by Rose St. Andrews
Ruth was mortified beyond measure. It wasn't just that she was across Lucinda 'Momma' Fletcher's lap getting spanked on the seat of her panties, she was used to that by now. No, it was that she was lying there side by side with 'sister' Sarah. Mrs. Fletcher had a very big lap! Ruth was a grown woman, twenty-years old, and yet she was being spanked like a naughty child because, in the Fletcher home, she was a child.
"Ouch!" Sarah yelped. "Mom, come on it's not that big a deal."
Ruth cringed. She wasn't all that worldly and knowledgeable, but she was sharp enough to know that Sarah wasn't winning any points with her mom. Crack! The extra hard smack she got right to the center of her behind proved it.
"Ow! Momma, we're sorry; we won't sneak friends into the house ever again, promise."
Ruth couldn't believe she'd just said that word: Momma. She'd been done with calling anyone that wonderful term of endearment for a very long time. Lying there, Momma beating out quite the tune on their poor bottoms, Ruth's mind slipped back over the course of recent events. How had she come to this?
It had started innocently enough...
Ruth had worked at the Daybreak Diner for five years. She'd started as a dishwasher when she was fifteen and still in foster care. Her foster parents had thought it a good idea, a way of teaching her the value of hard work and she could earn some money of her own. By the time she finished high school (finished, not graduated), she was a waitress.
That was where she met the Fletcher family. They came in every Sunday morning for breakfast and Ruth instantly loved them all. The concept, the very idea of an intact family was totally alien to her, and she loved being around people who so clearly loved and cared for each other deeply. Watching the girls grow had been the most amazing thing of all, especially Sarah, the oldest. Every time she had a growth spurt, on their next visit she and Ruth would stand back to back to compare sizes. At fourteen, Sarah was half a head shorter than Ruth - but two years later, their situations were reversed!
"Goodness, girl, don't you ever eat?" Mrs. Fletcher would say.
The girls would giggle and Mr. Fletcher would sigh.
"Dear, you say that every week," he'd say.
"Well, it's true. Ruth, I'm serious, are you eating enough?"
"I'm fine, thanks for asking. They feed me real good here. Now, you folks save room for dessert? We got fresh blueberry pie!"
The girls let loose with a chorus of 'yes', but Ruth had learned long ago that it was Mom and Dad who had the final say.
"I don't know if they deserve a treat," Dad said. "I saw their report cards on Friday, abysmal!"
"It's okay, Honey," Mom said. "I 'handled' everything yesterday."
The girls blushed and squirmed in their seats, and Mr. F slowly nodded.
"Well, in that case, pie all around," he said happily.
That brought smiles back to the girls' faces, and Ruth scampered off to put in the order. She was glad for a means of changing the subject. The diner's pies were legendary throughout the region, but not something a person should have too much of. Given how thick and rich they were, a single slice was probably a couple thousand calories! She ate the apple and blueberry regularly; they were one of the few regular aspects of her diet. She felt bad about lying to Mrs. F, but Ruth didn't want her worrying about her. Besides, Ruth did eat. So, okay, not as much or as often as she would have liked, but she was doing fine.
Returning to the table with a large tray, she dispersed the small plates and the family devoured their portions. She stood there watching them and couldn't help but feel a pang of pain to her heart. How she envied those three girls.
"Ruth, are you busy this evening?" Lucinda said.
"No, ma'am, once the lunch rush is over, we close." And that rush ain't much anymore.
"I was thinking, Sarah now has her license and wants to go out, but as she's under eighteen she still needs an adult with her. Aaron and I are so busy, we can't go with her."
"Besides, what teen would want her mom or dad tagging along on her fun?" Mr. F said with a wink.
Lucinda grinned. "True. She's now at the 'I have no parents, I was hatched from a pod' stage of her youth."
"Mother, please," Sarah snapped.
"Oh, relax, child, or I will go with you," she shot back. "Anyway, I wanted to ask if you'd go with her. We'll pay you like for babysitting."
"That isn't necessary, I'd be more than happy to hang out with her," Ruth said with a smile and looked at Sarah. "We'll have a blast."
Ruth was grateful for the distraction. Despite having a great dessert item on the menu, the diner was struggling, and that struggle trickled down to a lowly server like her. Fewer guests meant less tips. That meant that she could really use the money they were offering, but she didn't feel right taking it. She thought of Sarah as a friend and friends weren't paid to spend time together.
Ruth smiled for the rest of the day. She was going to have a night out with a friend. Granted, Sarah was just a kid, but Ruth wasn't all that worldly an adult. She didn't have any close friends her own age. Between her poverty and bouncing from one foster family to another for years, she couldn't afford a night out and wasn't good at making solid relationships.
That evening, she hopped on her bicycle and zipped on over to the Fletcher's house. It was a big Colonial-type building. Ruth had never even been inside such a place, let alone lived in one. Well, there had been that group home she'd been sent to from age sixteen to eighteen. It had been big and right downtown, which made getting to work easier, but it was nothing like this place. No, this was a true home, a place where a family lived. Walking her bike down the wide driveway along the side of the house, she dumped it off to the side and knocked on the back door.
The door opened and little Amy stood before her, and instantly her mouth was watering. The most delicious aromas washed over her and she saw that everyone except Aaron was busy around the room. It was clear they'd recently finished dinner. Mrs. F was helping Claire with her homework, Sarah was standing at the sink doing dishes, and Amy must have been drying them (the dish towel in her hand made that clear).
"Hey, Ruth, how ya doin'?" Amy said.
"Come on in," Sarah called out. "We can leave as soon as I'm done with these dishes, if a certain someone will get over here and help me."
Amy scampered on over to continue working, a big grin on her face. Sarah's tone had been scolding, but also playful. Ruth stepped through the door, leaving it open, and just took the scene in. She had to blink, her eyes were suddenly quite watery, as here was a world she had never known, but always longed for.
"Young lady, I'll thank you to close the door," Lucinda said sternly. "We are not in the habit of heating the great outdoors."
Ruth looked around, saw the open door, and reached for it. "Oh, ah, sorry."
"And is that how you treat your bike?" she scolded, looking beyond Ruth to the driveway.
Ruth's back stiffened and she squirmed. "Ah, sorry again," she squeaked.
"Mom, lighten up," Sarah said. "She's a grown woman and not your kid."
"Humph, she's lucky she's not mine. I don't care about her age. If she was my daughter, she'd be standing for at least her next meal."
Ruth almost laughed. All three girls instantly stood up straight and swallowed hard. It was then that Ruth noticed something. Claire was not sitting at the table. She was standing to do her homework. A trickle of sweat ran down between Ruth's breasts, minimal as they were (Sarah's were at least a C and even Claire's were bigger).
"It's okay, Sarah, your mom's right," she said quickly.
Dashing outside, the cool evening air a welcome relief to the heat coursing through her body, she stood the bike up, came in and closed the door, and turned to Sarah.
"Hey, how about I help? Many hands and whatever. We'll get done quicker and can get going."
Her offer was instantly accepted and she set to work. Sarah washed, Amy dried, and Ruth put away. She had offered to dry, as she didn't know where things went, but Amy pointed out that she couldn't reach the upper cabinets. Besides, between the four of them, they were able to tell her where to put things. By the time they were done, she had the layout memorized.
"Goodness, Ruth, you are a sharp one," Mrs. F said with a smile. "Makes me wonder why you're wasting your time working in the diner. You should be in college."
"Um, well, I... don't have the time." Another lie. Damn, I'm really piling them up, aren't I? Well, it's not a complete lie.
"Mom, enough with the nose in other's business," Sarah said. "Come on, gf, fun time calls!" She grabbed Ruth by the elbow and dragged her toward the door.
"Remember, ten o'clock," Lucinda said. "And aren't you forgetting something?"
Sarah smiled and stepped over to her mother. They hugged. It was brief, but the love and warmth were clear. Ruth felt a thrust to her heart. How she longed for that, how she wished to do the same, but didn't dare ask. The pain of refusal, the embarrassment at asking a stranger for something so special was too great. She was glad when they climbed into Sarah's old Honda Civic and drove off. Ruth watched the scenery zip by for a few minutes, and then a question popped into her head.
"So, what'd you want to do?" Ruth said.
"Oh, it's all arranged, we're meeting up with some friends at the rink."
"Rink? Ah, the ice rink. Wait, we're going skating?"
"Yeah, my buds and I love it. You can skate, right?"
"Um, a little," she squeaked. Man, the lies just keep rolling off my tongue. "Wait, what are you going to tell your friends about me?"
"That you're another of my friends. Chill out, I could tell them you're my little sister or cousin and they'd buy it. Ah, here we are. Now, once I park, I just need to slip into the backseat for a minute, and then we're good to go."
"Um, okay," Ruth said as she pulled into the lot.
Once parked, Sarah just about dove over the seat, and began practically bouncing around. Ruth, totally confused, got out and stood next to the car. A moment later, Sarah emerged, and Ruth's jaw dropped. Sarah had changed from her snug jeans (the same as Ruth was wearing) into one of those teeny tiny ultra short skirts like the figure skaters wore! It made her legs look especially long.
She smiled and grabbed Ruth's arm. "Come on, tempus fugit!"
"Ah, yeah. Sarah, should you really be wearing that? I mean, what would your mom say?"
"Well, she ain't here, is she? Oh wait; you're not going to narc me out, are you?"
Ruth shook her head. "No, of course not! I'm your friend, which is why I'm worried about you."
"Well don't be. I got the old gal right where I want her."
Once inside, they got skates and met up with Sarah's friend, half a dozen teens from her school, and Ruth truly did feel like a little sister.
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