Welcome To Corbin's Bend

by Thianna D

  “Throwing things for a start, but you can also lose the attitude. Do you want your children to think it’s okay to behave like that when something doesn’t go your way?”

  “You know I don’t.”

  Zach could see Avvy coming down the hallway with her backpack. “They’re coming, now take a breath. Do you remember the warning you got last night? That’s another.”

  Erin slapped the lunch sacks on the counter and dropped in two sandwiches that she’d made earlier, two juice boxes and two apples. “Which cereal would you like Avvy?” she asked.

  “Cereal again?” Avvy pouted. “We had to have cereal every day this week. Couldn’t I have pancakes or waffles?”

  “Not this morning,” Zach said, pushing a bowl towards his daughter. “Eat some cereal and I’ll make some toast.”

  “I can make toast,” Erin said, her pout rivaling Avvy’s. “I’m not totally useless.”

  Zach gave his wife a pointed look. “Second one. You’re not useless at all.”

  “I love your cooking, Mom,” Jordan said, coming into the kitchen to give her Mom a hug. “Eww. What’s that mess?” she said, staring into the still open trash can.

  “Another one of Mommy’s cooking failures,” Erin said with a sob.

  “It looked better before it was in there Jordie,” Zach said. “Sit down and eat your cereal.”

  “Again?” she whined.

  “Do I have to tell you both about the starving children again?” Zach asked in his best teacher voice.

  “No,” Jordan answered with a sigh. She sat in her seat and poured some cereal in her bowl with little enthusiasm.

  “I’m already eating,” Avery said around a mouthful of Cheerios.

  Zach got up to start the toast. He leaned in and kissed his wife’s cheek. “That’ll be three my love,” he whispered in her ear.

  She opened her mouth but closed it again. “I’ll do the toast,” she said with a smile at her children. “I’m putting a cup cake in each of your lunches but you have to eat your apple first.”

  “How will you know if we don’t eat our apple first?” Jordan asked.

  “I have eyes in the back of my head.”

  “No you don’t,” Jordan said with a giggle.

  “Maybe,” Erin said, placing a jar of jelly on the table. “But if you decide to risk it you might find yourself with no treats in your lunch next time.”

  “Hmm. Apples taste worser after cup cakes anyways,” Jordan said.

  “I’m done, Mommy, I need you to do my braids please.”

  “You don’t want any toast?”

  “No thank you,” Avvy said. “The cereal was ok.”

  “Come on then, let’s do your hair. You come in when you’re done with your breakfast, Jord, I’ll do yours too.”

  “Okay,” Jordan said. “Why’s Mom throwin’ all the food away all the time?”

  “Mom’s nervous, she wants to make perfect food for the party,” Zach explained.

  “But Mom cooks great.”

  “Yes she does,” Zach said. That was it; he had to talk her into cooking something she already knew how to make before she’d become obsessed with this party. He didn’t mind what she cooked, but he hadn’t seen her this stressed for a long time, and he needed to help her with that. She always listened better with a warm bottom.

  While he waited for the girls to get their hair done, Zach cleared up the breakfast things and stacked the dishwasher. When they appeared, they had fresh faces and neat hair. They were all ready for the day to begin. “Go wait in the car for me girls,” Zach said.

  “Can I open the car please?” Avvy asked, pleading with her hands together as if in prayer.

  “No fair, it’s my turn. You opened the car yesterday,” Jordan whined.

  “So what? I called it.”

  “You can’t call opening the car door! It doesn’t count. Daddy should decide.”

  “I am deciding,” Zach said sternly. He walked out to the garage and clicked the lock. “Done,” he said, coming back inside.

  “See what you did. You made him mad.”

  “I’m not mad, but go buckle up and I’ll be out in a minute.”

  “Wanna kiss me good-bye?” Erin asked with a wince.

  “Always,” Zach said kissing his wife. “But I also wanted to tell you something before I left.”

  “Uh-oh.”

  “Uh-huh. Someone needs some stress relief.”

  “You?” Erin asked hopefully.

  “No.” Zach slapped Erin’s behind. “But this is a little more than that. Three warnings, Erin. You know you’re getting spanked and yet you’ve still got attitude, and in front of the kids. I’ll come home at lunch, make sure you’re where you should be.”

  “But I have to go and get some more supplies.”

  “That can wait. The party isn’t for two days.”

  “But I haven’t had time to even get something right enough to choose what I want to cook.”

  “That is totally your decision, but I suggest that you make something that you know. Something we love.” He frowned. “Some of this food you’re throwing away has expensive ingredients in it. You can’t just keep tossing it away like it’s nothing. It’s not right.”

  “I really don’t have time for the starving children lecture and none of what I make is special enough for strangers.”

  Oh but she was overdue for a damn good spanking. “That’s just silly. It’s dinner with friends.”

  “They’ll be judging me.”

  “No they won’t. It’s a pot luck. Their food may not be up to scratch. Will you be judging them?”

  “No,” she had to say.

  Zach kissed his wife again and headed for the door. “Remember. Be in place with your butt bared.”

  The house was eerily quiet when the door clicked shut after Zach. She’d done it again. Why? Why did she let herself get so worked up? This morning had been mild compared to the tantrum she’d thrown the night before when testing the stupid fish for dinner…

  “Hi, honey.”

  Zach wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek. “Hi.” She kissed him back.

  “Mom, can we go to the park?”

  “Do you have homework?”

  “Just a little,” Jordan said. “It’ll only take me but ten minutes.”

  “Well good, then it won’t hold you up too much to get it out of the way now.”

  “Geez.”

  Erin watched Jordan slope up the hallway to her room dragging her back pack behind her. “Don’t rush it., Dad’ll check it before bed.”

  “How did I end up with a teacher for a Dad?” She heard her mutter.

  “Can I go to the park if I do my homework?”Avvy asked.

  “You sure can,” Erin said.

  “So what are you making?” Zach asked. “This looks exotic.”

  “I hope it is. Obviously, that is a large trout that I am serving with,” she looked at the recipe book propped up on the counter, “brown butter and coriander sauce.”

  “Fancy.”

  “I know, but look at the picture, honey. Don’t you think it will look impressive in the middle of all the other dishes?. I mean I know this is a pot luck and I’m sure that everyone’s dishes will be wonderful, but this is our home and we’re the hosts and I want what I make to be special.”

  “You want people to go home and say, ‘did you see that fish’, I get it.”

  “I also want them to say did you taste that fish?”

  “Oh, of course.”

  “And the reason you’re trying to sell this to me?”

  “The fish wasn’t cheap,” she said with a wince, “and this is just a tester. I need another one for Friday night.”

  Zach kissed her forehead. “We can afford a couple of fish,” he said. “I’m just happy to see you so enthusiastic.”

  “Thank you, thank you. Now go and watch TV or something while I sear my fish’s skin.”

  “Yes Ma’am.”

  Eri
n flipped his butt with a kitchen towel.

  “Oy!” he said with a grin. “If you want to play with your fish you don’t want to go there.”

  “Spoil sport.” Erin giggled.

  The girls ran through in their play clothes which for Jordan were a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that had seen better days and for Avery was a dress. Her hair was still the way it was when she got home from school. Neatly tied up in braids. She didn’t like it when her Mom had to tug out knots. Jordan’s hair was out and untangled from her braids, but not brushed or anything. That was her. Erin wished she could be that carefree.

  “Bye girls. Have fun.”

  “How long do we have?”

  “An hour and a half,” Erin said, and they were gone.

  Although she did have some issues fitting it in the pan, the trout was finally laying there, looking spectacular on the shiny foil. The skin was beautifully brown and crispy. The colors Erin used for the garnishes were the perfect contrast. Inside the fish, various herbs and different colors of cherry tomatoes spilled out showing off their vibrant colors. Along its back were thin slices of lemon. The last stage before making the sauce was to wrap the fish and bake it in the oven. Erin wrapped that fish with as much care as she would have taken with a new-born baby. She had never been more proud of anything she had ever cooked.

  Enticing aromas filled the house. Erin dropped the butter into a pan and stood there stirring it as it melted .There was still a large glob in the middle of the pan when Jordan burst through the door with tears running down her face.

  “I fell,” she wailed.

  “Oh no,” Erin said, immediately going to see how bad it was. She had grazed her knee pretty badly.

  Zach was there by then and he scooped his daughter up. “I have this, honey, you finish your cooking.”

  “Are you sure you’re ok?” Erin asked.

  Jordan nodded.

  “Mom there’s smoke coming out of the pan,” Avvy said, having followed her sister home.

  “Oh no,” Erin said, rushing back and pulling the pan from the stove.

  “Daddy will fix you, Jordan,” she said, peering in at the now less smoky mess.

  “Can I help?” Avvy asked.

  “Not this time, hon. You can go and watch television.”

  “Thanks!” Avvy jumped off her stool and disappeared in a flash.

  Erin looked into the pot. It didn’t look that bad. It was a little darker around the edges than it maybe should have been but it was brown butter sauce. She could hide that anyway with the other stuff. She continued with the few last ingredients, all the time stirring over a low heat, determined not to burn the end result.

  “Dinner is served,” Erin said proudly as she laid the platter with her impressive fish next to the bowls of mashed potatoes and green beans. The girls clapped and Zach looked on with wide grin.

  “That looks spectacular, honey.”

  It did look spectacular, even if she did say so herself. She’d poured the sauce all over the entire dish and it positively gleamed. “Would you like to serve?” she asked Zach.

  He stood up and scooped portions on to everyone’s plate. The family said grace and they started. Erin watched everyone’s faces expectantly. Zach’s face was stoic as he chewed carefully. Avvy said nothing but she wasn’t even chewing. She just held the food in her mouth. Jordan was the first one to give her honest opinion. She spat her offending mouthful back on to the plate.

  “That is so gross,” she said, dry retching for full effect.

  Erin’s eyes filled with tears and popped her fork full in to her mouth to see what was wrong with the food. She carefully picked up her napkin and emptied the contents of her mouth. “Don’t eat it,” was all she said, standing and taking the platter with her.

  “I can call a pizza,” Zach said.

  “Do what you have to, to feed your children.”

  “Honey, I’m sure there was just a small mistake with the recipe.”

  The girls were wide-eyed. “I’m sorry I said it was gross, Mommy,” Jordan said. “It just tasted a bit like medicine.”

  “That’s nice of you to say, honey, but you were right the first time, it was gross. Why don’t you two go play while you wait for the pizza to come.”

  “Nice one, Jordan. You almost made Momma cry.”

  “I didn’t mean to.”

  The voices disappeared into one of the bedrooms and Erin burst into tears. “I have wasted the entire day on this! I spent a lot of my food budget on the ingredients and did everything the recipe said!”

  “It’s okay, Erin, you tried.”

  “Well I can’t serve ‘trying’ up to a bunch of people on Friday, can I?” She thumped her foot down on the trash can foot lever to open the lid and it bounced, just as she heaved the contents from the platter into it. It landed on the closed lid with splashes of the poison sauce going everywhere. “Oh for fuck sake!” she shouted into the cabinet door as she banged it open and shut in frustration before bending to wipe the cabinet door. Zach was behind her in a second and the giant wooden spoon clapped off her bottom.

  “I never want to hear that word in this house again. Do you hear me?”

  The spoon bounced off the target Erin had put right in front of Zach. She regretted sorely having had to bend to clean off the counters. “I’m sorry! It just slipped out.”

  “Then make sure it doesn’t slip out again. You need to calm down.”

  Zach fixed her with a firm glare and she sighed. She’d certainly made a mess of things. “I’m sorry.”

  “I know,” Zach said in a softer tone. “I want us to enjoy having friends over. I don’t want it to make more stress for you.”

  “I’ll calm down. Once I figure out what I’m going to cook, I’ll be fine.” She rubbed her bottom. “I hate that thing.”

  Zach chuckled and flicked her bottom with it gently one more time. “It loves you, I think. Consider that your first warning. If you don’t calm down, you’re going to get yourself in to real trouble.”

  “Okay, I get it.”

  “Now I’ll order this pizza and then we’ll clean up together.”

  “Thanks.”

  Obviously she was hard of hearing or slow to understand what he meant because here she was again, in trouble. He’d only come home for lunch with the pure intention of spanking her once before, when she’d neglected to tell him that the girls school fees check had bounced. It wasn’t on purpose, she just hadn’t noticed. I guess it would be embarrassing though for one of the teachers at the school to miss a fee payment. It had been a quick spanking but one that had stayed with her for a couple of days. She had to wonder what he had in store this time.

  Erin started cleaning. That was a job she had to do, anyway, for visitors and it took her mind off what was coming. Before she knew it, it was ten to one. She went in to the bedroom and showered, not bothering to wear anything else but a short t-shirt. She pulled open the dresser drawer and removed the paddle. It was a small wooden paddle that Zach had made himself. It had a high shine and it stung like the dickens. Zach had spent a lot of time on that paddle. The first time he’d used it, it hadn’t been varnished. Sanded well, but not varnished. It hurt, but it hurt more after. That had made Zach very enthusiastic about getting a high shine on it. He left each coat of varnish to dry thoroughly for days before sanding and coating it again, until he was finally happy with the finished product. She wasn’t so keen. Just the feel of it in the palm of her hand, made her tummy sink with dread.

  There wasn’t much time to ponder her fate, though. She took herself out to the living room. It wasn’t often they used this room for punishment; mainly because the children were in the house. When they weren’t however, when they knew they couldn’t come back at any time, this was Zach’s room of choice.

  She heard the car on the driveway and her face flamed. Butterflies tickled her insides and she could feel the familiar thump in her chest. It wasn’t fear or excitement, it was a strange mixture of the two. Even
though her husband was going to bring that paddle down on her rear with speed and enthusiasm, both she and Zach knew it would give her peace. Not to mention that it was also a mighty fine reminder for her to curb her stinky attitude. This was an act of love from Zach. He’d give up his lunch time, and he’d have to rush back to work after, probably without eating, to a class full of kids that needed him. He was taking the time out of his day to give her what she needed and she loved him for it. But, she wasn’t a saint. It was gonna hurt like hell and she had to force herself to lie over the sofa just before he came through the door.

  Zach didn’t bother clicking the alarm. This was a safe neighborhood and the kids were all in school. That was the only reason he bothered at all to lock the car was for safety reasons. He opened the front door with his key, hoping to see Erin in place. He wasn’t disappointed. Bent over his favorite chair was his wife in submissive mode. She was stark naked, her legs were slightly apart, and she was resting barely on her toes. Beside her was their paddle; the one he’d made for her a few years ago.

  “Good girl,” he whispered. He picked up the paddle and ran it over the palm of his hand. It felt cool and smooth. He circled both of her cheeks with the highly polished wood. She whimpered and Zach set a hand on her lower back to settle her. “Sh. I’ll make it quick,” he said. He brought the paddle down with a firm thwack across both cheeks.

  “Ow!” she tried squeezing her legs back together a little.

  He tapped the inside of her thigh. “Open them,” he said and then smacked her bottom again, this time several times in a row.

  She drummed the tips of her toes against the sofa. “It hurts,” she said breathily.

  “Hold still, Erin,” he said. “I do not want to see you waste any more food.”

  She panted as he whacked the lower part of her cheeks smartly.

  “You need to calm down and plan a menu that is within your means.” He smacked the paddle across the center of both her cheeks again. “Do you hear?”

  “Yes, Zach.”

  “Something that will allow you to enjoy your party instead of driving you and everyone else in the house to distraction.” He brought the paddle down across both pink cheeks several times in a row.