by LSF Publications
by by Anthony Alba
I was going to kill Rebecca. How could she have done this to me? It was not as if I had not been invited. The date of my arrival and everything had been pre arranged. Rebecca knew I had difficulty with strangers. She had promised that I would receive a warm welcome. Ringing ahead was a waste of time of course. As soon as I had gotten off the bus my phone signal had been down to one bar. Ten minutes walk later and a NO SIGNAL message was all that it would show. And of course, scatterbrain that she was, Rebecca had never thought to give me her home landline number.
"I am so terribly sorry about this Mrs Garner," I said and tried not to grimace. I was never good with strangers, not like Rebecca who could have them telling her their whole life story a few seconds after exchanging "Hello's."
I looked around searching for a solution but there was nothing I could think of. "I can come back another day when Rebecca is here."
"Nonsense," Mrs Garner replied as she quickly recovered from the surprise of my arrival. I was expected two days from now or so it seemed. She flashed me a warm reassuring smile. "Rebecca has told me so much about you, how you helped her out so much during her first year at college."
The woman glanced to her watch and she shook her head. "And all the busses will have stopped running by now. I'm certainly not sending such a good friend of my daughter out into the dark."
I nodded slowly. In truth I had not been looking forward to venturing out this late in the evening. I was a city girl and this far into the remote countryside might as well have been a foreign land. I had enjoyed admiring the scenery from the bus, but at night with no street lamps or glowing neon signs to light the way, it felt eerie and foreboding.
"And Rebecca did say she had invited you to stay a few days during the summer," Mrs Garner went on as she took me by the arm and led me deeper into her home. "My Becky can be such a scatterbrain at times. It would be just like her to get her dates mixed up. She should be back tomorrow."
"I don't want to impose," I told the woman. And I didn't. The idea of staying in a strange house with a middle-aged woman who I did not know was not high up on my list of how to spend a night. But what choice did I have? She was right. The buses would have stopped by now and I didn't even have a torch. The light on my mobile phone would not carry far enough to navigate the country lanes and road. Did the nearby village even have a hostel or hotel I could stay at?
"I'll not hear another word on the topic," Mrs Garner said firmly. "I hope you don't mind but you will have to sleep in Rebecca's room tonight. I will make up the spare room tomorrow. Now, would you like a nice cup of tea with some fresh home made apple pie?"
After all day cramped on various buses I was quite glad to be able to stretch out and relax in the Garner sitting room. It looked homey with photographs all over the place. Most were of Rebecca at various ages, others were of the family and her dad who I knew had passed away a few years ago. I could not put my finger on it but there was warmth in the room, a sense of family that was quite reassuring.
And the tea and apple pie were really nice too.
Mrs Garner did her best to put me at ease and after a few minutes it became clear to me where Rebecca had gotten her social skills from. It was almost as if I had known this woman all my life; she had that way of making you feel at ease. I began to feel some of my earlier awkwardness drain away, but as enjoyable as the company was, the early start and being stuck on one cramped bus after another began to catch up on me. Try as I might I could not stifle one yawn after another.
"You must be tired," Mrs Garner murmured in understanding as my face went bright red at being so rude. I quickly ducked my head down. I had always hated the way my cheeks blushed so brightly at the slightest provocation. Why could I not be so cool and poised like Rebecca?
"And here I am rattling on," my friend's mother said. "And you too polite to tell me you want an early night. I do apologise."
I gave her a quick grateful smile. Here it was me being rude yawning so, yet she made it as if it was her fault and she had to apologise to me. I was really starting to like this woman even though I had only laid eyes on her a few hours ago.
"Come on dear, I'll show you were you can get sleep."
"The bathroom is there, with fresh towels in the morning for a shower," she said and pointed. "And here is Rebecca's room. I do hope you don't mind but Rebecca was to help me clear out the spare room tomorrow when she got back." She gave me an embarrassed look. "I'm afraid we tend to accumulate all sorts of junk in there when it's not in use."
"I'm sure it will be fine," I told her. She opened the door and, to my surprise, I could see that the room was neat and orderly. This was supposed to be Rebecca's room? At college she had tended to be a bit on the disorganised side. I'd lost track of the number of times I had nearly tripped and fallen over this item or that discarded on her floor. This place looked like it would have brought a smile to the most demanding drill instructor. Everything was neat and orderly just like I liked things.
"In fact it's just perfect." I turned to tell Mrs Garner and then my eyes saw it. Hanging on a hook set high on the back of the bedroom door I could see it just over my host's shoulder.
"What's that?" I gasped wide-eyed in surprise, and immediately I clamped my mouth shut.
What's that? Was that the best I could come up with? It was obvious what it was. Fresh colour began to creep into my cheeks. I should have kept my lips buttoned instead of drawing attention to... it.
Mrs Garner looked back to see what had drawn my attention but seeing it she did not look in the least bit embarrassed. In fact she might well have been explaining the pattern on the wallpaper.
"Oh that? That's just Rebecca's strap."
My mouth fell open and I probably did a great impression of a goldfish for a few seconds before I could overcome my shock.
"My little Rebecca can be a bit of a handful," her mother said fondly. "But I always find a dose of the leather to the bare bum settles most girls down right quick."
She said it as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Maybe around here it was. After all, I had always heard that rural folk were more traditional. "But surely you don't... I mean not anymore. Rebecca's nineteen."
Mrs Garner shrugged as if her daughter's age was completely irrelevant. "As long as she stays under my roof I expect her to obey my rules. That's the way my mother reared me and the leather never did me any harm."
For a second her eyes became distant in memory and, curiously, her lips actually curled up in the hint of a smile. Surely I must have been mistaken.
"Except having to eat my dinner from the mantelpiece of course," she chuckled. I had no idea what she meant. Why would she eat from the mantelpiece? A few seconds later the meaning of that statement began to register, and I looked away until I could compose myself.
I nodded far too quickly as I struggled to process what I was learning. Mrs Garner had seemed so... so perfect. Almost like a mother out of an Enid Blyton story. I was having a hard time imagining this poised and kindly woman wielding a strap against Rebecca's bottom. Rebecca, who was so affable, so poised, so much better at making friends that I was. And had she said 'bare'?
Something of my confusion must have shown on my face. "So Becky never said anything about it, did she?" her mother asked. She did not wait for an answer. The way I was floundering probably told her everything she needed to know.
"Maybe Becky thinks because we have a guest she can be excused from discipline." The thin smile that spread across her face did not bode well for that idea. "Well, best you know everything; that way it won't come as a shock to you."
"Everything?" I croaked.
"My Rebecca is my pride and joy," Mrs Garner said with no small measure of affection and love. "But from time to time she needs a firm hand."
Boy, could I relate. How many times at college had I had to chide her about leaving papers and reports to the very last minute? To say nothing of staying out late the night before important tests.
"So when she needs a bit of discipline she will be sent to her room. She changes into her old school uniform and then takes the strap back in to me. She'll get a few licks of the leather and once I'm satisfied she's learnt her lesson I let her put on her regular clothes. Until then she stays in her uniform. Even if she has to run errands for me in the village."
Mrs Garner must have misread my expression. "Don't fret, dear. I don't expect you to subject yourself to such a regime." She gave me a fond smile. "And from what Becky tells me, you are such a good girl, or a swot as she says, that I gather you're never in trouble." She glanced at the strap dangling from the door. "I can take it down for the night if it's bothering you."
"No," I exclaimed. I took a deep breath and in a more measured tone I went on. "No need for that. In fact it's fascinating."
The moment the words left my mouth I wanted to sink into the ground with embarrassment. I hated having to react on the spot like this. I always said the wrong thing. "I'm studying psychology at college and behaviour modification is part of the course."
I nodded to the bed and raised my hand to cover another yawn, forced this time. For some reason I did not feel tired any more. "I'm going straight to bed and I'll not even notice it."
Apparently satisfied, Mrs Garner smiled at me. "Well if there is anything you need don't be afraid to ask. Goodnight, dear."
When morning came I still felt as if I could do with another night's sleep. How long had I lain in bed tossing and turning with sleep refusing to come? Try as I might I could not get the image of Rebecca bending over for the strap out of my mind. I could understand why she had never said anything to me, but surely she must have known that I might learn about her discipline regime if she invited me to stay a few days?
Reluctantly, I threw back the bed sheets and got out of bed. The soft heavy carpet was lovely under my bare toes, but as if with a will of their own, my eyes were drawn to the back of the door and what hung there.
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