The children appeared to be settling in well and had, so far, given me no cause to discipline them. They had now been with me for just under 2 weeks and seemed anxious to please both myself and Miss Fowler the housekeeper. At school although their work was below average they were making the effort and I was prepared to be lenient as they had never had parental support and guidance in the past My pleasure in the boys' progress was disturbed however when Miss Fowler informed me on Friday just as she was leaving for home that Victor, at 12 he was the eldest, had not returned on the school bus with his brothers but had arrived home about 75 minutes later. I decided I would establish the reasons for this situation at dinner.
When dinner was finished I instructed Victor to stand. "Why were you late from school today", I asked
"Umm, I stayed at school to help, sir" he replied.
"To help ? Who did you help?" I pressed on.
"I helped 2 other boys clear up litter, sir" At this point I noticed the boy was unable to look me in the eye and I was fairly sure he had been kept behind in detention. However it was the policy of the school to give advance warnings of detention so that parents and guardians would not worry when their offspring returned home late.
After a few more seconds I asked the boy outright "Were you kept in detention Victor?" The boy stared at the floor, unable to look at me. "Look at me, boy, and answer. Were you kept in detention?". A tear trickled down Victor's cheek and he nodded. "The school is supposed to tell me if you are to be late. When were you told you would have to stay behind, and why did you not tell Miss Fowler or me ?"The boy sniffled and replied that he had forgotten to mention it.
"Not only have you misbehaved, Victor, but you have attempted to deceive me by not telling me you were to be kept behind" I lectured sternly. Then came the words he had been dreading since the interrogation began "When you have finished the washing up with Craig and Robert you will report to my study". With that I rose to my feet and strode to my study to contemplate the severity of the punishment I was about to administer.
The washing and drying finished Craig and Robert went into the lounge but did not, as they usually did, turn on the t. v. My study was next door and the two younger boys had clearly decided they wanted to try to hear what was happening to their older brother in the dreaded study. I had told them on the first day they came to live with me that if ever they were ordered to the study they would regret it. Victor watched with envy as his 2 brothers passed through the door to the lounge and he proceeded to the study door where he paused briefly before knocking timidly. "Come in" I boomed trying to sound intimidating. The boy approached the large desk behind which I was sitting in a large leather armchair, another identical armchair was placed to the right of where I sat placed fairly close to the wall which divided the study and the lounge.
"Do you remember what I said would happen if you misbehaved" I began. Victor nodded. "Do you also remember how I said you would be punished". Again he nodded. "Then tell me what I said, since it obviously did not have any effect on you" I ordered.
Victor sniffled and began "You said we'd get the slipper for the first time, then the cane if we were naughty again, then the whip if we kept being naughty."
"That's not quite right, Victor" I corrected him. "I said the slipper would be used for minor misbehaviour, if you are expecting the slipper you are in for a shock. School detentions are not minor misbehaviour Victor, school detentions are a serious matter and as such they will be punished with a caning. Now tell me why you were kept in detention and I want the whole truth from you."
It appeared there had been some horse play and Victor and two of his school friends had kicked over a litter bin in the playground. They had been seen by a teacher and immediately been told, the incident occurring on Thursday, that they would have to stay behind the next day. Victor had hoped his lateness home would not be reported to me by Miss Fowler, indeed he thought he had got away with it because Miss Fowler had said nothing to him when he arrived home. She had, of course, reported it to me, however, "Have you anything to say" I enquired.
"Please sir, can I have the slipper and not the cane. I'm very sorry and I swear I won't do anything like it again. Please don't give me the cane, sir, please." His voice had risen as he pleaded and his words, along with most of mine, could be clearly heard by Craig and Robert who were straining their ears in the lounge to hear what was happening. I decided that it was time to administer the punishment which had been promised.
"Victor, this is serious misbehaviour and, I am afraid the cane is the appropriate punishment. In fact I thought seriously about whipping you but that can wait for another day. Your punishment will be 6 strokes for the original misbehaviour plus a further 6 strokes for failing to tell Miss Fowler or me you were to be kept behind. That makes 12 strokes in total. Now strip naked." I had no doubts that Craig and Robert were listening intently behind the thin wall and had raised my voice to ensure they would hear every word. Hopefully they would reflect upon Victor's punishment and make every effort that the same fate did not befall them. Victor meanwhile was sniffing back tears as he stripped off his socks, white t-shirt and then short blue soccer shorts. He stood facing me clad only in a pair of tiny pale blue briefs. "WHEN I SAY NAKED, I MEAN NAKED " I shouted and he pulled the briefs to his ankles and stepped out of them. I then instructed him to walk to the armchair by the wall, place his clothes on it, and stand by the arm of the chair which I noticed, with satisfaction, was the same height from the ground as the boys waist.
I rose from my chair and strode to the cupboard behind my desk. Victor watched my every move. I opened the cupboard door and, reaching inside, producing a long, thin bamboo cane with a curved handle. I faced the boy, now sobbing gently, flexed the cane twice before walking briskly to where he stood. "Bend over the arm of the chair with your hands holding the opposite arm" I ordered. The naked boy obeyed. "You will remain in this position for the entire beating, if you put your hands across your backside or try to move I shall begin the punishment again from stroke number 1. Do you understand?"
Victor sniffled that he understood and I positioned myself behind the child and gently tapped the cane across the 12 year old backside for the purpose of getting my aim right. Satisfied, I drew back my arm and with a swift motion administered the first stroke. "AAAAHHH" was the expected response. Pausing only briefly I swished down the cane again, just below the first. "AAAHHH, PLEEEAASE, SIR" came the anguished response. I continued methodically thrashing Victor's bottom until the 12 strokes had been completed. Although the boy had wept loudly throughout his punishment he had managed to stay in position although his behind rose off the arm of the chair briefly after each stroke.
I instructed him to stand in front of the desk after I had finished. I replaced the cane in the cupboard and sat down behind my desk facing the naked, weeping boy who was rubbing his behind vigorously. "Have you learnt your lesson" I asked and was answered by several rapid nods of the head and another flood of tears. "Very well, pick up your clothes, go to your room and when you are ready dress and join your brothers in the lounge. If they ask about your punishment I suggest you tell them it is something they should do their best to avoid. Now get out and I do not expect to have to bring you in here again".
Victor shuffled from the room, clothes under his arm. The bright red weals raised by the cane would be visible for some days yet and hopefully would be noticed by the two younger boys. I need not have worried about Craig and Robert, however. They had been listening to every word, every stroke and every scream and would do their best to avoid enduring what Victor had just endured. Boys, however, will be boys and I suspected it would not be that long before another young backside would be stretched across the armchair awaiting correction.