“Okay, I guess,” Lainie replied. “She’s been surprisingly quiet this afternoon. I went up and checked on them earlier. Natalie and Michael are in the family room watching a movie, and Kathleen is in her room reading the book I brought home for her.”
Grant’s eyebrows quirked up in surprise. Lainie had told him about their discussion at book club and the idea of using a book to introduce Kathleen to the more romantic side of the lifestyle. Not being much of a reader, Grant was privately skeptical, but he didn’t dare voice it. Lainie had insisted that a great many of the others had told her that was the way they had first encountered it as a teenager. Lainie, being basically vanilla prior to their move, had never had such experiences. Grant hadn’t either in so far as books went, but he could remember with vivid clarity being entranced by certain scenes in television shows and movies that had included spanking. Of course, that was the way he and most of their neighbors were wired. They’d had absolutely no indication that Kathleen was the same. He had his doubts about how successful said idea would be but was more than willing to try it. If Kathleen was voluntarily reading the book that had to be a good sign. He crossed his fingers and held them out to Lainie.
“Amen,” she intoned with all the solemnity of prayer.
Maybe, just maybe, they might’ve found a way to get that miracle he had been praying for after all.
“I don’t know what you said to my child,” Lainie said to Char a few days later when she ran into her in one of the neighborhood markets, “but you have worked a miracle. Kathleen is a completely different person since she came back from your house the other day.”
“Oh, good!” Char said, deftly reaching to intercept Kayla before she could wander away. “I’m glad I could help.”
“I don’t know how you did it, but you managed to accomplish in one afternoon what Grant and I have been trying to do for months,” Lainie told her.
“I didn’t do much more than talk to her,” Char said. “It was the book as much as anything. Julie had a good idea there. Kathleen was reading it while Kayla was napping. When I saw her with it, we started talking about it. She asked a few questions, mostly trying to wrap her head around the idea of the lifestyle being something that people actually enjoyed and chose, and we talked about why we keep it a secret. She had it twisted up in her head as being something we hid because it was bad, which honestly for a fifteen-year-old who has been taught to be wary of dating violence and other domestic violence, is a pretty reasonable assumption. I could see the light start to dawn on her once we started to talk about some of the discrimination people here have experienced because of making this choice. Kids get the concept of fairness and discrimination.”
Lainie nodded. She knew that from her own experiences in the classroom. Being perceived as unfair was pretty much a death sentence on any kind of relationship with a teenager.
“Frankly, I think she was pretty upset with herself once she realized we had a legitimate reason for wanting to keep our choices quiet, and she had basically blurted out our secret,” Char went on. “From what I’m hearing around the neighborhood, she’s had similar conversations with everyone she’s worked with this week.”
“Something has certainly changed her this week,” Lainie affirmed. The transformation had been amazing. Kathleen had stayed up in her room reading most of the afternoon after she had come home from Char’s, but when the time came for her to come down for dinner, she had appeared immediately and without complaint. That was a miracle in itself. She was equally compliant when asked to clean up the kitchen afterwards. Lainie had been sure that was a one-off occurrence, and that by the next morning Kathleen would be back to her typical ornery self, but she had been pleasantly surprised. No, utterly shocked would be closer to the truth. The underlying raging anger that had been following Kathleen around for months seemed to have dissipated.
Not that she had turned into the perfect child overnight. There was still the requisite grumbling and complaining that accompanied chores and other unpleasant tasks, arguing with her sister over the upstairs bathroom they shared, and occasional bouts of sass and sarcasm, but it was so reassuringly normal and the light years away from the raging and tantruming they had been dealing with all summer that Lainie was practically ecstatic over it.
“I’d better get this munchkin home,” Char said, disentangling herself from Kayla, who was presently making a concerted effort to climb up her legs. “Brent and I are coming tonight. I want to speak on Kathleen’s behalf. She’s a good kid. She’s not malicious, just confused and upset, and who among us hasn’t been there.”
“Thank you,” Lainie said. “We all appreciate the support.”
“It’s nothing,” Char replied. “You’d do the same if the situation were reversed. We take care of our own.” She hefted Kayla onto her hip and prompted the toddler to wave goodbye. Lainie smiled and waved back at her as they walked away. She had been trying not to think of the upcoming meeting that evening, but the conversation had brought it back to the forefront of her thoughts. Not that it had ever been very far away from them in the first place.
Tonight was the night that the discipline board was going to decide whether Kathleen’s actions merited further investigation by the housing board and her family’s possible expulsion from the community. Lainie was desperate for that not to happen, but there was nothing she could do to prevent it. No one could. No one except Kathleen. Tonight their family’s fate rested on her shoulders. She had to convince the discipline board that she had learned from her mistakes and was no longer a risk to the privacy and security of the community. Lainie had no idea if or how Kathleen was going to do that.
While it was true that Kathleen’s behavior had improved tremendously, she hadn’t so much as mentioned the apology she was supposed to make tonight. At least, she hadn’t mentioned it since the first night when Grant had informed her of it, and she had flatly and unequivocally refused to even consider apologizing. If she continued to refuse, they would likely be asked to leave. This time tomorrow Lainie might possibly have to be packing again. She didn’t even want to think about that. Pushing the thought resolutely out of her mind, Lainie paid for her purchases and went to pick Natalie up from her art class.
The house was quiet when Lainie and Natalie arrived home. “Kathleen, are you home?” Lainie called. Her eldest had been scheduled to work with Jonathan today. She was usually home around lunch time, but specifically what time she got home could vary depending on who she was working with and what they had her doing. Since Lainie had no idea what Jonathan had her doing today, she didn’t know when to expect her home.
“Up here,” Kathleen replied from the direction of her bedroom upstairs.
Satisfied, Lainie left her alone for the moment and busied herself putting away the things she’d bought. She heard nothing further out of Kathleen, and the teenager made no move to come down and join them. Curious, Lainie went upstairs to check on her.
Kathleen was sitting cross-legged in the middle of her bed, surrounded by balls of crumpled paper. She had a yellow legal pad in her lap and was writing furiously. An empty plate holding crumbs and what might’ve been the remnants of the sandwich was sitting on her bedside table. Lainie didn’t normally allow the girls to bring food into the rooms, but Kathleen was working so diligently Lainie didn’t have the heart to interrupt her. Instead, she just picked up the plate and quietly slipped away.
Kathleen stayed in her room all afternoon. Whatever she was working on, she was certainly working diligently. Wanting to encourage the effort, Lainie busied herself downstairs and stayed out of the way. Kathleen still had not emerged when Grant came home from work.
“How did it go today?” he asked, pulling Lainie in for a hug and quick kiss.
“Fine,” she told him. “Kathleen’s been really quiet today. She’s been up in her room working on something all day.”
“Would it be too much to hope that she has decided to apologize?” Grant asked.
“We can alw
ays hope,” Lainie said. “Apparently she’s been doing a lot of thinking and talking to people about living this lifestyle.” Briefly, she relayed to him the things that Char had told her earlier.
“Sounds promising,” Grant commented.
“Maybe,” Lainie said noncommittally. “I just wish there was something more we could do.” That was what was driving her crazy about this whole thing. There was absolutely nothing she could do. The fate of her family was in the hands of a teenager. “This is ridiculous,” she blurted irritably. “She’s fifteen. How can she possibly have this much responsibility? All of our future depends on the word of a girl who isn’t even sure of her own mind yet. It’s insane.”
“It’s hard,” Grant agreed, “but let’s not go assuming the worst. You heard Brent. He doesn’t think it will come to that so let’s not go borrowing trouble.” He wrapped his hands over her shoulders, the touch soothing her more than his words. “I’m going to take shower and get out of this uniform.” He held her for a moment more than turned away and disappeared in the direction of their bathroom.
Kathleen came down a little while later. She had clearly taken some care with dressing. She wore a royal blue blouse and black slacks with low black heels. She had pulled her pink-streaked blonde hair back into a low ponytail at the base of her neck. She seemed at once both more mature and uncharacteristically somber.
“You look nice,” Lainie said as she rounded the corner into the kitchen.
“Thanks,” she said quietly. “Do you think this is okay for the meeting?”
Lainie nodded. “I think that’s very appropriate.”
“I agree,” Grant said, coming in behind Kathleen. He had changed out of his uniform, but rather than the T-shirt and jeans he normally wore at home, he was wearing a dark green button down shirt and chinos. “I’m glad to see that you’ve taken this to heart,” he told her. “I was afraid you wouldn’t.”
“I didn’t at first,” she admitted, “but I talked to some people this week, and they helped me understand that it wasn’t bad, like abuse. It’s something some people choose, and it’s okay, just different.”
“Sounds like you’ve done a lot of thinking,” Lainie said. Privately, she breathed a sigh of relief, and thanked whoever was listening for the kindness and understanding of her neighbors. For the first time, she began to hope this might actually turn out all right.
“I have,” Kathleen agreed. “I’m really sorry about how I’ve been acting all summer. I just wanted to go back home. I’m sorry I’ve been such a brat.” Grant put his arms around Kathleen from behind and hugged her, pressing a kiss into her hair.
“I’m very proud of you,” Lainie said. “I know this meeting isn’t going to be easy, and having to apologize may be hard, but I can already tell you’ve done the thinking and the learning you needed to do so I know you’ll be great.”
“Your mom’s right,” Grant said. “This is going to be just fine.” He moved over and took Lainie’s hand then reached out and put his other arm around Kathleen. “Now,” he continued, “let’s go get this meeting over with so we can put this whole unpleasant business behind us.”
In deference to Kathleen’s age and the unusual circumstances surrounding tonight’s decision, the meeting was being held in one of the conference rooms in the dome rather than in the discipline room. When they arrived, the members of the discipline board were all seated along one side of a long conference table. A number of their neighbors were seated in chairs along the walls. Lainie saw Char as well as Julie and Matt, Jonathan and Benjamin, and Venia. Some of them, like Char and Jonathan, had come to report on Kathleen’s progress with her community service. Others had no direct connection with the situation but had simply come to support them. That touched Lainie more than she could say.
Finally, Charles Robinson, who was president of the discipline board, called them all to order. Instantly the room went quiet, and the tension seemed to increase tenfold. Lainie reached over and took Grant’s hand. Charles said a few words reminding them why they were there. As if anyone could forget, Lainie thought irritably. Then, he asked Kathleen if she had anything to say before the meeting proceeded. He was smiling kindly at her, and Lainie could tell he was trying to make it easier on her, but Kathleen still looked terrified.
Kathleen swallowed hard, wiped her palms on the sides of her pants, slid a paper out of the folder she had been carrying with her and got to her feet. “Yes, sir,” Kathleen answered quietly and then began to read.
Her voice shook the entire time. It wasn’t the most eloquent speech Lainie had ever heard. It was chock full of teenage slang and occasionally awkward, but in spite of all that, what it was most of all was absolutely and utterly sincere. That rang true throughout it all. Lainie had rarely been prouder of her daughter in her life.
When Kathleen finished, Charles thanked her for her apology and asked her to wait outside while they discussed how to proceed. Kathleen shot one uncertain look around the room but got up and stepped outside the door without hesitation or complaint. When the door closed behind Kathleen, Charles asked for reports on the progress of her community service. Both Jonathan and Char reported that she had done well. They had both also had conversations about consensual spanking relationships with her and thought Kathleen seemed to be really trying to understand. Finally, Char said bluntly, “Yes, she screwed up, but she just stood here and took responsibility for it and sincerely apologized. She’s young and trying to wrap her head around a relationship most of the mainstream population doesn’t understand. She’s trying, and I don’t think we can ask any more of her.”
“I’m inclined to agree,” Brent replied, and there was a murmur of agreement from around the table. There was a bit more discussion, but in the end, they decided that once Kathleen had fulfilled her community service they would consider the incident closed with no need for further intervention.
Lainie felt like standing up and cheering. It was only Grant’s restraining hand on her arm that kept her in her seat. Brent went to the door and called Kathleen back inside. When they told her the decision, she broke into a huge grin. “Thank you!” she said to the table at large. Lainie could tell she was barely restraining herself. When Charles finally dismissed the meeting, Kathleen jumped up and ran around the table to where Lainie and Grant were. Throwing her arms around them, she squealed happily and hugged them tight. Lainie was shocked. Kathleen typically considered herself far more mature and dignified than such public displays of affection with her parents. Still, Lainie hugged her back with equal enthusiasm. The sense of relief was palpable.
Grant wrapped one arm around each of their shoulders. “Come on,” he told them enthusiastically, “let’s go home.”
Epilogue
Look at you,” Grant said, stepping into the living room.
“Oh good, you’re home,” Lainie exclaimed. “Your costume is in the bedroom.” To her credit, she didn’t add hurry up, but it was clear enough in her tone. Instead of going into their bedroom, Grant walked up behind Lainie, who was bent over an end table pouring candy into a bowl stenciled with pumpkins and spiders.
“Calm down,” he told her, trailing a hand over her back and patting her backside meaningfully. “It’s going to be fine.” Dropping lower, he gently squeezed the lower part of one bottom cheek. Lainie drew in a sharp breath. Just as he had suspected, she was still feeling the lingering effects of yesterday’s discussion as to why she had no reason to stress out over Halloween. It didn’t have to be perfect. They were going to have fun, and that was all that really mattered. “Do we need to go over why it doesn’t need to be perfect again?” he asked.
“No, no, I’ve got that down pat,” Lainie assured him. “Really I do. I just got caught up for a minute.”
For all her assurances, she was practically vibrating with energy. Grant was willing to bet that she had been racing around since the moment she came in the door from school this afternoon. Their house was immaculate, even the Halloween decorations out f
ront looked like they had been straightened and perfected within an inch of their lives. Not to mention that Lainie was already in her costume nearly an hour before she needed to be. “Why don’t you go find a corner in the office and work on calming down?”
Lainie whirled to face him, outrage written all over her face. “Why am I in trouble? I haven’t done anything wrong. Besides, I have too much to do.”
“What is there left to do?” Grant asked. Lainie looked around them. He could practically see her grappling for an answer. As far as he could tell, there wasn’t a thing left that had to be done, and he could rapidly see her coming to the same conclusion.
“Not much really,” she admitted with clear reluctance, “but what if one of the girls needs help getting into their costumes?”
Kathleen and Natalie were upstairs getting ready to go to Denver and visit a haunted house with some of their friends. Though they had officially declared themselves too old for trick-or-treating, the group had decided to go to the haunted house in costume. That, in turn, had led to Lainie’s insistence that they should dress up themselves to pass out candy.
“Then you tell them you’ll be with them in a minute,” Grant replied. “They know not to bother us in the office. Enough stalling, go.” He punctuated this final instruction with a light swat. Lainie jumped like a race horse stung by a bee and fled to the office. He followed, letting her get settled into position in the corner before coming up behind her and tucking the end of her short gingham skirt into the waistband to expose her still slightly pink behind encased in white cotton panties.
“Grant!” she squawked, “you’ll wrinkle the skirt.”
“Quiet,” he scolded. “No talking in the corner. You know better. I’ll come get you when you’re done.” He backed away and watched her for a few minutes. When her shoulders relaxed, he knew she had settled enough to obey regardless of whether or not he was watching. He left her there and went across the hall to their room to change into his own costume. When he returned, still damp from a shower, wearing his costume and boots, carrying the furry headpiece under his arm, Lainie was standing quietly where he had left her. He untucked her skirt then turned her to face him, tilting her chin up to kiss her. “Better?” he asked.
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