The fun that day really began when Mr Connor dragged Matt off to his den. He had come home from work only a few minutes earlier, and Jim had immediately ratted on his older brother. Mr Connor flew into a rage and yelled for Matt to get in here. The sixteen-year-old jock appeared, and didn't have a chance to get a word in during his furious father's tirade. That's when he got hauled away. As we watched them disappear, the angelic smile Jim had worn for his father's benefit changed to a smirk. We heard the door to the den close, and Jim called, "Come on, Dan!" "Where?" "We gotta hear this. It's gonna be good!" We were running toward the den when Mrs Connor appeared. "Was that your father, Jim? I was afraid he wasn't going to take this well." She turned to me. ""I'm sorry for the way Matt behaved to you, Dan. To both you boys. But his father has been threatening..." She gave a anxious glance toward the den door, from behind which unintelligible shouting was erupting. "I just hope he doesn't get carried away," she said, shaking her head, then she returned to the kitchen. The minute Mrs Connor was gone, Jim whispered, "Let's go!", and this time we made it to the den door. Earlier that afternoon, while Jim and I were speculating on Matt's probable punishment, Jim had verified for me a number of rumors that had circulated the neighborhood. I learned that, indeed, Mr Connor sometimes whipped his sons in front of their mother and seventeen-year-old sister. Really whipped them, too, with a wicked black leather strap. Jim told me, "It's always after supper, and we have to come down to the living room and get it in front of everybody. Dad makes us change into pajamas, I guess because they protect you hardly any at all against his strap. When it first hits you, it's like somebody's put a red-hot griddle to your butt. Then you start feeling this band of tingling, like a bunch of wasps stinging you all at once. Then you get another lick, and another... Dad hasn't given it to either of us on the bare butt yet. He' promised Matt several times that he's gonna pull down his pants and underwear, but he's always copped out at the last minute." Jim's face lit up wit fiendish glee. "But tonight...I've got a feeling that tonight Matt's really gonna get it!" And, in high hopes, he crossed his fingers, on both hands. So here we were, listening outside Mr Connor's private sanctuary, waiting to find out if Jim's desires were going to be fulfilled. We heard Mr Connor in the midst of chewing Matt out good. "Well, mister, this is the last straw. You've finally managed to push me to the limit. I've warned you again and again, but that doesn't seem to have made an impression. I just gonna have to show you that I mean business!" A pause. "You know what I'm talking about, don't you, Matt?" Another pause. Matt evidently didn't know, which further enraged Mr Connor. "Son, what did I threaten to do if you didn't stop bullying people around?" Another pause, after which Matt finally answered, "I guess you're gonna whip me in front of everybody again?" "Oh, yeah. Yeah, you should have counted on that." Hearing this, Jim nodded his head in approval. "And this time, "everybody" means Dan, too. You were positively cruel to him and your little brother. Well, they're gonna see me treat you a lot worse tonight!" Jim and I exchanged grins. "You know what that means, Matt? It means I'm going to whip you with your pants down, that's what!" Jim clenched his fist in a gesture of triumph "...with my pants down..." Matt stammered out in disbelief. "Your pants and your underwear, Matt!" Jim clasped his hands in prayer and held them up, whispering, "Thank you!" "Dad, you can't do that to me in front of everybody! In front of Mom? And Karen?" "I can and I'm going to! I've been warning you that I was going to take you down a peg or two, and use a little embarrassment to do the trick!" "I didn't believe you were serious!" "That's obvious from you conduct. Well, that's too bad for you, son. You'll have to learn the hard way. On your bare butt!" "Dad! Please don't make me!" he wailed. "Stop whining like a five-year-old, even though that's how you've acted. It won't do you any good, Matt. You've got a hard lesson coming. After supper, as usual. Far too usual." "Dad..." "That's it, Matt. The subject is closed. You're getting a whipping tonight. With the strap. And your pants and underpants are coming down! Now, outside!" "Please..." "Out!" Suddenly the door was flung open by Matt in his haste to leave, revealing Jim and me. "What are you brats doing?" he angrily demanded. Mr Connor noticed us, but pretened he didn't know that we had been listening. "Oh, boys, I'm glad you're here." He moved to the door and placed a hand on Matt's shoulder, holding him back. "After supper, I'm going to punish Matt for his behaviour this afternoon, and I want you to be there to watch." Here he looked disapprovingly at Matt. "I'm going to give him a good whipping. With his pants and underpants down." He bent down to whisper conspiratorially to Jim and me, "On his naked little butt!" We laughed, and Matt protested, "Dad!" Mr Connor raised up and resumed his air of severity, then gave his older son a rough shake. "Matt. I want you -very politely- to invite Dan and Jim to watch you get your whipping. Tell them how happy you'll be if they'll come. And don't forget to say please." Matt remained silent until Mr Connor gave him an even rougher shake. "Now," he ordered. Matt finally managed this: "Jim and Dan, I'll be very happy if you'll come watch me get my whipping tonight after supper." Mr Connor asked us cheerfully, "So what do you say, guys? Will you be there?" "Yes! Yes!" we whooped. Mr Connor laughed. "Good! I thought you might accept. Tell the boys "thank you", Matt." "Thank you," he muttered between clenched teeth. "Okay. Go on up to your room, son. I'm going to tell your mother and sister about this little get-together." He glanced pointedly at Matt. "I'm sure they'll want to be there, too." Matt hurried upstairs. Mr Connor moved toward the kitchen, saying, "See you at supper, boys!" When Jim and I were alone, he shouted, "On his bare butt! Yes!" He couldn't believe his good luck. "I'll bet he'll wish those pajama bottoms were in place, no matter how little protection they are." "Oh!" Jim gasped, as if an idea had just come to his mind. "Think how Matt's gonna feel when Dad pulls down his pants and underpants - right there with Mom and Karen watching! I can't wait!" We had to wait of course. We passed the time merrily, envisioning over and over Matt's forthcoming humiliation. I thought of Matt, alone in his room, probably imagining again and again what was going to happen to him after supper, just like we were, but with a quite different reaction. He must be nervous. That's an understatement. He must be literally sick to his stomach, thinking about what his dad is going to do to him. Oh, well, he deserves it!
How Matt made it through the evening meal I don't know. He obviously wanted to be anywhere else, but Mr Connor had made it clear that his presence at supper was mandatory. Required to attend, Matt now hoped to be left to suffer in silence, but his dad was having none of that. He repeatedly addressed Matt in his usual sprightly manner, and expected a response in the same tone. Although at first he avoided any direct reference to his son's impending fate, he expected Matt's energetic appreciation of his frequent innuendo to join everyone else's. Matt forced himself to eat, very slowly and very little. Even that was an accomplishment, I thought, considering the queasy state his stomach must be in. Jim's good humor would have matched Mr Connor's if he had not felt obliged for propriety's sake to hide his exultation. He soon discovered, however, that his dad, rather than prohibiting, seemed to encourage a liitle good-natured teasing at Matt's expense, and a lively flow of repartee ensued. "Gee, I sure wouldn't want to be in Matt's shoes." "You mean in Matt's pants!" "Or out of them - that's where he's gonna be real soon!" This banter brought a blush of shame to his handsome jock face, and he shivered uncomfortably. Mr Connor looked at him and asked, "Why are you squirming in your chair, Matt? I haven't given you your whipping yet!" Matt had to endure several more taunts of this kind before the main part of the meal was over, and Mrs Connor and Karen went to prepare dessert. Mr Connor placed his hand palms together before him and spoke to me. "Dan, this may seem like an unusually harsh punishment for Matt. But believe me, I wouldn't resort to such drastic measures unless I had given him more than ample warning." He cast a look of dissatisfaction at his older son, then continued. "I firmly believe that the actions on one member of the family reflect on the others. That's why I hold a 'family hour' after supper, where we can work out our problems among ourselves. I want you to be present tonight because I want you to see how we handle a little difficulty like this in our family. And I hope that you'll be satisfied that Matt has atoned for his behaviour to you. As for the added embarrassment of having his pants pulled down - well, I've tried everything else, so now I'm going to try this!" He was glaring at Matt. "He thinks he's such a big man. And he's acted like a bad little boy!" Mr Connor's voice rose in anger. "Well, go on upstairs, Matt! Bad little boys don't get any dessert!" Matt silently rose and proceeded toward the stairs. "You know the routine, son. Into your pajamas. I want you down in the living room promptly at seven Bring the strap." A dramatic pause. "We'll all be waiting for you." The rest of us enjoyed our ice cream, then left the table.