"Mother couldn't you go easy on Abbie, just this once?" Della gave her daughter a warning look and Maureen immediately stopped talking and looked downward. "Young lady are you telling me how to discipline my children?" Maureen blanched, "no ma'am! I wouldn't dare, honest!" Della turned her head back to the front, as a bemused smile played across her lips. Maureen had always been a good, sweet-tempered child who did as she was told. All Della ever had to do was give her a look when she was misbehaving and she straightened up quick! Thinking about this, Della felt awfully that her daughter was having difficulty sitting over something she didn't do.
Upon arriving home, Della and Maureen walked into the kitchen. Della's husband Perry had just arrived home and was holding the speeding ticket in his left hand. "I see you failed to obey the speed laws, Mrs. Mason" Perry chuckled amusedly. Della walked up and gave her husband a peck on the cheek. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about dear, let's go in the living room. Maureen watched from the kitchen as her mother explained the situation to her father. At one point, her father threw a pointed glance Maureen's way and Maureen knew that she would be receiving quite the talking-to from her father. When they finished discussing, Perry called upstairs. "Abigail Louise Mason, I want you to come down here now." His thunderous tone provoked a shiver from Maureen. Her father seldom displayed anger, but when he did – well, she didn't want to be on the receiving end of it.
Abbie scurried down the stairs. "Yes daddy?" she asked, looking a bit frightened. "Would you care to explain this to me?" asked Perry holding up the speeding ticket. Abbie blanched and looked over at her sister standing in the doorway. "No, your sister did not tell us about it" anticipated Perry, "your mother found in in the pocket of your skirt." Abbie began to cry softly. "I'm sorry daddy, I was going to earn the money to pay it, honest!" "That's not the issue, young lady" scolded Perry. "What you did was reckless and illegal. You're lucky you aren't sitting in a jail cell right now!" Della spoke up, "Abbie you know very well you deserve to be punished, and if you even misbehave this severely again you can bet you'll receive two spankings for it. But your father and I have decided just this once, you will be spanked by me and be done." Abbie displayed a combination of relief and fear on her face. "Thank you, mother" said Abbie, grateful she didn't have two spankings coming. "Don't thank me," said Della turning toward the kitchen, "thank your sister, she requested we go easy on you." Maureen looked up, startled, not anticipating that her plea had had any effect on her parents. Abbie glanced at Maureen gratefully, then followed her mother upstairs, the last two switches her sister had cut waiting in their shared room.
Once they were upstairs, Perry walked into the kitchen and pulled out a chair for Maureen. Maureen slowly and painfully sat in the chair as expected of her. Once seated, her father joined her at the table. "Now Maureen" started Perry, "what you tried to do for your sister was very noble, but also quite foolish. What if that police officer had decided to arrest you when you and your mother went to the station?" Maureen looked down, thoroughly chastised. She hated when her father was disappointed in her. "I'm so sorry daddy, I promise I'll never lie to you or mother again, even to protect Abbie." Perry smiled down at his large-hearted daughter. "Good girl, now why don't you run and practice your piano?" "Yes sir," said Maureen, getting up promptly from the kitchen table and going into the living room to practice her sonata, grateful that she would have some noise to cover the sound of her sister's crying.
Meanwhile, upstairs, the sound of the switch cut through the air. THWACK CRACK! Della scolded as Abbie sobbed. "Abigail Louise you have quite a sister – she took a switching for you. She wouldn't have had to do that had you come forward to begin with." Tears of pain and guilt streamed down Abbie's face. "Yes ma'am you're right. I promise to never lie by omission ever again." Della looked at Abbie's bottom and seeing it was about as striped as her sister's had been, she delivered the final 10 licks to the backs of Abbie's thighs. Just as she had with Maureen, she sat on the bed and rubbed her daughter's back. When Abbie finally sat up, Della gave her a motherly hug. "Alright darling, why don't you come downstairs and help me with dinner?" Abbie nodded and followed her mother down the stairs to the kitchen. As they walked down the stairs, Maureen stood. Abbie walked over and gave her sister a grateful hug. Both girls followed their mother into the kitchen to help with dinner. Perry and Della looked at each other and smiled, grateful for their two lovely daughters – even when they were in hot water!
