by Susan Thomas
Jack smiled, turned toward the many eyes, gave them a wave, took a bow and then taking Kathy's hand led her to his car. Kathy was a bit worried about the hike. She had tramped large parts of the moors near her home but this area had mountains and she was afraid she wouldn't be very good at it. In fact the trail Jack had chosen wasn't as hard as ones she had done back home although the views were spectacular. She kept up the pace easily and was now glad she had done so much with her mum though at the time she hadn't always appreciated it. If they came to any difficult bit Jack insisted on helping her though she actually didn't need any help but she thought it probably better to let him do it. They reached a high point with him helping her up and accidentally she fell into his arms but he didn't let her go.
She looked up at him her heart beginning to beat hard and her whole body pulsing with feelings she never had before. He began to kiss her and she responded, at first cautiously but soon with passion. Once again she felt as if there was nothing else only Jack and they were merging into one, whirled higher and higher in some way which she knew must end with making love.
Suddenly Jack broke off. "Whew!" His voice sounded shaky, "Kathy, I..."
"Please kiss me again Jack."
They began to kiss again, this time it was slower, less passionate but more intense. Kathy could feel that Jack had an erection, it pushed against her and excited her. Her heart was racing and her breathing changed... she wanted him and wanted him urgently. She knew if he asked her, she would take off all her clothes and let him into her. She had never felt this way before... its power was almost frightening but she didn't care.
He broke away again his voice husky and strained. "I want you so badly but it would be wrong of me. Kathy sit with me, I have something I want to ask you."
She was almost disappointed but she knew he was right. She began to tremble with reaction her feelings had been so strong.
"Cold?" Jack asked, concerned.
Kathy laughed. "No my body is disappointed - it was all ready for something else!"
Suddenly they were both laughing, almost uncontrollably, a reaction that lasted for some time until weak they sipped some water and Kathy composed herself to be serious for him.
"Kathy I have never felt this way about any woman or girl before. When I am with you it so often feels as if there is no one else but us in the whole universe. When I am not with you I feel alone even when I am with others. I think about you all the time.
"It's too soon for me to propose to you, at least it isn't for me but probably is for you so what I am suggesting is..." Kathy was almost open mouthed. She had not been expecting this. "...that we have a period of courtship. You know, a sort of prelude to getting engaged formally and then finally married. I know this isn't very romantic. Oh bother I am making such a hash of this."
Kathy laughed and buried herself in his chest. "No you're not," she told his chest. "It's lovely but I'm not sure."
"No of course you're not. What an oaf I am. I'm sorry, all too soon right?"
"It's my mum. Would I be betraying her? I mean it's only months ago...do you understand?"
Kathy could see the transformation in him. He wasn't Jack, in just a moment he was Pastor Myerscough.
"I'd like you to think for a moment about your mom's behaviour. Long before her death she was busy saving, buying an apartment for you to live in, insuring her life and investing in a pension plan. Must have been tough but she wasn't just thinking of herself, she was providing for you if anything should happen to her. She had to, she had no family. Then when she got sick what did she do? Why she told you nothing about how serious it was; she wanted you to be able to concentrate on your school work so you could graduate or whatever it is you do over there. She made arrangements with your church for them to look after you and she put all her affairs in order, made a will or whatever so that everything would go real smooth when she passed. Why did she do that? Well she wanted you to have a future, to live your life with the best provision she could make for you. She was in effect saying, 'Kathy, I love you, go and live your life to the full'. Her behaviour was an unselfish act of love."
Kathy sat wishing she could cry at this but holding back the tears because Jack had in effect proposed to her. Instead she asked, "Is courting really a sort of journey towards marriage?"
"Yes that's a good way of putting it - a journey towards marriage."
She suddenly felt very shy. "Well in that case it's a journey I'd like to take. Where do I get a ticket?"
Jack laughed loudly and seized her before kissing her. When they paused for breath he said, "I have the tickets already. Let's hop on board."
Kathy remembered almost nothing of the rest of their hike or the meal they took together in a restaurant looking out over mountains. That evening she couldn't even remember what she had eaten. It wasn't late when he dropped her off back at the college. They kissed goodbye and she wandered back to her room in a sort of daydream drifting into the room where Stacey was working hard on an assignment.
She glanced up and began to ask, "How did your hike go?" But she got no further than the first word. She stood up. "Kathy, your face. He didn't propose did he?"
Kathy grinned at her. "Sort of, we are officially courting with a view to marriage."
Stacey screamed, hugged her, danced around the room, hugged her again and then danced some more. "I was right. I, Stacey the Wise was right. I told you, Mrs Pastor Jack Myerscough. I knew it. I can be a bridesmaid right? Oh please, please, I've never been a bridesmaid and I did foretell-"
"Stacey, it's courtship. We aren't engaged yet. It's like a journey."
"Oh stuff and nonsense, you'll be married by the summer. What will you do about college? A July wedding I think. College finishes sort of mid-June so a couple of weeks... yeah early July, that gives you the whole summer together if you do go back to college. Oh! I'll have to get a new roommate."
"Stacey! Stop! Be calm, take deep breaths. Yes, if and when we set a date you will be bridesmaid. Everything else is unnecessary right now so relax."
Of course Stacey could not calm at least not for a while. She had to go and tell others on their floor and the floor supervisor. An impromptu party began full of enthusiasm and excitement but lacking alcohol but none the worse for that, it was ended only by lights out.
---oOo---
To cement their courtship Jack asked Kathy to come with him to his parents' home for Thanksgiving. His parents were anxious to see Jack again especially as he was going to remain with the church over Christmas, and when he told them about her they promptly invited Kathy too. Naturally she accepted that invitation though she had several others. She had a hard job explaining that she had never actually celebrated Thanksgiving before. Stacey in particular couldn't quite grasp why until Kathy, exasperated, showed her an internet explanation of the celebration and at last the penny dropped.
Olivia began spending more time with Kathy, Stacey and their friends. Her parents approved of this a great deal. They considered the college girls to be sensible and reliable, but Kathy and Stacey were worried. They suspected strongly that while Olivia might sometimes say she was with them that wasn't always the case, she was actually with Adam. Kathy was really worried about Adam's intentions. She was pretty sure Olivia was not as yet in a sexual relationship with him, which he tolerated because he spent so little time with her. However, Kathy suspected he wouldn't even have accepted that unless he had some long term plan for Olivia. She had read a great deal back in England of gangs of men who befriended girls, seduced them with talk of love before beginning to dominate them utterly, and the final stage was to sell their sexual services to other men. Seeing some of the men Adam hung around with she suspected that was his intention for Olivia. She kept as close an eye on her as she could.
Thanksgiving came and Jack and Kathy made the journey to his parents' home. It was a two-hour drive during which she became increasingly nervous. She would be nineteen in March but she felt very young and worried that they
would disapprove of her relationship with their son. She had no idea what she was expecting in terms of where they lived. It could have been quite a poor house for all she knew, after all Jack had done manual work when he ran away from home. She assumed he hadn't been abused or anything since he seemed very fond of his parents but their home surprised her. It was a huge house in extremely spacious grounds set by a lake and in what was clearly an exclusive area. When they pulled up she sat staring at the house and breathed, "Oh my goodness."
Jack smiled. "I guess I should have warned you they are wealthy. It was the wealth I ran away from. I wanted to be ordinary. I failed in that totally but I was only a teenager."
Kathy met Jack's two younger sisters Charlotte and Amanda. Charlotte was a young accountant and had no boyfriend even, let alone husband. Amanda was at medical school. Kathy was very nervous indeed of meeting them and his parents Jack (Senior) and Abagail. They however, seemed delighted with her. They were not stuck-up or snobbish in any way and in fact very relaxed and casual. Kathy spent three days with the family and by the time they left she was sure that if she and Jack did get married they would be extremely happy about it.
Also at this time the Andertons kept inviting her to Sunday lunch which they seemed to think was entirely natural since she and Olivia were friends. Kathy was reluctant to go. She wanted nothing from these people but at the same time she wanted answers and hoped that by being there she might find them.
---oOo---
Christmas loomed and all was going well. Kathy never got less than an A-grade for any work and her tutor never had to give her a CTC because her inclination to procrastinate seemed to have disappeared. She really didn't understand why, unless it was the highly disciplined atmosphere in the college, which was after all why she had chosen it. Stacey's grades improved steadily with the help of Kathy's guidance. All she actually did was slow Stacey down and make her think about what the assignment really required, but her friend thought she was wonderful. Mr and Mrs Bukoski thanked her profusely whenever they saw her, telling her what a good influence she was on Stacey.
One time Kathy said, "Do you realise what a good and kind friend Stacey is to everyone? She is particularly so to me. She has a real gift for helping others. She may find academic work challenging but she is a wonderful person."
They were most touched by that and surprised her by inviting her to spend Christmas with them. She thanked them and asked if she could have time to think about it. Kathy then realised that actually she had nowhere to go at Christmas. The college would be closed and the girls were all going to their homes but she now had no home and no family. It came as a shock to her to realise that.
Around that same time Olivia got into trouble. She borrowed her mother's car without permission and went off for several hours. Kathy suspected it was to see Adam but Olivia wouldn't tell anyone where she had gone. Her dad spanked her bottom harder than usual, grounded her for two weeks and banned her from using her mother's car for three months. Kathy was relieved as it would probably keep Olivia from seeing Adam at least until after Christmas.
Then she had a whole series of invitations to come and spend Christmas. The Dean invited her to join his family, and her floor supervisor also extended an invitation. The Chaplain gave her yet another, and Pastor Brad said she should come to his family which had the added spice that Jack would be there. The one that got her attention was the Andertons. Both Matt and Madge were keen she should come, and the Duvals who would be there, encouraged her to accept. Kathy felt guilty that she was being deceptive but Christmas... maybe her father would make contact. She had heard no mention of him but Christmas is a time when families do get together. She hadn't been there at Thanksgiving but thought maybe he'd even come home at Christmas. That would be good, as she'd have a chance to really take him to task. She thanked the rest and declined but accepted the Andertons.
At Christmas the college put on a festival of carols and songs which it also took to various locations in the community. In addition there was a play to perform. Kathy was in both as she had both a lovely voice and was good at drama. Jack came to every event she was in much to Stacey's great amusement. The other girls made a point of looking out for him and pointing him out to Kathy who blushed every time they did so.
Finally the college closed down and Kathy had to go somewhere before she went to the Andertons. She went with Stacey and met all her sisters. Mr Bukoski was very much the stern head of the house though Kathy could see he needed to be as all his daughters were as scatty and noisy as Stacey. She was actually nervous he might want to spank her and having been spanked once she wasn't keen to repeat the experience but of course that never happened. There was a spanking while she was there. The sister immediately below Stacey was Sally; she was sixteen but clearly at a difficult stage and her behaviour at one meal became impossible to ignore. She was by turns sulky and then rude. Finally, his patience gone, her father snapped, "Sally, go up to your room. I shall be up shortly to discuss your behaviour with you."
Sally did obey but with a lot of what Kathy's mum used to call 'flouncing and bouncing,' slamming the door as she left the dining room. Kathy saw her father's eyes narrow and knew that Sally's bottom was going to be smarting quite soon. As he finished his meal slowly and carefully the females around the table were giving each other glances. Kathy interpreted them as meaning, 'she asked for it and now she is going to get it'. Kathy acted calm and carried on eating as if nothing had happened.
Finally Mr Bukoski sighed heavily, grimaced at his wife as if to say 'I hate this bit' and left the room looking depressed but determined. None of the females spoke. It really isn't pleasant knowing someone you love is in trouble, and although Kathy had only just met the girl she respected their feelings. The bedroom door must have been left wide open, for after the sound of scolding came a new sound - the sound of a smack. From what Stacey had told her, Kathy guessed the sound was a hand smacking down hard on a bare bottom. It continued to smack with a sharp sound at a good steady pace and was soon accompanied by squeals and cries. Then came the sounds of Sally protesting, after which pace of the spanking changed to sharp rapid smacking of the hand down upon the bottom and the squeals became very shrill and constant. Soon the spanking slowed again, sounding to Kathy like each smack of his hand was followed by some sharp scolding. Now Sally was sobbing and apologising. They couldn't hear the words but clearly she was repentant, her strop well and truly over.
Kathy thought back to when she was sixteen. She had been quite a little strop when she was fifteen or sixteen. She had huge flaming rows with her mum when she screamed at her, defying her over quite ridiculous things. She wondered whether if her mum had brought them to live with the rest of the Anderton clan, that would have been her - whether she would have been spanked and the matter ended quickly. In fact given Olivia was her age and was still spanked, would that still be her? She tried to imagine herself in that position; face down her bottom bared and a hand smacking down hard on it. She certainly wouldn't be stroppy for long if that happened!
"I am sorry Kathy, I expect you are terribly embarrassed." Mrs Bukoski looked mortified that this had all kicked off at the meal table.
Kathy smiled. "No not at all. I was just thinking back to what I was like at sixteen and wondering if my father had stuck around would I have been spanked. I think I wouldn't have been quite so stroppy if I'd known I could be getting what Sally is getting."
They all laughed at that but for Kathy it was a very real consideration. After all, things might very well have worked out differently. When Sally came back in the room she looked rather tearful and was rubbing her bottom gently with one hand. She was, however, calm and meekly apologised to everyone for her behaviour. Kathy remembered Olivia had done that and supposed it must be some sort of custom that was done here.
---oOo---
Kathy had never met Matt and Madge's youngest child Louisa (also her aunt of course). Louisa had married a pleasant, genial Irishman by the name of Colum
Murphy. The Murphy family lived some distance away in another state and their visits, although not rare, were more set piece events. As it was Christmas they were there and joining in the noisy family reunion. Their children were younger, with 'little' Louisa being eight, Hannah seven and Colin a happy five-year-old.
It was Christmas Eve, and Kathy felt very uneasy being in such a large group and her conscience was bothering her that she hadn't told the truth. She knew precisely who they all were and what her relationship was to them. They thought she was just an English girl they had taken under their wing. So when Colin Murphy came up to her clutching a book and asked her to read it to him she was happy to do so. It was a book she recognised by an English writer and had lots of different voices for her to use. She began to read with a different voice for each character and using her face and body to add emphasis to the voices. Colin was delighted and his eyes grew wide as he listened to the story he clearly knew well.
When he asked for her to read it again she realised the conversation had stopped and they were all listening but she read it again with the same voices and when it was done Colin began chattering about the story. They talked for a while and then he suddenly put his head on one side and said, "You talk funny."
"Colin!"
Colin turned to his mum, "Well she does."
Kathy laughed. "No Colin where I come from everyone talks like this. If you went to where I was brought up they'd think you talk funny."
Colin considered this seriously for a moment and then said, "Is it like Ireland? They speak funny too, like Daddy."
"Yes it is sort of like that."
Colin's dad joined in. "You come from Lancashire I think. I have some relatives there and that sounds like a Lancashire accent."
"It is."
"So what are you doing here?"
"College, I go to the college out the other side of town."