Subject: Repost: Kate's General Store-Part 10
From: Carolina Jim <carolinajim@greenvillenc.com>
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 1997 23:21:33 -0400
This was it - the moment Kate and her daughters had been dreading all summer. Chrissy, fighting back tears, hugged Patty and Suzie and told them to be good. Then she embraced Donna. "I'm going to miss you, Kiddo...", the 18- year-old sniffled, holding on to her sister for dear life. Tears streamed down both teen's cheeks. "Don't go forging any of Mom's signatures while I'm gone..."
Reluctantly, Chrissy let go and walked up to Kate. Mother and daughter looked at each other for a moment before throwing their arms around each other and breaking down. "Oh, Mom...I don't want to leave home...", she cried softly, "I'm going to miss everybody so much."
Kate patted the back of Chrissy's shoulders. She knew this day wasn't going to be easy. "I know, Darling...", she whispered soothingly. "Everything's going to be just fine. Once you get settled into your dorm room and start classes, you'll be fine. Besides, you'll be home for Thanksgiving; that's not too far away. And Annie will be there, too. You won't be all alone. C'mon, get on the train..."
Chrissy stepped back and wiped the tears. A few feet away, Annie and Eunice Jenkins were having a similar teary goodbye. "I'll write every day, I promise!", Chrissy vowed. There was one last hug. "I love you, Mom..."
"I love you, too..."
It took a few days for Kate to get used to not having her oldest daughter around. The store was always busy towards the end of August and the start of September, and she was thankful the other three didn't have to go back to school for another week. Donna assumed Chrissy's responsibilities without a hitch, and Susie, now 15, took on a more active role in the day-to-day running of the store. Patty was now solely in charge of keeping the upstairs household clean and doing most of the cooking, a job the 14-year-old had shared with Susie for so many years. Still, not a day went by during that first week that one of them didn't look towards the counter and expect to see Chrissy standing behind the register.
On the same day Chrissy's first letter arrived, something else happened to cheer Kate up. When business was slow enough to finally afford a break, Donna and Susie gathered around the old pot-bellied stove and listened as she read the letter to them. "Mom, who's that girl that just came in with Mrs. Bridgers and Bobbie Sue?", Susie asked.
"Don't interr..." Kate's voice trailed off when she saw the tall, black- haired young lady. For a fleeting moment, Kate was 18 again. The girl with Elise and Bobbie Sue Bridgers looked just like Maureen Blaylock did at that age. Maureen was Elise's sister and, until she got married and moved away close to twenty-five years ago, Kate's best friend. She hadn't seen her since.
Seeing the astonished look on Kate's face, a grinning Elise gently guided her niece towards the corner. "I've got someone I want you to meet...", a beaming Mrs. Bridgers said, "this is Diana, Maureen's daughter. She's going to be staying with us while studying nursing at County General."
Kate couldn't take her eyes off her. "I can't get over it! You're the spitting image of your mother!", she exclaimed before gathering her wits. "Oh, I'm sorry, Diana...I'm Kate Hollings and these are my daughters, Donna and Susie. It's so nice to finally meet you! I grew up with your Mom and your Aunt Elise."
20-year-old Diana relaxed and smiled. "It's nice to meet you too, Ma'am.", she replied politely.
"Let's forget about that 'Ma'am' stuff!", Kate teased. "Just looking at you makes me feel old! Go ahead and call me Kate."
"OK...Kate.", Diana replied with a smile that could light up a room. "Mom's told me all about how you and she and Aunt Elise went to school together and everything."
Kate rolled her eyes. "Not EVERYTHING, I hope!"
Laughing, Diana nodded her head. "Just about! Like the time my Grandmother caught the three of you skinny-dipping in Copper Pond..."
Elise and Kate looked at each other and blushed. "Let's not talk about that.", Kate said softly. Both adult women had to resist the temptation to brush a hand across their backsides. It was a day neither would ever forget, nor would Maureen.
"What happened, Mom?", Bobbie Sue and Donna asked, almost in unison.
Kate felt herself blushing. "I'll tell you some other time...", she told Donna, wishing someone would change the subject.
Elise, thinking the same thing, came to the rescue. "How about you and the girls coming over next Sunday for a cook-out? You can get to know Diana better..."
Patty had supper ready right on schedule. Kate closed the store at six, and by 6:15 the family was seated around the table. "Mom, tell us about the time you went skinny-dipping, pleeease?", Susie implored.
Kate sighed and shook her head. She had hoped the girls had forgotten about Diana mentioning that. "No, I don't think so.", she stated firmly. "Go ahead and eat your dinner."
"You went skinny-dipping?", a surprised Patty gasped. "I didn't think you EVER did anything wrong when you were a little girl! Grandma always says you were the best-behaved of all her kids."
"C'mon, Mom...", Donna goaded, "tell us."
Clearly, Kate would get no rest until she told all. Shaking her head, she took a sip of milk. "First of all, Patty, I wasn't a little girl. I was 18 that summer, and old enough to know better..."
It wasn't just hot that Thursday in mid-August, it was scorching. Kate had been sent to the bakery in town by her mother to get a loaf of bread for supper. The oppressive heat made walking miserable. By the time she got to the main road, her hair was soaked with perspiration and her light cotton dress was sticking to her slender frame. The few cars that went by did nothing but stir up dust on the dirt road.
Kate trudged on, keeping a slow, deliberate pace. The teenager was about halfway to her destination when she heard her name called by a familiar voice. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Maureen and Elise Blaylock approaching her on their bicycles. "We were just at your house, but your Mom said you were on the way to the store. Do you want to come with us and get a soda at the filling station?"
"I wish I could, but I've only got enough money for some bread.", Kate explained wearily. She wiped the sweat from her brow. "Boy, it's hot out..."
16-year-old Elise agreed. "I'll say! Daddy says he's NEVER seen it this hot, and he's lived here all his life." Kate felt a little sorry for the two sisters. They were farm girls, and both had on bib overalls and a tee-shirt. They had to be hot.
Maureen and Elise got off their bikes and started walking with Kate, Maureen lamenting that she didn't have an extra nickel to lend her best friend. "It's OK. Mom says soda just makes you thirstier. I'll ask for a glass of water when I get to the bakery.", Kate said.
The mere mention of water brought a sparkle to Elise's eyes. However, she wasn't thinking of the drinking kind. "I got an idea!", she blurted out. "Let's go to Copper Pond and go swimming!"
Maureen and Kate looked at each other and chuckled. "You've been out in the sun too long.", Maureen told her sister. "No way am I going near that place. You know what Mom and Daddy said would happen if they caught us there."
"You must be crazy.", Kate added. "That pond ain't nothing but a swamp. Billy Roebuck got bit by a rattler out there a couple of years ago, or have you forgotten? And my mother says a kid drowned there when she was growing up. Me and my sisters aren't allowed near it."
Disappointed but not defeated, Elise tried to change their minds. "I know it's a little dangerous, but if we're careful nothing will happen. And how would Mom and Daddy find out? As hot as it is, we'll be dry a minute after we come out of the water."
"And just what will we wear for bathing suits?", Maureen asked sarcastically. "I don't seem to have mine with me."
Elise paused and thought. "Why do we need suits? I'm sure nobody will be around. And we've seen each other naked before."
"Pardon me?", Kate retorted.
Elise chuckled. "I meant Maureen, silly. But what's the difference? We're all girls. Come on you two...the water will feel soooo good!"
It took a little more persuasion on Elise's part, but sound judgement was eventually discarded. Before long, the trio left the road and walked about two hundred yards through the woods. Then, stepping gingerly through the tall grass and mud, they stood at the edge of Copper Pond and waited for someone to make the first move. "It was your idea, Elise. You go first.", her sister said.
The 16-year-old took a deep breath and looked around. They were alone. She sat on a stump, took off her shoes and socks, and stood up again. Turning her back towards the other two, Elise quickly slipped out of her overalls and took off her teeshirt. She unhooked her bra and let it fall to the ground. Down came her rayon pantybriefs. "Here goes!" Elise ran into the water, her white, chubby backside bouncing with every step. "Come on in! The water feels great!"
Neither Kate nor Maureen had the impulsiveness displayed by Elise. Both were self-conscious about their bodies, and they retreated behind seperate bushes to disrobe. Maureen was the first to emerge, an arm more than adequately hiding her small breasts. A hand, however, was not enough to hide the large thatch of dark pubic hair between her legs. She walked to the edge of the pond, her little buttocks barely jiggling.
Kate finally came out when Maureen started wading into the water. She, too, was able to conceal her pert little breasts but not her hirsute pubic area. She could feel her behind bouncing as she hurried to the pond. "I can't stay here long. Remember I still have to go to the bakery.", Kate reminded, immersing herself in the refreshingly cool water. It felt so good! Suddenly, she wasn't in such a hurry to leave.
Maureen and Kate were content to just wade around, but not Elise. The impish 16-year-old began splashing water on the other two, laughing and giggling while the other two tried to dodge the spray. "Cut it out!", Maureen warned. "Suppose someone hears us! And how will explain to Mom how our hair got soaked?"
"Gee, you're no fun!", Elise moaned, putting on her best pseudo-hurt look. Just as quickly a broad smile replaced the pout. "Guess what! I'm peeing!"
"Eeeuuuuu!", the older girls moaned in unison. "That's disgusting!", Maureen chided. "You can act so childish sometimes!" She wasn't about to admit she had relieved herself the same way only a few moments before.
"I WANT YOU OUT OF THERE RIGHT NOW!"
Faith Blaylock's angry voice cut through the stagnant air like a hot knife through butter. The girls turned around and saw the irate woman standing on the bank, right next to Elise's discarded clothes. "DID YOU HEAR ME! GET OUT OF THERE NOW! THAT INCLUDES YOU TOO, KATHERINE SASLOW! MOVE IT!"
Trying to cover their nudity as best they could, they slowly waded towards land. Three young ladies were about to discover the meaning of the term "hell on earth". Elise was the first one out. "Mama I'm sorry...", she whined as she carefully moved towards her clothes.
Faith waited until her youngest daughter was close enough, then grabbed Elise by the arm. "NO MAMA!", the 16-year-old begged when her mother sat down on the stump, threw her across her lap, and delivered a brief but very effective spanking that not only dried Elise's bottom, but also left it a deep shade of red.
"Not so fast, Maureen! Get your backside over here!" Maureen was nearly to the bushes where her clothes were when the summons came. She, too, went across her mothers's lap. While her friend was getting her bottom reddened, Kate disappeared behind the bushes and got dressed. The trembling girl wondered if Mrs. Blaylock intended to spank her, too.
The enraged mom finished with Maureen and stood her on her feet. "Get dressed!", she told her sniffling daughters in no uncertain terms. Maureen and Elise hurriedly put their clothes on under a very watchful eye. "Stop that crying!", Faith barked. "That was nothing compared to the spanking you're going to get when you get home! I'm going to make sure your Daddy takes you out to the barn and blisters your behinds with the strap! Now get on your bicycles and go home! Stay in your room until I get there! I'm going to take Kate home and make sure her mother knows what she's been up to, then I'm going to talk to your father! Go!"
A tearful Maureen and Elise, gently rubbing the seats of their dungarees, walked over to their bikes. Faith waited until they were in the woods before turning to Kate. "For two pins, I'd give you the same thing I just gave my daughters.", she said menacingly. "But I figure your mother will tan your backside but good when she finds out about this, won't she!"
Kate stared at the ground. "Yes, Ma'am...", she replied softly.
Faith led Kate back to the main road towards her house. It was just the teenager's luck that everyone seemed to be outside when they got to her street. Kids were playing in yards and grown-ups were sitting on the porches. As hot as it was, it was even hotter indoors with no air conditioning.
Mrs. Blaylock and Kate approached the Saslow home. Sure enough, Hedy Saslow was seated on the porch with Kate's 15-year-old sister Amelia. Sitting on the porch steps were 12-year-old Louise and a couple of neighborhood kids. The closer they got, the harder Kate's heart beat. All of a sudden, the 18- year-old bolted from Faith and ran as fast as she could down the street, attracting a lot of attention, including her mother's. Hedy saw her coming and walked out into the yard.
Kate, showing none of the self-assuredness and confidence she would later display when she owned the general store, ran up to her mother and threw her arms around her. "It was so hot, Mommy...", she whispered, tears beginning to flow, "I couldn't help it..."
"What's the matter, Katy?", Hedy asked.
Faith came up to them. "I hate to tell you this, Hedy...", she explained, "but I just caught my daughters and Kate swimming at Copper Pond." She lowered her voice. "They were naked!"
Hedy separated herself from her clinging daughter. "Is that true?" Kate didn't answer, at least not until she felt a slap across her face from her mother. "Thank you, Faith. I'm glad you told me. She's going to pay severely for her disobedience."
"I know what you mean.", Mrs. Blaylock said as she turned to leave. "I have two young ladies who are going to be taking a trip to the woodshed when I get home."
Crying softly and rubbing her cheek, Kate felt her mother take her by the hand. "Come with me, Missy...", Hedy growled. "You have an appointment with the hairbrush!"
Panic engulfed her. She snatched her hand from Hedy's and started running, her mother in close pursuit. "Katherine! Stop this instant! Oh, you're really going to get it when I get a hold of you!"
The fleeing teen might have made it out of the yard if she had seen the red wagon one of the kids had left by the sidewalk a little sooner. It slowed her down just long enough for Hedy to catch her. This time, she got a firm grip on Kate's upper arm with one hand and began smacking the seat of her dress with the other. CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! "How dare you!" CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
"I'M SORRY MOMMY!", Kate screamed, all the while thrusting her pelvis forward trying to diminish the force of the spanks. "I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS DOING!" Everyone in the neighborhood who was outside witnessed the spectacle, and Kate's piercing screams brought the rest to their porches to see what all the commotion was about.
The hapless girl was hauled onto the porch. "Get the hairbush, Amelia!", Hedy ordered the bewildered 15-year-old. She sat down on the chair, flipped Kate over her lap, and lifted her daughter's dress. "You may not have known what you were doing, but I certainly do!", she stated emphatically while lowering Kate's underpants.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! "MOMMY NO!", Kate begged, her bottom bare for all to see. "TAKE ME INSIDE! PLEEEEASE!" SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! "AIEEEEEEE! AIEEEEEEE! NOOOOOO! IT HURTS! AIEEEEEEE!"
Having her naked backside on display soon became the least of Kate's worries, for the hairbrush was doing a splendid job of setting it on fire. The squirming bottomcheeks, until a few minutes ago a whiter shade of pale, were a bright, fire-engine red in no time. SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! "Didn't I warn you to stay away from that pond!", Hedy lectured. "You think you're too old to have to listen to your mother?" SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
"NO MOMMY! AIEEEEEE! AIEEEEE! OHHHHHHH!" SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! "I'M NOT TOO OLD! AIEEEEE! PLEEEEASE!" SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! "PLEEEASE! I'LL LISTEN FOR NOW ON! AIEEEEEE!" SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! "I'LL NEVER GO THERE AGAIN! OWWWWWW! OHHHHHH! PLEEEEEEEASE!" SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
"You're darn right you're not too old!" The brush continued to blister the purpling buttocks and upper thighs, ensuring Kate would not be sitting comfortably for the foreseeable future. "And no daughter of mine is going to go skinny-dipping and not regret it!" SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! "Is that understood!" SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
"WAAAAAAAAA! WAAAAAAHAAAAAHAAAAA! YESSSSSSSSS! I UNDERSTAAAAAAAAAND! WAAAAAA! WAAAAAAHAAAAHAAAA! WAAAHAAAAAHAAAA!"
Reduced to sobs and her bottom a badly-discolored, raging inferno, Kate had clearly learned her lesson. Hedy stopped spanking and pulled up her daughter's pantybriefs. "Now go upstairs and go to bed!", she ordered. Kate didn't need to be told again; she stood up and ran inside, both hands firmly clasped to the back of her dress.
Three minutes later, the neighborhood was back to normal. Well, almost. The topic of conversations on most front porches was different. Parents expressed their satisfaction to each other that an errant young lady had been brought to see the error of her ways. However, the teenagers who witnessed or heard Kate's comeuppance weren't so sure. If Kate, one of the most respected and well-behaved girls in town, could get her behind warmed, so could they. More than one young person made a silent vow to walk the straight and narrow...
About the time a sobbing Kate was slipping a nightshirt over her swollen cheeks, Faith and Casper Blaylock were dragging their daughters to the barn behind the farmhouse. "Get those overalls and bloomers down!", a steaming Faith commanded. Without hesitation, the teary-eyed girls obeyed. They stood, naked from the bottom of their tee-shirts to their ankles, displaying two bottoms bearing Faith's handprints. They endured a scathing lecture from both parents before Faith turned to her husband. "Those girls need the strap, Casper! I've told them over and over about Copper Pond and what would happen if they went swimming there! And naked!"
Casper agreed. He took the well-oiled strap from its nail on the wall and ordered Elise to bend over a bale of hay. The muscular farmer then gave the 16-year-old a thorough whipping. After she was dealt with, Maureen got it. Neither would be riding their bicycles for a while, not with welted and blistered backsides. And there was no respite when the spankings were over. "Pull up those pants and get into the kitchen!", Faith told the wailing, howling girls. "You're gonna help me with the canning like you should have been doing instead of sneaking off like that!" The Blaylock girls ate their supper standing up that night...
Kate chose not to eat supper at all. Instead, she stayed in bed on her tummy, completely humbled and with a still-burning behind. Her pillow was damp with tears. Around 8:00, Hedy came to her room. She had a newspaper, yellow with age, in her hand. "How are you feeling, Dear?", she asked compassionately.
"Terrible.", Kate answered truthfully. "It hurts to just move."
Hedy patted her on the shoulder. "There's something I want you to read when you feel up to it. It's about Tommy Lorimar. I used to babysit him when he was a little boy. It's on the second page." " She left the paper on the bed and left the room.
"Who in the world is Tommy Lorimar...", Kate wondered just before drifting off to sleep. She awoke an hour later. The newspaper was still there. Kate reached over and turned on the light, being reminded of her scalded bottom as she did. She turned on her side and opened the paper to page two. "Oh my God!", she gasped. It was Tommy's obituary - he had drowned in Copper Pond.
Kate put on her slippers and went downstairs, regretting what she did with every step. There was a lone light on in the kitchen. Hedy was sitting at the table by herself, a distant expression on her face. Amelia and Louise were already in bed. "Mom, can I talk to you?", Kate asked softly.
"Sure, Hon...what's on your mind?"
Kate took a deep breath, feeling an onrush of tears. "I read the paper like you wanted me to, and now I understand why you were so mad. I deserved a spanking."
Hedy took a moment to collect her thoughts. "You know, that was a terrible day. Tommy was only ten years old. His parents were crushed. Mr. Lorimar took to drink, and one day he just left town and never came back. About a year later, Mrs. Lorimar died. The doctor said it was tuberculosis, but nobody believed it. She died of a broken heart. The day that happened, I vowed nothing like what happened to Tommy would ever happen to my children. If it took a good blistering to prevent it, well, so be it. You found out this afternoon that I intend to keep that vow."
It was an emotional moment for mother and daughter. Hedy, tears flowing unashamedly, stood up and embraced her daughter. "I love you and your sisters...", she whispered, "and I never want to lose any of you..."
"Boy, no wonder Grandma spanked you!", Donna said when her mother finished. "I'll tell you the truth, I'm never going near Copper Pond!"
Kate smiled. "You better not, or that last spanking I gave you will seem like a walk in the park compared to what you'll get. That goes for all three of you. I still get a chill every time I go past that place."
"Who told Mrs. Blaylock you were at the pond?", Susie asked.
"We never found out for sure.", Kate admitted. "But I've always had the feeling Mrs. Jenkins tattled on us. She never liked Maureen because she was so pretty."
"Mrs. Jenkins? Annie's mother? The Mayor's wife?" Patty couldn't believe it. "She's such a nice lady!"
Kate shrugged her shoulders. "Yes, she is. But she was a teenager once, too. Anyway, Maureen got her back. One day, she put a cigarette in Mrs. Jenkins' pocketbook when she wasn't looking and told her mother her daughter smoked. Her mother found the cigarette and gave her a spanking. You could hear her screaming for miles around..."
THE END Part 10