During that bob a job week I went to see the old man every day. Some days we would walk tro a neighbours house and I would do jobs whilst the men talked. I liked the old man and he continues to ask me questions about my life. After my jobs I would usually be asked if I wanted to show him my bottom for another 5 bob extra.
The next wek I was back in my usualu life, at school and looking forward to the Friday evening scout meeting when my mum would let me take all the money I had collected. I hoped that I had collected more than most of my new freinds.
One evening that week there was a knck at our front door and mum asked me to open it as she was busy smacking Sam's bottom with her spoon. Sam was my younger brother. I knew that after she had finished with Sam I would be next to have my bottom hot and stinging because I had been annoying her ever since returning from school. or so she had told me.
I was surprised to see it was theold man I had met that week and he asked if he could speak to my mum. I left him at the door and ran to mum. I was afraid that I was in even more trouble now. perhaps he would complain about me or even tell mum about me letting him look at my bottom. I thought she would kill me.
Mum put Sam in his room and shut the door. he was crying loundly and I was embarrased that the man had heard the noise. His houesd ewas so large and peaceful compared with ours.
Mum invited the man into our front room and told me to go and get ready for bed, shutting the door behind me. In the circumstances I obeyed quickly.
Mum told me I could come and say goodnight when I was in my pyjamas.
I wanted to listen to ehat was being said but wirh all Sam's crying and not wanting to upset mum further, I did as i was told.
The following day mum talked about Mr jones (that was my old freind's name) all the time. He had kindly invited us to his house for tea that afternoon so she would be collecting me from school and then we would go to his house for tea and later they might take me and Sam to the park. I was glad not to be in trouble although had I know how things would develop later I would have been very alarmed.
Mr Jones was a widower and quite wealthy ( mum explained what those words meant) and I was to be very polite when we went to his house ( or I would receive a very hard smacking with her spoon when it was bed time). AS we all walked up the path to Mr Jones's house, Mum told Sam that if he was naughty she would ask MR Jones to smack his bottom very hard, adding that a man smacks a boy's bottoms much harder than a mum. Sam looked really terrified as Mr Jones opened his front door to welcom us and he his behind mum for a long time.
That was the first visit and later on we moved into the house to live with Mr Jones and Sam and I were told to call him dad.
Dad did lots of things with us and we liked living in a big house with a large garden but we did not like it when mum went out and dad babysat us. Sam got smacked when it was his bed time and I hated hearing him crying so loudly. dad always waited for his freind, uncle Fred, to come round for a beer before it was my turn to be smacked. I found out that a stick hurt my bottom more than mum's spoon had and I hated it when uncle fred looked at my bottom after I had been punished.