On Tuesday morning I was up good and early and went off to school feeling real surly. This thing yesterday had been a disgrace and totally ridiculous. When I got up my ass ached, rather than stung, until I hit the shower that is, then it all seemed to come flooding back as the water hit my ass. It was well bruised. When I caught the bus to school I was in a real snot, about the way they treated a High School Senior, about how my girlfriend would react (she must have heard all about it by now) and also about my Dad's unreal reaction to the way I had been treated. No sympathy, just hints of 'a belt whipping'. At 17 ??? What the Hell was wrong with the world this month.
Just as I was really getting into a lather I realised it must be about time to get off when I looked out the window. The bus was not on my regular school route, in fact it was headed for exactly the opposite direction, and I had been daydreaming so much I hadn't noticed that I had jumped the wrong bus and I was now virtually half way to Atlanta ! I tore down the corridor and begged the driver to let me off here and now. Eventually he did and I crossed the road and caught a bus headed back about ten minutes later. This was pretty good work but I was still 20 minutes late for school when I got there at last. I just couldn't believe it. Mrs Dunn couldn't believe it either. She 'wrote me up' with a matronly shake of the head and pointed to the 'seat of doom'. Five minutes later a very irritated looking Mr Harris popped his head out his door, pointed his finger at me and said, "You, in here right now young man". I felt like I was a ten year old.
I started into a long and completely truthful account of the morning's drama but he cut me short with the noise he made as he SLAMMED his desk drawer closed. He had that _d_a_m_n_ed paddle in his right hand and this time I could feel the blood draining from my face.
I started in again at an explanation, said it was not fair, told him it was ridiculous and degrading and that, anyway, he needed my parents permission to use corporal punishment. That did it ! I thought he was going to burst a blood vessel.
"One, I do NOT need anyone's permission, mister, I act in locus parenti; TWO, Your father will certainly not miss out on hearing of both your attitude and your open defiance, I plan on calling him personally just as soon as I have driven my message home to your tail. You know what to do, get in position !"
Ever so slowly I bent back over that wide desk which I had been introduced to only yesterday. I took a comb from my back pocket and eyed that thick brown wooden paddle. Geeze, these holes looked EVIL.
Harris took a swing and really let me have it, SLAAAP. I was in agony. It would have hurt anyhow, but on top of the three hard licks only 24 hours earlier, this was just too much.
I yowled and moved my ass from side to side to try to 'shake' the sting from it. Man, it really BURNED and STUNG. Then, in silence, Harris delivered number two, SWAAAT. I yelled out and I guess I started moving up and down from tiptoe to heel as I knew I couldn't stand the extras I'd get if I stood up. I could dimly tell that there were hot, wet tears dripping down my cheeks. Two more to come. I just could not take this.
"I'll teach you what defiance brings, young man" was all Harris said as he sent number three CRACKING down squarely across both cheeks of my pants. I yelled out and was openly sobbing by now. My hands stayed 'in position' but the rest of my body must have been a blur. This was like nothing I had ever felt in my life before. And I had one more lick to go..
Harris was a small guy, but he put every ounce of power behind that fourth SLAAAP. I swear I could feel the impact spot of every single hole drilled into that thick heavy paddle. I was up and jumping about like a mad thing, grabbing a bit of butt meat with each hand and trying to massage the terrible throbbing sting out of my tail. The pain came in hot, throbbing waves and the tears were pouring down my face as I wriggled and sobbed.
The lecture was longer this time; self respect, respect for authority, self discipline, setting an example, father will certainly hear about it, lucky not to be suspended, defiance, yakkity yakkity yak.
I walked a stiff walk to the bathrooms and undid my pants and pulled the top of my white briefs down so I could get a good look as there were no mirrors. I just couldn't believe how much the scarlet, livid skin contrasted with my bleached briefs. I touched my cheeks very lightly and they seemed to radiate waves of heat. The throbbing was just indescribable. I was about ten minutes with paper towels cleaning myself up then went to class. No laughter this time, shocked silence as I lowered myself into my chair and felt like sitting on an ice block.
The whole day was a daze in class and fighting off kids who wanted to know what it was like.
When I got home my mum just said that Dad had called and that I was to go straight to my room and wait for him to come home. That was nearly two hours ago.
I just heard the car door in the driveway. It's him.....