A taste of the cane.
Back in the early 1960’s we find Mr & Mrs Richardson, a well to do couple with two twin children, Regina and Douglas aged fifteen. Mr Richardson is a very successful lawyer and they have a fine lifestyle. The two children attend a very high-class private school and are expected to produce good exam results. Mr & Mrs Richardson are also strict disciplinarians and expect very high standards of behaviour from their two children.
One day both children arrived home from school looking very dejected.
“Have you had a good day?”asked Mrs Richardson as both children entered the dining room where she was arranging a vase of flowers.
Mrs Richardson was the epitome of the well heeled upper middle class wife. Immaculate clothes, make-up and not a hair out of place. She was dressed in a tight shiny nylon dress with a string of pearls round her neck, brooch on her dress and a gold watch on her wrist. She was the product herself of a very exclusive girls boarding school where strict discipline had been applied.
“We’ve been given letters to give to you and Daddy,” said Regina tentatively handing her mother a letter.
“You have one as well?” Mrs Richardson asked Douglas.
Douglas sheepishly took his letter from his blazer pocket and handed it to his mother.
The twins looked at one another.
“As these are addressed to your father and me I shall wait until he comes home. I presume you have prep to do?”
“Yes mummy,” replied Regina.
“Then I suggest that you go to your rooms and get on with it,” said Mother.
The twins disappeared upstairs.
After a few minutes Regina wandered into Douglas’s room.
“I can’t concentrate, I’m so worried about what’s going to happen,” said Regina. Sitting on the side of Douglas’s bed.
“You know exactly what’s going to happen, we’ll get a thrashing. You know what father’s like. Cheating in an exam is the worst that can happen as far as he’s concerned,” said Douglas.
“What about Mummy, do you think she’ll be more lenient?”
“I doubt it, she always takes his part,” replied Douglas gloomily. “There’s no point in brooding about it, go and do your prep.”
Regina reluctantly got up and left the room.
Just after six Mr Richardson arrived home. After greeting him Mrs Richardson handed him the two letters.
“Perhaps you should open one and I the other,” said Mr Richardson , handing one letter back to his wife.
They opened the letters and read the contents. As he read Mr Richardson’s face got redder and redder with rage.
“Is this my son I’m reading about?” he exploded.
“And your daughter,” added an equally angry Mrs Richardson.
“I’m speechless,” gasped Mr Richardson. “After all we’ve done for them and they repay us with this, cheating in exams, tantamount to criminals,” raged Mr Richardson.
“I think that’s a bit harsh,” retorted Mrs Richardson.
“Well what would you call it?” demanded her husband.
“Cheating, dear. They’re not breaking the law.”
“They might as well be. Supposing they had got away with it, the end result would have been fraud.”
“Yes, if you look at it like that.” Replied Mrs Richardson. “The point is what are we going to do about it?”
“The first thing is we interview them and then they receive a damn good thrashing. I think we should adjourn to the study and discuss this.”
“Yes dear,” replied Mrs Richardson.
Mr Richardson stalked out and across the hall into the study. The study resembled a headmaster or headmistress’s study at school, bookshelves, cupboards and expensive furniture and carpets. There was two large leather upholstered chairs which Mr Richardson used when he had occasionally had clients at home.
Mr Richardson went and stood behind the desk and his wife at the side.
“So what do you propose?” asked Mrs Richardson. She always deferred to her husband in the matter of discipline. In the case of Regina, Mrs Richardson administered the punishment on her husband’s instructions. This would be Regina laying across the arm of one of the armchairs and soundly spanking her bottom with a hairbrush. Douglas was always caned by his father.
“They should both be caned, severely,” pronounced Mr Richardson.
“You want me to cane Regina?” queried Mrs Richardson somewhat surprised.
“They have committed the same offence, so the punishment should be the same,” said Mr Richardson firmly.
“But I’ve never used the cane before,” protested Mrs Richardson.
“Now’s the time to learn,” replied her husband.
As always Mrs Richardson acquiesced.
“I suggest you bring the two of them down and I’ll interview them and then we’ll carry out the punishment.”
“Yes dear.”
Mrs Richardson made her way upstairs.
“Downstairs to study immediately, your father and I are appalled at your behaviour,” she ordered from outside the bedroom doors. She then led the way downstairs and ushered them into the study.
“Stand in front of the desk,” she ordered.
Douglas and Regina took up their position in front of an extremely angry looking father. Regina shuddered as she looked at the cane lying on the desk. At least I won’t be getting that, she thought to herself.
“To say that your mother and I are displeased with you is an understatement. How dare you cheat in your exams. You are not only a disgrace to yourselves but also to us, it’stotally unacceptable,” raged their father.
“We’re sorry father,” ventured Douglas.
“Be quiet boy, I haven’t finished. Your mother and I had high expectations of you and we’ve always brought you up to play and work hard but fairly, and now this, it’s inexcusable! Is there anything you can possibly have to say before the pair of you are soundly thrashed?”
“No Daddy, except we’re very, very, sorry,” ventured Regina.
“You’re sorry,” said Mr Richardson in tone heavy with sarcasm. “Had you not the commonsense to think about the consequences of your actions?”
Both Douglas and Regina said nothing and looked down at the floor.
“Very well. Take the girl outside while I deal with the boy,” said Mr Richardson, looking at his wife.
Mrs Richrson put her hand on Regina’s shoulder ushered her out of the study and returned to witness her sons thrashing.
Mr Richardson picked up the cane.
“You know what to do boy,” he snapped.
Douglas took a deep breath and stepped over to the chair and laid across one arm. His hands rested on the other arm and his chin rested on them. He closed his eyes and waited. His father removed his jacket and took up position.
THWAACCKK!!
Douglas gave aloud gasp.
THWAACCKK!!
Another loud gasp came from his lips. Mrs Richardson winced slightly at each stroke.
THWAAACCCKK!
“Aaaaaagggh.”
THWWAAACCCKKK!
“Yeeeeooooww.”
Mr Richardson gradually increased the strength of each stroke.
THHWWWAACCCKK!
“Aaaaagggghhh.”
Douglas put his finger across his mouth and bit into it.
THWWAAACCCKK!
“Ooooowwww. Ooooooh.”
At this point Mrs Richardson expected her husband to stop, Douglas had never before had more than six.
THWWWAAACCCKKK!
“Oooooowwwch.”
THHWWAACCKK!!
“Aaaaagghh.”
Mr Richardson lowered the cane.
“Get up boy.”
Douglas eased himself up, tears streaming down his face.
“Don’t you ever do anything like that again, now get out.”
Douglas almost staggered to the door and went out. Outside Regina was waiting, white faced with a look of horror on it at the severity of the punishment.
“Fetch the girl in,” ordered Mr Richardson.
“How many strokes should I give her?” asked Mrs Richardson.
“Same as the boy,” replied Mr Richardson.
“Isn’t that bit harsh?”
“The same crime, the same punishment.” Replied Mr Richardson adamantly.
Mrs Richardson went to the door.
“Come in Regina.”
Shaking like a leave, Regina came in. Mr Richardson handed the cane to his wife.
Regina gave a little scream.
“No mummy, not that, pleeeaassee.”
“Over the chair,” ordered her Mother.
“Pleeaase Mummy?” pleaded Regina with tears already forming.
“Get on with it,” snapped her mother angrily.
Reluctantly she laid across the arm of the chair, The leather felt warm after being occupied by Douglas. Mrs Richardson looked at her husband as she pulled up Regina’s school dress and slip. Mr Richardson nodded his approval. Regina gave a little whimper.
Mrs Richardson stepped back and got herself ready. Although she had many times applied the hairbrush to Regina’s bottom, the feel of the cane was very different. She brought the cane down smartly and Regina gave a loud gasp.
“I suggest a little more force,” said Mr Richardson.
Thwaaacckk!!
“Ooooowch,” cried Regina, squirming from side to side.
“Much better,” said Mr Richardson nodding with approval.
Although the stroke was harder and Regina had much less protection than Douglas, the force of Mrs Richardson’s stroke was considerably less than that of her husband.
Thwaaacckkk!!
“Oooooooowwww.”
Mrs Richardson was now getting into her stride.
Thwwwaaacckkk!!
“Aaaaaggghhh.”
Between each stroke, Regina was crying loudly and bitterly.
Thhwwaacckkk!!
“Ooooowwww, Mummy.”
Mrs Richardson remained impervious to her daughter’s cry.
Thwwwaaccckkk!!
“Oooww Ooww Ooowww, I’m sorry.”
Thwwaacckkk!!
“Yeeeooooww.”
Thwwwwaaaccckkk!!
“Aaaaaaaggghhhh!!”
Mrs Richardson stepped back, leaving Regina prostrate across the chair, groaning and whimpering.
“Get up Regina,” ordered her mother.
It took several seconds before Regina responded and eased herself up.
“Get out,” ordered her father.
Like Douglas she limped to the door and went out.
Later when dinner was ready, Mrs Richardson took the children’s food up to their rooms as they would have been unable to sit at the dinner table.
It was along time time before either went to sleep and both had a fretful night sleeping on their stomach.