This story continues on from A Boy's Last Chance.
Tuesday, 3 February 1965, Pat Brown drove to the school and parked his old Ford Prefect in the car park for teachers. Just as he was getting out a voice called, "Hey this is the teachers car park, students park outside the gate." The voice belonged to a guy taller than Pat by about 4 inches which made him 6 feet 2 inches dressed in a suit with a bow tie. When he saw the way Pat was dressed he said,
"I say I'm sorry, I thought by the car that you were some cheeky kid trying his luck. I'm Jim Black and I teach geography."
"Hello, I'm Pat Brown," shaking hands, "I'm working with Bob White for a couple of weeks."
"Come on Pat lets walk in together. If I can help at any time let me know."
At the entrance Pat turned left going towards Bob White's office. As he was walking down the corridor he heard a loud bellow behind him.
"No running in the corridors, you three, I'll see you in my office before lunch."
Pat turned and as he suspected it was Bob White talking to three sorry looking 15 year olds.
He joined Pat walking to his office, "We'll see how those three feel after lunch. They are fifth formers and they know better. Come on Pat, first up is assembly, the old man will introduce you to the school so I hope you wont be too embarrassed."
Leaving their brief cases in the office, the two went back along the corridor to the hall where assembly was to be held. As they entered from the corridor Pat was surprised at the size of the hall and as he was shown the way onto the stage he estimated there was about 800 - 900 boys busy chatting quietly waiting for the first assembly of the year to start. Pat joined thirty others on the stage, and he noticed some women among them.
Mr. Burnley the Headmaster came onto the stage and the hall immediately became quiet. He announced the hymn and after that there was a short prayer. General announcements followed, then the Headmaster said, " We have two trainee teachers with us for the first few weeks of the term, then they go onto an other school. I want you all to welcome Miss Gayler who will teach art and book keeping, and Mr. Brown who will be teaching English and Japanese."
Pat looked over to his right where he saw a pretty blond sitting next to Jim Black the geography teacher he had met earlier. He felt his _c_o_c_k_ starting to twitch in his pants and thought _s_h_i_t_ I don't want to get a hard on now. He stood up as the Headmaster finished introducing him and then sat again. There was a round of clapping from the body of the hall.
After assembly Pat followed Bob White back to his office and they finalised Pats schedule for the day then he took Pat to the Head of Languages a very dry gentleman nearing retirement called old Nick by the students. Nick Carter had been teaching since before the second world war. He was good teacher and as well as French he taught Latin. He had met Pat the day before and seemed friendly enough.
Before leaving them Bob White said, "Pat I'll see you in my office at 12 sharp."
"Right Bob."
The morning flew by. Pat found he enjoyed intermingling with the boys more than he had anticipated. The boys seemed well behaved and quiet. Every so often Mr. Carter would let Pat teach some points and at the end of the period would point out where he had made an error or where he could have done it differently. At 12 Pat made his way back along the corridor to Bob Whites office. The three 15 year olds were standing waiting outside.
Pat knocked on the door which was partially open, and Bob looked up from his pile of papers, "Come in Pat and shut the door." Pat shut the door. "Sit over there," Bob said indicating a chair at the side of his desk.
"How did the morning go?"
"Terrific, Mr. Carter is a good teacher. I wish I had had him while I was at school for languages. And the boys seemed to be quiet, yet there was humour as well in the lessons."
"Old Nick, as the boys call him has been teaching for ages and he is going to retire at the end of this year. He will be hard to replace." They talked for several minutes longer.
"Right lets deal with the lads waiting outside, their names are Trevor Blackwood, William Wright and Phillip Woods" Bob turned in his chair and reached between a bookcase and a filing cabinet and brought out three canes and laid them on his desk. He stood up and Pat stood also. He went to the door.
"You three in here." The three came into the office which was suddenly quite crowded. "Blackwood stand there, said Bob pointing to the right side of his desk, "then Williams and Woods. In case you weren't paying attention in assembly this morning, this is Mr. Brown, you Woods, will be taught Japanese by him if you are lucky enough, you other two will have him for English."
The three boys all three stood in front of the desk, staring at the canes laying there looking pale, specially Philip Woods who seemed to be hypnotized, his eyes never leaving the sight of the canes.
"The three of you have been to this school for two years," began Bob, "so you are all aware of the rules. This is the beginning of your third year and today of all days you start by running in the corridor. Why?"
There was no reply from any of them.
"I take it then that you have no excuse, that you were just fooling around. Look lads you are in the fifth form you are supposed to be setting examples to the junior forms not skylarking about."
The three stood there not saying a thing.
"Right we will not waste anymore of my or Mr Brown's time," picking up the mid sized cane from his desk he flexed it, "Williams and Woods wait outside until called." The two went outside pulling the door shut after them. Bob moved around to the front of his desk and pointed to a spot on the carpet with the cane.
"Blackwood, bend over here and touch your toes."
The boy moved to the spot indicated and bent over, his legs slightly apart. Pat noticed the way the grey shorts rode up the back of his thighs showing more thigh and tightening across the top of the buttocks.
Bob White went across and stood to the left and slightly behind the bending Blackwood. He tapped the cane across the centre of the offered up buttocks, Pat noticing that the tip of the cane was about halfway across Blackwood's right buttock. The cane went up to shoulder height, paused and sped down with the familiar swish and landed with a sharp crack. Blackwood didn't move. Three more times the cane landed each stroke moving down crossing both buttocks horizontally.
"That's it, wait outside and send in Williams."
Blackwood stood. As far as Pat could see the caning had not affected him apart from being slightly red in the face and Pat didn't know whether that was from the caning or being bent over. Blackwood went out the door.
Williams entered the office. Again the cane pointed to the spot on the carpet.
Williams bent over without being told.
"Legs apart, shoulder width, you know the drill you have been here before."
Williams shuffled into the required position. Again four strokes landed. Pat thought that this time Bob seemed to be hitting harder as the cane seemed to disappear into the expanse of stretched buttock and when raised the mark stayed momentarily across the seat of William's shorts. After the second stroke Williams had flinched, but didn't make a sound.
"Right that's it you may stand."
Williams stood. Pat could see that he was close to tears.
"Send in Woods."
Phillip Woods entered the office. He was visibly trembling.
"Please Sir, do I have to be caned? I have not had the cane yet, couldn't I have detention instead?"
"No Woods. I want you to bend over here, fingers touching your toes, feet about shoulder width apart."
Woods bent over as directed. Pat noticed that Woods shorts were very tight and he could see the line where the underpants rode over the buttocks above the crease between buttock and thigh. Again Bob tapped the cane across the tightly stretched material, then let fly. The cane disappeared into the waiting bottom and rose again. Woods flinched and just about stood up.
"Stay down until told or you will get extra."
Woods bent down again. The next stroke landed right where the line of the underpants showed. Woods flinched but stayed down. The third stroke landed between the first and the second. Again the cane disappeared into the stretched buttocks. Woods let out a yell.
"Owwch"
"Don't be a baby"
The cane went back for the last stroke. Pat could see as it sped down that Bob had put his shoulder and the weight of his body behind the final cut. It landed just above the crease right where you sit.
"Owww owww."
"Stand."
Woods stood his fair skinned face a mess of blotches with tears streaming from his eyes.
Well Woods you may think before breaking rules again. Go and bring in your friends that are waiting outside."
Sniffing Woods went to the door and beckoned the other two in. Bob went behind his desk and put the canes away and sat down.
"Right you three that is over I want you to wait a moment while I fill in the punishment book which you sign and then you can go for lunch." He pulled a book out of drawer and filled in the columns and then each boy signed his name and left the office.
"I thought that you were a bit tough on Woods," Pat said rather diffidently.
"Actually I feel like a bit of a prick myself," admitted Bob, "but I don't like cowards. He has probably weaseled his way out of being caned before. To get as far as the fifth form is a bit unusual without getting caned a few times. Come on lets go to lunch.
Pat bet that Blackwood, Williams and Woods would not be sitting for lunch yet, if they were like him when he was at school a few years earlier, they were probably in the toilets comparing their stripes........
To be continued.