Author's Note: In response to some requests from admirers of my previous "Brad" stories, and because I really have developed a lot of affection for this fictional 14-year-old, I offer here another story about young Brad, his step-father "Maximum Maxwell", and Brad's best buddy, Matt. Like the other Brad stories this is a work of fiction and fantasy.
Brad and Matt sat uncomfortably on hard plastic chairs in the office-cum-storage room of the convenience store where they'd been nabbed trying to walk out with candy bars in their pockets and comic books stuffed into their jackets.
Their amateur status had been obvious to the clerk who nabbed them. Both boys looked guilty from the moment they entered the store. Their thievery had been quite blatant. And then they had hesitated at the door, allowing the clerk to grab them and haul them back to the manager, who forced them to turn over the stolen goods.
Their amateurishness, and the looks of terror on their faces when they were nabbed, disposed the manager of the store to be lenient with them. Instead of calling the police, he called their parents.
"My folks are going to kill me," Matt said.
"Mine too," Brad answered. It had been two months since his step-Dad had spanked Brad for defying him about his jeans and for calling him a '_c_o_c_k_-sucker.' In that time, Brad had kept out of trouble and had managed to forge a fairly warm bond with his stepfather. Now, he feared that bond was going to snap. He knew he was in BIG, DEEP TROUBLE!
Matt's mother was the first to arrive. They heard her talking to the manager outside the door. "I just can't believe this! It just doesn't sound like my Matt! Are you sure?"
"Ma'am, they had candy in their pockets and comics stuffed down their jackets. They confessed as soon as we nabbed them. They are pretty incompetent thieves, but they're still thieves!" the manager answered.
The door opened. Mrs. Hudson entered. "You are in so much trouble, young man!" Matt's Mom shouted, shaking her finger at her son. "Can I take him home?" she asked the manager. "I promise you he's going to be punished!"
"Sure! Get him out of here!" the manager answered. He turned his attention to Matt. "And I don't want you ever to come back her again! Do you hear me?"
"Yes, Sir," Matt answered.
Then, Mrs. Hudson reached out, took a firm grip on Matt's ear, and hauled him out of the office.
"Owww! Mom! Owww! That hurts!" Matt whined.
Brad remained alone. He knew that his stepfather was coming for him. Brad's Mom was away for the day visiting his Aunt June. Brad had been invited to go along. Had he gone, he knew he'd have stayed out of trouble.
Brad's stepfather arrived. He entered the office, a severe frown on his face. "Come on! Let's get going!" he snapped.
Brad led the way out of the office. His step-Dad thanked the manager for his leniency and told Brad to thank the man. Brad did as he was told. The man admonished him never to return. Brad promised that he would do as ordered.
When they were outside the store Brad began to explain himself. "Dad, I...."
"Shut up!" his step-Dad snapped. "I don't want to talk to you right now! I'm too angry!"
The sharp words told Brad that his stepfather really WAS angry, much angrier than he'd ever seen him. He was angrier than he'd been the day he'd confronted Brad about his jeans.
Brad sat in the back seat of the car and didn't say a word during the drive home. When they reached the house, Brad's step-Dad led the way into the house, with Brad following behind, filled with fear. Once they were in the kitchen, Brad's stepfather pulled out a chair.
"This is it!" Brad thought to himself.
Brad's step-Dad sat down and gave a stern order. "Get you butt bared and get over my knee! Now!"
Brad realized he had to obey. Any resistance was bound to make a very bad situation even worse. Brad unfastened the button on his jeans, drew down the zipper, and slipped his jeans down to his knees. Then he pulled down his boxer shorts. He got down across Wayne's lap.
SMACK! Wayne hit his bare bottom as soon as Brad was in position. The spank was hard, and it hurt. SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
The spanks raised a warm sting and Brad started to squirm. Then, just as the spanking was really starting to hurt, Brad's step-Dad stopped and ordered Brad to his feet.
Brad stood, perplexed, unable to believe that this was all the punishment he was going to get.
"That's just a taste of what you can expect to get after I've had a chance to talk this over with your Mom. Now you get you butt to your room and you stay there until I call you!"
Brad hurried out of the kitchen to his room, his heart racing, pulling up his boxers and jeans as he ran. He knew he had a couple of hours to wait. When Mom got home he was really going to get it, unless....unless, somehow, he could convince Mom that he shouldn't be spanked. Brad began to think. What could he say? What could he do? He was pretty sure he could cry as he talked with his Mom. His fear of the threatened spanking made that pretty easy! He wondered if he could argue that he was too old for a spanking. He decided that argument was a non-starter. Wayne would just assert that he WASN'T too old. Mom would go along with that. Brad decided that sincere contrition and lots of tears were his only hope of salvation. And if he couldn't be sincerely contrite, he knew he could at least put on a good act!
While Brad waited, he did his homework. He figured, seeing that he was in such serious trouble, he should do something responsible and productive while he waited. Brad typically did homework with music playing, but he decided that his step-Dad might get angrier if it seemed that Brad was amusing himself. Brad left his radio off.
Finally, Brad heard his Mom pull up in her car. He jumped up from his study desk and ran to his door. He opened it a crack and listened. He heard his Mom enter the house.
"Hi, Wayne!" she said. She was obviously in a good mood. "Look what June sent home!" Brad imagined that Mom was showing Wayne a cake or cookies. Aunt June was ALWAYS baking.
"Hi, Sweetie," Brad's step-Dad said. "Sorry to spoil your nice day, but I have to tell you that Brad's gotten himself into some pretty serious trouble. He got caught shop-lifting at that convenience store up on Randall Street."
"Shop-lifting? Brad?" Mom was incredulous.
"I'm afraid so. They – Brad and Matt -- were caught red-handed. They confessed. He's in his room now."
"Bradley Kenneth! You come out here right now!" Brad's Mom shouted.
Brad emerged from his room and walked into the kitchen. He kept his head down and tried to look as contrite as possible. This was easy. He was afraid and already feeling bad about upsetting his mother.
"I didn't raise you to be a thief, young man!" Mom scolded.
"I'm sorry, Mom," Brad answered, feeling genuine tears of remorse welling up.
"I certainly hope so! What I want to know is why you did it! We aren't poor! You never lack anything! Why?" Mom demanded.
"It was, it was, um, just a stupid stunt, Mom. Lots of guys have been pinching stuff from that store. Matt said we should do it too."
"So it was Matt's idea?"
"Now, Honey," Wayne interrupted, "let's not shift the blame to Matt. Bradley has a will of his own. He's as guilty as Matt."
Brad certainly hadn't meant to try to blame Matt for what had happened. He knew he'd not been pressured. "Yes, Mom. It wasn't Matt's fault!" Brad said.
"Fine! Matt's not to blame! That means that you have no excuse at all for what you did!" Mom continued. "Isn't that right?"
"Yes, Ma'am," Brad answered, tears trickling down his cheeks.
"Well, Wayne, what are we going to do with him?" Mom asked.
"I've already told Bradley what I think should happen. Tell her, Brad!" Wayne commanded.
"Dad says I deserve a spanking. Please, Mom! Not a spanking! I won't ever do anything like this again! Ground me or something! Please!" Brad begged.
"Couldn't we ground him?" Mom asked.
Brad was relieved to hear his mother support his request for an alternative.
"We could, I suppose. But then we'd have a miserable kid sulking around the house, and I can guarantee he'll try to get out of it!" Wayne said.
"I won't!" Brad said.
"You'll speak when spoken to, young man!" Wayne snapped.
"Well, Wayne, if you really think that a spanking is what's required....." Mom said.
"No! Mom!" Brad begged.
"I told you to keep quiet!" Wayne scolded.
"No! I should be able to have a say!" Brad protested.
"You had your say when you tried to shop-lift! Now you need to shut your yap!" Wayne growled.
Brad realized that he was making things worse. He sensed impending doom and knew there was no escape. Tears and contrition had failed to sway Mom from listening to Wayne. Wayne was rapidly becoming the final authority on discipline in the house. Mom listened to him and took his views seriously. Brad knew this meant he'd be getting spanked every time he got out of line.
"Alright, Wayne. Spank him," Mom said sadly.
"Bradley, come with me!" Wayne commanded, putting out his arm.
Brad approached him. Wayne put his hand on Brad's shoulder and guided him to his room. Brad was shaking from fear. He knew he was in for a serious spanking, certainly as severe as the one he'd gotten for calling Wayne a '_c_o_c_k_-sucker' and probably much more severe. His stomach was in knots. His legs felt like they were about to give out under him. His knee joints had turned to mush. Wayne closed the door and sat on Brad's bed.
"Okay, Bradley. You know the drill," he said.
Brad pulled down his jeans and boxers. He hesitated for a moment, wanting to beg Wayne not to spank him. But he decided this was pointless. It would almost certainly just make things worse. His step-Dad was going to spank him. Brad knew he just had to submit to it. Brad laid himself out across Wayne's lap.
Wayne put his strong left arm across Brad's back and gripped the boy's hip. Brad gritted his teeth and braced himself. SMACK! Wayne laid on a stinging spank. SMACK! Wayne's second spank let Brad know that he was in for serious pain. Brad was already convinced that crime does not pay.
SMACK! "I am not going to have a thief living under my roof! Is that clear, young man?" Wayne asked.
"Yes, Sir."
SMACK! "Stealing is wrong! Whether it's a comic book or a car, it's wrong! You need to earn honest money and pay for things you want! Is that clear?"
"Yes, Sir."
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! "I expected better from you! I am disappointed and so is your mother! You let us down, and you let yourself down!" SMACK! SMACK! "It was a stupid thing you did! It was stupid and childish! At fourteen you should know better!" SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! "You are across my knee getting spanked on your bare bottom because you acted like a spoiled little brat!" SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! "You embarrassed me! Now there are going to be people who are going to talk about Wayne Maxwell having a son who steals!" SMACK! "I am happy to have you as my son, Bradley. I like you a lot! But I am not going to let you embarrass me!" SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! "You are going to keep your nose clean, Son! Is that clear?"
"Yes, Sir. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause you trouble!" Brad sobbed.
SMACK! "I hope you mean that!"
"Yes, Sir, I do!"
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! Wayne went to work on Brad's small, plump buttocks. He spanked one, then the other, moving back and forth rapidly. SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
The pain was excruciating, and Brad found it impossible to hold still. He squirmed and bucked in reaction to each spank. He sobbed and groaned and whimpered.
"Owwww! Ahhhhhh! Owwwww! Ohhhhhh! It hurts! Please, Dad! Not so hard! Owwwww! Owwwww! Please! I'm sorry! I won't ever do it again! Honest! Owwwwwwww! Please! Owwwwwwww! Ohhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhh!"
"I need (SMACK!) to make sure (SMACK!) that you get the message (SMACK!) that behavior like this (SMACK!) will (SMACK!) not (SMACK!) be (SMACK!) tolerated (SMACK! SMACK!)! I am going to redden your behind, Brad!" Wayne grunted as he spanked Brad.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
"I am going to make sure you never forget this spanking, Brad! The next time you think about stealing or doing something else stupid, you're going to think about having a sore, red backside!" Wayne lectured.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
Brad was feeling weak and had stopped bucking. He grasped the bedspread with his fists, pressed his face against the mattress, and simply absorbed the pain. He had gone beyond simply reacting to the pain. He realized that he was truly being punished. He was taking the pain into himself and accepting it. He was sorry for what he'd done.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
"Alright, Son, I think that will be enough," Wayne said. He was obviously satisfied with the effect he'd had. Wayne helped Brad to stand.
Brad stood before his step-Dad, his face wet from crying. He looked and felt like he'd been to hell and back. Brad pulled up his boxers to cover himself. Then he wiped the tears from his cheeks and willed himself to stop crying. Having failed to sway his Mom with tears, and having shed legitimate tears in response to the pain, Brad resolved that he had cried enough. Further tears, he decided, would make him look like a baby; and Brad did not want to look like a baby. He didn't want his step-Dad to think of him that way.
Brad's stepfather stood. He stepped close to Brad, put his arm around him, and drew him toward him. Brad accepted the embrace tentatively. He wasn't sure he wanted to hug Wayne. His feelings were confused. But once Wayne had him in the embrace, and Brad put his head against Wayne's shoulder, he realized he wanted and needed the affirming and forgiving hug. Wayne patted Brad's back gently.
"You maybe won't believe me, Son, but I didn't like having to spank you. But I did what I had to. You needed to understand that stealing won't be tolerated. Do you understand?" Wayne asked.
"Yes, Sir. I'm sorry I did it. I promise it won't happen again," Brad answered.
"Alright, Brad. I believe you." Wayne released Brad from his arm. "Okay, I want you to stay her until dinner is ready."
"Yes, Sir."
Brad's step-Dad left Brad alone.
When his mother called him for dinner, Brad came out from his room and gave her a hug and told her he was sorry he'd upset her. She forgave him.
After dinner, Brad sat in the living room and watched TV with his step-Dad.
During a commercial, Brad asked his stepfather a question. "Dad, are you gonna let me keep being friends with Matt?"
"Yes, Brad. Despite what happened today, I think you two are good for each other. It's good to have a friend like Matt. You both just made a mistake today."
"Thanks, Dad."
"Sure, Bradley."
TO BE CONTINUED... [In Part Two, Brad and Matt compare notes]