisa warned.

Reluctantly, Robin put her coat on over her costume. Jennifer wore her clown costume over her coat. She put some makeup on, but mostly she had the plastic clown mask to prove what she was.

Both girls carried a plastic pumpkin with a handle. That was their treat bag. At each house, they rang the bell. When each person opened the door, they yelled, "TRICK OR TREAT!"

The twins got lots of candy. They got so much just in their building that they had to go back up to the apartment once, to empty it. Lisa made them use the bathroom since they were there. Robin was splashing cold water on her face when Jenn walked in.

"Are you okay, Robin? You don't look so well," Jenn remarked.

"I don't feel too well. But don't tell Mommy. Okay, Jennifer?" Robin pleaded.

"I won't tell!" Jenn reassured her.

On the way down to the lobby, the girls saw one of their babysitters, Alyssa. "Hey, Alyssa, cool costume!" Jenn shouted. She was dressed as a bobby-soxer.

"Hi, girls! You want to come trick-or-treating with me? I know some really cool places that give out lots of good stuff!" Alyssa said.

"Can we, Mommy?" Jennifer asked.

"NO! First of all, Heather and Maggie are waiting for us. Second of all, you are too young to be going by yourselves!" Lisa declared.

"But Alyssa would be with us!" pleaded Jennifer.

Lisa turned to Alyssa. "I'm sorry, Alyssa. I don't think thirteen is old enough to be taking two little eight-year-olds around at night. But thank you for your offer. We're going to a party at the Grundy Apartments two blocks away. Maybe we'll see you there later!"

"Yeah, maybe, Mrs. Clemente, I have a friend who lives over there. Bye, girls!" Alyssa said and waved.

"Come on, it's getting late!" Lisa said.

They met Maggie and Heather on the street in front of the supermarket. "Hey, guys! Ooh, Robin, you look so cute!" Maggie said.

"Thanks," said Robin quietly.

Lisa noticed. "What's the matter, Robin? Are you okay?"

"Uh-huh, yeah, I'm fine, Mommy," Robin said, not too convincingly.

Lisa felt Robin's forehead. "You feel kind of clammy. I knew this wasn't such a good idea. Maybe we should just go home!"

"No, Mommy, I'm fine. Just a little hot. Can I unbutton my coat?" Robin asked.

Lisa said okay, and Robin unbuttoned her coat. She didn't tell Lisa that she felt like she was going to faint.

"That store over there gave me stickers!" Maggie pointed. "Come on, I'll go with you!"

Heather and Lisa laughed as the girls ran into the stationery store. They were so excited when they came out carrying a sheet of stickers, each.

Finally, they all arrived in front of Heather and Maggie's building. The girls had gotten all kinds of cool treats from the stores. Their pumpkins were almost filled to the top again.

"Maybe we should just skip the apartments here," Lisa said.

"No, Mommy!" Jenn whined.

"Jennifer!" Lisa warned.

"Actually, Maggie already did the apartments here," Heather informed the twins.

"Yes, and we did the ones in our building. Look, it's almost 4:00. We'll just go to the party now," Lisa suggested.

"Good idea! Come, we'll stop at our apartment, dump our candy, and head down!" Heather said.

"Okay!" "Yeah!" "All right," Jenn said.

When they got to the apartment, Robin sat down at the kitchen table. She put her head down. Lisa went over to her. She felt her forehead.

"Okay, Robin, you're going home. I think your fever came back. Don't even try to argue with me!" Lisa stated.

Robin nodded. She got up and put her arms up for Lisa to pick her up.

"I'm sorry, Mommy. I tried to make it," Robin sobbed.

Lisa hugged Robin. "Oh, sweetheart, it's okay, you don't have to be brave, not when you're sick."

When Maggie and Jennifer came back to the living room, they saw Lisa cradling Robin on the couch.

"Mommy, what's wrong with Robin?" Jennifer asked.

"She isn't feeling too well, baby. I think we need to go on home," Lisa said.

"Can I stay with Maggie?" Jenn asked.

Lisa looked up. She didn't want to disappoint her. "If it's okay with Heather, you can," Lisa said.

Maggie and Jennifer ran to ask Heather. Heather came back to the room. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Robin's sick. I have to take her home. Jennifer wants to stay with you. Do you think you can handle them both? They're awfully wound up!" Lisa added. She didn't want Heather to think that she didn't trust her.

"Oh, sure, she can stay. We'll be fine. I hope you feel better, Robin," Heather said.

"Thanks!" Robin said.

Lisa put Robin's coat on and leaned down to say good-bye to Jennifer. "Now, you be good. And don't eat any candy unless Heather checks it first," Lisa said as she nodded to Heather. Heather nodded back.

"I'll be good, Mommy," Jennifer said and kissed her mother. "Feel better, Robin!" Jenn went over and hugged Robin. It was so sweet!

After Lisa left with Robin, Heather said, "Okay, girls, let's go party!"

The party was a blast. Maggie introduced Jennifer to all the kids in her building. They ate chips, pretzels, popcorn, and some candy. They drank soda and punch. There was pizza, too. They even danced a little. Later, there was going to be a prize for most creative costume. Maggie and Jenn knew neither of them would win, but they were looking forward to seeing who would.

A little after 6:00, Jennifer noticed someone she knew. "Hey, there's Alyssa! Maggie, come meet her!" Jenn said dragging Maggie across the room.

Jenn introduced Maggie to Alyssa. Alyssa introduced the girls to her friends. "Hey, did you go to all those cool places yet?" Jenn asked.

"No, we're going now! My friends weren't ready earlier when I saw you!" Alyssa replied.

"I wish we could go!" Jenn pouted.

"Why can't we?" Maggie asked. "I'll ask my mom. Wait here!"

Maggie ran to ask Heather if they could go trick-or-treating with the big girls. She really didn't think Heather would mind. Maggie looked all over for her mother. Finally, she spotted Heather standing by the refreshment table in the corner of the rec room.

Maggie was about to run over, when she stopped. Heather was drinking. She couldn't believe her mother would go back to her old ways. Maggie was so upset. Then she just got mad.

"I'll show her!" Maggie said to herself. She turned around and went back to where the girls were waiting. "Hey, it's cool. My mom said 'okay'."

"Really? Cool!" Jenn said.

"Okay, let's go!" Alyssa said. The girls started to follow. "Oh, wait, you know, girls, it's getting dark out and kind of hard to see; maybe you should leave those masks here."

Maggie and Jennifer said, "Okay!" and took off their masks. They laid them down on a nearby table. "They'll be fine here. Let's go!" Maggie said and took Jennifer by the arm.

The girls were so excited. Jennifer felt grown-up. She couldn't believe Heather had let them go with the big girls.

Meanwhile, Lisa had taken Robin home, given her some dinner, and let her lay on the couch in the den. She called Charlie at work to let him know that Robin was sick again.

"I guess going out wasn't such a good idea after all," Charlie said.

"Yeah, but you were right, at least she put in a few hours. We won't have to hear any complaining about it," Lisa exclaimed.

"How'd Jennifer take not going to the party?" Charlie asked.

"No, Jennifer's not here. She stayed with Heather and Maggie. I'm sure they're having a great time," Lisa added.

Back at the party, Heather was having a good time anyway. She didn't even notice Maggie and Jennifer had slipped out. She was drinking the punch that someone had spiked. She hadn't even realized it was spiked until she had too many. She was laughing with some of the other single people from the building.

Around 7:15, Lisa came back. She had left a neighbor watching Robin. She wanted to see how the girls were doing. If Jennifer had enough, she would take her home.

She scanned the room and finally noticed Heather by the punch bowl. Lisa headed in her direction. Heather looked up when Lisa came over.

"OH, hi, Lisa, what are you doing here?" she slurred.

"Heather! Have you been drinking?" Lisa looked wildly around. "Where are the girls?"

Heather looked around for the first time in over an hour. She had no idea where Maggie and Jenn were.

"They're here somewhere," Heather mumbled.

Lisa was furious. She couldn't believe Heather was drinking and that the girls were nowhere in sight. They split up and started searching the room for a Wonder Woman and a clown.

Finally, Heather called over to Lisa, "Here they are!"

Lisa ran over to where Heather was standing with two kids. One had on a Wonder Woman mask and a skeleton body, and the other had on a clown mask with a ballerina skirt.

Lisa pulled the masks off the two kids. Heather gasped. She finally realized these two were not Maggie and Jennifer.

Lisa turned to the children, "Where did you get these masks?"

The kids were scared. "We, uh, found them on that table over there," the boy dressed like a skeleton said as he pointed.

"Yeah, we didn't mean anything. We were just trying them on," the ballerina said.

"What's going on here?" a woman asked.

The two children ran to the woman and hugged her. "Mommy! This lady was yelling at us!" the little girl cried.

Lisa said, "No, I wasn't yelling. I just asked them where they found these masks. You see, they belong to my daughter and her friend, and we can't find them."

The woman said, "Oh, you poor dear. They must be around here somewhere. They're so many people here. What are their names? We'll help you look."

Pretty soon, most of the adults and a lot of the children were looking for Maggie and Jenn. Lisa was very upset, and Heather was very shaken up. She sobered up very quickly after half an hour, and no Maggie or Jenn.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" Lisa screamed at Heather. "Did you think you could just have one drink and everything would be all right? Did you ever think to actually WATCH the girls?"

Lisa was so angry and upset. She had no idea where Jennifer was, and on Halloween night especially, it scared her to death. She knew she had to call Charlie and let him know what was happening. She just hoped the girls would walk in any moment.

By 7:45 and still no girls, Lisa figured she had better call Charlie. He was shocked and upset by Heather's actions and told Lisa he would arrange for someone to cover him and be right over.

Lisa walked over to Heather. She was still angry, but had calmed down. Heather, on the other hand, was a wreck. She sat on a folding chair crying into her hands.

When she saw Lisa, she jumped up and said, "Oh, I'm so sorry, Lisa. How can I be so stupid? You must hate me!"

Lisa sighed. "I don't hate you, Heather. Now calm down. Our most important thing right now is to find the girls. You have to pull yourself together."

"I can't!" she wailed.

"You have to!" Lisa shouted. "Now go into the ladies' room and splash some cold water on your face. Charlie is coming over, and if the girls aren't here by the time he gets here, I'm calling the police!"

That last statement woke Heather right up. She became frantic. "OH My God! The police? You think something happened to them? Oh, it's all my fault!" Heather cried.

Just then, Charlie came running in. He rushed right over to where he saw Lisa and Heather standing.

"Still no word?" he asked.

"No, I think we should call the police, honey!" Lisa said.

"I guess so. Where could they be?" Charlie asked. "Wait, did you check your apartment, Heather? Maybe they just went upstairs!"

"No, I didn't think of that. I'll run up and check," Heather said, glad she could get away from them for a few minutes.

Lisa turned to her husband, "Charlie, Heather was drunk as a skunk when I got here. Who knows how long they've been gone?"

"I can't believe Heather would act so irresponsibly," Charlie replied. "I thought she'd changed."

"I thought so, too," Lisa said sighing. "Well, let's do it. Call the police, I mean."

Charlie and Lisa walked over to the pay phone by the door. As Charlie picked it up, Lisa saw Alyssa come in.

"Wait!" Lisa told Charlie. She ran over to Alyssa and said, "Alyssa, have you seen Jennifer at all this evening?"

"What do you mean, Mrs. Clemente? She's right here," Alyssa stated confused.

Lisa looked past Alyssa and saw a bunch of teenage girls and then Maggie and Jennifer.

When Jennifer saw Lisa, she rushed over to show her mom the treats she had gotten, and said, "Hi, Mommy!"

Lisa grabbed Jennifer and pulled her close. "Oh, thank god!" she said.

Charlie heard Jenn's voice and put down the phone. He ran over to the doorway.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" Charlie shouted.

Jennifer started to cry. "What d'ya mean, Daddy? Didn't Heather tell you we went trick-or-treating with Alyssa?"

"What?" Lisa questioned.

"Alyssa invited us to go trick-or-treating with her, and Maggie asked Heather and she said yes!" Jennifer said in a rush. She was scared that she was in big trouble.

Just then, Heather came back. She saw Jenn and Maggie. She ran over to hug Maggie. "Oh, thank goodness you're all right. Where have you been?"

"Heather! Can I speak to you a minute, please?" Lisa said between her teeth. She led Heather away from the girls. "Jennifer told me you gave them permission to go trick-or-treating with Alyssa!"

"Alyssa? Who's that? I didn't give--- I didn't give them permission to go anywhere. I don't know what she's talking about," Heather replied.

Lisa and Heather walked back over to where Charlie stood with the girls.

Alyssa spoke up, "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Clemente. I wouldn't have taken the girls with me if I had known they didn't have permission. Mr. Clemente just told me you didn't know where they were. I'm so so sorry!" she cried.

Charlie inquired, "I don't understand something. Alyssa, what made you think the girls had permission?"

"Maggie went to ask Heather. She came back and told us Heather said yes," Jennifer informed everyone present.

"No, I didn't. I couldn't have, because Maggie never asked me," Heather said.

"Are you sure, Heather? Maybe you don't remember correctly?" Lisa asked sarcastically.

"No, really. I hadn't talked to the girls since we got to the party, and then..." Heather stopped. She looked at Maggie. There were tears going down her face. "What's wrong, Maggs?"

"Nothing!" Maggie shouted at her mom, and then turned to run away.

But Charlie was quick and he grabbed her around the waist and held her. "Oh, no, you don't. You have some explaining to do, young lady!" he said sternly.

Maggie continued to cry. Heather tried to talk to her, but Maggie just pushed her mother away.

"I saw you! I saw you drinking, MOM! You promised! You promised you wouldn't drink anymore!" Maggie cried.

"I, it was only a few cups of punch! It's a party, Maggs. I was having a good time. Don't you want me to be happy?" Heather asked.

"HEATHER!" Charlie yelled. "How can you be so selfish?"

Heather started to cry. Now both Maggie and Heather were crying.

Charlie sighed. "Come on. Let's go up to your apartment. We seem to be drawing quite a crowd here."

Jennifer looked around. All the party-goers were staring at them. Alyssa said, "I'm sorry again, Mr. and Mrs. Clemente."

Lisa said, "Well, Alyssa, you couldn't have known that the girls didn't really have permission if they told you they did. But you should have questioned it, only because I told you earlier that I thought you were too young to take them out."

Charlie said, "Okay, it's all over. The girls are fine. Don't worry, Alyssa." Then he picked Maggie up because she was squirming to get away, and said, "Come on, gang, let's go!"

The five of them went upstairs to Heather and Maggie's apartment. Charlie sat on the couch with Maggie on his lap. Heather sat across from them on the chair. Jenn sat next to Charlie. She leaned her head on his arm.

"I'm sorry, Daddy. I didn't know that you didn't know where I was!" Jenn cried.

"Wait for your mother to come in, and we'll talk," Charlie said calmly.

Lisa had gone to call the apartment to check on Robin. The neighbor said she had fallen asleep on the couch. Lisa said into the phone, "Okay, well, we had a little emergency here, that's why I'm not back yet. Everything's fine now, but I might be another half hour or so."

After Lisa hung up the phone, she joined Charlie and Jennifer on the couch.

"Okay, let's begin. Maggie, you first," Charlie said.

Maggie sobbed, "I went to ask my mom if Jenn and I could go trick-or-treating with the big girls. When I saw her drinking, I got so mad! I didn't even want to ask her. I decided not to. I'm sorry! I wanted to hurt her. I wanted to hurt her, like she hurt me!"

Charlie held Maggie tighter. He felt so bad for this little girl. And he was so disappointed in Heather for making her daughter feel this way.

"Go on," Charlie said.

"So I told Jennifer and Alyssa that my mom said yes. They didn't even know that I hadn't asked," Maggie admitted.

All the adults sighed.

"Well, that explains that one. Heather, I owe you an apology," Lisa said.

"No, you don't, Lisa. It's still my fault. I should have been watching them more closely," Heather declared.

"Yes, you should have, but we'll talk more about THAT later," Charlie stated.

Heather looked up. She knew exactly what Charlie had in mind for her.

Lisa turned to Jennifer. "Did you hear what I told Alyssa?" Jenn nodded.

"You knew that I didn't want you going out with Alyssa! But you did it anyway!" Lisa exclaimed.

"But, Mommy! I thought Heather was in charge of me. I thought she said it was okay. It wasn't my fault!" Jenn sobbed.

"Jennifer Lynn, you knew I didn't approve. You shouldn't have even let Maggie ask Heather in the first place. I realize you didn't know that you didn't really have permission, but you did know I wouldn't like it. And you WILL be punished for disobeying me!" Lisa informed her.

Then she turned to Maggie, "And you will be punished for doing what you did, young lady! Do you have any idea how worried we all were when we couldn't find you two?"

Maggie was crying hysterically. "No, I didn't think! I'm sorry, Aunt Lisa. I'm sorry, Uncle Charlie! I was just so mad at my mom. I didn't think!" Maggie sobbed.

Charlie turned Maggie so that she was looking at him. "No, little girl, you didn't think. Now, what you did tonight was very dangerous. You went out at night and no one knew where you were. And Jennifer and Alyssa trusted you. They thought you had gotten permission to go. That was very wrong. Do you understand that?"

Maggie nodded. "Yes, sir, I'm sorry!" Maggie wailed.

Charlie continued, "Now, I understand that you were upset and confused by your mother's behavior. But you should know by now that you have to talk to people. If you didn't think you could talk to your mom, you could have called me or Aunt Lisa. I want you to remember that for the next time. Okay?"

"Okay," Maggie said.

"There won't be a next time. I'll never behave like that again," Heather expressed.

"Well, I hope not. But nobody's perfect, Heather. I guess Lisa and I just thought you had changed," Charlie said disappointingly.

Charlie and Lisa exchanged looks. Lisa said, "I think the girls and I should go back down to the party while you two talk. We have to find their masks."

Maggie and Jennifer looked up. They thought they had gotten off the hook. "Aren't we going to be punished?" Maggie asked.

"Yes, you will. But Uncle Charlie and your mom have to talk first. Then we'll figure out who's punishing who. Come along, girls!" Lisa said.

Jennifer and Maggie got up and followed Lisa to the door. Maggie looked back over her shoulder at Heather. She was torn between her anger and the hurt she saw earlier. At an impulse, she ran back to her mom and hugged her.

"I'm sorry, Mommy!" Maggie cried.

Heather looked at Charlie. She had a tear in her eye as she hugged Maggie back.

"I'm sorry, too, Maggs. Now you go with Aunt Lisa, and when you come back, we'll have a long talk, okay?" Heather said. "Okay, Mom."

After the door closed, Charlie turned to Heather. "You know you really screwed up tonight, don't you?"

"Yes, sir, I'm sorry!" Heather replied.

Charlie asked, "Are you sorry because your drinking impaired your judgment? Or are you sorry that you drank?"

"Both, I guess," Heather admitted.

"Don't guess, Heather. This is too serious to be making guesses," Charlie said.

"I'm sorry that I didn't use my head. I'm sorry that I didn't watch the girls more closely. But I have a right to have a good time, don't I?" Heather yelled.

"Yelling at me is not going to help, Heather!" Charlie said calmly. "You used bad judgment tonight. What you do on your own time is your business, but when you are in charge of watching MY daughter, and yours, I would think you would be more responsible!"

Heather began crying again. "You're right, Charlie. You always are! I'm so sorry!"

"You keep saying that, Heather. But what are you going to do about it? Do you have any idea how much you hurt your daughter tonight? She trusts you. She depends on you. She expects you to act the way you promised you would," Charlie explained.

"I know!" Heather wailed. "And I'm gonna change. This time, I really am! I'm gonna stop drinking all together, and . . "

"What do you mean, stop drinking? I thought you stopped months ago! Have you been lying to me, young lady?" Charlie roared.

"I meant, I meant that I wasn't going to drink ever again. You know, like at parties," Heather tried. She looked at Charlie. She knew he had her pegged.

"You have been lying! You've been drinking all this time? Heather, you have a problem!" Charlie yelled.

"It's not a problem. It's not like I'm an alcoholic or anything! I don't NEED alcohol!" Heather replied.

"Are you sure? You told Maggie you deserved to have a good time tonight. Did you think you couldn't have a good time without drinking?" Charlie asked.

"No, well, maybe, I don't know," Heather whined.

"Heather, I know I don't have to tell you not to whine!" Charlie stated. "All right, come here, young lady, you are going to be punished!"

"Yes, sir!" Heather replied.

Heather went and stood next to Charlie. "Pull down your pants and lay over my lap!" Charlie ordered.

Heather did as she was told. She didn't even bother to protest. She knew she had earned this spanking.

Charlie began to hit her bare bottom, all the while lecturing her. "First of all, (SPANK!) you will stop drinking (SPANK!), and this time (SPANK!) you will stick to it (SPANK!). If you feel (SPANK!) that you can't (SPANK! SPANK!)do it, (SPANK!) you will join AA(SPANK! SPANK! SPANK!). Is that clear?(SPANK! SPANK!)"

Heather said, "Yes, sir!" Charlie was spanking pretty rapidly now and Heather's bottom was on fire.

He continued, "Second of all (SPANK!), you must become more responsible toward Maggie(SPANK! SPANK!). She is a little girl (SPANK!) who needs constant attention (SPANK!), and supervision (SPANK! SPANK!). Your daughter (SPANK!) must come first (SPANK!) over your wants and needs(SPANK! SPANK!). Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Heather sobbed.

Charlie stood Heather up. She started rubbing her bottom and dancing around the room. Charlie had hit her harder this time than he had over the summer.

"I don't think we're finished yet. Go get your hairbrush, please!" Charlie commanded.

"OH, NO! Not the hairbrush, Charlie! I'm sorry, I really have learned my lesson!" Heather cried.

"Heather, not only did you lose both girls tonight because you were selfishly drinking, but you lied to your daughter, to me, and to yourself, about not drinking anymore. NOW GET THAT HAIRBRUSH! Because if I have to get it, you will be even more sorry!" Charlie roared.

Heather heard Charlie's tone and ran to her bedroom to retrieve her hairbrush. When she got back to the living room, she handed it to him. He motioned for her to get back over his lap.

"How many drinks did you have tonight, Heather?" Charlie asked.

"I don't know, I guess about five glasses of punch," Heather uttered.

"Well, then I will give you four strokes for each glass. That's twenty!" Charlie said.

Heather started to protest, but Charlie said, "And if you complain, I'll double it!"

Heather kept her mouth shut, except for the occasional yell as Charlie hit her over and over again with the hairbrush. On top of the hand spanking, it felt like someone put a torch down her pants.

Finally, Charlie finished the twenty strokes. Heather was beyond hysterical. She just laid there sobbing. Then she stood up.

"Pull up your pants and we'll finish talking," Charlie suggested.

Heather did as she was told again. "I'm so sorry, Charlie. I'm sorry you had to spank me again. I swore to myself that you wouldn't have to do it again. I really disappointed you, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did. But if you promise you will work on what we talked about, then I will put it behind us. But you must try very hard to win back my trust, Heather. And Maggie's!" Charlie added.

"I will, I promise," Heather cried.

Charlie looked at his watch. "You'd better go wash up. Lisa will be back with the girls any minute. You have to decide what you're going to do about what Maggie did tonight!"

Heather went to the bathroom and washed her face. She combed her hair, went to the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee. As she was pouring a cup for herself and Charlie, Lisa and the girls came back in.

"Hi, Daddy!" Jennifer said.

"Hi, Baby!" Charlie hugged his daughter. He noticed that Lisa had washed off all of her clown makeup. It was getting late, and Jenn had had a long day. He could tell she was getting tired.

"Hi, Uncle Charlie!" Maggie said quietly. Maggie looked at Heather. Her face was still a little red. "Are you okay, Mom?"

Heather looked at Maggie, "Of course I am, honey. Uncle Charlie and I just had a very serious discussion. Like the one you and I are going to have in a few minutes." Heather handed the cup to Charlie.

"I'll take a raincheck on the coffee, Heather. Lisa and I have to get this one home!" Charlie said, picking up Jennifer.

While Maggie was saying good-bye to Jennifer, Lisa took Heather aside. "Is everything all right, Heather?"

Heather smiled and rubbed her bottom. "Yeah, your husband has a way with getting me to see where I've gone wrong."

"Well, I hope it worked this time," Lisa admonished.

"Yeah, good night, Lisa. I'm sorry again for tonight," Heather stated.

Lisa sighed. "Well, let's just be thankful everything worked out. Good night!"

Charlie carried a sleeping Jennifer into the twins' room. While Lisa pulled off her clown costume and got her ready for bed, Charlie went to get Robin. He picked her up off the couch and deposited her in her bed.

Lisa thanked the neighbor who had kept an eye on Robin. Charlie and Lisa sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee.

"So, I hope you really gave it to Heather! I was so mad, Charlie!" Lisa said.

"I know, honey. She's learned her lesson this time, for sure! I don't think we'll have any more problems with her for awhile," he chuckled.

~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, Heather gave Maggie a bath. She was filthy. While Heather washed Maggie, they had a talk.

"Maggs, you know that was wrong of you tonight, don't you, sweetie?" Heather asked.

"Yes, Mommy. I shouldn't have told Jennifer and Alyssa that you said okay," Maggie said.

"You lied, Maggie. I thought we were past that," Heather admonished her.

"But you lied, too, Mommy. You told me you weren't gonna drink anymore. When I saw you drinking, I was so upset. Then I just got mad," Maggie declared.

Heather took a deep breath. "You're right, Maggs, I did lie. And that was wrong of me. Your Uncle Charlie helped me see that tonight. And I told him, and I'll tell you now, that it won't happen again. I promise!"

"Okay, Mommy, I forgive you. Do you forgive me for what I did? I won't do it again!" Maggie pleaded.

"I know you won't, Maggs. And to make sure of that, you're going to get a spanking to help you remember this night," Heather said as she took Maggie out of the tub and dried her off.

"I didn't think I'd get away without one," Maggie said, "but I thought I'd give it a try."

"Well, good try, but it didn't work. Pleading never helps to not get a spanking," Heather said, from personal experience.

Heather made sure Maggie got a spanking she wouldn't soon forget. She didn't hit as hard as Charlie had smacked her, but she did spank Maggie pretty hard. When Maggie was quietly sobbing, Heather pulled her into her arms and hugged her tight.

"I'm just so glad you're all right. I love you, Maggs!" Heather expressed.

Maggie cried. "I love you, too, Mom!"

~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Jennifer was up early. She had a leisurely breakfast with Charlie while he got ready for work. He was exhausted. He had gone back to the store the night before at 9:30 to close up. Now it was 6:00 am and he had to open the store at 7:00. The good thing was he was going to be home by 1:00.

Charlie pulled Jennifer into his lap at the kitchen table. "What were you thinking last night, Jennifer? Why did you go with Alyssa when you knew Mommy didn't like that?"

Jennifer started to cry. "I don't know, Daddy!"

Lisa came to the kitchen door. "Jennifer Lynn, you know that is not an acceptable answer."

"Good morning, Mommy. I'm sorry! I didn't know that Maggie hadn't asked Heather," Jennifer reiterated.

Lisa went and sat down next to Jenn and Charlie. "But Jennifer, I told you when we saw Alyssa here that she was too young to take you and Robin out at night. And then you went with her later, anyway. I am trying to show you that that was not acceptable. Do you understand that?"

Jennifer shook her head back and forth. "No, Mommy, I don't understand. I thought Heather was in charge of me. I thought Heather said it was okay!" Jenn cried.

Charlie said, "But Jennifer, what Mommy is trying to get you to understand is that you knew she did not approve. Forget about Maggie and Heather for a minute. You knew that Mommy did not want you to go with Alyssa at night, didn't you?"

Jennifer nodded. "Yes, Daddy," she admitted.

"So if you knew that, then you should never have gone, whether Heather might have said yes or not. YOU KNEW THAT YOU DID NOT HAVE PERMISSION. Is that clear, now?" Charlie asked calmly.

Jennifer sobbed, "Y-yes!" She put her head against Charlie's shoulder and cried.

After a few minutes, Charlie looked at his watch and said, "Okay, baby, I have to go to work. I will be home at lunchtime and then we can have a nice, family lunch. Okay?"

Jenn nodded. Charlie lifted her up from his lap. "Okay, I think you need to go with Mommy now. I love you, baby!" Charlie kissed her on her cheek and put her hand in Lisa's.

Charlie kissed Lisa, too, and said, "Bye, honey, I should be home by 1:15. I'll bring home pizza. I love you!"

Lisa replied, "I love you, too, hon!" To Jennifer she said, "Come. Let's go to my bedroom!"

Lisa led Jennifer into her bedroom. She sat down in the big red chair and put Jennifer in front of her. "Now, Jennifer, you know that I love you, don't you?"

Jenn nodded.

"And I only make rules for you because I want to keep you safe. Do you understand?" Lisa said this gently, and waited for Jenn to nod before she continued.

"I was very glad when you came back with Alyssa. I had been very worried about you. You must promise me that you will never do that again. You will never do something that you know is wrong, or that I won't approve of. Okay?" Lisa added.

"Yes, Mommy, I'm sorry. I guess I just wanted it so much that I thought it would be okay," Jenn admitted.

"I know, baby, you're still a little girl. And unfortunately, this is how you learn," Lisa said as she pulled down Jennifer's pajama bottoms.

She pulled Jenn across her lap and started to spank rapidly in the middle of her bottom. She knew Jenn had been through a lot and decided to give her a break. Lisa realized that the night before hadn't been all Jennifer's fault. After about two dozen smacks, Lisa stood Jennifer up.

Lisa hugged Jennifer tight against her. "I just love you so much, Jennifer. And I don't want anything bad to happen to you. Do you understand?" Lisa cried.

"Yes, Mommy, don't cry!" Jennifer sobbed. Jenn patted Lisa's back. They stayed that way for a long time.

Finally, breaking away from Jennifer's hold, Lisa looked at the clock. "It is very early. How about going back to sleep for another hour? You can nap in here with me!"

"Okay," Jenn said. She went to get a fresh pair of pantsies. Lisa put them on her and the two of them got under the covers. They both fell back to sleep in seconds.

 

to be continued...

 

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