New
Beginnings-chapter 9
By Sampast and Huggedlots
Copyright © 1999, All
rights reserved.
On Monday morning before school,
Bob reminded Maggie that they would be calling her teacher to set up an
appointment between them and the bully. Maggie informed Bob that his name was
Frankie.
Bob said, "Okay, well,
we're going to try to come in as soon as possible. I start work and Mommy
starts school next week. I want you to stay far away from Frankie on the
playground today, okay?"
"I'll try, Daddy. But
usually he finds us and starts to tease us," Maggie stated.
"Well, then you need
to ignore him, or go tell a teacher. Do you understand?" he asked.
"Yes, Daddy,"
Maggie said. "Um, Daddy?"
Maggie thought to herself,
maybe she should tell him about telling her teacher that her last name was
Clemente. She thought back to when he said that it was better for her to tell
things than for him to find out somewhere else. She imagined the conversation,
and then her daddy would say it was all right, and that he wasn't angry.
But then she thought, what if he's really mad? What if he tells me it's
illegal and then he spanks me? Then I'll have to go to school with a sore
bottom. NO, forget it, she thinks, I better not say a thing.
"Maggie, what is it,
honey?" Bob said.
"What? Oh, nothing,
forget it," Maggie expressed.
"Okay, honey. See you
later. Have a good day at school," Bob said and kissed her.
At school, Maggie's teacher
took her aside before lunch. "Maggie, I'd like to talk to you," Ms.
Brennan announced.
"Did I do something
wrong, Ms. Brennan?" Maggie asked, scared.
"Well, I spoke to your
dad on the phone this morning. Why didn't you tell me you were having problems
with Frankie on the playground?" she asked sweetly.
"I don't know. I guess
I didn't want to bother you. I thought I could handle him," Maggie
answered, honestly.
"Maggie, I am here for
you. I'm here to help you. Please know that you can tell me anything.
Okay?" Ms. Brennan expressed.
"Okay, Ms.
Brennan," Maggie said. She felt bad that she had lied to her teacher. But
it had been almost a week. She couldn't tell the truth now. All her papers and
notebooks and everything had "Clemente" on them. And besides, Daddy
was working hard to adopt her anyway, and she would just have to change
everything then, she reasoned.
"Would you like to
have lunch with me today? Julia can come, too. Then you won't be on the yard
with Frankie. And tomorrow, your parents and his parents are coming in at
recess time. Would you like that?" Ms. Brennan asked.
WOW! Lunch
with the teacher. "Sure," said Maggie, "I'll go get
Julia."
~~~~~~~~
After school, Heather asked
Maggie how school went.
"Fine," was all
she said.
Coming into the apartment,
Maggie hugged and kissed Bob. "Hi, Daddy!" she said. Then, "I'm
going to do homework in my room!" and almost disappeared behind her door.
"Just
a minute!"
Bob called.
Maggie peeked back out.
"Yes, Daddy?"
"You just got home. I
want to hear about your day. Come sit. Next week I won't be here when you get
home," Bob explained.
Maggie came back out. She
went and sat next to Bob on the couch.
"Where's your
bookbag?" Heather asked.
"I put it in my
room," Maggie replied. "I'm going to do my homework after I talk to
you and Daddy."
"Well, why don't you
sit out here and do it? I haven't seen anything you've done since you started
school. I want to know what you're up to," Heather said.
Maggie was scared. Did they
know? They HAD talked to Ms. Brennan, but still. No, Maggie thought, I'm just
being suspicious.
"So, honey, how was
school today? Any problems outside with Frankie?"
Bob asked.
"I didn't go to recess
today. I had lunch with Ms. Brennan," Maggie said.
"Oh?" Heather
asked.
"Yeah,
me and Julia.
She invited us. She said she talked to you and didn't want me to have any
problems outside with him today. She's so nice. I'm glad Mrs. Smith fell!"
"Maggie!" Heather
accused.
"I mean, I didn't mean
it that way, Mommy! I meant I was glad they put me in Ms. Brennan's class. Really, Daddy!" Maggie pleaded.
"We know what you
meant, honey. Don't worry!" Bob said, patting her arm.
There was silence for a few
seconds. Then Maggie said, "Can I go do my homework now, please?"
"Yes, but come do it
on the table here. We miss you, honey!" Heather reasoned.
"Okay," Maggie
said. She went and got her bookbag and brought it to the dining room table. She
took out her math book and her homework notebook and started to do her math
problems.
Heather sat across from
Maggie reading the newspaper. She looked up and saw what kind of math Maggie
was doing. It was fractions. Heather remembered hating fractions in school.
"You know, I always
had to put a heading at the top of my paper. My name, the date, the subject,
and the teacher's name," Heather observed.
"Yeah, we have to do
that, too," Maggie spoke. "But I always do it last. I like to get my
work done first."
Maggie hoped she didn't
sound like she was lying. She just didn't want her parents to know that she
wrote her name as Maggie Clemente.
After a little while, the
telephone rang. Heather answered. It was Jennifer.
"Maggs,
your cousin, Jenn, is on the phone. She wants to speak to you, honey,"
Heather remarked.
Maggie jumped up so fast
that her folder got knocked off the table. She didn't even notice in her rush
to answer the phone.
"Hi, Jenn, what's
up?" she said into the phone.
Heather bent down to
retrieve the fallen folder. As she was putting the papers back into the folder,
she examined each one. Her eyes got wide as she looked at a test that Maggie
had taken the previous Friday.
Heather looked over her
shoulder at her daughter on the telephone. She brought the paper over to Bob,
who was still sitting on the couch.
"Hon, take a look at
this," Heather said, handing him the paper.
"What is it,
sweetheart?" he asked. When he looked at the paper, he smiled. "100?
Wow, and she had only been there three days."
"Not that, look at the
name!" Heather commanded.
Bob looked at the top of
the paper. His eyes grew wide as he saw "Maggie Clemente" written at
the top of the paper. Just then, Maggie hung up the phone.
She said, "That crazy
girl. Do you know what she..."
Maggie stopped. She
realized her parents were staring at her. "What? What's the matter?"
she asked.
"Come here,
Maggie," Bob told her.
She came closer. "What
is it? What's wrong, Daddy?"
"Can you explain this,
Maggs?" Heather asked, taking the paper from Bob
and showing it to Maggie.
Maggie's mouth opened wide
as she realized what her parents now knew. "Where'd you get this
from?" she cried, grabbing it out of her mom's hand. She walked away.
"Who told you, you could go into my private stuff?" Maggie sneered.
"I think, young lady,
that you want to change the tone of your voice when you speak to us," Bob
stated calmly.
"I'm sorry!"
Maggie stated. More nicely, Maggie said, "Why'd you go through my stuff,
Mom?"
"I didn't mean to go
through your stuff, Maggs. When you got up to take
your phone call, your folder slipped off the table, and I merely picked up your
papers. I couldn't help but notice your name at the top," Heather
explained.
"I was just trying it out,
you know, to see what it would be like," Maggie lied.
Bob sighed. "Come sit
down, honey." After Maggie complied, Bob said, "Now, try again. Let's
try the truth this time."
Maggie didn't know how her
daddy knew she had been lying, but she didn't even try to continue doing it.
She knew that would be really bad. Instead, she started to cry.
Heather sighed and sat
opposite them on the chair. "Maggie, why are you crying,
honey?"
Maggie sobbed,
"Because I'm afraid you'll be mad."
Bob turned to face Maggie.
"Now, why will we be mad? Come on, tell us," he said.
Maggie shook her head.
"Only if you promise you won't be mad!" she said.
"Now, Maggie, we can't
promise we won't be mad. But it'll be a lot better for you to tell us the
truth. Now, let's go!" Bob ordered.
"Well, I kinda told Ms. Brennan that my name was already
Clemente!" Maggie said quickly.
"You
WHAT? Why would
you do that, Maggs?" Heather asked.
"I knew you wouldn't
understand!" Maggie shouted.
Very calmly, Bob uttered,
"There will be no shouting."
Maggie just cried. Finally
she said, "Sorry."
"Maggie, tell us why
you lied to Ms. Brennan," Bob asked.
"I didn't think of it
as lying. I just wanted it to be true so badly, Daddy. When are you gonna adopt me? I want to be your real daughter right
now!" Maggie wailed.
Bob took Maggie into his
arms and comforted her. "Honey, you are my "real" daughter,
right now. The adoption process is going to take time. There are some legal
things that need to be worked out. I want you to have my last name, too."
He turned to Heather. "I don't see why, if the school doesn't mind, why
Maggie can't continue using Clemente in her classroom."
"You think so?"
Heather asked.
"Really?!" Maggie asked.
"Yes, sweetie, if it
will make you feel better, while we go through the process, and your school has
no objections, then it should be okay for you to use it on your papers,"
Bob explained.
Maggie threw her arms
around Bob. "Thanks, Daddy, you're the best!"
"But . . ." Bob
said.
Maggie looked up. She hated
the but. She should have known she wouldn't get off scott-free.
"But," Bob
continued, "that does not excuse you lying, young lady. First, to your
teacher, and then, to us."
"I didn't lie to you,
Daddy," Maggie squealed.
"By not telling us something,
Maggie, you lied. Also, didn't I just ask you on Friday if there was anything
else you needed to tell me? Remember, after your teacher called," Bob
warned.
Maggie hung her head.
"Yes, sir."
"And this morning, you
knew I was going to call your teacher. Now she didn't say anything, but what if
she had? You knew there was a possibility, didn't you?" Bob asked.
"Yes,
Daddy. I almost
told you," she said.
"Then, why didn't you,
Maggs?" Heather asked.
"I was afraid you'd be
angry, like you are right now!" Maggie cried.
Again, Bob took her in his
arms. "Honey, we are not angry that you used Clemente on your papers. We
are sad that you did not tell us. In fact, you tried to hide it from us. By
asking to write your name on all your supplies, yourself, by doing your
homework in your room, by not putting your heading on your math homework, and
then making up a story to cover it, by yelling at Mommy for going through your
stuff. Shall I continue?"
"No, sir, I know I was
wrong," Maggie whispered.
"Then you also know
you should be punished, don't you?" Bob asked.
"Yes, sir,"
Maggie said quietly.
"Okay, let's go!"
Bob said, standing up. He took Maggie's hand and led her to her bedroom. He
closed the door and went and sat on her desk chair. He positioned Maggie in
front of him, and looked at her in the eye.
"Honey, you know I
love you, don't you?" Bob said and waited for her to nod her head.
"And I only punish you so that you learn right from wrong. What you did,
lying to your teacher, and keeping the truth from Mommy and me, was wrong.
Okay? That's what you're being punished for. Not for writing my name on your
papers. I want you to know that. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Daddy."
With that, Bob pulled down
Maggie's pants and panties. He let them fall to her ankles. Then he pulled her
across his lap and began to spank her bottom. He alternated cheeks as he
spanked. He watched her bottom turn from white to pink to red.
Maggie was crying
hysterically and Bob's heart went out to her. He sighed, and thought to
himself. Poor kid! She never intentionally does these things to hurt anyone or
anything, but she just doesn't think things through. Well, he would have to
help her learn not to do these things in the first place.
Maggie laid
limp across his lap. Bob stopped spanking. He began to rub her bottom as Maggie
cried. Finally, he stood her up and pulled her close to him. As he hugged her,
and she him, he thought back to that day in his apartment in Chicago, when he
had spanked her after catching her making prank phone calls. Maggie had
rejected him then, after the spanking. He remembered thinking that day, that he
couldn't wait until he felt close to her.
Well, now he was very close
to her. He was on the brink of becoming her daddy, legally. Bob continued to
hold Maggie close to him.
to be continued...