Consequences (standard:drama, 4554 words)
Author: Coop	Added: Mar 23 2003	Views/Reads: 3339/2328	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
After a miscarriage, Jean lets herself fall into a deep depression and neglects her family and kids. A trip to her parents home brings her back to reality in a surprising way.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

any way, but it sure gave a lot of time to think about what was wrong 
with their actions and how they planned not to get there again!   Even 
during punishment, love reigned.  A spanking was never given that 
didn't end with a long, comforting hug and ‘I love you'.  Once 
punishment was served, the incident was over and forgotten.  The slate 
was clean again.  It was quite a wonderful way of life.  With four 
children, three of which were boys, it must have been lively. 

Since becoming adults, stern talks had been received by them all and
even a rare dose of discipline given for some foolish act that 
endangered their life and warranted more than a lecture.  It never 
occurred to any of them to refuse to be disciplined by their parents 
even now.  Act like an adult and you'll be treated like an adult; act 
like a child and received a child's treatment.  That love was there was 
obvious in the fact that even after marriage, they came for family 
gatherings as often as possible.  Mom and Dad were the first to be 
called for advice whenever another voice of reason was needed. 

Knowing all of this, Oliver knew he was doing the right thing for Jean. 
Then why did he feel so guilty? 

#  #  # 

The ride that morning had been quiet but not uncomfortable.  Jean had
quietly accepted the situation as if it really didn't matter where she 
was.  Every once in a while she would have a moment when her stomach 
would have that funny feeling.  “What's that?” she would wonder. 

There was a pot of homemade soup and bread waiting for lunch when they
arrived.  The talk was light and casual.  After a second cup of coffee, 
Oliver said that he had to start back.  Everyone walked out to the 
porch for a bit of last minute conversation. As Mom turned to lead her 
daughter back into the house, she gave Oliver a hug and a smile.  
“Don't worry.  She'll be fine soon.”   Dad walked Oliver out to the car 
with his arm around Oliver's shoulders.  He wiped his eyes that were 
wet with unshed tears.  The long talk Dad had had earlier with him had 
settled the younger man down a good bit and relieved him of the guilt 
over not being able to help his wife. 

“Take a few days to relax.  You need it or you will be sick soon
yourself.  Don't worry about Jean, she's in good hands.  We'll call you 
this weekend.”  Dad watched as Oliver drove off, then turned and headed 
for the house for a little talk with his daughter. 

Dealing with Jean was not that much different from dealing with her
brothers.  When she got something stuck in her mind there was no 
letting go of it.  Usually she was a happy, compliant girl.  This 
situation seemed to indicate that she was hanging on to some idea of 
blame for losing the baby and the resulting hysterectomy or something 
similar.  Medically she was fine.  This was not going to be an easy 
week for the three of them, but it would come out ok.  There was 
nothing that they couldn't get through as a family.  They would get 
through this with Jean. 

He joined Mom and Jean in the kitchen for a cup of Russian tea.   There
wasn't much conversation.  They had already discussed their plans 
before Jean's arrival, using the information Oliver had given them of 
her actions and medical reports.  The ball was now in their court and 
they were ready to play.  Kindness and patience had not helped the 
situation.  Maybe a little shock therapy would be applicable.  It was 
time to begin. 

“Jean, it's time to get things clear here.  You are in fine shape
medically.  Before the surgery you were fine emotionally.  We 
understand the turmoil of what you have been through.  Maybe you don't 
remember, but the same thing happened to us.  It's a very hard thing to 
go through, but your mother and I made it and so can you.  Oliver gave 
you time and his patience to grieve and deal with what happened, maybe 
too much time.  We have seen this before in others.  You have allowed 
yourself to settle down into self pity and the safety of mental 
darkness so that you can't be hurt again.  While you are ignoring the 
world, the rest of your family has had to grieve alone, plus watch 
their wife and mother deteriorate to the point that she has no thought 
for anyone other than herself.  By doing this you have hurt yourself, 
your husband and your children.  This behavior, lasting this long, is 
unacceptable and a serious offense.  Your husband has brought you here 
asked us to deal with you as we see fit.  This week you are a young 
girl again and under the same rules and consequences you grew up with.  
Is this understood?” 

The stern voice of her father kept her attention.  Hearing his words and
seeing the concurring look on her mother's loving, but serious, face 
struck her like a cold splash of water.  Oliver had said many of the 
same things.  Hearing it again, in her father's voice, shook her up.  
Oliver had sent her back to her parents to straighten her out!  Oh, no! 
 She knew she had been acting selfish and spoiled lately.  She didn't 
mean to, it was just easier to retreat in her mind than deal with her 
feelings.  She was surprised when Oliver had said it had been two 
months.  Now she was at back at home.  The folks, especially Dad, would 
not be lenient at this point.  Her time of reckoning, for not getting 
herself back on track, was at hand.  Funny, she didn't have so much 
trouble keeping her mind clear right now. 

Mom and Dad watched the range of emotions glide over Jean's face.  They
understood where she was coming from, but there was no excuse for it 
continuing this long.  They were ready to help their daughter come back 
to her family. 

“Jean, as of right now you are on a Punishment Tour.  All privileges are
gone and you will be busy with chores.  If you finish before supper, 
you will have corner time.  After supper tonight we will have a 
discussion in my study.  You will then go to bed.  The rest of the week 
will be the same.  You will go to bed as soon as you clean up the 
kitchen each evening after tonight.  This is non-negotiable.  I know 
how old you are, but I also know how you've been acting lately, and 
they don't jive.  We will be having daily talks with you about what 
happened to be sure you get everything out in the open.  Now, I have to 
go into town for some things.  You can get started on the projects Mom 
has for you.  Do you understand us?” 

Jean sat at the table, mouth dropped open, in a state of dumbfounded
surprise.  She expected the stern talks, but a punishment tour?  She 
had only experienced a few growing up.  Her brothers had that many a 
year.  Now here she was, a married woman with two middle school teens, 
on a punishment tour!  That funny feeling in her stomach was now 
growing much stronger and she recognized it for what it was, a feeling 
she got when she knew she was in trouble and about to receive the 
consequences of her actions.  Dread, shock and surprise all passed 
through her muddled mind.  As much as she wanted to rebel at the 
situation, love for her husband and family as well as years of love and 
respect for her parents told her it was deserved and not decided on 
lightly.  With tears falling down her face she looked at her mom and 
then her dad and answered meekly, “Yes, sir; yes, ma'am”. 

There was moisture in his eyes as he gave her a big hug before going out
to the garage.  Mom did the same and then spoke.  It was time for Mom 
to take her place in the plan.  “Ok, Jean, go upstairs and get your 
things unpacked, change in to work clothes and be back down here in 30 
minutes.  I will get you started on cleaning and repapering the kitchen 
shelves.  That should take most of the afternoon and then we'll start 
supper.  Tomorrow we will work on the attic.”  Slowly Jean got up and 
made her way upstairs, still amazed at the turn of events.  For weeks 
she had done very little at all and now she would be doing extra chores 
all day long all week!  It was going to be a very l-o-n-g week. 

A thought flashed through her mind.  Do the boys know I'm here and why? 
She knew that they had heard about the surgery and that she was not 
recovering well, but what else?  Had the folks told them to stay away 
for the week since she was here being punished?  You never knew when 
they might have a day off and drive home.  What if one came by, what 
would she say?  No lie would be allowed.  How embarrassing!  She would 
never hear the end of it if they found out.  Growing up she had never 
gotten into trouble like her brothers.   She wasn't so good; she just 
didn't like getting in trouble.  A stern look from Dad or a wooden 
spoon applied to her backside by Mom was usually enough to keep her in 
line. 

A look at the clock told her that ten minutes had already gone by.  She
hurried to put things away and change.  It was going to be hard enough 
on her without starting out late for her first chore.  Taking a deep 
breath, she started down the stairs to begin her punishment tour. 

Mom and Jean worked away steadily and soon had the kitchen shelves all
in good shape.  They began supper, country fried steak, mashed 
potatoes, green beans canned last year and biscuits, with cherry 
cobbler for dessert.  It was good to be home, good to work side by side 
with Mom and good to be active again.  The last thought was a surprise. 
The longer she lived, the wiser her folks grew. 

They were almost finished with supper before Jean remembered that she
still had a date with her dad after supper.  She declined dessert since 
her stomach was tying itself in knots.  Dad finished up his cobbler, 
thanked the ladies for the great meal and motioned for Jean to follow 
him. 

Looking more like a frightened young girl than a woman, Jean nodded her
head, unable to speak.  As Dad waited for his daughter to settle in a 
chair, he recalled the happy days of her girlhood at home and the 
laughter she had brought.  Her home had had none of that lately and he 
was here to help clear the fog she had fallen into and get her back on 
the road to normal.  His face took on a determined look; he took a deep 
breath and began. For several minutes he talked about the 
responsibilities of a mom and dad in a family.  “Do you agree with 
this?” 

“Yes, sir, I do.” 

“Why are you here, Jean?”  Leave it to Dad to come straight to the
point. 

“For being selfish and not trying to pull myself out of my sadness.” 
Her voice was quiet. 

“What else?” 

“For worrying my family and not seeing their pain and needs,” she
haltingly got out.  Tears came to her eyes.  Looking back at her 
actions, she was ashamed.  It wasn't long before the dam inside broke 
and she was crying loudly.  These first tears were from embarrassment 
and a little anger at being forced to confront and admit her wrong. 

It took several minutes before he could hear the difference in her
crying; it was now heart brokenness. “Please, Daddy, I'm so sorry.”  He 
knew that they had gotten to the bottom of the problem!  He held her 
until she stopped crying.  Slowly they walked back to the kitchen.  Mom 
met them and Jean went into her arms and began her tears anew.  
Shortly, Mom took her upstairs and got her ready for bed.  Her husband 
came in and they both sat with her until she fell asleep. 

Early the next morning, as soon as breakfast was cleaned up, they began
to work on the attic.  Years of collections, cast offs and forgotten 
treasures were uncovered as well as extra furniture.  Many memories 
were uncovered and talked about as the three of them worked.  Dad 
helped for a little while, mostly moving some larger pieces of 
furniture so that they could get to all the boxes.  It looked like this 
was not going to be just a one day job.  Without realizing it, this was 
very therapeutic for Jean.  They talked about the things they found, 
whose they were, stories the findings conjured up which led them to 
other experiences and stories.  Many stories of family members in joy 
and sorrow were remembered.  As sad as Jean was about her loss, it was 
not the worst thing that could have happened to her.  Instead of 
focusing on her disappointment, she needed to count her blessings and 
move on.  These were not conscious thoughts yet, but in the days to 
come they would take their place. 

It was amazing how little trouble she had staying alert here when all
she had done at home was sleep and stare at the wall.  Of course, 
Oliver had allowed it and her folks did not! 

By lunchtime Thursday, the attic was clean and organized.  It had been a
lot of work, but rewarding as well.  Jean and Mom had done a lot of 
talking, especially about their common experience of losing a baby and 
the surgery that ended their child bearing opportunities.  A couple 
times her dad had had talks with her about her family responsibilities 
to her husband and children.  They needed her, and they needed to see 
that she could get through hard times, too.  Her eyes were opened to 
her wrong and shame filled her.  She determined that as soon as she got 
home she would make it all up to her family.  “If,” she thought, “This 
punishment tour is ever over.   I don't even know how long a tour I 
received.” 

They had just finished lunch when the phone rang.  A very dear friend of
her parents, living several hours away, called.  Her husband had been 
in a serious accident and could they come and be with her?  She had no 
other family and Mom and Dad been like family to them for years.  Her 
folks couldn't say no, but they did need to make arrangements for Jean. 
Her progress was not yet complete. 

Jean didn't know, but her oldest brother, Wade, had been planning to
come Friday evening through Monday afternoon.  After a call from his 
dad, he cancelled his Friday meetings and came up that evening.  After 
he was on his way, he called his dad and was filled in on the details 
of Jean's situation and condition.  Wade had handled the care and 
discipline of all of his younger brothers and sister from time to time 
before he left home and occasionally since so this wasn't very unusual, 
except that it was usually one of his brothers.  It had been a long 
while since he had to discipline Jean.  But, he loved his sister dearly 
and if this was what Dad said she needed, he would fulfill his duty 
flawlessly.  It sure wouldn't be easy, though.  His jaw was set in that 
way that others knew brooked no moving.  If Jean thought she was going 
to get an easier ride, she had another thought coming. 

When he arrived home, his parents took him into the study to lay out the
plans for Jean.  He could use his judgment generally, but was not to 
release her.  That was for them to decide after they returned.  This 
was made clear to her when she was called in and turned over to Wade's 
care.  She was clearly miffed that they had called her older brother in 
as if she couldn't stay a night by herself and be trusted to do her 
assigned tasks.  Looking at her face, Wade was reminded of the 
stubbornness his sister had displayed as a girl and groaned inwardly.  
Mom asked her to come upstairs and help her finish with her packing.  
When they came down, Jean was a very different young lady and promised 
Wade that he would have no trouble from her.  Her eyes were red and he 
knew that Mom had probably used her ‘Mom voice' to call a halt to 
Jean's attitude.  She saw the relief in his face as he nodded his 
acceptance of her assurance.  Guiltily, she realized that she was not 
the only person having a hard time this week.  She loved her big 
brother dearly and knew he only wanted to help her. 

The folks got off about 6 pm and Wade helped Jean clean up the kitchen. 
He told her to go get ready for bed and that he would be up shortly.  
She pouted and said that surely they could sit down for a nice chat 
first.  “Maybe tomorrow,” he said, “but right now you must go to bed.  
You know the rules and you promised to obey them.” 

She grinned, “Well, I had to try you.” 

“I expected as much,” he replied as he grinned back.  “Go on.  I'll be
up soon.” 

The rest of the night and Friday went smoothly.  Chores for Jean were
laid out and Wade made a few repairs for his dad and then settled down 
to catch up on some reading for work.  He was glad that he only had to 
give Jean a nightly stern reminder of why she was there.  He didn't 
know if he could have dealt with the whole situation all week. 

Saturday morning was bright and beautiful.  With his parent's approval,
they fixed a picnic lunch and took off for a day of walking in the 
woods and reminiscing.  They ate by the creek as they watched a couple 
young otters at play.  It was a good chance for the brother and sister 
to get back in touch with each other personally.  They came home 
walking hand in hand, tired, but happy. 

The folks called to say that they would be home Sunday afternoon; that
their friend was out of danger and doing well.  They were happy to hear 
of the good day Jean and Wade had had and sent their love.  After Jean 
was asleep, Oliver called to check on her.  Wade explained why he was 
there instead of his parents and when they would be home.  He should 
call back Monday evening since they would need time to see how she was 
doing when they returned.  He was disappointed not to talk to Jean, but 
was glad to hear that she was much improved. 

Monday afternoon Wade left for his home in the city after warm hugs and
goodbyes from Jean and his parents.  In the back seat was enough food 
from his mom's freezer to keep him until his next visit, plus some 
delicious cookies Jean had made.  She had apologized for giving him a 
hard time the first night and thanked him for being there to help get 
her through her problems. 

Wednesday Oliver came to pick Jean up.  They were very happy to see each
other and stayed in her room for half an hour after he arrived.  He was 
so excited to see his wife back to normal.  She was tired: after all, 
she had been working hard physically for a week after weeks of 
inactivity, but the light was back in her eyes. 

Dad talked to Oliver in the study for a while before they left, giving
him some guidelines to be followed so that Jean was not allowed to fall 
back into any bad habits or attitudes.  The kids were due back on 
Saturday and they needed to have their Mom back with them.  She and 
Oliver would have a couple days to themselves before Saturday to renew 
their relationship. 

During their talk, Mom had taken Jean upstairs and administered a sound
reminder to her to take proper care of herself emotionally and 
physically so that she could care for her family.  She was reminded how 
crucial a mother's place in the home was and not to slip away like this 
again.  This final scolding was a surprise, but she accepted it without 
a word. 

Oliver and Jean left after several hugs and kisses.  She was grateful
that she had a husband who loved her enough to do anything to get her 
back whole and wisdom to know that her parents could do it if anyone 
could.  Their old fashioned ideas and unconditional love had grounded 
her again. 

Jean could hardly wait to get home.  It was a little embarrassing that
she needed to apologize to her children for her actions, but it was 
necessary to clear things between them.  She loved her family dearly 
and was eager to assure them that everything was ok now.  She had to be 
the luckiest woman in the world!  Oliver's face showed his obvious 
happiness also. 

Oliver looked curiously at her as they drove away.  She had a funny
smile on her face.  “What's that funny smile for?” he asked.  “Well,” 
she answered, “Whether he knows it or not, Joe isn't the last one to 
have served a punishment tour.  If he only knew that his big sister had 
recently been on one!  (He had served more than his share, including a 
couple after coming home from college until he settled down some.)  It 
would almost be worth it to tell him and watch his face, wouldn't it?  
Not that I plan to, though!”  The visualization of the shocked 
expression on her younger brother's face, made them break out laughing 
several times on the way home. 

It sure was good to have his dear wife back! 

THE END 


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