No question about it! Pops was very surprised by young Aaron¡¯s comments that Sunday afternoon at Ma¡¯s supper table: ¡°Can I go help Jeb next weekend? . . . We¡¯ve got lots of things to do over there. . . Jeb¡¯s helping me with some things too. OK, I go over and help him more?¡± He had not expect that a boy who had been sent over to be disciplined would be that cheerful, but, again, Pops was not just surprised but also rather pleased. Pops had long ago sensed that Jeb could be an ally in his hope to make this city kid into a good farmer but he had not expected Aaron to be that interested in returning to Jeb¡¯s place any time soon. Actually, Aaron¡¯s comments had made Pops wonder if Jeb had in fact spanked the boy as Pops had asked him to do? But he could not just come out and ask that question with Ma sitting there at the table. Somehow Aaron seemed so up and happy about everything after his time with Jeb though. For the first time this summer, Pops noticed that Ma did not have to ask the boy to her clear the dinner table.
When Pops walked Jeb to his car, though, he had his chance.
¡°You sure it¡¯s no trouble for you to take the boy over again?¡± Pops questioned Jeb, ¡°I don¡¯t mean to impose on ya with my problems.¡±
¡°Nah,¡± Jeb replied. ¡°No problem. Happy to help you out and anyway, it was nice to have some help around the place for awhile. Gets kind¡¯a quiet over there all alone ya know.¡±
¡°Yea, can ¡®preciate that I can,¡± Pops went on, ¡°but did you really discipline the boy as I hope you would? He seems too happy.¡±
¡°Ah, well, let¡¯s put it this way: I think you¡¯ll find that boy¡¯s bottom is still quite red and rosy under his pants if you want to check on things. I paddled him this morning. Paddled him good and hard and out in the barn too.¡± Jeb spoke openly. He was smiling and obviously happy at the way things had turned out. Jeb had enjoyed doing it.
¡°Good!¡± Pops seemed genuinely pleased to hear it. ¡°Sunday morning¡¯s as good a time as any in my mind, so that¡¯s why you two were late getting to Church this morning.¡±
¡°Yea, you know how it is with a kid. Needed to give him time to settle down. He bawled his eyes out. Takes time to get the redness out of his eyes, if you know what I mean. He needed a good paddling but no purpose in embarrassing him by bringing him to Church right like that. He¡¯s a good kid, nice guy; just needs some attention. Check him out, why don¡¯t ya? He¡¯s been well spanked; you¡¯ll see. But, what the heck, I¡¯m happy to help you out with this one. Aaron¡¯s a good kid. Lacks discipline though. But I¡¯ll help you straighten that one out,¡± Jeb replied while making a point of leaving out the fact that after he had paddled the boy good and hard he had sent Aaron back to the bedroom where Aaron had proved he was a very good boy indeed! Some things should remain private.
¡°Good,¡± Pops said, ¡°let¡¯s hope I have no trouble with him over here now.¡± Pops was genuindly grateful to Aaron and it showed.
¡°If you do,¡± Jeb offered in counsel, ¡°just turn him over your knee and spank him yourself.¡±
¡°Hum,¡± Pops laughed out loud at Jeb¡¯s words, ¡°them¡¯s good advice. Believe me. I intend to.¡± He clapped Jeb on his back and the two men walked towards Jeb¡¯s truck both laughing.
¡°Just remember,¡± Jeb said as he hiked himself up into the cab of his pickup, ¡°the boy¡¯s got a very sore and tender bare bottom under his pants at the moment. Go easy on him for awhile.¡± Jeb pulled the door shut and turned on the ignition as the truck came to life and sputtered some. ¡°You need some help, just ring me up anytime. I can always pop over; but go easy on him for a day or so.¡±
¡°Go easy on him?¡± Pops yelled back. ¡°That I have no intention of doing at all!¡±
Pops turned his back as he walked toward the back of the house and he made a downwards dismissive motion with his hand in response to Jeb¡¯s comment. ¡°Easy on him,¡± Pops muttered to himself as he walked away, ¡°like hell I¡¯ll go easy on him. Ain¡¯t that old can¡¯t whip him if I want too.¡±
Inside a couple of minutes earlier Aaron had finished up with Ma and had bounded up the stairs to the front window in his room. He flung up the old window and stuck his head out as he heard Jeb¡¯s truck firing up. ¡°See ya soon!¡± Aaron yelled after Jeb.
Jeb waved back at both of them. He hoped Pops would not go easy on the boy and would, indeed, keep up the discipline the boy needed but he also hoped he, too, would be seeing this particular boy soon and seeing ¡°all¡± of him again soon! Jeb was going to be keeping his paddle and hairbrush out for now, but for sure he was also planning on taking some time to find where he put that old razor strap that used to be hanging in the barn out back when his own boys lived here. Might be worth introducing some spice into the guy life? Aaron, he knew, was worth taking care of. To Jeb¡¯s eyes, the boy¡¯s lithe and lanke bare body was attractive and his whole manner was quite appealing. He had that cute little smile and those gorgeous big eyes that just reeked ¡°hold me¡± when Jeb had insured there were tears in them. Most of all, he had found the boy to be responsive and obedient when his hand was on his bare buns. The boy was promising and very much what Jeb had been looking for even since the last one had not worked out.
Jeb drove off back to his place thinking and smiling with good old Reba blaring on the radio far louder than she needed to be.
When Pops went back into Ma¡¯s kitchen, she was sitting at her favorite place, her kitchen table. She was clearly enjoying a cup of strong coffee and reading the Sunday paper as small and inconsequential as it always was and today was no exception.
¡°I like Jeb,¡± Ma looked up when she saw Pops entering. ¡°I¡¯m glad he¡¯s taking an interest in Aaron. I think it¡¯s good for the boy. He was more helpful after you two walked out than he¡¯s been any other time I can remember,¡± she said as she looked at Pops. Pops sat down at that table with her.
¡°Ya know,¡± he said, ¡°Jeb¡¯s gonna be good for our boy. Our son, I¡¯m afraid, hasn¡¯t been much of a father to him. I think that¡¯s why Aaron¡¯s so flighty. He lacks direction. Life¡¯s been too easy on him.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not direction he lacks,¡± Ma paused from her reading the local gossip and peered over her paper at her husband, ¡°the boy lacks discipline plain and simple. It¡¯s not like it was in our day, ya know. Kids grow up different these days. They have no discipline. They are too use to just doing their own thing.¡±
¡°Well, Ma,¡± he looked over at her, ¡°then I guess it¡¯s time we give him some.¡±
Ma became very serious at that point, ¡°I intend to and you should too.¡±
The conversations turned then ended soon after that. Upstairs, Aaron was just thinking about Jeb and remembering his conversations on e-mail with Tommy. He did not know why, but he did know he wanted to go back to Jeb¡¯s place and soon. Later in the evening, but before he was asleep, the door to his room opened and Pops came in.
¡°Are you sleeping, Aaron?¡± Pops asked.
¡°No, not yet, why?¡± Aaron replied and sat up in his bed. Pops came in and shut the door behind you. He sat down on Aaron¡¯s bed.
¡°Jeb spanked you did he?¡± he questioned the boy.
Aaron felt his face flush red with extreme embarrassment and hope Pops couldn¡¯t notice as there was not much light in that bedroom right then.
¡°Yea,¡± Aaron admitted he had but he somehow did not want to.
¡°Good,¡± Pops said, ¡°roll over on your stomach.¡±
¡°What? What for?¡± Aaron replied at the sound of the unusual request the old man was making.
¡°What for?¡± Pops spoke clearly, ¡°because I told you to. Now roll over before I spank you. When I¡¯s tell you something to do, you better right well do it quickly from nows on.¡±
Aaron stretched out and rolled over on the bed on top of the covers even though he was extremely uncomfortable in doing so, but he knew for sure he did not want a spanking that night of all nights for sure! He was, after all, still smarting from his time over Jeb¡¯s knees when Jeb had paddled him this morning! Over he went. Still, it was all he could do to contain himself when he felt Pops¡¯ fingers on the elastic tops of his old boxers and realized Pops was intent on pulling them down! And down then came. Aaron even had to lift himself up some to allow it to happen, but in short order Pops had the boy¡¯s bottom quite bare with is buns naked as he laid on his stomach on his bed that evening. He was as bare as he had been over Jeb¡¯s knees that morning. What was going on? For sure he did not know.
Pops looked at the boy¡¯s buns for awhile. ¡°Yea, looks like Jeb did a pretty good job of spanking you too, Aaron,¡± Pops started commenting but he was also patting his buns and really making Aaron really uncomfortable. Still, Aaron lay as still as humanly possible as Pops inspected them. ¡°No permanent damage, I suspect; but he must have spanked you real well for it to still be this red back here,¡± Pops went on as Aaron felt his fingers on his buns. ¡°You are going to be spending time over at Jeb¡¯s spread in the future, Aaron,¡± Pops continued, ¡°but you need to know Ma and I have talked and from now on, we¡¯re gonna be providing you with discipline here too. Nothing like a good spanking to keep you learning, son; so I suspect you ought to get used to it and make sure you don¡¯t give any of us any more trouble. Ma and I both believe you¡¯re lacking discipline so we¡¯re gonna¡¯ start giving you some too.¡±
Aaron was amazed, not just plain shocked, at what Pops was saying and all. It was Pops was speaking as if he was talking to one of his friends down at the caf¨¦ about buying cattle feed. So matter of fact it was. Pops sounded like this was an everyday breakfast table conversation. Aaron could not believe the sinking feeling he felt deep down inside his stomach. But for sure he knew now that things had changed! And not for the better either.
Pops seemed to linger far longer than necessary. Aaron felt Pops hand on his buns and that hand stayed there even though he was increasingly uncomfortable. It¡¯s presence there made the boy remember how sore he still was back there. He clenched his buns from the surprise as much as the sting from the touch of Pops¡¯ hand, but he said nothing and he tried not to move.
Pops stared at the boy¡¯s bare buns in front of him. They were as firm and tight as he remembered them being when he had taken the strap to them out in the fields in the shed, but what he could not get over was how rosy red they still were over a half a day after Jeb said he had spanked the boy! The redness was all over and not a bruise was visible. It was real clear the lad had been spanked. Obviously Jeb knew something about spanking that he did not! And laying this way on his stomach over the bed, the boy¡¯s development was somehow starkly evident. Pops pushed Aaron¡¯s legs apart a bit to see how far the redness went and was shocked to see the tip of Aaron¡¯s _c_o_c_k_ beginning to extend itself down in the bed cover, The redness was down between there and all over too But still no bruises or marks on the boy¡¯s thighs were evident anywhere. It was, however, that this boy was still subject to a good spanking and he had recently gotten one too! With his eyes scanning the boy¡¯s bare bun, thighs and bare back too, Pops was proud of what a healthy young man Aaron was. ¡°He¡¯s gonna man some fine woman a good catch,¡± Pops mused to himself silently and Pops knew it was true. After all, Pops was not that old that he was not able to recognize a got set of buns when he saw them! Girls these days would use that ¡°hot¡± word he knew. Some good hard farm work would add to the boy¡¯s attractiveness, Pops also knew. But discipline could help him too. Pops was smiling and thinking at this point. He knew he would begin soon and briefly considered swatting the boy¡¯s bare bottom right now too.
Pops did linger in feeling Aaron¡¯s spanked buns, but then he all of a sudden got up and left.
Aaron got up as soon as he heard Pops shutting his bedroom door. He stood up and pulled the covers down on his bed. Then he slipped up his boxers and dove under the covers. Morning was going to come early enough. He slept on his stomach that night as the alternative was still not pleasant. Luckily he was tired from the weekend as he fell asleep quickly.
Pops turned to go to his own bedroom once he had closed the door to the boy¡¯s room behind him. He was thinking to himself about how he was going to instill more discipline in the boy? He found himself thinking about how he was going to do that? Jeb¡¯s counsel came back into his mind - ¡°just turn him over you knee and spank him yourself.¡± Instead of going into his own bedroom and get ready for bed, he went downstairs and got the old paddle out of the barn and put it behind his seat in the cab of his truck. ¡°just turn him over you knee and spank him yourself.¡± Pops smiled to himself as he walked back into his house to get ready for bed. He was going to do just that!
Ma was already asleep when he washed up a bit, changed into his pajamas, and sneaked in between the covers beside her to fall asleep. She was snoring slightly! That always brought a smile to his face.
The next morning Aaron was up early. Ma had fixed his favorite breakfast and he ate with gusto. For the first time he could sit comfortable that morning, but as he looked at Pops and Ma sitting at the table with him and eating just after they finished grace, he remembered what Pops had said last night: ¡°you need to know Ma and I have talked and from now on, we¡¯re gonna be providing you with discipline here too.¡± He shuttered silently when he thought about what that might mean. He also found himself reminding himself that he was going to follow all of Ma¡¯s rules that were still posted on his dresser mirror and make sure he got all his chores done before Pops had to remind him. That much he could do to keep peace.
In his heart though, Aaron was begin to realize he wanted to be over at Jeb¡¯s spread even if it means what Jeb called ¡°another good spanking.¡±
to be continued.