Decisions

Come on Jason! We can skip school! My Dad will be gone by day!" Johnny said to his friend.

"But Mrs. Lancer? She will know! I remind you that she is your sister-in-law!"

"I will pretend to be sick! My brother will be leaving early too!"

"Come on, let's go fishing and have fun all day!" Johnny said.

"Okay, my dad isn't here either, at worst I'll be scolded by mom!"

"See you tomorrow then! Take the fishing rods, I'll take care of the lunch!"

In the evening Johnny packed a bag with lunch.

The next morning after Lancer's men left, Johnny put his plan into action, he was owed a day for the one Sam had missed!

"Evi? "Said the child softly.

"Yes? "

"I'm not feeling well, things are turning in my tummy! My head hurts."

"You don"t feel good? You don't feel hot." Evi says feeling his head.

"It hurts so much!"

"Okay, stay in bed, no need to walk or study if you are in such pain, rest!"

"Okay, thanks Evi, I'm going to bed."

Evi and Sam made their way to school.

"Rita?" Johnny called as he entered the kitchen.

"Yes?"

"I'm not feeling well, I'm going to sleep, I forbid you to bother me or to enter my room for anything! I have a fever, I'm going to undress so that it goes down. So don't come in!" The child raises his voice.

"Yes! Young sir! Your wishes are orders!" She teases him.

Back upstairs Johnny escapes through his window.

Scott was the first to return home around noon.

Rita explained Johnny's order that he was sick and not to disturb him.

"That's strange, he seemed fine at breakfast." the man said. "I don't want him to talk to you like that! You're not his maid! I'm going to scold him!"

Scott went up the stairs. He knocked on the door, no answer. He opened the door.

"Rita?"

"Yes?"

"He's gone! I bet he's fishing! I'm going to kill him!"

"Your father will want his turn!"

"Yes, I know, I'll take it into account."

Scott galloped to the school to talk to his wife.

"Yes, he was sick this morning, he is staying in bed." Informs Evi.

"He lied to you! He went out! Probably fishing!"

"Oh! ... his friend Jason is absent too."

Scott went to Jason's house to determine why the child was not in school.

"Is that so? Jason left for school this morning!" Said his mom after being told her son was not in school.

"They skipped school! I'm sure! Don't worry, they're fishing somewhere! I'll find them!"

"Mr. Lancer, my husband is away for a few weeks, could you punish Jason like Johnny, please?"

"Just so you know I'm going to use my belt on Johnny."

"I trust you, Johnny is a well-behaved and polite child."

"Alright, I will never leave a trace or a bruise, you have my word!"

Scott scoured Johnny's usual places to fish without finding him. He's clever and devious! Scott thought.

Finally, going along the river a little, Scott spotted the two rascals.

"We have a problem, I can't find the ham I packed for lunch!" he heard Johnny say.

"You have more serious problems than ham my boy!" Said a voice behind Johnny.

"Scott? Are you back home already?"

"Yes, luckily it looks like!"

"Not lucky for everybody!" Johnny replied. He knew he was dead!

"Okay, I have to go! My mom is waiting for me! Goodbye John! See you tomorrow!" Jason tried.

"Stop right now, Jason! Your mom also thinks you're at school! As your dad is away, she asked me to punish you like Johnny! You thought you were okay? You stay here!" Scott ordered.

The man unbuckled his belt and pulled it through the loops of his pants.

"Johnny, come here!"

Scott unbuttoned the child's pants, pulling them down to his ankles, he also pulled down his shorts, he leaned Johnny under his left arm, holding him tightly and leaning him over his left thighs, he slammed his belt severely on the little bare butt exposed, four times in a row. Scott was neat, precise, and extremely severe! The child jumped with each stroke, but the man held him in place firmly!

"Ouch! OH! Pardon me SCOTT! ... I WILL BE GOOD" But his brother was stern until the end!

"Also I forbid you to talk to Rita like you did! She's not your maid! and you are not the lord of the castle, understood?"

"Yes sir!"

"Well, for next week you will help Rita with all of her tasks! You will see the work she does and you will be respectful!"

Scott lowered his belt harshly twice more! Then he stopped.

"You deserve double Johnny! I'll let Dad have his turn! Pull up your pants!"

"Jason, come here!" The child refused to move, challenge or fear?"

"Since I'm not your father, Jason, I'm going to let you keep your shorts on! You have ten seconds to come in front of me. If I have to come and get you, you will lose this privilege! One, two, ...," the child approached.

Scott pulled the boy's pants down to his ankles. He spanked Jason exactly the same, before releasing his belt, but kept the child in the spanking position.

"As your father is away, I give you in addition what John is going to receive tonight from our father, you are lucky I will just use my hand! Johnny will surely have a second belt applied!"

And Scott lowered his hand six times harder on the back of the kid's shorts making him scream!

"Oh! Ouch! I'll be good sir! Sorry!"

Scott stopped.

"Jason, you're confined to your room tonight, your mom will bring you dinner. I want you to help her with all her chores during the week as well, for the worry you've given her! Understood?"

"Yes sir"

"I'll come to check! If you disobeyed me, I will spank you again! I'm a man of my word, don't test me!"

"Yes sir," the child sobbed.

"Come on, let's go home!"

The evening after supper, Murdoch brought Johnny to the barn.

"If you do that to me again I'll take my belt off your bare butt! You're lucky Scott told me he had been tough and asked me to just use my hand, pull your pants down and your shorts, on my knees my son!"

Murdoch gave six hard, severe slaps on the bottom lying on his knees. Scott had found it fair that he was punished like Jason, no more.

The next day, despite his punishment, Rita had sent Johnny for a quick run into town. She ran out of flour and needed it right away, giving him just enough time to get there and back.

"Johnny? A letter arrived for Mrs. Sims, can you give it to her?"

"Of course Ma'am, but it's' Mrs. Lancer now." Johnny corrected.

"Yes, I know, but that's not the name on the envelope. Thank you, remember, there's a federal stamp, that must be important."

"Yes Ma'am"

Scott and Evi opened the letter, he thought it was news of her debts, but they were amazed!

It is written that your father had a double life! When he died, he left another wife and a son. Your half-brother is now ten years old. His mother died suddenly from a bad heart. He is at the orphanage in Denver.

"Oh Scott! I'm sorry! I didn't know that! My dad was away for work a lot!"

"Not just for his work apparently."

"What are we going to do? Do you want to leave him there?"

"Of course not! We can't just leave him and pretend he doesn't exist!"

"It is also written that the child is badly brought up, disrespectful, rude. He did not know your father, necessarily if you do the math. Since your father died when you were twelve years old, you are now twenty. He was therefore two years old!" His mother did not know how to educate him."

"Sorry! That sounds like he is a tornado!"

"That does not scare me! I do not let myself be impressed by a ten year old kid! It is a chance for him if we raise him, we will change his fate! For me his behavior is a cry for help Who will hear it if we don't? We will have to be strict and tough, yes, no problem! But he must also need a lot of love and attention!"

"I love you Scott!" Evi said snuggling into his arms.

" I love you too my love ! Now let me plan the trip and the logistics and we'll leave. I'll send a telegram to the orphanage to say we're coming for him! Find someone to take over at the school for next three weeks. It should be fixed by then!"

"Okay Scott"

Scott went to talk to his father first.

"We're going to be leaving at least three weeks away! What of Samantha? I don't think it's a trip for her, we don't know what to expect! Besides the boy might claim my full attention!"

"She'll stay safe here with me. I'll handle her Scott, like you do with Johnny when I'm away."

"Thank you, Dad!"

"Come with me to your room, Sam. I want to talk to you." Scott said stretching out his hand for his daughter to take.

"Did I do something wrong Dad?"

"Not that I know my heart, do you have something to confess to me?"

"No Daddy!"

Scott told Sam what was going on, fearing her reaction, but ready to face it.

"So he's going to come live here with us, will you be his Daddy?"

"Yes, I can't let him live alone Sam! You're in a good position to know that his life must be so hard!"

"Three weeks away?"

"Yes, more or less, I can't promise you anything, the unexpected can happen! I will write to keep you posted, I can promise you that!"

"Alright, Daddy! I understand! You can go! I will be good!"

"Really?" Scott said using the word Sam often used. "No screaming? No pouting? No need for a spanking?"

"I understand, go get him, Daddy!"

"Thanks Sam! You're growing up. I'll bring you a gift. Something I want you to know too, at first glance he's quite disrespectful, he hasn't had anyone in his life to teach him

good manners. You understand, don't you? So don't expect a perfect child, he risks being wild. It will take me a while to straighten him up and show him the right way."

"Oh, poor little man! He's going to have pain on his butt!"

Scott laughed!

"Yes, surely! It will be inevitable, but not only that, he will need love and attention too! But don't forget that no one will take your place! My heart is growing, remember?"

"I know Daddy! You love me too much!"

Scott laughed! "Come here!" And he hugged his daughter in his strong arms.

"I'm going to miss you, Daddy! Can you leave me a shirt of yours? Like that, I will smell you and I could think hard of you? Don't take me for a baby!"

"I don't think you're a baby, and yes, of course I'll leave you a shirt if you want!"

"Thank you, Dad! I love you!"

"I love you too Sam! Are you suggesting I smell bad?" Scott teased, tickling her.

Sam laughed "No Daddy! You actually smell so good!"