''Do you want the stick, Simon?''
It seems that is all my mum's boyfriend said, or rather shouted, to me from the day he moved in. I was seven at the time, I had just started my first 'real' school.
I had a lot of chores to do around the house. He and mum worked at a local store. That is where they met.
The first time mum was out aftre he moved in, he set me some chores. I had to clear the table of its dishes. I complained....mum had always done this in the past. It was a mistake.
Dad, as mum made me call him, went out to the garden shed and came back with a stick. It remained in my room all the time after that. I was to get to know its ability to inflict pain many times. It became known as 'Simon's stick'
Dad came over to me, holding that stick and I ran off to my room and shut the door. What a stupid move.
When Dad came into my room I was hiding under my bed. He sat on the edge of the bed and called me out. I stayed there as he told me I was making things worse for myself. I cried.
Dad reached for me and pulled me out from under the bed and over his knee. I struggled hard as he pulled my school shorts and underpants down over my bottom.
As he patted my bare bum with the stick he said things like ''Thats a good boy'' and ''Simon needs his stick'' He always said the same thing each time he beat me.
Then I felt a terrible pain on my bum. It felt like dad had lit a match or was burning my bum with a candle.
I screamed ''Please dad , no, please.... I will be good'' The beating just went on until dad decided to stop.
I was still awake when mum got home but I did not make a noise. I was so terrified of dad.
Dad started to bathe me after that but mum knew what he did to me with the stick. Sometimes he would order me to go and bring it to him. If I did not get over his knee fast enough or did not pull my underpants down quickly, he would add extrat strokes of the stick for disodeience. Mum never stopped Dad. He stayed with us until I was about forteen and then he left us.
I left home when I was sixteen.
Even now, years later, I somtimes still dream that he is calling to me ''do you want the stick Simon?''
I wonder if he moved on to find another son, he seemed to enjoy punsihing me so much.