The Fraternity Files

by Stephanie Joeline Kerfoot

  “Be that as it may,” Matt responded calmly, “I have made up my mind.”

  Kevin folded his arms across his chest and glared obstinately at his brother. “Did you just tell Danny you would spank him, if he stressed Steve out?” he questioned bitterly. Matt was unprepared for such a direct question and he hesitated, but only for a moment.

  “Yes,” he answered evenly, and now it was Kevin’s turn to be surprised at the straightforward admission.

  “Have you spanked him before?” he asked tentatively. A mixture of intrigue and timidity had now replaced the recalcitrant tone in his voice.

  “Yes,” Matt replied again. The blood drained from Kevin’s face, and he swallowed.

  “What about Ryan?” he questioned tremulously.

  “Yes, Kevin,” Matt answered in a matter of fact tone. “Both of your big brothers have taken the occasional trip over my knee.” Kevin looked

  absolutely dumbfounded as he tried to process this information and the dismayed expression on his face caused Matt to melt. “The only reason I am sharing this information with you at all, Bud,” he explained quietly, “is because now you are my younger brother too and it is only fair that you have some warning about how I deal with things.”

  “But Steve said . . .,” Kevin began. “I mean, I thought . . . Steve . . . .”

  “Steve what?” Matt inquired softly.

  “Steve said it would only happen once!” Kevin blurted finally, tears welling in his eyes. “He promised! He said it would only happen once!” Matt sighed as he looked at his little brother’s shocked, pasty face, and taking him once more by the arm, he guided him over to the bed and pulled him down beside him. “Why did Steve say that, if it wasn’t true?” Kevin demanded. “He promised!”

  “I don’t think he promised, Kid, did he?”

  “Well, he said it wasn’t supposed to happen more than once!” Kevin returned resentfully. They were picking at straws here as far as he was concerned. ‘Promised,’ ‘Said,’ what was the difference, anyway?

  “Well, any formal punishment including The Summons, for you guys, IS ‘supposed’ to happen only once,” Matt returned quietly. “Danny and Ryan backed Steve into a really tight corner by going after Mcarthy. I can’t remember the last time a president had to actually summon his brothers. I’m sure it’s probably happened before, but I certainly could not tell you when. Danny and Ryan have earned themselves quite the little spot in the fraternity history books that way.” Kevin’s face crumpled and he covered it with his hands as Matt put his arm around him. “Don’t you go beating yourself up again, Bro,” he comforted. “Those two rascals did it to themselves. That’s just how they are,” he whispered affectionately, “impetuous as they are loveable.”

  “But if it really is only supposed to happen once, how come you just told Danny you’d spank him?” Kevin sobbed.

  “Well, Bud,” Matt drew him closer and Kevin snuggled against him. “That’s a little bit of a different thing. Some fraternity presidents are bigger proponents of corporal punishment than others, and we all, in the course of our presidencies, have found different things that worked for us. In the end, it is not so much a rule that the president’s brothers can’t be summoned as it is, of course, that none of us want to do it, so we find ways to improvise and get around having to. For some of us, that includes the use of spanking as punishment. We keep that information to ourselves of course; only our little brothers know, unless they for some reason choose to share it, and we save such consequences for only serious things, things that for other fraternity members would probably involve a summons. Now,” he couldn’t help the exasperated little laugh that escaped with his next words, “Steve is NOT a big proponent of corporal punishment. He has never used it on Danny or Ryan until today, and I would be surprised if he ever used it on you, now that the meeting is over, but you should know it’s out there. And,” he cautioned a little ironically, “I wouldn’t test him on it because I may be wrong, and even if I’m not, if I ever hear of you giving him trouble, I will toast your behind the very next chance I get. Understand?”

  Kevin’s only answer was a half-hearted shrug, and Matt did not force the issue. He just tightened his arm and held his youngest brother closer. It had been a tough month for Kevin. There was no question about that. He had a lot of new information to sort through and process. Being called to account for his own behavior had been just the beginning. That first meeting: the reading of The Code, the unveiling of the fraternity paddle, and its immediate use, was a shocking process for all the freshmen of course; it was meant to be. It was a “scare ‘em straight” tactic, so to speak, and it was extremely effective. The fall was always hardest, though, for the youngest brother of the president, and it had been especially hard for Kevin.

  It had been many years since the fraternity had seen a freshman with as much talent as Kevin Kramer possessed. He was what was known in the football world as a “true freshman.” Even Danny, who had an impressive amount of talent himself, could not match Kevin’s speed or innate ability to find and create holes in the opposing defense. Kevin, after making the starting team as a freshman (which in itself was practically unheard of) had become an instant success, and he had benefited richly because of it. Now, he was reaping the consequences of too much too soon, and Matt’s heart

  ached for his little brother.

  Matt could see that Kevin was a good kid. He was a rascal for sure ‘like his big brothers,’ Matt simpered. ‘But, also like them, he never meant to hurt anyone, and he worshiped the ground they walked on. To have his own punishment followed so closely by the rare and serious consequences Ryan and Danny had been required to face was traumatic enough. The fact that he felt responsible for the incident that had made those consequences necessary, was devastating. Now, to top things off, he had to face the cold reality that, even if The Summons, hopefully, was a thing of the past, he and his brothers were still not completely immune from corporal punishment.

  “Only once,” was a delusion raised accidentally by Steve’s soft heart and eagerness to reassure. In fact, Matt thought with grim irony, he could just about guarantee, with Kevin’s passionate, boisterous personality, over-eagerness and obstinacy, “only once,” was more than a little unlikely.

  The clink of something metal hitting the floor distracted Matt from his musings. “Is that your key, Bud?” he inquired softly, stretching down to pick up the wayward item.

  Kevin shook his head. “It’s Danny’s,” he sobbed. His fingers curled around the key as Matt handed it to him. “He gave it to me at the meeting. He’s been staying with Ryan so I could have his room. I was going to give it back to him, but I never got a chance.”

  For a moment Matt was quiet. The revelation surprised him for many reasons, not least because of the delicate issue that Danny had raised earlier, regarding the occurrence of discipline sessions. Surely, Steve was not trusting Kevin with that sensitive information, at least, not yet? Then again, Steve had Kevin’s schedule. ‘He must be scheduling sessions based on Kevin’s class and meal times,’ Matt thought. ‘Still, that was risky.’ Well, now wasn’t the time to think about it. He made a mental note to discuss it with his little brother later, and brought his mind back round to the present issue at hand. “I think it will mean a lot to Danny that you wanted to return his room to him, Bro,” he said at last, “and since you have not been able yet to give him his key, I have an even better idea.” That got Kevin’s attention and he looked up inquiringly, brushing in frustration at the tears that persisted in streaking his cheeks. “You remember how Ryan and Danny set you up after the meeting?”

  Kevin nodded. Not only had Danny given up his room, but his brothers had provided him with every possible comfort from clean sheets, fluffed pillows and icepacks, to his favorite movies, and magazines, to a fully stocked mini-fridge (everything but beer). He simpered at the thought, despite himself, and his throat tightened. How ungrateful he had been. He’d been SOOO pissed then, but no
w he saw how they were only looking out for him in every respect they could. A wave of regret washed over him and he buried his face again in Matt’s chest. Matt squeezed his shoulder.

  “This is your chance to pay them back, Bro,” he whispered as he correctly guessed what his youngest brother was feeling. Kevin was quiet and he pressed his face further into Matt’s sweater, but the thought that he could do something to ease the suffering of his two brothers was comforting and finally his tears began to slow. “What do you say?” Matt probed once more. “Shall we go see what we can do to make those two rascals more comfortable tonight?”

  “How are we going to get into Ryan’s room?” Kevin inquired, looking quizzically up into his older brother’s now twinkling eyes. “I only have the key to Danny’s.”

  “I have my ways,” Matt replied, getting to his feet and looking down at Kevin with the trace of an expectant smile. “Shall we?”

  “Ok,” Kevin shrugged, getting to his feet too. Sure, why not? He’d go along with it; he was definitely intrigued now. He brushed one final time at his cheeks as he headed for the door. Matt followed and quietly opening the top drawer of Steve’s desk on the way by, he removed the large ring of keys that was lying there, and slipped it into his pocket. Kevin turned to wait for him as he closed the drawer.

  “I’m coming,” he assured softly, seeing the hesitant look on his younger brother’s face.

  The common room was not as full as it had been. Some fortunate souls had, by this time, retreated to their rooms. Still, it was full enough to give Matt an accurate sense of what Ryan and Danny had faced when they came in. His anger flared, along with his protective feelings for his brothers, and he pulled the bedroom door shut with an indignant little bang behind him as he stepped out into the hallway behind Kevin.

  “Freeze!” Matt commanded as some of the loitering freshmen and sophomores below scrambled instinctively for the exit. There were not many juniors and seniors left in the room but those who did remain, knew it would do no good to run. Besides, it was beneath their dignity. “I see you! Hickman, Cartwright, Bollinger, Nicholson, get back here! All of you! Stop right there! No one is going anywhere! I have something to say!” The four students who had been called out by name stopped in their tracks and eyed one another anxiously before slowly turning back to resume their seats. Elsewhere in the room sounds of restless paper shifting and the nervous shuffling of feet ensued. Matt turned to Kevin then. “Go wash up,” he prompted his younger brother gently in a low voice. Kevin paled at the stormy look on Matt’s face, though he knew it was not directed at him, and without a word he headed off down the hall towards the nearest bathroom.

  Slowly, Matt approached the railing and stared down into the room of apprehensive students below. Some of them picked up pens and opened books, avoiding Matt’s eyes in an unwise pretense of study. “Close those damn books and look up here!” Matt snapped disgustedly. “You don’t think I know what you’re doing? You think Steve doesn’t know?” Another round of nervous glances was exchanged. “Worried now, aren’t you?” Matt continued smugly. “You’re all worried about who I recognize, what I’m going to do, whose names are going to get passed on to Steve. Well let me assure you, I know most of you, and what few blanks there may be, I’m sure Mike and Kurt will be pleased to fill in. Maybe we’ll just post a big chart in the common room displaying the date and time of each summons we intend to issue. What do you think?” Deep silence greeted the threat. Sarcasm was unusual for Matt, and there were those below who clearly thought he was serious. “Don’t like that idea, do you?” Matt demanded. All remained quiet once more. “Well, we’ll think about it. Right now, I’m so sick, I honestly don’t know what would be the most appropriate thing to do, but there will be consequences for each of you. You can depend on that! And while Steve and I are thinking about it, I honestly hope that whatever shred

  of decency you all have left will lead you to think about it too. I hope you’ll think about what it means to be in a fraternity, and how Danny and Ryan must have felt coming in here to see you all assembled like you were, waiting for them. People they consider their friends, their confidants, their brothers just waiting to capitalize on their feelings of shame and misery. You all know my younger brothers well. You know what forgiving hearts they have. It is unlikely that they will hold a grudge, but I promise you I will not forget this. You will be hearing from me again once I’ve had a chance to confer with Steve. For now, I would like you all to pack up your books and papers and clear out. I don’t care where you go, or what you do. Just get! The next time I walk past this common room, I expect to find it empty. Anyone still sitting here when I come back can count on being summoned first thing tomorrow morning. Go on, now! Beat it! All of you!”

  No second invitation was needed and as the students below scurried for the door, Matt turned back to his youngest brother who had returned now from the bathroom and was shrinking against the wall behind him. “It’s all right, Bud,” he soothed in reaction to Kevin’s anxious expression. “You ready?” He held out his arm, and though Kevin hesitated, it was only for a moment. He WAS ready. He was ready for this to be over; he was ready to move on. As he felt his older brother’s comforting hand settle on his shoulder, he felt sure that what Matt had said was true. Everything WOULD be ok, and yet, he was having trouble making sense of his feelings right now. He snuck a sideways glance at the big guy walking beside and just slightly behind him as they started down the hallway. He was glad Matt was his brother, but he was intimidated too. He thought about the scolding he had just witnessed and swallowed hard. He was glad not to have been on the receiving end. He bit his lip. ‘What kinds of things had Danny and Ryan been spanked for? What would make Matt spank him?’ If possible, he hoped he would never have to find out. ‘At least not THAT way,’ he felt his cheeks getting warm. Maybe Ryan and Danny would tell him, if he asked right, about the times Matt had disciplined them. He couldn’t help wanting to know what they had done. Danny would tell him, he was sure. ‘I’m just never going to give him a reason to do it to me,’ Kevin thought. ‘I’m not going to give him a reason ever!’

  His resolve was sincere. He’d had enough discipline, enough stress, and anxiety. He’d learned his lesson, he was sure. From here on in, things

  would be different. They were going to pick up the pieces and move on. They would set the example as Matt and Steve had urged them all to do. Kevin strode on in front of his big brother, feeling better and more confident with each step.

  He was young, after all: young, resilient, and naïve. He had no way of knowing just how often Ryan and Danny had made that exact same resolution, and he was as yet unfamiliar with that great proverb that fueled Steinbeck’s famous novel. Ah yes indeed, “The best laid plans of mice and men . . . .”

  Matt was familiar with the proverb, all too familiar, and he smiled affectionately as Kevin’s changing visage revealed his conflicted emotions. He squeezed his youngest brother’s shoulder as they stopped in front of Danny’s door, and as Kevin looked up at him, his heart warmed. Kevin had a lot to learn still, but he would make a good president.

  Matt liked what he saw in the kid’s eyes: the kindness, the compassion, the readiness to question, and most especially the determination and resolve to do the right thing. ‘Too bad resolutions aren’t as easy to keep as they are to make,’ he thought grimly as Kevin turned his attention to the task of opening the door, and truer words have never been thought.