"Nicholas, could I talk to you for a second", Nick put his bookbag down by the stairs. He'd just gotten home from school, and his Dad's tone didn't sound promising. He tried to think back to what he'd done. Had someone seen them smoking out back during lunch? Or skipping last period? Oh man, if his Dad knew he'd been skipping, he was dead.
"Yes sir", he walked into the living room where Mr. Andopolis was sitting on the couch. He rested his drink on the table in front of him. Right next to Nick's failed chemistry test. The teenager's heart jumped and caught somewhere in his throat. Skipping class would have been a picnic compared to this.
"Would you like to tell me what this is, son?", Nick swallowed hard, trying to think of a good excuse. As usual, he couldn't come up with one. He'd had the test on his desk for over a week now, trying to get up the courage to give it to his father. Every time he tried to bring it up, it seemed like the wrong time and he told himself he'd do it the next day. Now that it was actually in the open, he didn't know whether he was more relieved or afraid. When Mr. Andopolis cleared his throat, waiting for an answer, Nick decided he was definitely leaning toward afraid.
"I was going to show that to you, Dad. I swear"
"When did you get the test back?"
"Sir?"
"Don't play games with me, Nicholas. You heard me."
"Umm. I got it back last Tuesday", he watched his father grit his teeth.
"So, you got this test back nine days ago, but you were going to show it to me. And when exactly were you planning to do that?"
"I was just trying to find the right time, Dad"
"The right time? You had enough time to go out with your friends! Enough time to play on your drums! We have eaten dinner together every night for NINE DAYS Nicholas", Mr. Andopolis rose to his feet, making Nick flinch at the closeness, "If the right time was ever going to come, it would have been here. Now, I'm going to let you give me one reason. Just think of one good reason why I shouldn't whip you raw"
Nick whimpered and ran his hand through his hair. He had gotten himself into this with lying. He was going to get a whipping, no way out of it. He might as well tell the truth now. Maybe his Dad would go easy on him. It wasn't likely, but he still wanted to be honest.
"I don't have a reason, Dad. I'm really sorry. This whole thing...I mean, I was going to give you the test, honest. Daniel said I should burn it, but I said I didn't want to lie to you. And then on Tuesday, we had that argument after band practice and I... I didn't want to get whipped again, you know, so I figured I would give it to you the next day. And then, I just sort of kept putting it off and... I'm... I know I deserve a whipping. It's just, I'm really, really sorry, ok. I, you know, I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry."
Mr. Andopolis looked at his son, staring at the ground and trying not to cry. He softened his stance and sighed. Sometimes he wondered if he was too hard on his youngest. The boy's brothers had been rambunctious and tough, they needed a hard hand to guide them. Nick was just as unruly, but he was sensitive. So much more sensitive than the others. That's why his father pushed him so hard in school. He didn't want the boy to join the army any more than he did. He grabbed Nick gently by the neck.
"Listen, I'm glad you were honest with me son. Thank you", he pressed his forehead to his son's in a familiar gesture. Nick relaxed at the movement. His father pulled back and put his hand on his shoulder, growing serious again.
"Now, you know what you've got coming. Why don't you head upstairs"
"Yes sir"