SHERRY (standard:romance, 6951 words)
Author: Coop	Added: Mar 24 2003	Views/Reads: 3842/2640	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Sherry is finding it difficult to juggle the fun and responsibilities of college life until she gets help from her roommate's cousin.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

tutor and they keep a record of how productive my help has been to 
others.  I'm sure Amy has told you I helped her.” 

“Now, I'll ask you again.  If you say no, that's ok; I'll walk out and
not bother you again.  But, if you say yes, you won't regret it in the 
long run.  You probably will for a while because I am a firm task 
master, but I care and I'll be there for you.  I will insist on 
obedience though.  There will be consequences also, if you disobey and 
you probably won't like them.   Go back to your room and talk to Amy.  
Have her tell you her whole story.  I doubt she told you all of it.  
After breakfast tomorrow, meet me here and give me your answer.  If you 
accept my offer, we will begin after lunch.  Is there anything you 
don't understand, Shelly?” 

She looked at him with wide eyes and open mouth.  He was acting like her
big brother or something.  How dare him!  But he was right; this was 
just what she needed.  How did he know?  Would he really make her face 
consequences?  What would they be? 

Finally, she said “OK”.  He stood and walked her back to her dorm. 

“Go talk to Amy and have her call me after you talk.  Go on, now.  I
want to get to bed by 11:00 tonight so you don't have that long.  Go!” 

Automatically she obeyed and made her way up the stairs and down to her
room.  She told Amy what Jack said. Amy put her arm around Shelly and 
they sat down on the bed.   She began to talk and this time told her 
entire story.  She felt Shelly tense at the point about the 
‘consequences' but said nothing. 

#  #  #  #  # Amy had known college would be more intense than high
school, but found it very difficult to keep her mind focused on her 
studies.  She would much rather enjoy herself with all the activities 
and people around her.   By the time Jack realized she was in trouble, 
all he could do was go to the dean and ask that she be given another 
chance under his supervision.  With a 4.0 average, he was convincing.  
It had not been easy or fun the first month, but she finally fell into 
the routine and found herself accomplishing more in less time and still 
having some time to play.  He had helped her with her schedule of 
classes and then met with her every night from seven until ten for a 
month and then a couple nights a week for a couple more months. 

Even though he was helping her and was the reason she was still in
school, she would get furious at his firmness with her.  On the second 
night he gave her a shock she would not soon forget.  It was about 8:30 
and she was bucking him big time.  Finally, a calm determination came 
over his face and he took her hand and stood up.  He slung his backpack 
over his shoulder and they walked outside.  Evidently he had expected 
this at some point and was ready.  They stepped into a phone booth and 
he placed a call while she stared at him in confusion.  As it began to 
ring, he told her to tell her dad what was going on.  A look of terror 
swept over her face as a big voice came across the line.  That 
conversation quieted her quickly and a meek young lady handed the phone 
to Jack.  When he finished speaking, he hung the phone up, took her 
hand again and they walked deep into the garden walks area. 

He sat down on a wide bench and pulled her in front of him.  “What is
this for?” he asked.  Her answer was hardly audible, “For not trying 
hard enough, being disrespectful to you and acting like a brat.”  He 
reached into his backpack and pulled out a ping-pong paddle and helped 
her down across his knees. She rested her head on her hands on the 
bench so she wouldn't be tempted to try and cover her backside with 
them.  If he was anything like her dad, that would not be tolerated.  
Jack began with 10 stinging swats.  The next set of 10 was harder and 
tears came.  By the time he reached 30 she was crying hard.   At 40 she 
was begging him to stop and by 50 she was limp from crying and had just 
accepted her punishment.  He put the paddle up and turned her around on 
his lap and held her for a long time.  When she was calm again, he 
talked to her and then took her back to the library. 

She could hardly believe he was going to make her sit on those hard
library chairs and continue to study after what he had just done to her 
bottom!  Her mouth opened and then shut quickly as he looked at her 
with one eyebrow raised.  Immediately she sat down, let out a muted cry 
and jumped up.  She then sat down again slowly and picked up her pen.  
For an hour they stayed.  Her emotions ran from shock, to anger, to 
disbelief and finally to relief.  Here was someone who would help her 
get her helter-skelter life in order.  As much as she hated to admit 
it, it was comforting. 

The paddle didn't come out very often, but he didn't hesitate to use it
if he thought it necessary.  What made it worse was that each time she 
had to call her dad first and tell him why.  The scolding and the 
paddling were too much to bear often. 

At the beginning of each semester this year he had helped her make out a
workable schedule.  He still checked up on her from time to time and 
required her to report her test results to him.  Being accountable had 
been just what she needed to stay on track. 

#   #   #   #   # When Amy finished her story, she slipped away to call
Jack and left Shelly alone to think about her decision.  She had a lot 
to think about.  She was familiar with spankings, but it had been a 
long time.  She thought she was too old, but Amy was a year older and 
had accepted them.  She had cared enough to send Jack to talk to her.  
Maybe they were her only hope.  She wanted to say yes, but...a 
spanking...or spankings...how could she deal with that?!!  She knew 
herself well enough to know that she would try to cop out from time to 
time.  No matter how hard she tried, sometimes she would give up and 
take a day or so for a pity-party.  She didn't think that would be 
allowed with Jack.  In fact, she was sure it wouldn't be.  Something 
had to change, though.  That was for sure.  Her headaches were getting 
worse and her stomach had started bothering her often.  Her roommates 
were getting tired of her moods and short temper; she didn't blame 
them.  If she wanted help, here it was. 

When Amy returned, Shelly was still sitting in the same position. 
Shelly just had to ask Amy about the ‘consequences'.  Amy blushed but 
told her how he did it, how many swats he usually gave her, how much it 
hurt and how long it took for the soreness to go away.  Also, she told 
her how he held and comforted her afterward, told her that she was 
forgiven and that they would begin again with a clean slate.  Even 
though her bottom still hurt, she felt good inside.  All the anger and 
frustration that had caused her to get into trouble would be gone 
because she knew he cared. 

Amy helped Shelly dress for bed and tucked her in.  “Shelly, it will be
hard.  I won't lie.    It will also be the best thing you ever do.  
Good night.” 

Her exhaustion was so complete both physically and mentally, Shelly was
asleep in minutes.  Morning came and she had to make her decision.  
There really wasn't a choice.  This was her only chance.  Determinedly, 
she went to meet him.   Jack was already waiting for her.  Shyly, she 
told him that she would like his help.  They arranged to meet at one 
o'clock in front of her dorm. 

She brought a copy of her class schedule, list of requirements for them
and all of her text books.  He had come to her dorm to help her carry 
everything.   She did some required reading for over an hour while he 
looked over what she had.  After a while he asked her several questions 
about what she was reading.  No one had ever done that.  Half the time, 
she just glanced over the pages enough to say that she had read it.  
From the look on his face as these thoughts went through her head, she 
knew that he knew what she was doing.  She received a good scolding.  
If something took her time, she should put more effort into it.  He 
went back to her schedule and she went back to her reading; with a 
different attitude this time as well as a taste of what she was in for. 


They went to supper together and returned to the library.  She couldn't
believe she was going to finish her assigned book that day.  That 
certainly had never happened before!  Also, she couldn't believe she 
had had to sit with him all afternoon and evening while he put together 
a program for her.  She had had plans for the evening, but he told her 
they had work to do when she started to go back to the dorm after 
supper.  They argued for several minutes, or rather she did, in the 
hallway.  Jack stood patiently and waited for her to finish.  As she 
turned to leave him, she felt a stinging swat on her backside. 

“We are going back to the library, young lady.”  He took her hand as she
stood there in shock and allowed him to lead her back to the library. 

Later in the evening, a guy from his dorm stopped by their table. He was
excited that he had brought every one of his grades up.  He thanked 
Jack for all of his help.  The young man turned to Shelly and asked if 
he was helping her.  She said that he was.  He told her that while she 
would sometimes feel that he was the cruelest taskmaster in the world, 
she would be proud of herself later and come to thank him.  He waved 
goodbye and moved on.  Well, she thought to herself, that's two people 
he has worked with who are grateful.  I hope I make it to that point. 

At 9 o'clock they gathered her books up and walked back to her dorm. 
The next day was Sunday.  They would meet after lunch in the park and 
he would explain her course of study. 

She walked up the stairs almost in a huff.  He had already cancelled her
plans for tonight and now assumed that she had nothing to do the next 
afternoon.  She didn't, but he didn't even ask.  Was she supposed to 
give all free time?  Did he think that she was going to be at his beck 
and call?  By the time she reached her room she was in quite a fume. 

Jan and Amy were waiting.  One look at Shelly's face told them that a
storm was about to erupt.  Forewarned by Jack, Amy was ready for her.  
She knew this was going to be tough on Shelly and that she would 
unconsciously take it out on her roommates.  After a short discussion, 
they had decided not to let her.  They had taken it long enough 
already. 

Amy took Shelly's arm and told her to sit down, that they needed to have
a talk with her.  Shelly was caught off-guard and let her lead her.  
They explained how they felt about how she had been acting and that 
they weren't going to put up with it any more.  If she needed help she 
could ask for it.  If she was angry, she could walk it off before 
coming in or do something else.  If she had a problem with one of them, 
they would sit down and talk about it and work things out.  Did she 
have a problem with any of these requests?  What could she say, but no? 
 She put her books away mechanically and went to get her shower. 

When she finished showering she stood there just letting the water fall
over her, soothing her troubled heart and mind.  Her mind was reeling.  
It was like a double whammy!  Jack had control of her studies and free 
time and her roommates had made restrictions on her actions in the 
dorm.  The trouble was, she couldn't find fault with anyone but 
herself.  She had allowed herself to get into this situation.  She had 
caused problems in the room and in her classes.  Now, she was going to 
be held accountable in all areas.  Tears flowed freely, leaving her a 
very humbled young lady.  After a while Amy came to ask if she was ok.  
She said she would be out in just a minute. 

When she came back to her room, Amy took her comb and told Shelly to sit
in the chair and she would comb her wet hair out.  Shelly was quiet and 
subdued and Amy's heart went out to her, but she couldn't back down.  
She talked about the shopping trip she and Jan had gone on and the 
bargains they found.  Then Jan mentioned the coming concert and plays 
coming up that semester and which ones she might like to attend.  When 
Amy finished with her hair, and that Shelly had relaxed, she walked 
around and pulled her up.  Amy looked Shelly in the eye and told her 
that they cared for her and wanted things to work out.  After a tearful 
hug that Jan had joined in with, they tucked Shelly into bed and said 
good night. 

Her meeting with Jack was brief; he gave her two copies of a schedule to
go by for a week, one to post in her room and one to keep with her.  
Saturday morning they would get together and discuss any changes that 
needed to be made.  He reminded her that he could only guide her, that 
it was her responsibility to get the work done.  He smiled and 
encouraged her saying that he was sure things would improve soon. 

Taking the schedule to her room she sat down to go over it.  It wasn't
nearly as restrictive as she had imagined.  He scheduled homework time, 
outside reading time, project time and free time.  They would meet at 8 
o'clock Tuesday and Thursday evenings to make sure she was on schedule, 
in addition to Saturday mornings to plan the next week's work.  It 
really didn't look that bad.  Sunday was free except for a couple hours 
of reading.  She began to feel that this was going to work.  Now, she 
would just have to keep a positive attitude and stick to the schedule. 

The next week was hard.  She was not very good at keeping schedules. 
Jack was patient, but firm and encouraged her.  By the time they met on 
that first Saturday, she was quite proud of herself and what she had 
accomplished.  She had worried about not having any free time, but had 
had several free periods, had accomplished a lot of work and had this 
day off except for a couple hours of reading.  Jack assured her that 
Saturdays off would not be an often occurrence, but that this was a 
reward for her hard work this first week.  She began to think that this 
was going to work out for her, even though she still chaffed at the 
strict schedule. 

The next Saturday was just as good and again she felt proud of herself. 
She had a little more to do today, but still had the whole evening and 
part of the afternoon free.  There was less tension in the dorm also 
and Shelly realized that she had been the cause of most of it and tried 
harder to think more about her roommates than herself.  She was ashamed 
of her former actions. 

By now the routine was coming close to a habit and she didn't have to
refer to the schedule as often.  Jack warned her against getting over 
confident with her bit of success.  She was not ready to go it alone 
yet and had a lot of work to do to leave her bad habits behind her.  
Being heady with her success so far, she brushed him off with a 
good-natured laugh.  He shook his head and said nothing more. 

That week she cut her studying time by 15 minutes a number of times;
thinking that that wasn't enough time to hurt anything.  By bedtime 
Thursday night though, she realized that she was not ready to turn in a 
weekly assignment in one class and behind on her reading for another.  
She went to bed in a foul mood, didn't sleep well and woke up 
irritable.  Her roommates quickly recognized the signs and stayed out 
of her way.  Amy had tried to warn and encourage her on Wednesday that 
it was not a good idea to cut short on study time, but was ignored.  
Knowing that she had still accomplished more than her old self and 
knowing that she had only herself to blame for the situation this week, 
did nothing to improve her attitude during the day. 

Saturday morning Jack picked her up in his car and they went to a local
battlefield park and walked the trails while they talked about her work 
that week.  He asked questions that made her tell everything that had 
happened and why so that there were no accusing comments from him.  He 
had looked at her work and talked to Amy so there was no possibility of 
any form of lie to make her progress that week look better.  Finally, 
they stopped and sat on a large fallen tree. 

“Shelly, what was the cause of you not completing all your work this
week?”  He lifted her chin and made her look at him. 

“It was my fault.  I cut short my study time several times and didn't
work as hard as I should have.”  She said quietly. 

“According to our agreement, are your actions acceptable?  Look at me!” 

“No, Jack.  They aren't.”  Her voice was shaking.  Her actions seemed so
foolish now. 

“What did you agree would happen each week when your work was
unacceptable?” he asked sternly. 

“I would accept the consequences that you deemed appropriate.” She said.
 Her head was up, but she couldn't look him in the eye any more.  She 
didn't know which was worse at the moment, the fear of the consequences 
or the shame of her actions. 

“Ok, then.  Stand up.”  He turned a little and brought his left thigh up
on to the fallen tree and pulled her between his legs.  Then he laid 
her over his thigh and placed his right leg over the lower part of her 
legs.  His left hand grasped her firmly around the waist as he raised 
his tee shirt and pulled the ping-pong paddle out of the back of his 
jeans. 

“What is this for?” he asked as she hung upside down. 

“For not obeying and not staying with the schedule.”  As soon as the
last word was out there was a hard swat on her upturned bottom, 
followed by four more.  That paddle stung!  Where had it come from? 

“What about your attitude, was it all right?” 

‘No, it wasn't,” she gasped.  “I was over confident and proud.  I didn't
think I needed your help or a schedule any more.” 

“Were you right?” 

“No.  I wasn't.”  Five more hard swats landed.  These were harder. 

“How have you been acting in the dorm?  Are you being considerate or
selfish to your roommates?” 

Why did he ask that?  He must be checking with Amy about her.  “I was ok
until yesterday,” she whimpered.  “Then I was angry at myself and was 
in a bad mood all day.  I probably wasn't very pleasant to be around.” 

“You have no right to take your anger out on others for any reason, is
that clear?”  While speaking, he delivered five more stinging swats on 
her tender bottom.  It was all she could do to keep from crying. 

“Yes, sir.  I understand.  I'm sorry.”  She whispered.  And she truly
was. 

“Ok.  We have established what was wrong and why you are in this
position.  Now I am going to give you 25 licks with the paddle to help 
your memory this coming week.  Are you ready?” 

25 more!  Her bottom was sore already.  She had thought that was it. 
From Amy's account though, she should have known better.  Well, as much 
as she hated it, she deserved this. “Yes, sir” she managed. 

The swats rained down five at a time with only a brief pause between
sets to allow her to catch her breath.  These were much harder than the 
first ones.  By the 10th one she was crying.  By the time he finished 
she had begged him to stop and then just gave up and waited for him to 
finish. 

He gave her a minute and then raised her up on his lap.  He leaned her
to his chest to get her weight off her punished backside.  Until the 
sobs and sniffles stopped, he held her and spoke soothingly to her. 
“It's all over now.  Shh.  Everything's ok.”   Her bottom hurt 
terribly, but inside she felt relieved and clean.  It was amazing!  How 
could she hurt and feel good at the same time?  It didn't make sense, 
but it was true. 

When he felt she was calm enough, he stood her up and lifted her chin. 
“Look at me.  We're all clear now.  A new week is ahead and it's going 
to be a good one, isn't it?” His smile was wonderful.  Beside the fact 
that she didn't want her bottom in this condition again, she didn't 
want to disappoint Jack either.  Helping her took a lot of his time and 
she appreciated him more than ever now. 

Giving him a weak, teary smile, “Yes, Jack, it's going to be a good
one.” 

“Good.  My arm hasn't had a workout like that in a while.  I'm going to
be sore tomorrow.” 

“You're going to be sore!  How can you talk about your arm after what
you just did to me?”  How could he be so callous!  She stopped 
suddenly, realizing how childish that sounded and wondered if she had 
just bought herself more swats.  Her eyes dropped.  “I'm sorry, Jack.  
That was wrong.” 

“You're right.”  He said as he landed a couple swats to her bottom. 

“Ow!  Ow!” 

“I was only teasing.  I work out every day.”  He grinned as he replaced
the paddle in the back of his jeans.  He took her hands away from her 
stinging bottom and started walking back. 

“Keep your hands off your bottom.  Part of the punishment is the
stinging afterwards.” 

Abruptly changing the subject he said, “Let's go get some lunch, ok?” 

The next week was better.  In fact, the next month was better.  One week
she got bogged down in a course and Jack took some of her free time to 
tutor her.  Another week she had struggled with an assignment without 
telling him, determined to do it herself.  She didn't do well.  That 
earned her 10 swats Saturday morning.  It was nothing like before but 
she got the message immediately. 

In the dorm things were great.  Her roommates told her how proud they
were of her accomplishments and how glad they were to have their witty 
and creative roommate back.  All the praise made her realize how 
foolish she had been before Amy brought Jack to help her.  She had 
never been happier than she was right now.  Oh, it was not always easy; 
and there were a couple times that she messed up and her bottom paid 
the price.  All in all though, she was a new and much better person now 
that she had had some self discipline instilled in her.  After three 
months, she only met with Jack on Saturday morning to go over her 
coming assignments.  She now made out her own schedule and he looked 
over it. 

The longer Jack worked with her, the more she learned about him.  He was
very serious about his studies, his tutoring, his health, family and 
friends.  Without realizing it, she came to care about him deeply.  She 
had no idea how he felt about her.  One night Amy came right out and 
asked her how she felt about Jack and without intending to, she told 
Amy how much she cared.  Amy questioned her to make sure that it wasn't 
because of his help to her.  Shelly was sure of that, because, while 
she had quickly come to respect him, these feeling had not started 
until recently.  Amy was thrilled and promised to ‘feel Jack out'. 

Two weeks later, on a Thursday night, Shelly got a phone call from Jack
asking her to go to the drama presentation on campus.  Delighted would 
be an understatement for her feelings.  They walked to the auditorium 
with her hand placed inside his left forearm. They had a great time on 
their first date, which was very different from their tutor-student 
relationship.  She had no problem with their original relationship, it 
made her feel safe and protected.  But this new side of Jack, gentle, 
attentive, considerate and humorous was a thrilling discovery.  How 
much more was there to this unique man? 

Apparently, Jack had enjoyed the evening as much as she had.  They soon
had a standing date for Friday or Saturday evening each week for the 
rest of the semester.  A few times she had to admit that she hadn't 
gotten all of her work done and he insisted that their date consist of 
catching her up.  She pouted about it the first time and received a 
couple hard swats and a promise of more if her attitude didn't change 
for the better within a minute.  It was clear that although they now 
had a personal relationship, he would not allow her study habits to 
become lax. 

The following years were great.  Yes, they were busy with increasingly
harder classes that took much of their time, but they often studied 
together in the library, taking short breaks every couple hours to 
enjoy each other's company.  He planned to work at a local factory that 
paid very well the next year while she finished her course.  Because 
she had been dual enrolled in the local junior college her senior, she 
would graduate the following year, just one year behind him. 

They planned to marry in August after she graduated.  He already had a
job lined up as a teacher at the high school in her home town.  He 
wanted her home for a few months and then she could substitute the 
second semester.  That sounded good to her.  His thoughtfulness in 
finding work near her home was overwhelming.  Her parents were grateful 
also.  Jack felt a girl needed her family, especially during this new 
stage of their lives. 

The help Jack had given her during college helped her somewhat in her
duties at home.  However, she tended to put off things she didn't like 
to do.  Jack had brought it up to her several times.  She hated mending 
things especially.  One Saturday Jack was trying to find a certain 
jacket that had been missing a button on the sleeve.  He finally found 
it on top of a full mending basket where it had been for two weeks.  He 
went into the bedroom and sat on the bed and called for Shelly.  When 
she walked in and saw the jacket on the bed beneath the old familiar 
paddle, she stopped short.  She offered to fix the jacket immediately. 

“Yes, you will, but in a few minutes.  We have some business to take
care of first.  I don't ask anything unreasonable from you do I 
Shelly?” 

“No, Jack.” 

“Did I remind you this week that I wanted this jacket for today?  Did I
mention you that there were a couple other things you should take care 
of this week?  Did any of these things get done?  Was there a good 
reason for the delays?” His voice was gentle but firm. 

“Yes, you reminded me and I had no reason for not getting them done.  I
just put them off until I forgot.  I'm sorry.  I'll do better, I 
promise.” 

“I thought so.  I see a familiar pattern developing with you and I don't
like it.  So, I think I will take care of it so that it doesn't take up 
residence.  We will start with you over my knee for memory work, then 
you will repair the jacket; then, you will write down all your duties 
and activities and when certain things must be done and arrange a 
reasonable schedule.  That worked well for you in school.  When I get 
back this evening, we will go over it together.  Do you understand?” 

“Yes, I understand.  Please, Jack, you don't have to spank me.  I'll
straighten up.  I'm sorry.”  It had been a long time since those 
college spankings, but her backside remembered them well. 

“Do you want to add 10 swats for arguing with me?  If not, get over
here, drop your slacks and get yourself over my knee.”  His voice was 
low and serious. 

Quickly she crossed the room and prepared herself over her husband's
knee, laying her head on her arms.  He didn't tell her how many swats 
she was getting this time.  It didn't really matter though, she knew 
they were deserved.  Jack was so good to her and didn't deserve her 
slothfulness. She was so ashamed of herself. 

When she was settled he asked, “Why are you in this position, Shelly?” 

“For being careless in getting necessary things done, especially when I
don't like doing them.  Being inconsiderate to you.  Not obeying when 
you tell me to do something.  For getting a warning ticket this week 
coming back from Mom's.”  Her guilty conscience had added the last 
offense without her realizing it.  He was surprised because this was 
the first he had heard about it.  For the moment he let it go. 

“Hold on.  You're going to be here a while.”  He quickly built up to
some very hard swats on her almost bare bottom.  Soon she was crying 
and wiggling, trying to evade the terrible paddle.  After what seemed 
like forever, he stopped and waited for her to calm down.  He stood her 
up in front of him and lifted her chin. 

“Now, let's talk about the speeding ticket.  Where was it and how many
miles over the limit were you going?” 

“How did you know about that?  And it was just a warning, not a ticket. 
It was before you get to the highway.” 

“You told me about it a few minutes ago when you told me what this
spanking was for.  Do you know how many accidents have happened on that 
stretch just since we have been here?  Now how fast were you going?  
The speed limit is 40 mph there.” 

“I...was going...uh...55.”  She said quietly, cursing her big mouth, but
at the same time glad it was off her conscience. 

“That's 15 miles over the speed limit!  You know how I feel about
speeding.  This is going to hurt, young lady!  You will get one lick 
with my belt for every mile over.  He made her bend over and put her 
hands on the seat of the chair in the corner.  Do not lift your hands 
or I'll add a stroke.” 

“Jack, please.  I can't take anymore now.” 

“No, I can't take the risk of losing you when you aren't careful enough
with your life.  You mean too much to me to take this lightly.  You 
will get 15 licks on your backside that will impress on you how I feel 
about speeding.” 

And he did.  By the time he finished, Shelly was sure she would never
speed again.  He had not only striped on her already red bottom, but 
placed half of them across her thighs.  Those really hurt!  It was all 
she could do to keep her hands down and not protect her bottom, but she 
didn't dare chance getting any more licks. 

When he was finished, he pulled her up and turned her into his arms.  
Gently he pulled her slacks up, picked her up and carried her to the 
bed.  They laid there, her in his arms, until she was quiet.  His words 
brought the tears back to her eyes. 

“Shelly, you are my world.  I can't stand the thought of losing you.  I
won't put up with things that will hurt you.  Little things matter too. 
 I'm not a hard man to live with.  You don't have that much to do, so 
things should get done in a reasonable time.  This is the way it is.  
If there's a problem, let me know and we'll work it out.  If something 
happens, like the warning, and you don't tell me, I'll double the 
punishment.   If your have a problem with me, tell me and we'll talk 
about it.  Do you understand?” 

“Yes, Jack.  I understand.  I'm sorry for not getting things done and
I'm really sorry about the speeding and not telling you.”  She paused.  
“Jack, thank you for getting me back on track.  I didn't like it, but I 
needed it.  I love you so much.”  Fresh tears came as she snuggled her 
face on his broad chest. 

They stayed there for a while, until Jack had to finish getting ready to
go.  Shelly quickly repaired his jacket and had it ready before he 
left.  At the door, he left her with a deep, loving kiss and a husky, 
“I love you, Shelly”. 

She stood in the doorway until he was out of sight and then turned to
get busy.  She was determined to have a lot done before he got back and 
a delicious supper on the table.  She did and what a wonderful evening 
it turned out to be! 

Their first year passed quickly.  The next fall found both of them
teaching at the same high school.  Students would follow them whenever 
they were together hoping to catch them giving each other a kiss.  Then 
they would giggle and grin or clap. It was obvious that these two loved 
each other and the kids loved it.  Jack would send Shelly on, bow to 
them and with a big smile send them on to class. 

The years were good to them.  Oh, they had their ups and downs like any
couple.  Sometimes he conceded, sometimes she did, but more often than 
not they found a compromise.  Children came along and Shelly stayed 
home with them.  She loved being a stay-at-home mom.  As much as she 
liked teaching, her heart was with her husband and children.  Children 
often consume their parents' lives and to an extent it's normal.  
However, Jack made sure that they had at least a short evening or more 
a week just for themselves.  They either took the children to Shelly's 
folks or got a babysitter.  Jack had a number of high school students 
who loved to baby-sit for them. 

They would do simple things like going to a movie and sit in the back
and act like a teenage couple or take a long walk and watch the wind 
blow through the trees.  About once a month Jack would take her on a 
dress up date.  He made sure the children knew how special their mom 
was and that he thought she was wonderful and beautiful.  Shelly would 
blush whenever he made this speech to them before they went off.   The 
children never minded their parents' dates.  In fact, they thought it 
was great. 

This continued as often as possible throughout the years.  As their
children grew into their teens, they especially wanted to set an 
example for them.  They let them see when they disagreed and as they 
sat down to work things out.  They especially let them see when they 
made up.  The kids liked it even though they groaned and left the room 
when the mushy stuff started.   Sometimes Jack would announce that they 
were retiring to their bedroom for an evening of ‘love and 
togetherness'.  Again, the teens would blush as their parents 
disappeared; then give each other a silly grin. 

One evening Shelly lay in Jack's arms in their bed.  She was thinking
back through their years together.  She could hardly believe that the 
frustrated, unorganized girl he had turned over his knee to get her 
attention on her school work could have come so far and become so happy 
with that same man.  Her strongest desire was that their children would 
take what they had learned through discipline, love and example from 
their parents and find a life partner and be as happy as they were.  It 
really couldn't get any better than this! 


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