Generation Gap

by Carl Hamlin

He gently worked the cold cream into the entire spanked territory, but then scooped more cream onto his fingers and expanded the scope of his applications. Whether it was against her will or not, Patty began to writhe and moan in enjoyment.

  He leaned next to her. “Want me to take this cold cream thing a little further?”

  Patty shook her head. “No.” She rose up, pulled two pillows to her and stacked them, then lowered herself bent over them. “I want you to take this cold cream thing a whole lot further!”

  Lillian and Walter Perry finished their vegetarian dinner in the rustic dining room looking out over wooded area. Even though it was on the edge of town, it was not unusual for them to see deer in the yard. During the years of her growing up in the home, Patty had sometimes set food out for the gentle animals she loved to watch

  Patty and Brandon lived less than twenty minutes away, and the Perrys tried to see their only child at least once a week. Now, when they spoke of her, they did so in terms of her marriage, career, and the future grandchildren she would provide. In the past, they would have been speaking of her latest brush with the law, or school authorities. Fortunately, she had achieved much of her turnaround before turning eighteen, so her juvenile records could not be held against her.

  Time and patience had brought some maturity. She still had issues, but she also had Brandon and his steadying influence. He may not have fit the mold of their ideal husband for their daughter—he had been a jock at the college where they both taught. And he was also a campus political conservative activist, virtually the antithesis of their own views. But, they knew that Brandon would be protective of their daughter and help her to reign in her remaining impulses.

  Patty had always loved her parents, but something inside her forced her to rebel even against them. To the young Patty, all rules of any nature were oppressive. The settling down of the young Patricia Perry finally began to take hold a few months after her seventeenth birthday. She had slipped away from home one night and hit the road. Her romantic vision of hitchhiking to anywhere but home did not last long.

  One day later, she was arrested with a group of totally unfamiliar young adults who had given her a ride in their mini-van. A drug-sniffing dog from a small town police force had resulted in the entire group spending a night in jail.

  As the only minor, Patty had been taken away to a city juvenile lockup until her father’s attorney arrived the next day and convinced authorities she had been in the wrong place at the wrong time and with the wrong crowd of strangers.

  To the relief of her parents, the incident had so scared Patty that it served as a turnaround. From that point on she adhered to the laws of society with fewer tantrums. Except for a speeding ticket, she had never been in trouble once she walked out of that detention center and ran to hug Walter and Lillian, kissing even the attorney.

  Fears for Patty’s safety and future had gnawed at her parents for years. Lillian noted that the only time she had seen Walter cry was when the police called to tell them their sixteen year old daughter was under arrest for stealing cosmetics at a mall department store. She had spent a year on probation after that. Her transformation has begun while under some court-imposed restrictions.

  Her high school grades had been mediocre, but she was admitted to the college where her parents taught through faculty admission preference. Something about facing adulthood and losing the shield of her parents took hold. She got serious. She lived at home by choice, wishing to give herself more time before really entering the adult world. She admitted to her parents that she still saw her own judgment as suspect. She frequently referred to her scary night in the juvenile jail. However, it was also apparent that she wanted to spend some time reconnecting with her parents. Many evenings during her teen years ended with a slammed bedroom door. Suddenly, each night before going to bed, she told them that she loved them.

  She learned to think through her actions. She chose a career. Then, as a senior, she found Brandon, the hunky football player who thought the sun rose and set in her big brown eyes.

  They dated sporadically for a year, almost allowing the relationship to wither away for the first year after college. They saw each other on occasion during a year of graduate school, but the spark seemed to be gone.

  Walter and Lillian had some reservations about Brandon but liked him and trusted him with their daughter. In spite of her wild tendencies, boys had not been a part of her life. They were thankful for Patty’s maturation and held their breath all through her college years and job searches. More than they would have wanted to admit it, they viewed Brandon as a means to insure that Patty would not revert to her previous unpredictable and impulsive behavior.

  They were in their late forties, still young, but not wishing to look forward to a retirement complicated by a problematic adult offspring. Therefore, Walter made it a point to speak to Patty more frequently, and Lillian made time in her busy life to take her daughter out to do some shopping and just talk. The Perrys had become financially secure, and Lillian always had to fight her impulse to give Patty money.

  Patty had pledged make her own way. She acknowledged that she would never learn to control her spending problem if her mother would simply serve as an enabler. It was a constant struggle for her after graduation.

  Brandon had seen that issue when they had first dated, and it did give him pause. That was part of why the relationship had cooled down. Still, each seemed to be aware that neither was visibly dating anyone else. After graduate school was completed, they ended up at a party given by the dean to honor the most recent graduates. Through the evening, they kept exchanging glances and smiles.

  When the party broke up, Brandon asked Patty if she would like to go somewhere for coffee. They talked until dawn that night, and began dating again. This time, it was to be forever, and they married eighteen months later, after both had been hired to teach at the same private school.

  Lillian beamed with happiness when she opened the door to find that Patty had dropped by. It was ostensibly to return some books she had borrowed, but it was really just a desire to see her mother.

  Brandon was in tune to this and never tried to invite himself to go along and crash the chick-chat fest. He would have enjoyed seeing Walter, but he knew that his father-in-law would be out running that evening as he prepared for a marathon the coming weekend.

  The two women sat at the rear patio sipping on coffee. An unfamiliar person coming upon the scene may have mistaken them for a woman talking with a younger sister. Their resemblance was striking, as they shared the same lovely face, hair color and sexy figures. Lillian was four inches taller than her daughter was, but that hardly made her statuesque. Walter refereed to them as his “little girls.”

  One major difference was in their personalities. Lillian was one to want to control her environment as much as possible. She fretted over details, and had distinct ideas as to what was best for herself, her husband, and most of all, Patty. That had always been an issue. For every one conflict Patty had engaged in with her father, there were five more with mother.

  For Patty, adulthood had brought a truce. Lillian still wanted to control but Patty had learned to respectfully divert her mother’s energy and opinions. They loved each other and each had a line that could not be crossed.

  They chatted for some time about teaching and as was typical, Lillian managed to work in a grandchild suggestion. That was just part of their ritual.

  The conversation drifted to Patty’s marriage, and as was another ritual, Lillian inquired about their finances. As always, Patty assured her mother that they had enough money to get by on, although she made the mistake of using the phrase, “for a couple with no children.” That only brought a frown from Lillian, and the laughing retort from Patty of, “Mom, I can’t win with you.”

  Lillian nodded and laughed.

  And always remember that.

  Patty smiled. Then in a relaxed moment, she said, “I messed up and bought this stereo and Brandon really spanked�
�” she cut herself off, turning beet red and placed her fingertips over her mouth, while staring at Lillian whose jaw had dropped.

  Spanked? Lillian placed her coffee cup on the table, moving as if in slow motion. “Brandon struck you? I won’t have that.”

  Patty was so flustered that she was tearing up. “Oh, I didn’t mean to say… Mom, it’s okay. He spanked me. He didn’t beat me.”

  Spanked? Lillian threw her arms up in exasperation. “Patricia, what is the difference?” Her face was pale and her eyes were now full of tears.

  “Mom, do you see any black eyes? He whacked my well-padded butt.”

  Her mother shook her head in protest. Well, it is rather well padded… just like mine. Lillian got up and began pacing the floor. “This can’t go on. Not one more time.”

  Patty sighed and stood up. She walked to her mother and put her hands on her shoulders. “Mom, did Gramps and Granny ever spank you?”

  Hell, yes. “Of course they did.” Ouch! Lillian winced with her sensory memory.

  “But did you feel that they ever beat you?”

  “Your grandparents? Of course not! They would never….” her expression was one of irritation and she she shook her head. “I still think this is abuse. You’re a grown woman.”

  “Please sit down and take a deep breath.”

  Reluctantly, Lillian consented and returned to her chair. Patty slid her chair closer and placed her hand on her mother’s. “This is my marriage, my business.”

  Lillian stared at Patty as if she had turned into a Martian. “May I ask what that was like?” Why am I asking?

  Patty took a deep breath, and a mischievous smile crept across her face. “It just started out as this, oh, kind of kinky thing we decided to try. Me getting spanked, I mean. Well, it turned out to be kind of nice. It was more than we expected.”

  Lillian lowered her shaking head. “My daughter… into pain and pleasure?”

  Patty took another deep breath. “The pain from spanking, that’s just one part of it, but yes.”

  She patted her mother’s hand. “I messed up our savings plan, well… I… got spanked. But that time, it was for real.”

  Lillian closed her eyes and leaned her head back as she shook it in disbelief. “Okay. Did he spank you very hard?”

  Patty laughed softly and placed her hands near her bottom. “Yes, Mom, but I think that was the whole point of his spanking me in the first place.”

  Duh. Lillian seemed beside herself. “And you’re okay with this?”

  Patty leaned back and crossed her arms. “It’s hard to explain. I was furious at him when it was happening, and right after.”

  Patty seemed to be staring past her mother. “But tonight… I’m not sure. I can’t imagine I could make the same mistake again.”

  Lillian shook her head vigorously. “I don’t like this one bit.”

  “Mom, it’s not yours to like or dislike.”

  “But if he smacks you too hard, you could miscarry.” I need a grandbaby!

  Patty began to laugh. “Mom, you know I’m on the pill. Now stop lobbying me to get pregnant. You’ll have some little rug rat calling you Grandma soon enough.”

  “But this sadism… masochism… it scares me.”

  Patty began to giggle. “Okay, did you and Dad… or, I should say, do you and Dad do things in bed that you can’t imagine your parents doing?”

  Lillian began her own bout of giggles. “Maybe, but how could I possibly know what they have done?” We’ve done it all!

  Patty leaned toward her mother. “Exactly. I can’t believe you and Dad don’t go out on the edge from time to time.”

  How about, over the edge? Suddenly Patty displayed a sly smile that piqued Lillian’s curiosity. “Patricia Corrine, what are you thinking about?”

  Patty’s face turned red. “I was just recalling one day, not that long ago. I think it was a week before the wedding. You didn’t know I was standing around the corner, but Dad had just been named department head?”

  “Yes?” Oh, oh. Now I remember.

  Patty cleared her throat and giggled. “I overheard you tell him what you were going to give him to celebrate.”

  And I did! And he nearly lost his mind! The portion of Lillian’s face that did not turn pale became deep red. “That’s not the same as hitting your spouse.” And you father says I’m really good at it, too!

  Patty burst into laughter. “Well, we can agree on that.”

  Lillian slid down in her chair and moaned. “I am finding this conversation difficult.”

  Patty laughed. “You’re just frustrated because I’m not agreeing with you.”

  “But getting spanked by your husband? Patricia come on!” Please, change the topic.

  “Mom, listen to me. Mainly it’s for fun. As for the rest, I have to think about it. But whatever shakes out, it’s between me and Brandon. Now I have to go. We start classes tomorrow night and I have some reading to do. Please don’t worry about me. I’m very happy.”

  Patty stood up, then leaned down and kissed her mother. “Tell Dad I love him. And Mom… when he gets home, show him a good time.”

  I want to melt into the floor. Lillian faked a faint and rested her head on the table as Patty walked away.

  Chapter 4

  Patty arrived home and reached into her briefcase to retrieve a journal to review for the next evening. As she suspected, Brandon was on a lounge on the enclosed back patio but the light was off and he was asleep, a book for his class open on his chest.

  He woke to find Patty snuggled against him, those glasses down on her nose as she peered at him with mischief in her expression. Brandon kissed her and smiled as he ran his up and down on the thigh exposed beneath the short denim skirt.

  “How’s my girl? Mad at me?”

  “No, but you might be mad at me?”

  “What did you buy?”

  “No, it’s worse than that. I accidentally told Mom some things.”

  Brandon held his breath. “Like?”

  “About the spanking stuff.”

  “Wow… okay.”

  “I let it slip by accident.”

  “Whew. Well, okay. That’s water under the bridge.”

  “She really doesn’t understand.”

  Brandon stroked her hair. “I need to know how you feel about everything now.”

  Patty rested her head on his shoulder. “Of course, I love it now when we do the spanking thing for just fooling around. I was surprised at how much of a turn-on it is for me. And I think you’re kind of getting into it too.”

  Brandon grunted theatrically and nodded. “But how did you feel last night, when I spanked you for real?”

  Patty laughed. “Well, as it was happening, I was really pissed at you. Damn, that big hand of yours stings. It’s wide and it’s hard.”

  Brandon sighed. “So where are we with all this?”

  Patty looked up and frowned. “This is crazy to hear myself say, but maybe we stumbled onto the one thing that can keep me in line. I love getting spanked for play but I don’t want to get spanked again for real. I suppose we need to have that as a part of our life from now on.”

  “Are you sure about that?” His surprise was obvious.

  “It’s logic, Honey. If I fear it and it makes me hesitate to screw up, then I guess that may be our answer. Talking to me about it hasn’t worked now, has it?”

  “Apparently not.”

  “Well, I took the stereo back today, and I had it removed from our credit card. So we can make that savings deposit after all.”

  Brandon kissed the top of her head. “That puts us closer to that house we want to buy.”

  “One where we can raise the child Mom keeps begging for us to have.”

  Brandon sighed. “Does she know you’re still on the pill?”

  “Yeah, but I’m certain that she probably hopes I’ll forget to take it for a couple of days. But the day will come when we start a family.” Patty ran her hand across his chest. “I was go
ing to study. But maybe we could go inside and practice for that day.”

  Lillian had been sitting in the den with a book she was ignoring when Walter arrived home from his run. He walked in, still soaked in sweat not only from the run, but from the bike ride home from the park. The balding man was tall and slender, but he was nothing but muscle from his constant running and weightlifting.

  He is such a hot man.

  Much of what he ate was green and he had long forgotten what a cheeseburger tasted like. He had been brought into the healthy lifestyle at Lillian’s insistence but he had to concede that in the long run, she was right. He collapsed into a high-backed leather chair, the exhausting day finally getting the best of him. “Any calls while I was out?”

  Lillian placed the book on a table next to her chair. “No, but Patty came by.” Wait until you hear this!

  “And how are the Duttons doing? Did you plead with her to get pregnant again?”

  Lillian clapped her hands onto the knees of her jeans. “Walt, Brandon spanked her.”

  Walter’s tired eyes opened wide. “Huh?”

  Lillian shook her head. “They got into some spanking… sex play or something. But she spent too much money on something, and he actually gave her a real spanking.”

  Walter looked down and Lillian could see that he was biting his lip. “Walt, you don’t think it’s funny do you? That is domestic violence!”

  Walter shook his head and placed his hands in front of him. “I said no such thing. But Lillie, there is some irony in this, don’t you agree?”

  “Irony my ass, our daughter’s husband beat her. Please call your attorney to see what our options are.” Like killing Brandon!

  Walter leaned back and covered his face with his hands. “Did he beat her or did he paddle her cushioned butt?”

  “Walt! Now you sound just like her.” Unreasonable.

  Walter took a deep breath, leaned forward and peered into his gorgeous wife’s beautiful brown eyes. “I am not calling an attorney. And as far as our options, as you say, there is one and only one option you have, Lillie, and that is to mind your own business.”