Pops found himself thinking a lot about Jeb¡¯s counsel: ¡°just turn him over you knee and spank him yourself.¡± It took him longer than he thought it would to find his old paddle in the barn but it had somehow worked its way down behind the back of his workbench. In the dim light of the one bulb hanging in the workroom section of the barns out there, it was not easy to see much at all but Pops knew it was out there somewhere. In the old days, when Pops was in his prime and his own boys were around, he and they had spent many a night out there. They never much cottoned to a spanking, never mind a paddling, but Pops took personal pride in keeping his sons on the straight and narrow. Consequently he and the boys spent a lot of time out in that particular section of the barn.
Finally though he found the paddle wedged behind the bench and he put it behind his seat in the cab of his truck. ¡°Just turn him over your knee and spank him yourself,¡± he kept thinking to himself.
He intended to do so. Boy¡¯s need discipline to grow up properly and Pops knew it. When Aaron had bounded down the stairs for breakfast, Pops looked at him all bright eyed and ready for the week¡¯s work and Pops knew what would keep him going on the right path from now on.
Aaron saw Pops sitting there with a cup of coffee in this hand, but when he looked at him, he could not really feel good for he immediately 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.¡± Aaron wanted peace around the place and he certainly did not want either Pops or Ma mad at him. But he also knew that in his heart, Aaron¡¯s realization of what he wanted for his life was to be over at Jeb¡¯s spread even if it means what Jeb called ¡°another good spanking.¡± There was just something about Jeb that Aaron found very appealing and attractive.
Aaron popped some toast in his mouth and ate quickly because he could tell Pops was already ready to get out into the fields. The both went out and fed and watered the animals and sent them into the fields and then just a few moment later both he and Pops were in the truck and heading out on the dirt road trails to where they would be working on some fences today. Pops seems especially up and cheerful in spite of the house. Then again, Aaron had no inkling that Pops had already made some decisions and that he was prepared to enforce his decisions with the old paddle he had behind his seat in the cab of the truck. They drove out there without talking.
Upon arrival both jumped out and without saying much to each other both Aaron and Pops began working where they had left off on Friday. Life was like that on the farm. Words were not all that necessary, but getting the work done was crucial to their long term health and prosperity. Pops grew up knowing this, but as for Aaron, well, Aaron was basically still a city boy who understood academically how things had to work on a farm for survival, but emotionally he lacked Pops¡¯ commitment and total focus. If Aaron were to tell you the truth, I would admit that sometimes his mind wandered and he did no always see the urgency of fixing a small break in a distance fence. Aaron did know that Pops was riding him and telling him all this stuff he had to do. What Aaron did not quite know, though, was that Pops was always watching him while he worked and just looking for any old reason to follow up on Jeb¡¯s suggestion and pull the young man¡¯s pants down for a paddling.
Aaron did not know how close he was to getting one sometimes either. Pops was a patient and kind man, but, more importantly, he had already determined he was not going to waste a good paddling on just anything. Nope, Pops was waiting until he had a real good reason to paddle the boy and to paddle him well. Out there in the field was, well, it was a perfect location for taking down the boy¡¯s pants and boxers and paddling his bare ass really well for him. Let him scream and cry. Out on the spread no one could hear him anyway.
It was already Thursday morning. And Pops had been waiting.
To be continued . .