Don't Abuse Your Authority


by Csd3819 <Csd3819@hotmail.com>

My mother was an aerobic instructor. In order to teach, she had to be certified. For reasons beyond my comprehension, she seem to be taking certification classes few times a year. Maybe the certifications expire?? I don't know, but Mom had just passed another certification test and my father wanted to take her out to dinner to celebrate. Naturally, my mother wanted my brothers and I to accompany them. After considerable pleading, we managed to convince my mother the three of us would be just fine for a few hours at home while they went out to dinner alone. I was almost thirteen years old and I knew several girls my age that were babysitting other peoples kids on a regular basis.

My mother reluctantly agreed that I was old enough to watch my two younger brothers while they were gone for a couple hours. I don't know what she thought we were going to do -- kill each other? Burn the house down? Throw a party? (Naah, we waited until they left us alone for an entire weekend to do that one!)

Mom and Dad were going out to dinner on Friday evening. That afternoon, from the time we walked in the door from school, Mom was all over us regarding "the rules" for tonight.

"Guys, come here please," Mom called.

Nick sighed. "Oh man, not AGAIN!!!" he muttered to me.

"Yeah, but they are leaving soon, so this can't last too long," I said to him quietly as we walked into the kitchen were my mother was. Sammy was already sitting at the kitchen table. He was propping his head up on his arms. He looked bored and disgusted all at the same time.

"Ok, one more time. Are you guys ok with this?"

"Mooommmmmm.... You've asked us that a million times.... Yes, we're fine. Mom, pleeeease, we are going to be just fine," Nick pleaded.

Mom looked at him. "I know, I know, I've been nagging you about this haven't I?"

"YES!" All three of us answered.

"Ok. Then humor me, one last time....."

We groaned.

"Nick and Sam. Chris is in charge. You will do everything he tells you to. Nick, I don't care that he is "only ten months older", he is still older and therefore in charge. You will listen to him as if he was Dad or me."

"Yes, ma'am," Nick and Sam said automatically. They had been told this all week long, I seriously doubt they were even listening to her.

"If you feel Chris is being unfair, I want you to still do what he tells you to do, but then tell Dad or me you feel Chris was being unfair. Just because he is in charge, doesn't mean he won't make mistakes."

"Yes, ma'am," they answered again, still on "autopilot".

"Chris. If they don't listen to you, you need to tell Dad or me. Christopher, do NOT abuse your authority over them. They are your responsibility but they are not your servants. If your brothers tell me they feel you are being unfair, we will be having a serious discussion, young man," Mom gave me a hard look. "Now, dinner is in the oven, take it out in about 15 minutes and check on it. It should be ready. Don't forget to turn the oven off. No one is allowed inside this house and you three may not leave."

"Yes, Mom," I said. The only new information here was the part about dinner.

"Lia, you ready?" Dad called.

"Yes. Oh wait, Chris, don't forget to turn off the oven, and --"

"Mom, I know. You just told me. PLEASE, we are fine. Just go...." I urged, looking over at my father for help.

"Lia, come on. They got it. They're going to be ok," Dad said, as he put his arm around her shoulders and ushered her into the garage.

Sammy plopped his head on the kitchen table. "Man, I thought she was NEVER going to leave. She's been going over this with me for the past thirty minutes. I couldn't leave, every time I tried she'd think of something else."

Nick laughed, "Better you than me, bud," as he shoved him playfully in his chair. "So, dinner in fifteen?"

"Apparently," I said. Peering into the oven, "Hey, she made us baked ziti."

Just as we predicted, we managed to eat dinner, put the dishes in the dishwasher, clean up the kitchen and watch television all without killing or hurting ourselves. Nor did we burn the house down or throw a party.

Mom and Dad came back around 9:00pm. We were in the family room watching television when they came in. Mom was happy the kitchen was clean. She asked how things went and we said fine and Nick even said I "cooked dinner good". Mom seemed pretty happy.

About a half an hour later, she came into the family room with Nick and me. There was a glass on the coffee table. "Who's glass is this?" she asked.

"Oh that's Sams. Chris told him a few times to put it in the dishwasher, but he kept forgetting," Nick answered casually.

"Really," Mom said. "Sam, come in here please."

About ten seconds later, Sam walked into the family room and stood in front of Mom. "Yes?"

"Is this your glass?"

"Umm....yes," he said and he picked it up. "I'll put it in the kitchen now. Sorry."

"Did Chris tell you to put it away?"

"Ummm...yes, I think so," he answered.

"You think so? Did he or didn't he?" she asked.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "Yes, he did."

I looked over at Nick and gave him a quizzical look. Nick looked at me and shrugged. I didn't see where this was going. But Mom didn't look too happy.

"And, you ignored him because?"

"I don't know. I just forgot to put it away. I'm sorry," he answered quietly. Sam hated getting in trouble. Of the three of us, he managed to get in the least amount of trouble.

"Do you remember me telling you that Chris was in charge?"

"Yes," he answered quietly.

"And do you also remember me telling you that you needed to listen to him as if he were Dad or me?"

"Yes," he answered even quieter.

"So, why didn't you listen to him? Was Chris being unfair?"

"No, he wasn't being unfair. It was my glass, I just .....forgot to put it away," Sam answered meekly.

"Ok, Sam, you are grounded for the rest of the weekend," Mom said.

"Mom! That's ...But...." Sam stuttered.

"I told you that you needed to listen to him. I'm very serious. You and Nick need to listen to him. Period. Do you understand me now?"

"Yes, ma'am," Sam said, with just a hint of anger in his voice.

"Good. Now, it's late, go get ready for bed," Mom said.

"Yes, ma'am," Sam said again, and stormed off to the kitchen first, then upstairs.

"Mom???? It's no big deal..... Sam wasn't..... bad.... It's just a glass..." I said, confused.

"Yes, it is a big deal. I told him to listen to you. You told him to do something and he didn't do it. And you should have told me this."

Still confused, "But, Mom, it was just a glass. I don't understand...."

"Look. I know it was only a glass, but what if it was something important? What if something had happened and you told him to do something then. You need to know that he is going to listen to you. If Sam doesn't listen when you tell him to put away a glass, how do you know he will listen to something important?"

"Because he just would. Mom, he just would. I know it," I said, trying to defend him but not really finding the right words.

"Chris. I told him to listen to you, and he didn't. That's the end of it," Mom said.

"Ok."

"Now, did Nicky listen to everything you told him?"

I looked at Nick, then at Mom. "Yes."

She kissed Nick on the top of the head. "Good. When this show is over, I want you two to get ready for bed," she said as she walked out of the room.

When she was out of earshot, I said to Nick, "I can't believe she grounded Sam, that's not fair."

"Yeah, did you see his face? He's so mad at her," Nick answered.

When the show was over, we went upstairs. I followed Nick into Sam and his bedroom. Sammy was already in bed. He was lying facing the wall.

"Sam," I said.

Sam rolled over. "Thanks a lot, jerk. You got me in trouble!"

"No, I didn't," I defended myself.

"Yes, you did. You told!" he accused.

"I did not!" I said again.

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Sammy, stop, Chris didn't say anything," Nick interrupted. Hesitating, "I did. But I didn't mean to. I just said it, I didn't think you were going to get in trouble."

"What?" Sam asked.

Nick told him what happened. "Sammy, I'm really sorry. I just said it, I didn't mean to tattle. I didn't think Mom was going to ground you."

"Whatever," Sam said and rolled over to the wall again.

"Sam!" Nick said. Sammy didn't move. "SAM!" Still nothing. "Fine, be that way," Nick said. Looking at me, he said "Night, Chris."

"Yeah.... Night," I answered, and walked back to my room. Sam was mad, and there was a part of me that didn't blame him. I still couldn't believe Mom grounded him.

All because he didn't do what I told him to........

Except for the glass incident, leaving us home unattended was a success, so Mom and Dad started going out more often. After a month or so, it seemed like they started going out every Friday night.

When we were alone, I would playfully tease my brothers about listening to me. "Nick, put my glass away," I'd tell him.

"No way, it's your glass, you do it," he'd answer.

"Do it, or I'm gonna tell Mom," I'd threaten.

He'd glare at me, and when he was reaching for the glass, I'd grab it and say "Kidding! Just kidding."

I really did start off kidding. But a part of me was liking the extra authority I had over my brothers when my parents weren't home. Really liking it. Being the oldest, I already had a kind of natural authority over them, but having parental support just added to it. Knowing that one little word from me and they would get in trouble. I wondered how much trouble. I mean, Sam got lectured and grounded for the weekend, and I didn't even say anything, Nick did. I wonder if I could get them grounded longer. I wondered if I could get them in so much trouble that they .......would ......get spanked..... Naah.... That wouldn't be right. I couldn't do that to them. It's not fair. Sure, we were brothers, but we actually got along and liked each other most of the time. But, still, the thought did creep back into my brain every once in a while.

It started out like I described above. I'd tell one of my brothers to do something, and then when they gave in and started to do it, I'd say "kidding!" and I'd do it myself. Then, slowly, I'd stop saying "kidding" and let them do whatever it was I told them to do.

"Nick, go get me something to drink", I ordered.

"Get it yourself," Nick answered.

"Nick, *I said* get me something to drink," I answered him trying to sound as authoritative as I could.

"Oh come on," Nick whined.

"Nick, get me something to drink. Now," I repeated slowly.

"Fine," he said and then looked at me.

I could tell he was waiting for me to say "kidding", but this time I didn't. I just casually looked away.

Nick made a disgusted noise under his breath and got up and went into the kitchen. He came back with a Coke and handed it to me. "Here," he said.

"Thank you. Oh, I wanted a Sprite," I said.

Nick glared at me. Innocently I smiled, "Kidding, just kidding. Thanks, bro." I opened the Coke and took a few sips and then started watching television as if nothing had happened. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nick look at Sam and shake his head. I felt a twinge of guilt, but I also felt the rush of power. Yes, I was enjoying my authority too much, and the guilty feelings quickly subsided.

Gradually, I flexed my authority over them. I remembered Mom's warning that if they felt I was being unfair, they should tell on me, and I didn't want that to happen. In the next few months, I had managed to get both of my brothers in trouble on several occasions - Nick more then Sam. Each time, it was done with calculated planning. Perfectly innocent comments that I knew would raise flags in Mom's mind. Basically I played my entire family like a book. I was so pleased with myself, I was smart and cunning whereas my family was a dense as a rock. Here is an example of my ingenuity....

Mom had told me she bought potting soil and it was in her jeep. She wanted me to have one of my brothers help me take the bags and put them in her greenhouse. After dinner, and just before it got dark, I told Nick to get the potting soil out of the jeep and put it in Mom's greenhouse. He bitched and moaned about it for a little while, like I expected him to do, then finally went outside to do it. Mom had bought about 12 bags of potting soil. He didn't finish lugging them back to the greenhouse before it got dark, also as I expected. He put the four or five he didn't finish on the patio. I guess he was planning on finishing up in the morning.

When Mom and Dad came home, I didn't say a word. The next morning, Mom saw the bags on the patio and she asked me about it at breakfast.

"Chris, what are those bags doing on the patio?"

"Oh, I guess Nick didn't finish bringing them back to the greenhouse. I told him to do it after dinner, but I guess he ran out of light before he finished," I answered as innocently as I could. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Nick glaring at me.

"That's not what happened," he started.

"It's not? What happened?" Mom asked.

"No, he..." Nick didn't finish. He just stopped and looked at the table.

"Nick?" Mom prompted. Nick remained silent. "Nick, what did your brother tell you to do?" Mom asked.

"He...ah, he... but..." Nick started and then stopped again.

Mom waited a few seconds for him to finish, but he didn't. "Did he tell you to do this?" Mom asked.

"Yes, but..."

Mom again waited for him to finish, but he didn't. "But what??" Mom asked.

"Sorry, nothing," Nick said. I could see the anger rising up in him.

Again, Mom gave him time to speak up, but he didn't. I knew he wouldn't. He was busted and he knew it. I played Mom and Nick like a fiddle. He got grounded for not listening to me, again.

By this time I had turned thirteen. I was officially a teenager and I just knew I was smarter then everyone else in the entire world. Including my dumb parents and my dumb kid brothers. Mom had told me a few times to "knock off my attitude, or else", but that was just talk. What could she do? I was thirteen and I was, in my mind, a man now. I wasn't some dumb kid anymore.

Shortly after I turned thirteen my father told me any future punishments would be different.

"Now that your thirteen, and you have made it quite obvious you feel that you are no longer a little kid, I'm not going to put you over my knee to spank you any more," Dad said.

See, I knew it. I wasn't a kid. My days of getting spanked and punished were over. Wa-hoo!

"I am going to start spanking you with a belt," Dad continued.

Well, this sure put a damper on my mental celebration. Of course, I should have known this. I had heard stories about Dad getting punished by his father when he was in high school. "A belt? Dad, Tommy told me his Dad whips him with a belt. He's shown me the marks on the backs of his legs, they last for days sometimes."

"Well, I don't plan on whupping the backs of your legs, just your butt. But, yes, it will hurt. It'll hurt more then any spanking you've ever received. So, if you don't want to find out, you better just keep yourself in line. And that means, you can start off by knocking off that attitude you've acquired lately."

"Yes, sir," I answered.

"One more thing, you better start treating your brothers better. Don't think we don't know what is going on."

"Excuse me?" I asked. I had no idea what he was talking about.

Dad smirked. "I'm warning you, boy. What comes around, goes around. Just remember that."

For the next few days, I replayed that conversation over and over in my mind. I had no idea what getting whipped with a belt felt like. Tommy said it hurt really bad. Friday afternoon, I was sitting in my room working on my final term paper for English when the conversation with Dad popped back into my brain. Looking in my closet, I saw one of my belts. I walked over, picked it up and held it in my hands. A belt really doesn't look like it could hurt "that bad". Slowly I started stoking the leather. It was soft and smooth. Yeah, this doesn't look like it could hurt "that bad". I doubled over the belt and hit my left palm with the belt. YEOUCH! Ok, that hurt, and I didn't really swing the belt that hard. My father was a lot stronger then I am, I knew right then getting whipped by a belt was something I never wanted to feel. So, I was going to do whatever it takes to avoid that at all costs. Even if that meant to be "good" for the rest of my life.

That night, Mom and Dad went out like usual. Since it had been several months, they are now starting to go to dinner earlier and then heading to an early movie. They are still usually home around 10:00pm.

Unlike previous weeks, the rush of authority over my brothers wasn't there. Without thinking, I did order them around, but not with the usual "do this or else" tone in my voice. I had grown so accustomed to ordering them around on Friday nights. "Get this", "Do this", "Put this away", "Clean this up" just became second nature to me. Nick and Sam rebelled as much as they felt they could. I had got both of them grounded before for not listening to me on previous weekends. We only had a week of school left and neither of them wanted to be grounded over the summer, so they endured my ever-growing control over them. Plus, both of them had been told that the next time they didn't listen to me, they were going to get a spanking.

Right after dinner, I told Sam to bring more cans of soda upstairs from the basement. (We had a refrigerator in the basement. Extra sodas were kept in there and then brought upstairs when kitchen refrigerator was getting low.)

"Chris, Mom told you to do that," he rebelled.

Looking at him, I said "And I just told YOU do it. Now do it, runt."

"Don't call me that!" Sam yelled at me. He swung his right arm to punch me at the same time.

I easily ducked his swing and grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back. "You gonna swing at me?! Huh, RUNT? You gonna swing at me. Tryin' to hit me? See what happens?" I was thirteen, Sam was eleven. Physically overpowering him was still very easy.

"Owwww...Chris, let me go!!" Sam cried.

"You gonna do what I tell you to?"

Sam didn't say anything.

I twisted his arm a little more. "Are ya, Runt?!"

"Yes, yes, alright, I'll do it. Chris, pleaaaase.... Let me goooo!!!!," he yelled.

I twisted his arm a little more, just because I could.

"Yes, yes! Chris!! Yes!! You win!!! OWWWW, let me go, let me go!" Sam yelled.

I held him there for a few more seconds, then I let him go.

"Now, Runt, lets try this again. Go bring up more soda from the basement," I ordered.

"Yes, SIR," Sam said snidely and with as much insolence as he could.

"Hey!" Nick said, smacking Sam hard upside the head. "Don't call him that. He doesn't deserve that, say Yes, Your Majesty', since he thinks he's a _f_u_c_k_ing king."

Sam smiled. "Yes, Your Majesty" and he bowed as he left the room.

"You're an asshole, Nick," I announced.

Smiling, "Yes, Your Majesty," he answered me back.

For the rest of the evening, both of them called me "Your Majesty". They both pissed me off and I wrestled both of them into submission - for short periods of time. Mom and Dad usually got home around 10:00pm, so around 9:30pm, they both started acting normal. I guess they were afraid of what I would report to Mom and Dad. Fear of a spanking quickly curtails any rebellious pride.

The air was tense in the room as Mom and Dad walked in. I think they felt it.

Dad looked at me and asked, "Any problems tonight?"

"Nope, none," I answered.

"Did the boys listen to you?"

I felt my entire family look at me. Just as casually as I could, I shook my head and said "Yes, sir."

Mom and Dad exchanged glances, as did Nick and Sam. Yes, my family was as dense as a rock.

"Nick, Sam, any problems? Did Chris give you a hard time?" Mom prompted.

"No, we're cool," Nick answered quickly. I could tell he wanted this subject dropped.

"Hmmmm...... Well, good," Mom said. "I'm glad to see you boys getting along, because tomorrow after your game, your father and I will be gone the rest of the afternoon and into the evening --"

"We will?" Dad interrupted.

"Yes, we will," she answered to him and gave him an odd look. Dad smiled and shook his head. Continuing, "So Chris you'll be in charge after your game."

"Ok," I said slowly, not completely understanding what was really going on.

The next day, after our soccer game, just as Mom said, her and Dad left. She left me a small list of things to do while they were gone.

Shortly after they left, my brothers and I started fighting. They continued to call me "Your Majesty" which was really starting to get on my nerves. I would tell them to do something, they would say, "Yes, Your Majesty," and then wouldn't do it. My brothers were really being little asses. Normal stuff, like eating dinner, was a fight. I re-heated what my mother left for us, and then they wouldn't come into the kitchen to eat. When they finally did eat dinner, they left their dishes on the table. I guess since last night I covered for them, they felt they could get away with this tonight. No, sir, not tonight. They are going to get it when Mom and Dad get home. They are going to deserve the spanking Dad is going to give them tonight.

Around 8:30, Mom and Dad walked in. Immediately all three of us ascended on them.

"Nick and Sam didn't do anything I told them to tonight!" I started.

"He told us to do everything, he always does that," Sam countered.

"Yeah, he sits there and orders us around while he watches television!" Nick announced.

"I do not!" I yelled.

All three of us started yelling at the same time now.

"Get me a soda, bring me some chips, put that away...." yelled Sam.

"Do this, do that! Do this or I'll tell..." yelled Nick.

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Go do my chores!"

"They just don't listen to me. It's not my fault if they don't do what I tell them and they get in trouble, is it?" I yelled.

"ENOUGH!" my father yelled over all three of us.

All three of us immediately because silent.

Looking around the kitchen, Mom said, "Ok, your father and I are going upstairs to change. We'll be back down in a couple minutes. When we get back, this kitchen better be clean, and anywhere else in this house that you neglected to pick up after yourselves better be straight. Then, we are going to have a little chat...."

As they walked away, Dad looked at Mom and she smiled. "Told you this would work. You owe me $10, Daniel. Pay up, mister!"

"_d_a_m_n_, Lia, not fair," he responded. "You know them too well."

What on earth were they talking about? Did they make a bet? On what?

We looked tentatively at each other, and then started picking up the kitchen and family room like Mom said. We didn't say anything while we were cleaning up.

Mom and Dad came back downstairs. Mom looked around, "Much better." Pointing, she added, "Family room."

We sat down and waited. I was still confused as to why I was there. I didn't deserve to get lectured. Nick and Sam didn't do what I told them. They are the ones that should be in trouble, not me.

"Christopher tells me you two didn't listen to him at all tonight. Is that true?" Mom asked.

"Yes, ma'am" Sam answered quietly. Nick squared his jaw and looked up into the corner and slightly shook his head.

"Nicholas, why didn't you do what Chris told you?" Mom asked.

He sat there fuming and continued to shake his head slightly. I sat there quite smugly enjoying this.

Mom knelt down in front of Nick. She put her hand on his chin. "Answer me."

Nick pulled away from her. Mom regrabbed his chin, "Nicholas?"

Again he pulled away. Then, taking a deep breath, he said "It's not fair. He's ordering us around like he was some sort of king. He tells us to do everything. He's been doing this for months. Even stuff he is supposed to be doing. And, then when we don't do it, we get in trouble. Not him, we're the ones that get grounded. It's not fair." He was angry, but he manged to keep his voice and attitude calm.

"Why didn't ever say anything?"

"Why? What's the point? You told us we had to listen to him. When we don't, we get grounded. Last time Dad said if we did it again, we were going to get spanked. It's not fair. You don't listen to us, you never listen to us. You just don't understand."

"So, why tell me now?"

"I don't know," he said quietly. "We're going to get spanked anyway, might as well be disrespectful and get spanked for something I actually did, not because of Chris."

"You think your being disrespectful right now?" Dad asked, speaking for the first time.

"Excuse me? What?" Nick asked, and tilted his head a little to the left as he looked at our father.

"You just said "might as well be disrespectful and get spanked for something I actually did", so do you think you are being respectful now?"

Nick shrugged. "I don't know. Yeah -- yes. I guess so."

"You know I don't put up with you being disrespectful, don't you?"

Nick shook his head. "Yes. Very well."

"Are we still talking about this? Have we corrected you in any way right now?"

"No," Nick answered slowly.

"Nicky, I want you and your brothers to feel they can come us Dad or me about anything. Telling us how you feel about something, isn't disrespectful," Mom told him.

Nick looked confused. "So...." Looking up, "So, we're not in trouble?"

"Oh, yes, you are, but not for what you are thinking," Mom said.

"I....don't.....understand," Nick said slowly.

"Ok, I'll spell it out. Do you remember the first time I left you boys home? What did I tell you?"

"You said we had to listen to Chris as if he was you or Dad."

"Yes, and what else?"

"Ummm.....that we couldn't leave the house, not to do anything stupid..." Nick said

"Behave, put our dishes away, listen to Chris," Sam added.

"Yes, besides that, what else I said? Do you remember?"

Nick shook his head, "No, ma'am."

"Didn't think you did. I told you that if you felt Chris was being unfair, to still do what he told you to, but then tell your father or me. Remember that?" Mom asked.

Nick and Sam looked at each other. "Kinda, well, now I remember," Sam said. "So, we should have told you what Chris was doing?"

Uh-oh. My smugness had long since gone away. Why is it that I remembered Mom saying that, but they didn't? Maybe because it could affect my butt, not theirs? This could get bad. Oh crap, how bad? That conversation with Dad about him spanking me with a belt just started replaying in my head again. Was this bad enough to get spanked for? Let's see, I ordered my brothers around relentlessly for about four months, got them grounded several times, didn't listen to my mother when said "they were my responsibility not my servents". _d_a_m_n_, yup, this was bad enough.....

"Yes, you should have. Sam, I know you think I was being unfair the first night Chris babysat you and I grounded you for not putting away your glass. I did that so you would know I was serious about you listening to Chris. What if something had happened? Chris might have had to make a hard decision on something, he needs to know that you will listen to him unconditionally. That is why I grounded you. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Sam answered reluctantly.

"However, I thought we raised you to speak up if you felt something was unjust. Your father and I knew what was going on from the beginning. We respected you enough to try to let you three work it out on your own. We saw it going downhill for months and your relationship with each other has suffered. I wanted you to work it out amongst yourselves. But, if that didn't work, I wanted you two to come to Dad or me with it. You didn't and you should have."

"I'm sorry, Mom," Nick said.

"Me too," Sam echoed.

"I'm sure you are. Now, Christopher," Mom said, turning to me, "what the hell were you thinking?"

_d_a_m_n_, _d_a_m_n_, _d_a_m_n_... I knew this was going to turn to me soon. In the back of my head I kept hearing "I'm going to start spanking you with a belt"..... Oh, I didn't want to be here. I felt like curling up into a hole and dying. I also wanted to cry, but with my brothers sitting next to me, I'd never do that.

"I don't know," I answered quietly.

"You don't? Do you admit you were abusing your authority?" Mom asked.

"Yes, ma'am," I answered. I was busted, no sense in disagreeing now. Mom was still kneeling in front of Nick, but she was turned towards me. I could see the disappointment in her eyes.

"Do you have anything to say?" she asked.

"No," I answered. "Just, I'm sorry."

"Sorry to whom, for what and why?" Mom asked.

_d_a_m_n_, I hated her lectures. She would make you answer questions that I didn't want to talk about. Couldn't I just get my butt spanked, I mean, whipped now? Wasn't that enough? Not to my mother.....

"Nick and Sam, I'm sorry I pushed you around and got you in trouble. Mom and Dad, I'm sorry I let you down," I said as quietly as I could. I think my voice cracked a little as I was saying it.

"That's who and what. Now why?" Mom said.

Argh! Wasn't that enough?? Why is she making me answer this? Doesn't she know how hard it is to just apologize, why do I have to say "why" too?

"I don't know why," I answered.

Mom raised her eyebrows at me. She moved closer to me, putting her hand on my knee, she gently said, "Yes you do, just say it."

I looked at her. She didn't look mad, she looked almost encouraging. I took a deep breath. "I'm not sure why I did it. I guess I liked the power I had over my brothers. I felt guilty but I liked the power that they had to listen to me. It made me feel more like....a man.... I guess. But, umm....I guess I abused it and pushed it too far." Looking at my brothers, I quietly added, "I'm really sorry." I looked down at the floor when I was done.

Mom stood up and looked at Dad. I could tell Dad just wanted to get this over with. If Mom wasn't around, I would be crying into my pillow and nursing a whipped butt right now. She turned to Nick and Sam. "Nick, Sam, do you have anything to say to Chris?"

"No," Nick said. Mom smacked him lightly on the leg. "Ouch! What?"

Mom gave him a dirty look. "Your brother just apologized to you. Twice. That wasn't easy for him to do. He's learned a hard lesson. Do you have anything to say to him?"

Mom had a thing about apologies. The correct protocol is for someone to say "I'm sorry" with all the "who, what and whys" and then the other person to say "I forgive you". She was prompting Nick and Sam to say "I forgive you."

Nick looked at her. "But, I don't, Mom. I don't forgive him. He got me in a lot of trouble. He's my brother, he's not supposed to do that to me," he said angrily.

"No, he's not, and I seriously doubt he ever will again. But, he did. He apologized for it, and you have to move past this. He screwed up, he knows it. But, you also screwed up for not listening to me in the first place and not telling me when it started. If you had, way back then, this wouldn't be happening now. Okay?" Mom asked.

Nick looked over at my Dad, who was remaining silent. Dad have him a slight nod, as if to say "Get over this, and answer your mother."

"Nick?" Mom prompted.

"Okay," he said. To me, "It's alright." Mom raised her eyebrows at him. Saying "it's alright" wasn't the words she wanted to hear. Sighing, "Chris, I forgive you," Nick said.

"Me too, I forgive you too," Sam said.

I think Sam might have meant it, but I could tell by Nick's tone he was still mad at me, at least a little.

"Good," Mom exclaimed. "I take it we won't have this problem in the future, will we?"

"No, ma'am," I answered.

"Nick and Sam. About your behavior tonight --" Mom started

"But Mom, we just did that because Chris was bullying us," Nick interrupted.

"Uh-huh. But what you should have done was follow his orders and then talk to me about it. Right?" Mom questioned him.

"Yes, ma'am," Nick answered very quietly.

"I am not very happy about your behavior tonight. You two know better then to misbehave like that. I don't care that you were trying to prove a point, you knew better then to act like little spoiled brats. What did your father tell you would happen if you disobeyed Chris again?"

"That....we'd", Nick started. Pausing, "get a ...spanking".

"Exactly. And Christopher, I am really not happy with you. I warned you about abusing your authority. These are your brothers and they deserve your respect. Your father and I will not tolerate this from you. You know you _f_u_c_k_ed up, it best never happen again."

"Yes, ma'am, it won't," I said quietly.

"Dan, you want to take Chris upstairs while I deal with these two down here?"

"That would be the best thing," he responded. "Christopher?"

"You aren't going to spank us together?" Nick asked confused.

"No, two different crimes, two different punishments," Mom answered.

"Besides that, your brother is going to get punished differently. Aren't you, Christopher?" Dad asked.

"Yes, sir," I answered meekly.

"What did I tell you would happen from now on?" Dad asked.

"That...umm... you weren't going to ....spank me....over your knee anymore," I studdered.

Nick looked sharply at me when I said this. I can only imagine he thought that meant I wasn't gong to get spanked again.

"And?" my father said.

"And....ummm....that .... I was going .....to ....ummm...be spanked with .....umm...your...um...belt," I studdered slowly. _d_a_m_n_ that was hard to say out loud.

I glanced at Nick and Sam. Both had a look of awe and shock on their faces. Nick's eyes were huge and he even opened his mouth for a few seconds. I think all traces of residual anger drained from Nicky.

"Yes, now Christopher, shall we?" Dad said, motioning me to follow him.

Slowly I got up and followed my father out of the room. I couldn't even look at my mother or brothers as I left the room. I felt like a convict taking his last walk to the electric chair. Dad put his hand on the back of my neck and guided me upstairs and into his bedroom. Dad motioned me to sit down on the cedar chest in front of my parents bed.

Dad stood in front of me. He put his hands on his hips. Dad looked quite intimidating. He was 5'10", lean and strong. I felt like a little boy sitting in front of him.

"Well, I think your mother covered that lecture to death. Do you know why you are getting punished?"

"Yes, sir. For abusing my authority when I was babysitting my brothers and for not listening to you and Mom."

"Good. As I've said before, you are going to start getting spanked with my belt from now on. You are not a little kid anymore. If you want to be treated like an adult, you need to act like one. If you don't, you are going to get your butt whipped."

"Yes, sir," I whispered. I fought really hard to look at my father. I wanted to stare at the floor, but that wasn't acceptable.

"I didn't like how your grandfather used to punish me, he would whip me anywhere, anytime and in front of anyone. Typically in front of your aunt. He used to just grab me and start whipping; half the time I didn't know why. I won't do that to you or your brothers."

"You know why you are getting punished so that's covered. You are thirteen now, so it's time to start using my belt on you. When I tell you, I want you to stand up, turn around and bend over putting your hands flat on the cedar chest. You are not to stand back up until I'm done. DO NOT beg me to stop spanking you. That is cowardly, you know why you are getting punish, so you need to take responsibility for your actions. Keep your hands on the chest and don't try to cover your ass. If you try to grab or block my belt...well, just don't do that. You may cry and yell all you like, but no cussing, no begging. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Dad," I answered. As Dad was explaining this to me, everything felt surreal. Almost like I was drifting and watching this scene from somewhere else. I've got spanked more times then I can remember, but this was the start of something new. Getting spanked used to mean Dad would grab my hand and pull me towards him. He would loosen my jeans, pull them down if warranted, and pull me over his lap. I had no control over the situation. I basically just stood there and let myself get maneuvered around until my father felt I was punished enough and he stood me up. Now, I have to stand up, turn around and bend over. Then I have to stay that way while I'm getting whipped? This is really going to suck. I suddenly felt very, very scared. I didn't know if I could do this.

Somewhere in my hazy fog, I could hear one of my brothers crying. My attention focused on this; it was Nicky. I could hear Mom spanking him. From the sound of it, she was probably using the brush. Oh no, I just realized, if I could hear them get spanked, then they'll be able to hear Dad whipping me.

"Christopher?"

That snapped me back to reality. "Sir?"

"I said, stand up and turn around," Dad repeated.

"Yes, sir." Licking my lips and taking in a deep breath, I stood up. I looked at Dad. He had his black belt in his hand. When did he get that? I never even saw him go into his closet. It was a dress belt and it was about an inch and a half wide. It didn't look too thick, but it still looked like it could pack a mean punch.

I slowly turned around. I unbuttoned and unzipped my pants as I turned. My father used to do this when I was getting spanked "the old way", so I figured I was supposed to do it now. Slowly I bend over and placed my hands flat on the back edge of the cedar chest. I never realized how low that chest was, suddenly wishing I wasn't so tall. In the distance, I could hear Sammy crying now.

I let my head hang. I heard Dad take a few steps toward me. I looked to the side a little and I saw him swing his arm back. Quickly I hung my head again and tightened up my face preparing for the first lick.

WHACK!!!

It felt like and explosion hit my ass. The pain was instant and it felt like fire. I stood up and desperately tried not to make a sound. After a second, I bent back over and placed my hands back down flat.

WHACK!!!

"AAARRRRCCHHH" I yelled. That hurt like nothing I've ever felt before. Two licks and my ass could probably roast marshmallows.

WHACK!!!

"Ohhhh!!!! ARGH !! OWWW!!" I yelled. I felt that one lower on my ass. How can something ignite my ass like a fire, but still sting too?

WHACK!! WHACK!!

I yelled and cried each time the belt whipped me. I could feel myself breathing heavy and struggling to keep my hands were they should be. Dad was right, this hurt much more than an over the knee spanking ever did. Getting spanked with the brush was a bitch, but I'd take getting beat with the brush over this any day!

WHACK!! WHACK!! WHACK!!

I tightened up all the muscles in my body. I stood in place, but I could feel my legs shaking. My ass was feeling pain like I had never felt from any other spanking.

WHACK!! WHACK!!

I don't know how long I stood there after Dad stopped whipping me. Finally, I felt his hand rubbing my back. I choked back my tears and wiped my face with my shoulder as best I could. I didn't know if I was allowed to move my hands yet. Knowing the belt was close at hand, and that I was still bent over making my ass an easy target, I wasn't taking any chances.

Dad patted my back, "Ok, kiddo, stand up."

Slowly I straighten up. I turned and Dad pulled me into a huge hug. I cried into his shoulder for a minute. Dad pushed me away from him and put his hands on my sholders. "Same rule applies with the belt, if you do this again, punishment'll be twice as hard and long."

"It won't happen again, Dad. I've learned my lesson, I won't disrespect my brothers like that again," I answered.

"Good, now go to your room and lay down. I'll come in there in a few minutes," Dad said.

Nodding, I slowly walked (and sniffled) to my room and laid down. I cried a little into my pillow as I rubbed the fire out of my ass. About twenty minutes later, Dad came in my room and talked to me. I had completely stopped crying by this time and my butt no longer felt like a frying pan. After Dad left, I fell asleep for about an hour. I awoke to a light knock on my open door. Rolling over, I looked at my door way. Nick and Sam were standing there.

"Can we come in?" Nick asked.

I nodded, "Yeah."

I sat up on my bed, wincing a little as I sat up. "Look, I'm sorry I was such an asshole to you guys. I shouldn't have taken advantage of you like that. I'm really sorry." I was the oldest, I figured I should be man enough to admit I was wrong to them.

"It's ok," Nick said. "I didn't know Dad was going to belt you." Pausing, "Hurt?"

"Yup."

"You ok?" Sam asked.

"I'll live," I answered with a small smile.

"Mom spanked us downstairs too. She used her brush. I hate that thing," Sam told me.

"Better the brush then the belt, believe me...." I answered.

"Really? We heard Dad whipping you. Sounded really loud. Your eyes are still red," Sam said.

I nodded.

"Feel like kicking around the soccer ball and working on some drills with us?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," I said.

As we got up to go outside, Nick grabbed my arm and said, "Hey, don't _f_u_c_k_ with us like that again. You aren't supposed to do that to us, ok?"

I nodded. "I won't. Promise."

Afterward:

A few weeks later, Mom took me to lunch. She said she didn't like the way I had been treating my brothers the last few months. She noticed how our friendship had weakened. Throughout these last few months, along with the events of this story, my brothers and I have got in trouble for other things as well. The biggest was we started lying all the time -- about practically everything. We lied to my parents and to each other. Mom and Dad didn't put up with lying, ever. Of all the other things we did, lying was the one thing that always got your butt smacked. Mom noticed our friendship had improved a lot since we all got in trouble. She told me my brothers looked up to me and suggested I make a pact with them -- that we don't lie to each other about anything. I thought about it and then brought it up to Nick and Sam. On Saturday, June 14, 1980, my brothers and I made a pact. 1) We didn't lie to each other about anything. 2) We also agreed to come clean with Mom and Dad if we got interrogated by them if one of us wasn't present. Dad was a cop and he was trained to interrogate someone. We were no match for him, we always got busted. So, we spill our guts even if it meant getting someone else in trouble, because, in the end, what comes around goes around. There were a few other things included in the pact, but those were the two main aspects to the pact. I broke this pact once, and to the best of my knowledge, my brothers never broke it.


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