Sylvia sipped the coffee, but her hands were shaking so badly she could barely hold the cup steady enough to drink. She badly needed a drink. “I need a few minutes alone,” she said, rising to her feet. “I’ll be out back.”
“You are not going out there by yourself, Sylvia. I’m pretty sure you have a bottle hidden in the privy.”
“Damn you! This is my house and I can have a drink if I want one. You can leave right now.”
“No, Sylvia. You are going to get sober. Tell me, how long has it been since you’ve been sober?”
She didn’t answer him. He got up and topped off her cup. “Drink up,” he ordered.
Sylvia glared at him, but she sat down and folded her arms across her chest in disapproval. She decided she simply wouldn’t speak to him and eventually he would leave. Her eyes fell on the dirty dishes in the dishpan and she frowned when she realized that her little girl wasn’t here to do the dishes. She would have to do them herself. It wasn’t fair! She really needed a drink. She picked up her up coffee and sipped it. She kept doing that while watching the big man. He wasn’t ugly, and she put his age a good ten to fifteen years older than her thirty years of age. His hair was coal black and streaked with silver, and his eyes were blue. He had laugh lines around the corners of his eyes and she found that attractive for some strange reason. He was watching her and in spite of his size and his threat to take his belt to her, she didn’t feel afraid of him. She still had burning handprints on her bottom and she really shouldn’t have kicked him. He was really big, and his hands were the size of platters. She felt her face burn with embarrassment as he caught her staring.
“Drink that coffee, Sylvia. And try to eat your sandwich. It doesn’t taste very good, but it is food to fill your belly.”
“There is nothing wrong with the ham… or the bread! I made it yesterday for Kathy, but she didn’t do what I asked her to do. She said she had homework and… Oh my God, what is wrong with me?!!” she suddenly asked, and then burst into tears. Hiram was at her side right away, holding her.
“There you go now, Sylvia. There is the loving Mama hiding inside you. When that alcohol is all gone you will think clearly again. Try to stop crying and drink more coffee.” Hiram insisted she drink another cup of the hot liquid, and Sylvia did her best to get it down. She suddenly felt like she was going to throw up. She barely made it outside the back door in time. Hiram held her when she felt shaky, and he helped her back inside. He gave her some water to drink and told her to slip slowly.
“My head hurts,” she told Hiram, her voice sounding pitiful.
“I’m sorry, Sylvia. Getting sober and free of drink can be painful, but I think you are sober enough now to understand what is going on with Kathy; am I right?”
“I want her back, Hiram. I love my baby.”
“I believe you, Sylvia, and she told me how much she loves you. If you want her back you are going to have to get and stay sober. I will be watching you, and if you slip, I’ll be right there to pick you up and set your sweet arse on fire.”
“But, I don’t want you to spank me,” she wailed. “It hurt, Hiram!” Her head hurt, too.
“And how do you think a belt felt to little Kathy, Sylvia?” he asked, his large hands going to the leather belt he wore to hold up his work pants. It was soft and supple from use and he knew it was going to hurt when he applied it to her backside,
“I am so sorry, Hiram. I hope she will forgive me. I don’t know why I did something so wrong. She’s not a bad child. I am the bad one… a bad mother. I don’t deserve such a sweet little girl,” she claimed, weeping. “I’m so sorry.”
“I am sure you are. Get up now and bend over the table, Sylvia. You are going to get a touch of my belt so that you know how it feels and the next time you are tempted to punish Kathy with a belt you will recall this and change your mind.” He was surprised when she actually got up from the chair and bent over the table. She was crying… and he suspected she was feeling guilty as could be. He also knew that she didn’t feel well. It was probably the best time to get this punishment done and over with. It would make an impression and she would cry herself to sleep for the night. “Pull up your skirts, young lady. You are a grown woman and grown women get punished on the bare.”
Sylvia cried harder, but she had no right to complain. No right at all. She whipped little Kathy with a belt for doing her homework instead of washing dishes! It was terrible, and she was going to take the punishment she earned, even if that meant raising her skirts… and lowering her drawers. She pulled up her skirts and untied the string on her plain white drawers. She shoved them down and then waited. She felt so terribly guilty and a spanking would hopefully take away that guilt. It didn’t matter to her that she didn’t know Hiram Nielson. He was defending Kathy, and she wanted her little girl back. She braced herself.
Hiram felt tears sting his eyes. It had been years since he punished a woman, but he knew that Sylvia was full of guilt. She wasn’t protesting his orders one little bit, and she was braced for a severe lacing with his belt. Hiram knew she needed it, but he wasn’t a cruel man. He gave her one biting stripe on the fullest part of her bottom and she screamed in pain. “It hurts, doesn’t it, Sylvia?”
“Yes, sir, it does. I’m so sorry I struck Kathy. Please, God, forgive me!”
Hiram gave her another on her upper thighs and she howled and bawled loudly. “Do you agree that this is too harsh for a little girl?” he asked.
“Yes, Hiram. I feel terrible I did this to her.”
“I’m going to give you one more, Sylvia, and while I don’t want to do it, I think it is important you know how it feels.” It nearly made him sick, but he gave her back a hard lick with the leather. She screamed from the shock of the pain, and then she started begging and pleading with him not to do her back again. “Your back is not the place nature provides for spanking, is it, Sylvia?”
“No, sir.” She was sobbing.
“I agree. Will you give me your solemn word you will never punish another person on their back?” he asked quietly.
“Oh, yes. I promise. I won’t!” She sounded desperate, and he knew the pain across her back was almost unbearable. A man he’d worked for as a youth took a whip to him one time… He knew firsthand how she was feeling.
“Do you feel you need a proper spanking for the way you’ve behaved??” he asked, giving her a chance to beg off. She didn’t.
“Please, Hiram. I am in pain inside my heart and I need a hard spanking to take it away. Please…?”
Hiram didn’t hesitate. He gently raised her from the table, sat on his chair again, and settled her over his lap. “A belt is not to my liking,” he told her. “My hand is more than enough to lesson a little lady like you.” He started spanking and scolding, making sure the spanking lasted a good, long while. He knew he didn’t need to spank her hard… just long and steady, and give her to think it was never going to end. The woman needed time to wrap her mind around what was happening, and by the time he ended the spanking her bottom cheeks, thighs, and sit spots were a deep, dark red, and she was hot to the touch. She was well and truly punished and well on the way to being sober. He finally ended the spanking, pulled up her drawers, and then carried her over to her bed and removed her shoes. He also removed her dress and laid it neatly on a chair. He also stripped her of her petticoats and then covered her with the blankets and sat beside her and gently rubbed her back, trying to see through her camisole and hoping he didn’t harm her. The lesson was necessary, but he hated administering it.
“Thank you,” Sylvia finally managed to whisper. “Thank you, Hiram. I’ve needed that for a long time now. You asked me about my Willy… He was killed in a gunfight less than a month after we got married. When my Pa learned I was pregnant he kicked me out. He acted like I was a fallen woman even though I had me a marriage certificate to prove about Willy. It’s been so hard. I ain’t got no one but my little girl, and now she’s gone. I’m so sorry I was so mean to her. I promise I won
’t do it again. I know that Doc Z won’t believe me, and neither will that uppity woman he married, but I won’t. Will you help me, Hiram?” she begged. “I don’t want to drink no more, but I’m scared I will if the needing gets strong.”
“I’ll help you, Sylvia. Now you go to sleep and we’ll talk more tomorrow.”
“I’m really sore,” she said. “You spanked me real hard.”
“You’ll feel it for a day or two I reckon.” He felt like laughing at the face she made, but was glad he didn’t when she fell asleep so quickly. He wondered how long it had been since she slept without the aid of alcohol. He gave her a few minutes to be sound asleep and then Hiram went to work. He found all the bottles she had hidden and put them in a box. He even scouted the outhouse and found two bottles hidden out there. Once that was done, he started cleaning. He did all the dishes and dusted and swept, and then he looked around and tried to find a spot where he could sleep. The only bed was in the only bedroom, and there wasn’t even a cot for Kathy. He suspected she shared the bed with her Ma. Hiram found some extra bedding, and he spread out on the floor in front of the kitchen stove. He didn’t take his promise to Sylvia lightly. He would stay with her and help her stop drinking. Hopefully, by the time the Judge arrived, she would be sober and able to make a good impression on the man. He finally fell asleep, but slept lightly in case she woke up and needed him.
Sylvia did wake up, and she quietly got out of bed and rubbed her sore bottom. She needed a drink in the worst way, but she was determined to stay sober and get her daughter back. She decided that some warm milk would help, but there wasn’t any milk. She settled for a dipper of water and couldn’t remember the last time she shopped like a normal woman. She was so jealous when she saw Kathy baking with Mrs. Z. She should be the one teaching her own child! She covered her face with her hands and sobbed. She was feeling sorry for herself and taking her anger out on her precious little girl. First thing come daylight she was going to walk over to the Doc’s house and apologize to Kathy. Surely they would let her do that?
Chapter Ten
Hiram listened in the dark as Sylvia Crawford stopped crying and walked back to her bedroom. He heard her pull the chamber pot out from under the bed, and he heard her moan in pain when she sat to do her business. She then went back to bed, and within minutes her even breathing told him she was sleeping again. He was pleased that she didn’t go for the whiskey bottles. He almost got up and went to her… but he felt she needed the time to herself. The woman was entitled to a good cry. She was sore from the sound spanking he gave her, and he was sure she was feeling sick from sobering up. The fact that she did not go near the places where she kept her bottles made him proud of her. Hiram allowed himself to sleep.
To his surprise, she woke him come morning. Her face was red as could be and she looked at him in horror. “Hiram, you stayed here all night! What is everyone going to think?”
“They will think that I am trying to help you, Sylvia,” he answered as he got to his feet. “Let’s go and get some breakfast.”
“No. I want to go and see Kathy before she heads to school. I need to give her a hug and tell her how sorry I am. Do you think that uppity woman will let me see her?” she asked, resentment in her tone.
“She sure won’t if you go to her door with a chip on your shoulder, Sylvia. Mrs. Z. was only stepping in to help Kathy. Can you see that now that you’re sober?”
“I feel so sick this morning it’s all I can do to function, Hiram,” she admitted, her eyes meeting his. “I want a drink, but I know I can’t have one if I want Kathy back, and I want her to come home. But, I need to see her and make sure she wants to come home. She might hate me now because I was so mean to her.” Sylvia bowed her head, suffering at the thought.
“Kathy don’t hate you, Sylvia. Get your shawl and I’ll walk you over there so you can see your little girl. Then we’ll have us some breakfast and you can open up your store.” She didn’t answer, but went to get her shawl. He took a good look at her and realized that she was truly ill. He was going to have to keep her close over the next few days until she felt much better.
Once they arrived at Doc and Mrs. Z’s door, Hiram knocked. The door was opened immediately by Lucy. “Good morning, Hiram. You are in time for… Oh, I didn’t see you, Mrs. Crawford.”
“I need to see Kathy before she leaves for school, Mrs. Z. Please!” Sylvia hated begging, but she had to see Kathy.
Lucy looked at Hiram and he nodded that it was okay. She smiled graciously and stood away from the door, opening it wide. “Please come in. We just started breakfast, and I can seat two more…?”
“No, Mrs. Z.,” Hiram said firmly. “I am going to take Sylvia to the restaurant for breakfast, and then help her open up her store. I might not get back here today, but…”
“It’s all right, Hiram.” Lucy could see the difference in Sylvia, but she also realized that it would be a few days before the other woman was completely off alcohol. She was amazed that Hiram was helping her, but very grateful, too. She watched as Sylvia went over to kneel beside the chair where Kathy was eating her breakfast. Kathy stopped eating and put her little arms around her Mother’s neck and hugged her tightly.
“Kathy, I’m so sorry for hurting you and treating you badly. Mama was very wrong to use a belt on you and strike your back. I promise you that it will never happen again. Mama has been very ill, and Mr. Nielson is helping me to get better. Honey, I am so sorry for not taking better care of you; will you forgive me?” she asked, her eyes swimming in tears.
“I forgive you, Mama. I love you,” Kathy said solemnly.
Sylvia was weeping when she said, “I love you, too, Kathy. I love you.” She rose and then turned to Lucy and said, “I understand now why you interfered, Mrs. Z.” She bowed her head for a moment and Hiram knew she was swallowing her pride. “Could you keep Kathy another day or two until I get better and make a few changes at my house?”
“I would be happy to do that,” Lucy agreed.
“Thank you kindly. I want my little girl back and I want to do right by her. Hiram is going to help me.”
“I am,” he said, his deep voice strong and leaving no doubt that he would keep his promise.
Henry Zabarski entered the kitchen then and looked around in surprise.
“Doc Z,” Hiram greeted the doctor politely.
“Good morning, Hiram. Mrs. Crawford,” he nodded. He wondered why the woman was here so early and hoped she wasn’t upsetting little Kathy, or his wife. Lucy was smiling, however, and Kathy seemed happy.
“I wanted to see Kathy before she left for school, Doc Z,” Sylvia Crawford explained. “Mrs. Z. was kind enough to ask us inside.”
“Mama loves me a lot,” Kathy explained.
“I do love you a whole lot, sweetheart,” Sylvia said with a tender smile for the child. “Will you stay with Mrs. Z for a couple of days, Kathy, and give Mama some time to buy groceries and clean our home properly?”
“I like to stay here; Doc and Mrs. Z are real nice to me,” the child insisted, and she was unaware how much those words hurt her Mama.
“I’m glad,” Sylvia said, forcing a smile. “You be good now, hear?”
Kathy giggled. “I will, Mama.”
“Mrs. Crawford, would you like to take supper with us tonight and spend a bit of time with Kathy then?” Lucy asked, more than willing to give the woman a chance since she was trying to pull herself together.
Sylvia nodded, too choked up to speak.
“Hiram, you are invited, too, of course.” Lucy extended the invitation.
“Thank you, Mrs. Z,” he replied. “This is real kind of you and I know that Sylvia appreciates it very much, don’t you, Sylvia?” He encouraged her to speak.
Sylvia nodded. “I do.” Her eyes were so full of tears she was afraid she would start bawling at any second. These people were being so kind to her and she was ashamed of the way she’d treated them.
“Are you ready to leave for school, l
ittle lady?” Henry asked of Kathy, reminding them of the time.
“Yes!” she responded, jumping to her feet. “Bye, Mama. I’ll see you after school. Bye, Mr. Nielson. Bye, Mrs. Z.”
“Bye, Kathy,” Sylvia whispered, and bent down to kiss Kathy’s cheek.
“We’d better hurry, too, so you can open your shop, Sylvia,” Hiram suggested, taking her elbow and steering her toward the door.
Sylvia looked at Lucy and nodded gratefully in her direction, too emotional to trust herself to speak. She said nothing until Hiram pulled out a chair and seated her in the restaurant and the sad state of her bottom made her wince. “I am so sore I could smack you, Hiram!”
“Now, Sylvia,” he said, chuckling. “You know how that would end, don’t you?”
She blushed and knew her face was still red as the waitress approached them.
“Coffee?” she asked.
“Yes, please, Cheryl,” Hiram answered with a big smile for the young woman. “How are you today, young lady?” he asked.
“I’m just fine, Mr. Nielson,” she said, blushing.
Sylvia was stunned to realize that she was jealous of the pretty young blonde. She wanted to tell her to leave Hiram alone, and she thought it terrible of the man to flirt with the waitress when he was with her!
“Cheryl, this is Sylvia Crawford. Sylvia, my son James is sweet on this pretty young lady.”
“James is a wonderful man,” Cheryl insisted, and then asked, “How is he today, Mr. Nielson?”
“I haven’t seen him yet.”
“Ohhhh. Well, he’ll probably come in for lunch like he usually does,” she said, and then she spotted her boss looking at her. “What can I get you?” she asked, all business-like under the man’s disapproving gaze.
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