The City...a twin story
(M/f, hairbrush, soap)
Copyright © 1999 by Sampast
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Part 1
"Hey, Jenn!" a
boy called.
Jennifer looked up when she
heard her name. When she saw who it was, she smiled. It was Keith, a boy from
her science class who she liked. She walked over to him.
"Hey, what's up?"
she said.
They were standing outside
the junior high school, near the tall oak tree. It was morning and the first
bell hadn't rung yet.
"Not much. Did you
understand the homework?" Keith asked nervously. He wasn't used to talking
to girls. Well none as pretty as he thought Jennifer was.
"No-ooo! But I never
do. It's a good thing Mr. Zimmerman doesn't know what's going on!"
Jennifer chuckled.
"Yea, that's true.
Remember the last test? How everyone just whispered the answers back and forth,
and he didn't even notice?"
"Yeah, that was pretty
funny. He's probably really old," Jennifer said.
Then there was silence.
Neither of them knew what to say. Finally, Keith broke the silence. "Uh,
listen, a couple of the guys and some girls are gonna take a trip a week from
Saturday, into Manhattan. You wanna go?"
"Oh, really? Who's
going?" Jenn asked.
Keith reeled off a whole
bunch of names. They were all kids that he hung around with. Jennifer only knew
them by sight; she had never really talked to any of them before. But she
wanted to. They were all really cool.
"Are any adults
going?" she asked nervously.
Keith smiled and said,
"No, that's why it will be so much fun. We're gonna go into the village
and go to Tower Records and walk around Washington Square Park and watch the
rollerbladers and stuff. It should be really cool."
Jenn didn't know how to
answer. She knew her father would never let her go in, especially if there
weren't any adults going. "I'll have to ask and let you know, okay?"
"Okay, sure!"
Keith said. Just then, the bell rang. They both ran off to class.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jennifer sat on her bed.
She tried to think of a way she could go into the city with Keith and his friends.
She could try just asking her mom and dad. Yeah, right! Like they're gonna let
a fourteen year old go into the city by herself! You mean, 13, a voice said.
Yeah, 13. She wasn't quite 14 yet...but she would be soon.
Jenn was startled from her
daydream by Robin, her twin sister. "Hey, Jenn, guess what?"
"What?" Jenn
asked, annoyed that Robin had burst into the room, even though they shared it.
"What's wrong with
you? Bad day?" Robin asked cheerily.
Jennifer was tired of
Robin's always cheery self. "No! I'm fine. What's so great?"
Robin shrugged off Jenn's
bad mood and said, "The Art Club is going into the city, and I got
permission to go, too. And we're going on a Saturday, not during school."
Jennifer's ears perked up
with the words "city" and "Saturday". "Why are you
going into the city with Art Club?"
"Oh, well, we're gonna
bring sketch pads and sit in the park and sketch people. We might go to a
museum, too. I can't remember which one. I'm so excited."
"That's really cool,
Robin," Jenn said, and she meant it. "When are you going?"
"A week from Saturday.
I'm so excited. Daddy's even gonna get me a new sketch pad."
Jenn said, "That
sounds like so much fun. I wish I could go."
"You do? Why?"
"I don't know. It just
sounds really cool, that's all. Maybe I'll join Art Club after all."
"You can, you know. If
you're serious, Jenn," Robin said.
"Hmmm, maybe I
will," Jenn thought, "maybe I will."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jennifer did decide to join
Art Club. She figured she'd go to a few meetings, and go on the trip. After
that, she could quit. At the second meeting, the teacher, Mr. Brown, handed
Jennifer a permission slip.
"Jennifer, the Art
Club is taking a trip next Saturday into Manhattan. We'll be going to the
Guggenheim, which is a museum, and also to Central Park, where we'll be
sketching. I hope you can join us," Mr. Brown stated.
Jenn took the trip slip
from Mr. Brown and smiled, "I wouldn't miss it for the world."
That afternoon, Jenn went
to science class all excited. "Hey, Keith, I think I'm going to be able to
go with you guys next Saturday. That is, if I'm still invited. I'm sorry I
didn't get back to you about it." Jenn knew she was rambling; she was just
so excited.
Keith smiled and said,
"Calm down. Of course, you're still invited. We're gonna meet at the
Merrick Train station at 9 am next Saturday. Be there or be square!"
"Sounds great!"
Jenn said.
When she went home,
Jennifer made sure to get Lisa's signature on the permission slip. "I'm so
glad to see you taking an interest in art, honey."
"Oh, yeah, well, I've
been interested in it for awhile, Mom," Jenn said absently. She was too
busy thinking about being alone in Manhattan, with Keith and the others. She
still had a few details to work out, but she was pretty sure her plan would
work.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day after school,
Jenn handed in her permission slip to Mr. Brown. "Great, Jennifer. I'm so
glad you'll be joining us."
"Yeah, me too,"
Jennifer replied.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Finally the day of the trip
arrived. Jennifer woke up with butterflies in her stomach. She was very nervous
about what she planned to do that day, and almost backed out. But then she
thought about Keith and his cool friends, and decided she couldn't miss it.
"Come on, Jenn, you
ready? We're supposed to meet Mr. Brown and the others at 8:45 at the train
station," Robin said.
"Yeah, I'm coming,
Robin. Don't have a cow!" Jenn said, and clutched her stomach.
"OW!"
"Jennifer? What's the
matter?" Robin asked, concerned.
"Oh, nothing, just my
stomach hurts a little," Jenn said, convincingly.
"Are you going to be
okay?"
"Yeah." Then Jenn
sat down. "Well, maybe not. Maybe I shouldn't go on the trip."
"You want me to get
Mommy or Daddy?" Robin asked.
"No, no, that's okay.
I'll be all right. Let's go!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Charlie dropped the girls
at the train station. He smiled as they got out of the truck. "You sure
you girls have enough money?"
"Yes, Daddy, we're
fine," Jenn replied.
"Jennifer, where's
your sketchpad?"
"I got it. It's in my
backpack. Bye, Daddy!" Jenn said.
"Bye, Daddy, see you
later," Robin said, waving.
Charlie stated, "You
give me a call later if you need a ride, okay?"
The girls nodded and walked
away. They bought their tickets and began walking toward the escalator. Just
then, Jennifer clutched her stomach again, and eased onto a bench.
"Hey, are you okay,
Jenn?" Robin asked.
"No. You know what?
Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all, Robin. I don't think I should go
on this trip. I really don't feel well."
Robin looked around. She
knew their dad had already left. "Well, what're you going to do,
Jenn?" She looked at her watch...it was twenty to nine. "We're
supposed to meet them in five minutes."
Jenn looked up at Robin and
tried not to smile. It was so easy to deceive Robin. It always had been, ever
since they were little girls. "I know, Robin, and I don't want to make you
late. You go ahead. I'll just call Daddy and have him pick me up."
Robin stood there staring
at Jennifer. She didn't know what to do. She looked at her watch again.
"Really, Robin, it's
okay. Go meet them. I'll be fine. I'll see you at home later. Have a good
time!" Jenn spoke.
When Robin didn't move,
Jennifer said, "Robin, go! Really, it's okay. I'll be fine!"
Finally, Robin walked
toward the escalator, looking back every few steps at her sister lying on the
bench. She wasn't sure if she was doing the right thing or not, but she also
knew she didn't want to miss the train.
Jennifer sat on the bench
and waited until she saw Keith and the others. "Hey, Jenn! There you
are!" Keith said, rushing over. "You okay?"
Jennifer jumped up.
"Yeah, I'm great!"
"You got your ticket
already?" Keith asked.
Jennifer held up her
ticket. Keith and the others went to buy theirs and they all headed upstairs to
wait for the train.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Robin had a great day with
the Art Club. They walked around Central Park, sketching people, and they went
to the Guggenheim. They had lunch at Burger King, and played a game called
Domino on the subway. The kids had to stand without holding on while the subway
was in motion. The idea was to balance and not fall over when the subway
stopped. Robin didn't last too long in the game, but got a kick out of watching
the other kids balance and then fall over.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, Jennifer was
having a blast with Keith and his friends. They walked around Washington Square
Park and watched people rollerblading. Then they went to the Village and saw
all the weirdos. They even went into this beauty parlor and saw all these
people with purple and green hair and people with mohawks. They went to Tower
Records and were amazed by all the levels of records and cassettes there.
Jennifer bought several cassettes to add to her collection.
They had lunch in a little
coffee shop in the village. Jenn couldn't believe how expensive it was. After
lunch, they walked in and out of the stores in the village. They were having so
much fun, that everyone lost track of time.
They were in a bookstore,
sitting on the floor, leafing through all kinds of books, when Jenn asked,
"Hey, anyone know what time it is?"
Sandra, a girlfriend of
Keith's friend, Darren, looked at her watch and said, "3:30."
Jennifer turned around.
"3:30? Are you serious? Oh my god, it's so late!"
Keith jumped up and put his
hand on her shoulder. "Jennifer, what is it? What's wrong?"
Jenn didn't want her new
friends to see her cry, but she couldn't stop the tears from starting to fall
down her cheeks. "I, I'm gonna be in so much trouble," she said.
"Why? What
happened?" Darren asked, as he closed a book.
"Well, I, uh, I didn't
really get permission to be here with you. My parents think I'm on a trip with
the Art Club."
"The Art Club?"
Sandra asked, laughing. "Why would they think that?"
"Because that's what I
told them. My sister's in the Art Club. I think they were supposed to get back
about 5:00. Oh, I'm never gonna make it," Jennifer wailed.
Keith jumped up and said,
"Yes, we will, if we hurry. Come on guys. We can make a 4:00 train, but
we'd better move fast."
Everyone grabbed their
things and they ran out into the street. Darren flagged down a cab and they all
jammed inside. "Penn Station. And please hurry," he said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, after a great
day, Mr. Brown announced it was time to go back home.
"Awwwww, do we have
to?" Danny asked.
"Yea, this was so much
fun, Mr. Brown," Suzanne stated.
"I really don't want
to leave either," Mr. Brown uttered, "But I told your parents we'd be
back around 5. Come on, gang, let's go."
The kids very reluctantly
followed Mr. Brown onto the subway back to Penn Station.
They got there early, and
several kids called their parents and told them what time to pick them up,
including Robin.
Charlie answered the phone.
"Hi, Daddy. We're taking the 4:12 train. We'll be there at 5:03. Oh, gotta
go!" Robin hung up the phone before Charlie could even ask how her day
was.
Once settled on the Long
Island Rail Road, Robin perused her sketch book and examined all the drawings
she had done that day. She had found the trip to be very successful and looked
forward to the next one they would plan.
Mr. Brown was sitting next
to Robin. "Well, Robin, it's too bad your sister got sick and couldn't
make the trip. I know she was looking forward to it."
"Yeah, I know. Oh,
man, I didn't even ask my dad how Jenn was feeling," Robin said,
wishfully.
"Oh, well, I'm sure
she's okay. Besides, you'll see her soon," Mr. Brown stated.
"True," Robin
said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
Jennifer, Keith, Sandra,
and Darren ran into Penn Station and to the boards that showed the departure
times for the trains. Sandra looked at her watch. It read 4:15.
"Oh, darn, we just
missed the 4:12 train to Babylon," Darren said.
"Oh, no!" Jenn
cried. "I'm going to be in so much trouble!"
They looked to see when the
next train would be. Over the loudspeaker they heard, "Last call for the
4:12 train to Babylon, making stops in Rockville Centre, Baldwin, Freeport,
Merrick, Bellmore, Massapequa, Massapequa Park, Amityville, Copiague,
Lindenhurst, and Babylon. Last call. Track 18."
"Oh my god, it didn't
leave yet. Come on!" Keith yelled.
They all followed Keith as
he ran down the steps. They looked both ways and didn't see the train. "Oh
wait, this must be the wrong track. Over there!" he pointed.
They all ran to where they
saw a train with lots of people boarding and a big crowd, waiting. They jumped
on, and quickly found seats. They sat down huffing and puffing.
After the train pulled
away, Jennifer put her hand to her chest and said, "Oh, thank god we made
it."
Keith put his hand on
Jenn's arm. "That's right, don't worry, things'll be okay, with your
folks."
It was only after the train
pulled out of the station that they heard, "This train is an express train
to Port Jefferson, which stops at Hicksville, Syosset, Cold Spring Harbor,
Huntington and Port Jefferson."
"Port Jefferson? Oh
no!" Jenn squealed.
"It's okay, Jennifer.
We can change trains at Jamaica. This happened to me once before," Sandra
explained.
Since Jenn was freaking
out, Sandra called over the conductor and asked him to verify that they could
switch at Jamaica.
"What seems to be the
problem?" he asked.
They explained to him that
they somehow had gotten on the wrong train; they were supposed to be going to
Merrick.
"Well, that is
unfortunate," the conductor said, "since this is an express train. We
won't be stopping at Jamaica."
"We're not?"
Sandra asked, surprised.
"Yes," the
conductor said, looking at their tickets, "and I'm afraid you'll have to
get off at Hicksville, our first stop, unless you have money to pay for the
remainder of the trip."
Darren spoke up then.
"We don't. Besides, Hicksville would be closer to Merrick, than if we went
further."
"What am I gonna do?
How will I ever explain this?" Jenn asked.
Darren said, "No
offense, Jenn, but how were you going to explain it anyway? Wouldn't your
sister tell your folks you weren't on the trip?"
"Well, I, uh, I, I was
gonna get there before Robin, and convince her to lie for me," Jenn said.
The three of them looked at
her. They weren't convinced. And if they weren't convinced, then Charlie and
Lisa never would have been either.
"Oh, I don't know what
I was going to do. It seemed so simple at the time," Jenn stated.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What do you mean she
didn't go with you?" Charlie asked Robin for the third time.
"Daddy, I'm telling
you. She told me she had an upset stomach and she was gonna call you to pick
her up. Didn't she call you?" Robin asked.
Something was fishy and
Robin felt scared.
Charlie and Robin were
standing by the ticket booth at the Merrick Train Station.
"No, Robin, Jennifer
did not call me. The last time I saw her was when I dropped the two of you off
this morning. Now start over and tell me everything," Charlie said, trying
not to scream.
So Robin did. What little
she knew, anyway. Charlie was furious, and frightened. Where could that girl
be?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Part 2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The train pulled up to
Hicksville and the foursome got out. They pooled all their leftover money
together, but it wasn't nearly enough for cab fare to Merrick.
"Guess we'll have to
call our parents," Sandra said.
"Yeah," the rest
of them agreed. Except Jennifer. She was too scared to even think what her
father would say if she called to say she was stuck at the Hicksville Train
Station with no money.
"Uh, you guys can call
your parents. I can't," she said.
Sandra suggested, "How
'bout I call my mom and she can take you all home?"
"Yeah, and Jenn, you
can come back to my house, with me, okay?" Keith proposed.
Jenn nodded. "Yeah,
okay."
Sandra's mother dropped
Keith and Jennifer off at Keith's house. He put his hand on her arm and said,
"Hey, c'mon, don't worry, it'll be okay."
Jenn shook her head.
"You don't know my father. He's going to be furious. I'm afraid to call
him."
Keith said, "C'mon
inside. Talk to my mom. She's a social worker. She's a great person to talk to.
She'll know what to do."
Jenn went in reluctantly.
Mrs. Andrews said, "Oh, hon, you're home. How was the city? What'd you do?
Oh, who's this?"
"Mom, this is Jennifer
Clemente. She's my friend, from science class," Keith began. "Um,
Mom, Jenn has a problem."
The three of them sat down
at the kitchen table and Jennifer explained the whole situation to Keith's
mother. She listened intently and didn't once interrupt. Jennifer put her head
down on the table, crying, when she had finished.
Mrs. Andrews got up and
retrieved the cordless phone from the wall. She held it out to Jenn and said,
"Sweetie, you need to call your folks and let them know where you are and
that you're all right."
Jennifer looked at the
phone. "Oh, no, please, I can't. You don't understand. My father's gonna kill
me!" Jenn exclaimed.
Mrs. Andrews smiled.
"No, he won't, I promise. I'll be here for you, all right?"
Jennifer hesitantly reached
for the proffered telephone. She dialed her number and waited two rings. Her
mom picked up and Jenn actually sighed in relief.
"Hello, Mommy?"
"Jennifer, is that
you? Oh my god, where are you?" Lisa screeched.
"Mommy, I'm all right.
I'm at a friend's house. Everything's fine."
"Jennifer, tell me
where you are right now!" Lisa uttered.
"I'm okay, Mommy. I
gotta go!" Jenn said, and turned the phone off.
Mrs. Andrews said,
"There, now, that wasn't so bad, was it?"
"No, but I'm gonna
have to go home eventually," Jenn commented.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Charlie walked into the
house fifteen minutes after Lisa hung up the phone with Jennifer. "No
luck," he said. "I looked everywhere and I couldn't find her."
"Charlie, she
called," Lisa stated simply.
"She called? From
where? Where is she? She is in so much trouble!" Charlie's fear suddenly
turned to anger.
Lisa said, "She said
she was okay and that she was at a friend's house. When I asked her where, she
hung up. Charlie, I'm worried. I called all her friends and no one knew where
Jenn was. Who could this friend be?"
Suddenly the phone rang.
Lisa stared at Charlie. He picked up the phone and said, "Hello?"
"Hi, Mr. Clemente?
This is Kate Andrews. Your daughter, Jennifer, is here at my house. She and my
son, Keith are in science class together."
"Oh, Mrs. Andrews,
thank goodness. We've been so worried about Jennifer. I'm glad she's all right.
Why don't you tell me your address and I'll come pick her up?" Charlie
said sweetly.
"Well, Mr. Clemente,
I'll tell you the address, but I was hoping your wife could come too, so we can
all talk," Mrs. Andrews said. "Oh, and call me Kate."
"Well, Kate, I don't
really understand why my wife needs to come there. What is it you wanted to
talk about?"
"Mr. Clemente---"
"Please, call me
Charlie."
"Charlie, it seems
that Jennifer is very scared to tell you the events of today. I'm a social
worker. I don't mean to butt in, but Jennifer appears to be quite frightened,
and I only thought I could help. Our address is...."
Charlie hung up the phone
and explained the situation to Lisa. They both called Robin downstairs and
asked her to keep an eye on the little ones.
"Sure, Mommy, Daddy.
What's going on?" Robin asked.
"We're not sure. But
we're going to pick up your sister. We'll be home as soon as we can. Melissa
will be asleep the whole time we're gone. If Stephen wakes up, you can read to
him, or play with him until we get back. All right?"
"Okay. Don't worry,
I'll be fine," Robin said. She wasn't so sure about her sister, though.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jennifer was pacing the
living room while she waited for her parents to get there. Keith got up and
went over to his friend. He wasn't sure what to say to her. "Don't worry,
Jenn. My mom's great. She'll help you make it work out."
Jenn looked at Keith and
smiled. She really liked him. "Thanks," she said.
Suddenly the doorbell rang.
Keith went to open it. He introduced himself to Jennifer's parents. They walked
into the living room and Keith introduced them to his mother. Jennifer looked
at her parents and froze.
Charlie saw Jenn and
motioned for her to come to him. He opened his arms wide. Jenn ran into them.
Charlie closed his arms around Jennifer and squeezed tight. "Oh, Baby, I'm
so glad you're all right. We were so worried about you."
Lisa got in on the hug,
too. The three of them stood there for several moments, just holding each
other. Jennifer was crying, as she let go, and stood back. She looked at
Keith's mom and then sat down next to her on the sofa.
Kate nodded at the love
seat and said, "Please, sit down."
Lisa and Charlie looked at
her and then at Jennifer, and sat on the love seat. Keith didn't know what to
do, so he left the room. He knew this would be hard for Jennifer, and he wanted
to give her some privacy.
Kate turned her attention
to the Clementes. "Now, I know you are wondering why I've asked you to sit
and talk with me. Jennifer explained the situation to me and I wanted to help.
She's very scared to tell you what she did today."
Charlie looked at Jennifer
and said, "Why, Baby? You know you can tell Mommy or me anything."
"You'll be mad,"
Jenn said.
"I'll be more angry if
you don't tell me. Come on, Jennifer," Charlie said sternly.
"Charlie, don't!"
Lisa said, putting her hand on his arm. "She'll tell us when she's
ready."
While Jennifer got herself
composed, Kate spoke to Charlie and Lisa about the problems raising children
today. She admitted that she, too, often punished before getting the whole
story. She also admitted that she spanked her children.
"There's nothing wrong
with it, Mr., I mean, Charlie, but your daughter was so afraid of your
reaction, that she felt that she couldn't even go home."
"That's
preposterous," Charlie stated. "Jennifer knows she can tell us
anything. We always give our girls the chance to explain themselves, before any
punishment is given." He then turned to Jennifer. "I'm waiting, young
lady."
"It's just that, well,
Daddy," Jenn cried, "you're going to be so disappointed in me."
Charlie's face softened. He
put his arm out and said, "C'mere, baby."
Jenn walked slowly over to
him. She wasn't sure what to expect, but she was almost sure he wouldn't spank
her in front of Keith's mother.
Charlie said,
"Jennifer, you know you can tell me anything and I will always love you. I
may be disappointed in you, but that does not mean I don't love you. Please
tell me about today."
"I'm sorry, Daddy. I
lied to you."
Jennifer broke down crying.
Charlie pulled her into his lap and held her. "Shh, sh, it's okay. It's
all right. Just tell me the truth now."
It was almost like Lisa and
Keith and Kate disappeared. Jennifer and Charlie were alone in the world; he
rocking her, she holding on to him and crying. When she had calmed down some,
Charlie stood her up and said, "C'mon now, Baby, tell us."
Jennifer looked back at
Kate. She nodded that it was all right. Jennifer looked around for Keith but
didn't see him. She realized that he had left them alone to discuss things.
Jennifer liked Keith all the more for giving her some privacy. She turned back
to her parents and said, "Mommy, Daddy, I went into the city with some
friends today."
Charlie sighed. He was
angry, but tried not to show it. Besides, he hadn't heard the whole story yet.
"Okay, and?" he prompted.
"I told you I was
going on the trip with Robin and the Art Club, because I didn't think you would
let me go, if you knew no parents were going."
"I see," Charlie
said, his teeth clenched. "Anything else?"
Jennifer sobbed. "I
lied to Robin. I told her my stomach hurt so she would think I was sick and had
to go home. But I really waited for my friends and took the next train into the
city."
With Kate's encouragement,
Jennifer went on to explain the mix-up on the way home and how they had come to
arrive in Hicksville.
"Well, Jennifer, you
know how we feel about lying. You know that you will be punished, don't
you?" Charlie asked.
Jennifer nodded. "Yes,
Daddy."
"But I'm glad you told
us the truth. It would have been worse if you had continued to lie,"
Charlie said.
Kate interrupted then and
said to Jennifer, "Are you okay now, sweetheart? It sounds like your
parents were very worried about you."
"Yes, I'm okay. Thank
you for being here when I told them," Jenn said, putting her arms around
Kate.
"No problem. If you
ever need anyone to talk to, you can call me. Okay?" Kate asked.
Jenn nodded. Charlie rose.
"Well, I think it's time we took Jennifer home. We have a lot of things to
discuss. Thank you, Kate."
"Yes, thank you. It
was very sweet of you to intervene," Lisa said.
"I'm just sorry if you
thought I was butting into your personal business. But things seem to be
working out all right," Kate said.
"Yes, things will be
fine," Lisa said, smiling.
Jennifer went to get her
things and say goodbye to Keith. He jumped up when she came into the kitchen.
"Hey, is everything
all right?" he asked, concerned.
"Yeah, I think so. The
hard part is over. I told them what I did. Now we're going home to talk,"
Jennifer said, wincing.
Keith smiled. "Oh, is
your kind of talk what I'm thinking it is?"
Jennifer rubbed her bottom
and said, "Yeah."
Keith grinned again.
"I guess I'll see you at school on Monday."
"Yeah, guess so,"
Jenn said, awkwardly. She started to walk out of the kitchen, thought better of
it, turned around and gave Keith a hug. "Thanks for everything today. And
despite all the trouble I'm in now, I had a great time."
"I did too, Jenn. Take
it easy. Call me if you're allowed, okay?" Keith asked.
"Okay, but I probably
won't be able to. I'll see you Monday," she called, as she walked away
with her backpack.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nothing was said on the
short ride home, or during dinner. After the meal, Charlie told Jennifer to
take a shower and get ready for bed. "Your mother and I will be upstairs
to talk to you at 8:00."
"Yes, Daddy,"
Jenn said, putting her plates into the sink.
Robin followed her sister
upstairs. "Hey, Jenn?"
"What, Robin? You're
not going to lecture me, too, are you? Because I'm not in the mood."
Lisa had briefly explained
to Robin the events of Jenn's day. "I was just going to ask you why you lied
to me. I mean, I would have covered for you, if you had just told me the
truth," Robin said.
Jennifer stared at Robin,
as if she had just dropped a bomb. "You would not have. You would have
cried that I put you into a strange position. You would have tried to talk me
out of it, and you wouldn't have let up on me about it for days. Just drop it,
Robin. It doesn't concern you," Jenn spat out.
She then went into the
bathroom to run a bath. She was in the mood to soak. And sulk. She knew she was
facing a major punishment that night. "Let's see," she thought,
"I lied to Mr. Brown, to my mother, my father, and to Robin. I purposely
went out of my way to misbehave, and wouldn't own up to it. I would say I'm in
very, very, BIG trouble." Jennifer reasoned with herself that she should
expect a big spanking and a mouth soaping.
She wasn't too far off the
mark. Charlie and Lisa came up exactly at 8:00. Melissa and Stephen were
already in bed. They asked Robin if she could go watch t.v. downstairs while
they talked to Jennifer.
Charlie and Lisa sat on
Jenn's bed, and Jenn sat on Robin's bed, facing them.
"Jennifer, we are very
disappointed in you. You went to a lot of trouble to go into the city with your
friends, without us knowing. What we want to know is why didn't you just ask
for permission to go in the first place?"
Jennifer looked down. She
began, "Because I..."
"Jennifer, look at us,
please," Lisa said.
"Yes, Mommy."
Jennifer lifted her head and looked at her parents. "Because I didn't
think you would let me. I figured you wouldn't think it was safe for a thirteen
year old girl to go into the city without an adult."
Charlie said, "Well,
you're probably right. So, you purposely did something that you knew we
wouldn't approve of?"
"Yes, sir."
"So, that's the real
reason you were afraid to tell us what you did, isn't it?" Charlie asked,
gently.
Jennifer hadn't realized it
until her father said it, but yes, that was it! She knew that what she was
doing was wrong, and that her parents would disapprove. That was why she didn't
want to go home.
She realized her parents
were waiting for an answer. "Yes, Daddy."
"Jennifer, you know
better than this. Whatever possessed you to deliberately do something you knew
we wouldn't approve of, and then lie about it?" Lisa asked.
"I don't know,"
Jennifer started.
Charlie cut her off.
"Jennifer, you know that is not an acceptable answer!"
"Yes, Daddy. It's just
that, well, I wanted to go so bad. I knew if I asked, you would say no, and
then I would still want to go, and..."
"So, you'd rather do
it without asking us, than do it after we told you not to?" Lisa asked.
Jennifer knew it sounded
terrible, but she also knew it was the truth. And since there had been more
than enough lies to go around already today, she just nodded. "Yes, Mommy.
I know that was wrong. And I'm sorry."
"Unfortunately,
Jennifer, you know that an 'I'm sorry' after you misbehaved, is not enough. You
are going to be punished," Charlie said.
"I know,"
admitted Jenn.
"Jennifer, what I
still don't understand is how you thought you could get away with this in the
first place! You must have known that Robin would tell us what you told her
about your stomach, and that you weren't on the trip. And what about knowing
which train to get on so that you'd be home the same time as Robin. You could
not possibly have thought this through," Lisa remarked.
"No, Mommy, I guess I
didn't think very well at all," Jenn conceded.
"Well, young lady, we
won't even talk about why you didn't call from Hicksville. We understand that
you were afraid to face us. But baby, I want you to know that you don't have to
feel that way. Even though Mommy and I are disappointed in you right now, this
will pass. We still love you, and always will. All right?" Charlie asked.
Jenn nodded. She went over
and hugged her daddy.
"And Jennifer, please,
don't be afraid to tell us anything. Like Daddy said, we might be disappointed
at first, but we will always love you, and accept anything you might have
done," Lisa added.
"That's right,"
Charlie said, his arms still around his daughter, "but right now, you and
I have a little date with a hairbrush. And you will also have your mouth washed
out with soap. Do you understand why, young lady?" Charlie asked, sternly.
Jennifer stepped out of the
hug and nodded. "Yes, sir. Because I lied to a lot of people, and I did
something wrong, that I knew was wrong."
"That's right,"
Charlie said. "Now let's go. Lisa?"
Lisa stood up and retrieved
the hairbrush from on top of Jennifer's bureau. She handed it to Charlie, gave
Jenn one quick hug, and left the room. Charlie positioned Jennifer in front of
him, pulled down her pajama pants and panties, and laid her across his knee.
Charlie started to spank
with his hand; first one cheek and then the other. He alternated cheeks until
Jennifer's bottom was a dark pink. When he felt that she had been warmed up
enough, Charlie picked up the hairbrush and resumed her spanking.
Jennifer had started
whimpering just when her daddy was using his hand. Now that he was using the
hairbrush, she started all out crying. "Ow, Daddy, I'm sorry. I'm so, so
sorry. Please stop!"
"Jennifer, you know
better than that!" Charlie warned. "What you did today {whack!
whack!} was clearly defiant. {whack! whack!} You purposely didn't ask
permission {whack! whack!} to do something {whack! whack!} and then you did it
{whack! whack!} and you knew it was wrong. {whack! whack!} Your mother and I
{whack! whack!} will not stand for that. {whack! whack!} Do you understand me,
young lady?" {whack! whack!}
"Yes, Daddy, I'm
sorry!" Jenn cried.
Charlie gave Jennifer a few
final whacks with the hairbrush and then set it down on the floor. He began to
rub her very red, very sore bottom. Then he pulled her to a standing position
and gave her a big hug.
Jennifer put her arms
around her daddy's neck and squeezed very hard. She was crying very hard, as
well. "I'm sorry, Daddy. I'm so, so sorry. I'll never do anything like
that again!"
"Sh, it's okay. I know
you won't, Baby," Charlie said, calling Jennifer by the name he gave her
when she was just a baby. He continued to hold her and soothe her until her
crying had subsided a bit.
"You okay?" he
asked. He knew he had just given her a very hard spanking.
She nodded. "Yeah, I
think so," Jenn said, reaching back and rubbing her bottom. It was hot to
the touch.
"Well, we have one
more thing to do. You know, right?" Charlie asked.
"Yes, Daddy,"
Jenn said.
Charlie got up. He took
Jennifer's hand and led her into her bathroom. Very gingerly, Jenn sat down on
the edge of the toilet seat. Charlie took a bar of soap and held it in his
hand.
"You know why you're
getting your mouth rinsed out?" he asked.
Jenn nodded again.
"Yes, because I lied to you and Mommy, and to Mr. Brown, and to
Robin."
"Yes, and you went to
a lot of trouble to lie, also, Jennifer. You mustn't do that. You
understand?" Charlie asked, sternly.
"Yes, Daddy. I won't
do it again. I promise," Jennifer vowed.
"I hope not, Baby.
Okay, open up."
Jenn opened her mouth and
Charlie popped the soap right in. He tapped her jaw which meant for her to
close her mouth, which she did. Charlie left the bathroom but stayed in the
bedroom, peeking in the door, where he could keep an eye on Jennifer. After
several minutes, Charlie went back in.
Jenn was making a face, and
tears were pouring out of her eyes. "Okay, open up," Charlie told
her.
Charlie let Jenn spit the
soap out and rinse her mouth. "That was really gross, Daddy. Yuck!"
"Well, baby, telling
lies is really gross. Maybe this will help you remember not to do that next
time. I know I made you keep the soap in a little longer today, but I was
trying to drive that message home."
"Yes, Daddy. I'll try
very hard not to lie to you anymore," Jenn said.
Charlie smiled. He led
Jennifer back to her bed, where she retrieved her pajama pants and panties and
put them on.
"Okay, baby, all is
forgiven. We won't talk about today again. But we will be talking about this
boy, Keith. But not now. Tomorrow. I want you in bed. You can read for a little
while, but then lights out by 9:30. Okay?"
"Okay."
"And Jennifer, you
will be grounded for the next two weeks. No t.v., no friends, no phone. You're
to come home straight after school every day. We need to learn to trust you
again. Do you understand?"
Jennifer nodded. She tried
not to cry. She knew she had crossed the line today, and was very lucky that
was all the punishment she had gotten. She thought her daddy would be extra
angry for involving Keith's mother, but he hadn't said a thing. Thank goodness.
Charlie turned to leave the
room. Then he stopped, came back, and gave Jennifer a big hug. "You know
that Daddy loves you, Baby, don't you?"
Jennifer shook her head up
and down emphatically. "Yes, Daddy, of course. I love you, too."
"Okay, then, good
night!" Charlie said, and left the room, for real, this time.
Jennifer laid on her bed,
on her stomach, and thought back to her day. The worst part, of course, was the
spanking. But the best part, was Keith's smile and his putting his hand on her
arm, and his reassurance. That's what Jennifer thought about as she drifted off
to sleep.
The end.
Date: 1999/08/12
This site copyright © 2000 by Don A.
Landhill. All rights reserved
Last
Revised: 17
April
2000