It was the year 1977 and I've been hanging out with this girl for a while. That day she'd stood me up. Normally I wouldn't bother with that kind of thing, but it just seemed so uncharacteristic for her and as far as I was concerned we had had a lot of fun the last time we'd seen each other. Heck, I had seen her climb out of her window to meet me. You don't simply give up on a girl like that.

So I went to her place and into the backyard. I could see a light burning in her room. She said she usually got in the way she got out. So it shouldn't be too hard climbing up to her window, right?

When I swung into the room she was sitting at her desk. She threw a wide-eyed look at me, went pale and hissed: "What are you doing here?" Her auburn hair framed the pale face with these big hazel eyes and just for a second I felt myself go weak because she looked so fragile and frightened. "What do you mean, man? You didn't show up. What's the deal?" I asked her. "This is really bad timing" she answered, standing up and coming towards me "my father will be here any minute." Right that instance I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. I remembered that she said her father was very strict. I've never met him, but the look she gave me wasn't far from panic. It told me there would be hell to pay if he caught me in here. "Quick, hide!" She added. I didn't resist her directing me to the wardrobe and pushing me in. Seconds after the door closed behind me, I heard the footsteps entering the room.

The doors of her wardrobe had these wooden bars like shutters. So I could still see her face from my hiding place and hear this deep voice asking her why she was standing where she was. When she answered the tone of her voice caught me by surprise: "There is something I have to tell you, sir." What was this? Surely she didn't let me hide to now tell her father about it, right? She sounded as if she was close to tears, very sorry and afraid

"I don't know what happened between you and Josh but I can't even imagine..." she choked "Well, I have difficulty..., I mean I've had thoughts that were very disrespectful about you. And I feel very bad about that. After all Jesus said thinking about doing something must be punished as if you actually went through with that action, so I am sorry for I have broken the sixth commandment about honoring my parents."

What the hell?

The voice of her father sounded very solemn when he remarked: "I see, now I know why you're standing there. Well, you already know what to do: Bring me the strap."

She opened the wardrobe door again and I had a great view of her profile, she didn't even glance in my direction. On the inside of the door was a little hook, I hadn't seen it when she pushed me in, but on the hook hung something like a belt. I saw her petite hand reaching very slowly for that black piece of leather, ominously gleaming in the light and finally taking it. When the door closed again she slowly went away and towards her waiting father.

Of course i knew something about corporal punishment. My mother used to give me the odd clip around the ear all the time. But just seeing this, it felt different. For starters it was such a grave atmosphere and it was so...organized. There was a strange feeling in my gut and, 'though I'm a bit ashamed of it, a big portion curiosity and something like excitement. A gorgeous 17 year old girl and she was about to be punished by her father. What had she been wearing? Just pajama pants and a plain white T-Shirt.

While far from being a sexy outfit, paired with the timid behavior she displayed now, it radiated an innocence that begged for me to corrupt her. Her father had no idea that his good little girl had snuck out to meet me, no idea that I was in her room right now and was actually able to catch a glimpse of the things happening in the room. This was a very intimate moment. Something that usually stays in the family. Something I shouldn't have been able to witness but now was, because part of his innocent little daughter already belonged to me.

My mouth went dry watching her going over to her father as if in slow motion.

Then – sending a pleading look to his stern, unmoving face – she presented the strap to him. The moment stretched to what felt like hours.

He took the strap and told her to lie down on the bed. While there certainly are a lot of possibilities to do that, there obviously was an established protocol at work and she knew exactly what he'd meant. She lay down at right angle to the side of the bed, her butt positioned at the edge of the mattress, her legs stretched out with only the tips of her feet touching the floor. Sighing she reached behind to draw her pajama pants down exposing plain cotton panties.

I certainly have admired female butts before. But I've never seen one presented like that, positioned to be the center of attention. Mine and his, probably also hers. I guess it inevitable draws your focus when you're about to get hit.

It didn't take her father long to move in. He bent over to pull down her panties, to expose soft and delicate skin. Just a moment he stood there and looked at his target before he started laying on the strap. I wondered what he was thinking in that moment.

The volume of the first cracking noise came to me as a shock.

She gasped and then moaned. CRACK! The strap came down again.

I watched in a state of alarm and fascination. Her butt cheeks quivered under the onslaught of the leather. CRACK! Another moan. CRACK! I spotted a pink outline where the strap had landed. CRACK! Pause.

"Rebecca, you know it is a sin to break our lord's commandments." He changed position and started to bring down the punishing instrument from the other side.

She gasped but answered him in a breathless voice: "Yes, sir."

CRACK! "So tell me what exactly did you think about me?" CRACK! She choked down a cry. "I can't." She swallowed hard. CRACK! "Aaaaaah, I can't say it out loud." CRACK! "Ooooh, it was disrespectful" CRACK! "aaand wrong." Pause. A bit of tension left her body while she waited what would happen next.

"Well, I guess I can accept that as an answer." He mused fingering the strap thoughtfully. "You have seen the error of your ways and told me what you did."

CRACK! She groaned, snapped a bit of air and actually said something in return: "Thank you, sir." Thank you, sir. She actually managed to thank him for this. This was so messed up. I wouldn't have tolerated anyone treating me like that. My fingernails dug into the palms of my hands. CRACK! Now I wanted to help her but I couldn't think of any way. Worse – if there was even a hint of me being here or having witnessed this, she would be in even more trouble and this was not like Foreman being yelled at by his father. CRACK! This wasn't funny.

CRACK!

CRACK! Her whole body twitched when the leather hit. "Oow"

"Just six more"

CRACK! "Uuuh"

CRACK! One of her feet left the floor as she convulsed.

CRACK! "Ooooh, please."

CRACK! I got the feeling he made these last ones extra hard.

CRACK! "Daddy!"

CRACK! Her knees sort of collapsed and her upper body jerked up. She was now kneeling at the side of her bed, tears in her eyes. "Keep your hands on that bed." Came a stern reprimand. She looked with tear-filled eyes to her father but he didn't look at her. He put the strap down on her night table before he turned to her: "You should probably pray now and then go to bed. We'll talk more about it tomorrow." With that he placed a hand on the top of her head but he still didn't look at her. Then he left the room and I heard the lock click shut.

She rubbed her eyes, drying the tears and pulled her pants up while I was standing in her wardrobe transfixed by what I've just witnessed. She would have to face me now and I would have to face her.

She must know there was no way I could have missed what just happened.

I was still thinking what to say or do by the time she needed to walk over and open the wardrobe door. Normally I would joke if I'd seen one of my friends in trouble but it had never been like this before. What do you say? She wasn't a close friend, having moved here just a few months ago but we've hung out and I found her attractive. This girl could even be girlfriend material.

"Let's talk outside. There's less risk someone could hear us." she said in a low voice, not meeting my eyes.

Then, she just started to make her way to the outside. Seeing her climb out of the window gracefully I could have almost been fooled into thinking nothing had happened. Then it dawned on me: she was used to this. And sneaking out and meeting me, she probably risked getting it even worse every time we had gone out.

It took me a while to get down into the backyard, she was already waiting. Still not too sure about what I should say but needing something to start, I just asked casually:

"So, your father is big about discipline, eh?"

" Ah well, he just makes sure to be a pain in the ass." she grimaced at me.

I looked down for a moment, then took my glasses off.

"Hey Becca, if I had known I'd get you in trouble, I wouldn't have come."

"Hyde, that's sweet. But I probably wouldn't have been able to avoid it anyway. He's pretty pissed off tonight. Something happened between him and my brother. I just couldn't risk sneaking out before. He was already looking for a reason to bust me." She threw a glance back at the house. "I should probably head back. He's bound to check up on me pretty soon. But how about meeting in a couple of weeks? He'll cool off."

"Jeah." What else was I going to say?

She slung her arms round my neck and kissed me. It was a sweet kiss, soft lips brushing against mine and a hot mouth just waiting for my tongue to get in. A picture of her naked butt flashed into my mind and then the strap beating down. I broke the connection.

"I'm glad you understand. See you" she whispered and skipped back to the house. Actually skipped. Then she climbed up and swung inside, she gave me a little wave before closing her window. Then her light went out.

I still stood there, when about fifteen minutes later a ray of light shone through her window. Probably the door to her room opening, her father checking up on her. Then I left.