Rebecca's Christmas
by Reesa
Joshua and Rebecca had been married for only three months as the holiday season approached. And they had lived together in the tiny little cabin at the edge of the forest for only a few weeks. Rebecca had done her best to make the two small rooms seem like home, but it was a far cry from her parents’ large mansion that she’d spent her entire life in. She’d begged Joshua to let them stay there longer, but he’d said that enough was enough, and they had to make their own way in life. She’d complained to her father, but he’d told her that it was for the best, and that she needed to let Joshua be a man and support his own family. It just wasn’t fair! She knew that they didn’t have much money saved yet, because Joshua had just finished college six months ago and had only been practicing medicine for that long. He hadn’t really wanted to get married yet, and had told her he wanted to save more money, first.
But she’d finally talked him into it, and had never regretted it until now. Why, it was 1880 and the world was much too modern for them to be living in a little two-room shack with no water pipes to the kitchen sink! She just didn’t understand why he couldn’t let her parents help them out while they got on their own feet. Now they were two hours’ ride away from her family, and she hadn’t seen them since she and Joshua had moved last month.
Joshua had also told her that their Christmas wouldn’t be anything like she was used to, with a huge fir tree laden with decorations and plenty of gaily-wrapped presents underneath its boughs. He’d said that they could have a little celebration on Christmas Eve together, and they would give each other one present. Rebecca had tried to picture one small tree with two presents under it, and the vision was very gloomy. What was Christmas without presents? Why, they’d open them in only a minute, and Christmas would be over! She longed to be back home, with all of her sisters and brothers and nieces and nephews, spending hours together exclaiming over one another’s’ gifts. Right now, her mother was probably making fudge and divinity while the younger children tried to help. She could smell the wonderful aromas as if she were there.
She looked out the front window of the cabin, wondering when Joshua would be back. He’d opened a practice in town, and was steadily gaining new patients, so she never knew just when he’d close the doors and head home. The stew she’d put into a kettle over the fireplace was almost done. Rebecca paced the small living room, trying to figure out how to bring Christmas to her new home. Well, first of all, they’d need a tree. She knew how to get a tree. She knew how to make a tree stand, too, out of two pieces of wood crossing each other and nailed to the bottom of the tree stump. Why, she could bring Christmas here, one little piece at a time, and Joshua would never even notice!
Ten minutes later, Rebecca was trudging through the snow, axe in hand, looking for a little tree. She’d donned her fur coat and woolen mittens, and had borrowed Joshua’s boots. She started at the edge of the forest behind their cabin, and followed the trail that led to the river. It had been snowing all day. Most of the trees’ branches were laden with cold, white pillows that merged into the drifts, making it hard to tell which tree would be a likely candidate. Rebecca shook the snow off of several small evergreens, but they just didn’t seem big enough, or they didn’t have the desired shape.
Then she spotted a beautiful fir tree near the river’s edge that would make the perfect Christmas tree. It was about six feet tall, with symmetrical branches that were long and low at the bottom, and short and thick near the top. She reached her intended prize, and dug down through the snow to its base. Then she began to hack at the trunk with the axe, but it was much harder than she’d anticipated. It took her nearly an hour to finally get through the tough stringy wood. As soon as the tree fell, she grasped the stump and pulled, but she couldn’t move it even an inch. Rebecca felt like crying; after all that work, she’d have to leave the tree there until tomorrow. She found her way back to the cabin, and saw Joshua’s footprints in the snow outside the front door. She shook off the snow from her coat and boots, and opened the door.
Joshua was sitting at the table, dealing out playing cards for solitaire. When she stepped in, he jumped up and ran to hug her.
“Becky, where have you been, I’ve been so worried!”
“Josh, I just went for a walk. How long have you been home?”
“About an hour. I couldn’t imagine where you’d have gone in this deep snow. It’s almost dark!”
“Well, I’m back now, so let me get dinner finished.” Rebecca took off her coat and gloves and hung them on a wooden peg in the wall. She stamped her feet to get the snow off the boots, and then sat in one of their two parlor chairs to pull them off. She could feel Joshua staring at her all the while.
Joshua watched incredulously as Rebecca pulled off his boots. They were his best riding boots, and were not meant for walking through deep snow. He sighed as he saw the wet leather, and then winced as his wife started smacking them to get the rest of the snow off. He ought to smack her bottom just like she was smacking his boots. Her father had told him that he’d probably need to do just that, to keep her in line, because she was prone to run over anyone that didn’t stop her from doing so. He just hadn’t been able to bring himself to do it yet. He loved her very much, and didn’t want to hurt her in any way. Besides, she’d always capitulated when he’d had to make a decision against her wants and desires. There’d been no real need for discipline.
“Becky.” She stopped hitting his boots, and looked up at Joshua as she heard his voice. He was giving her a very strange look.
“Yes, Josh?”
“Why did you wear my boots and get them all wet?”
“Oh! I’m sorry. I just couldn’t find mine. They’re in one of the boxes in the bedroom, I think.” She got up and went to Josh, sitting on his lap. He raised his face to hers and they shared a long, passionate kiss.
Joshua finally broke it off. “Becky, tomorrow I want you to unpack those boxes and find a place to put everything.” Rebecca thought about the tree she had to drag home.
“I don’t know if I’ll have time tomorrow, Josh, and besides, there’s really nowhere to put anything yet. Remember, we need to buy some storage trunks or a couple of dressers soon.”
“Becky.” She looked down at him, surprised to see that his expression was stern. “We can hardly walk around the bed in there. I want those boxes gone by tomorrow night, and if you can’t find a place to put things, then I’m going to take whatever’s left over, load it into the wagon, and store it at my office. And you know that we can’t afford new furniture yet.”
“Well, why can’t we just borrow some of my mother’s trunks? She’s already offered them to us.”
“No. We already have a bed, two parlor chairs, a sideboard, and this table from her, and I still have to pay your father for them!”
Rebecca stood up then, angry at his lack of understanding. She went to the fireplace and swung the kettle back from the dying embers. It was getting cold in the little room now. She turned to face Joshua. “Alright, then, Josh. I’ll do as you ask, but I’m not happy about it.” She took two bowls from the sideboard and filled them with the stew. It was too thick, but thankfully wasn’t burnt.
They ate in silence, Joshua feeling like an ogre, and Rebecca seething over his miserly approach to their situation. When they both cleaned their bowls, she put them in the sink to be washed tomorrow after she brought some water in from the river. She’d forgotten to get some earlier, and had also forgotten some firewood from the stack that Joshua had chopped a few days ago. Well, she would just go to bed. It would be cozy and warm under the feather quilts her mother had given them for a wedding present, along with several other items. She went into the bedroom, and quickly changed into her nightgown. It was even colder in there with no fireplace. She curled up under the covers and fell asleep soon afterward.
When Rebecca woke up the next morning, she realized that Joshua hadn’t woken her up when he came to bed. It was the first night since they’d been married, that they hadn’t made love. She looked to his side of the bed; he’d already left for town. Putting her arms up to stretch, she realized that the room was quite warm. She got up and went to the pitcher to wash her face but then remembered she hadn’t brought any water in. Nevertheless, there was fresh water in the pitcher. She pulled the little pot out from under the bed and relieved herself. After dressing in layers of cotton underclothing and a warm woolen dress, she went into the other room to make herself some coffee. It was already made on the stove, still warm, and she poured a cup and sat down at the table. Josh must be really sorry for the way he acted last night, she thought. Then she saw the sheet of paper at the end of the table, with Josh’s pen and inkwell near it. How sweet, she thought, as she picked it up; he’s written me an apology. She began to read his fine handwriting, but was soon filled with anger and dismay…
Dearest Rebecca,
I am very disappointed that you’ve neglected so many household duties. I’ve already fetched water and firewood, as you’ve probably found out by now. This is my fault as much as yours; I’ve not made my expectations clear to you. Please be forewarned now, that I will in future expect you to rise before me, and make coffee and a small breakfast for us to share. Then I will need a lunch to take to work with me. I cannot afford to keep eating at the hotel as I’ve been doing these past three weeks. I expect you to bring fresh water and firewood into the cabin daily. It would be nice to have a more substantial dinner; we will go shopping on Saturday and get any foods you might need. We will also buy some cloth and sewing supplies because I am in need of two more shirts. I am sure that you possess the needed skills to make them. I expect you to do the laundry more often; I had to wear the same pair of socks today that I wore yesterday. My pants also need pressing. I cannot present myself as a serious doctor with wrinkles in my clothing!
I will remind you that when I get home tonight, I will pack all of the boxes into the wagon to take to my office tomorrow, whether they are empty or not. Becky, you are my wife, and I had hoped that you would want to do these things for us, but since you have not, I am now forced to compel you to obey me and fulfill your duties. I love you, and I want to provide us with material comforts, all in due time. Please be patient and we will work together to build our own future.
Love always,
Joshua
Rebecca put the letter down with shaking hands. Why should she have to get up so early, when she didn’t have to be anywhere at any certain time? Why couldn’t he make his own lunch and breakfast? Was he helpless? Just because they didn’t have any servants yet, he couldn’t expect her to be one! Couldn’t he iron his pants and help with the wash? And he wanted her to make a shirt? She had absolutely no idea how to go about doing such a menial task. She idly examined her dress sleeve. How did one know how to cut the cloth and sew it into such perfect shapes? Why did he think she would know? He knew she’d been brought up in a house full of servants who were trained for such things. Her mother had taught her little stitches and she’d made one sampler, but making clothes was much too difficult and she’d refused to learn that skill. She’d been taught the basics of laundry, cooking, ironing, and cleaning, but only so she’d know how to oversee the servants. She’d rarely actually done these things herself. Lord, she should have married Thomas Winters, the son of her father’s best friend who happened to be the new Senator as well as a wealthy businessman. True, she’d never felt any tender feelings for him, but at least she’d be in bed right now, with other people waiting on her. She’d have her own huge Christmas tree, and she’d be out buying presents right now, not dreading the cold walk to bring basic necessities into this stupid little shack!
Oh, why did she have to fall in love with Joshua Greenfield? And love him she did, ever since the moment their eyes had first met. His slightest touch sent shivers through her body, and every time she looked at his handsome face, her complaints would melt away. She loved the feel of his hard, muscular body naked against her soft flesh when they made love. She really did want to please him, but this was just going too far. It had been all right living with her parents, but Josh had never felt comfortable there. He’d scrimped and saved until he’d had enough to buy this piece of land with this hovel of a house, and then he’d moved her here, against her wishes, with only about a third of her possessions. Now he wanted to get rid of what little she had left! She angrily paced the floor, all fifteen feet of it, trying to think of a way to change his mind. Direct disobedience was out of the question. Her father had spanked her often enough as a child to drive that lesson home. Of course, Josh was her husband and would never spank her, a grown woman, but the lesson had been learned well, and she would never purposely disobey. And Josh clearly expected her to obey!
Rebecca sighed and looked at the beautiful mantle clock that her mother had given them as one of their wedding presents. It was almost ten o’clock! What could she do but start unpacking those boxes? She went into the bedroom and started on the first one. Her wedding china was neatly packed in straw in the wooden crate they called a box. She opened the lower doors of the sideboard and started stacking it on one side. The next box was full of her lightweight spring dresses, neatly ironed by her former maid. Well, that one could go into storage, she supposed. Another box held Josh’s student textbooks. Ha! Another storage candidate. As she unpacked her delicate china figurines from the next box, she lovingly arranged them on the windowsills, the mantle, and the top of their bed’s headboard. Now it seemed a little more like home. Maybe Josh had been right to ask her to unpack. She opened the next box; it was full of some of her childhood toys. Oh, all right, into storage with it. She stacked it by the front door with the other two. Only a few more to go.
Rebecca found an entire box of hair ribbons and accessories. These she didn’t want to part with, so she opened one of their six dresser drawers only to find that it was full. Of course, they were all full. There must be somewhere she could put them. The wardrobe in the corner had barely enough room for the clothes she’d have to wash later today. She opened Josh’s lowest drawer. His three best suits were neatly ironed and stacked to the brim. Well, he’d never have a use for them out here in the wilderness! She resolutely emptied her ribbons onto the bed, put Josh’s suits into the box, and added it to the stack by the door. Her pretty accessories did not fill the drawer completely, so she put the contents of the next box in there as well - her three china dolls. Another box was full of her shoes, and her missing boots. She arranged her shoes under the bed and put the boots on.
The last box contained her favorite books. Now where could she put them? There were three new ones from her last birthday that she’d never even read yet. Then she spied Josh’s medical notebooks stacked neatly in the open shelf on his side of the headboard.
Rebecca filled both sides of the headboard with her books, and then put the Josh’s notebooks into the crate, along with a small box of his that had been under them. Done! She straightened the bed and went to get the broom to sweep the floor; there was straw and packing paper scraps everywhere. She scrubbed out the kettle with cold water from the pitcher. She put some water and beans into a bowl to soak, and then poured the last of the water into the kettle to heat over the fire. It was almost two o’clock. She still had the laundry and dishes to do, and she desperately wanted to get that tree home! Rebecca fumed at her husband as she prepared the tin wash bucket for the laundry. She scrubbed Josh’s socks against the washboard furiously, until she noted a hole in one toe, then she calmed down and finished all the clothes. She cranked them through the attached double rollers to squeeze out the excess water, and then took the bucket out to the back of the cabin. It was very cold today! She went back in to get the pot from under the bed and wash it with the laundry water.
Rebecca looked down at her freezing hands; they were red and chapped. She felt like crying over all the hard work she’d had to do. But she made herself finish her chores and then started dinner. She didn’t have enough supplies for the kind of dinner that she knew Josh wanted, so she fried some ham and put the beans into the kettle to boil. Exhausted, she went into the bedroom and lay down for a short nap. The tree would have to wait until tomorrow.
Joshua rode past the cabin and down to the river. He’d chuckled that morning as he’d drawn up the water, seeing the tree felled on the bank. He wasn’t sure how she’d managed such a task; she’d never done a lick of physical work in her life, he’d bet. But since she’d gone to all that trouble, the least he could do was drag it home for her. He dismounted and tied one end of a rope to the tree stump, and the other to his saddle horn. It was easy to drag it back to the cabin. Then he took Stormy, their one horse that had been given to them as a wedding present, down to the little barn he’d hastily constructed last weekend. He hitched her to the wagon and pulled it to the side of the cabin.
After getting Stormy fed and safely installed in the barn, he strode purposefully through the cabin door, wondering what he’d find. He walked right into a five-foot high stack of box crates, grazing his ear on the top box as he grabbed them before they fell over. He sighed, and started loading them into the wagon. As he went back into the house, he could now see that the fire was almost burned out. There was no firewood in the crate by the hearth. He checked the kettle. Beans were floating in lukewarm water. A pan of ham was cooling on the stove. He didn’t fail to notice all the little figurines on every available surface. The laundry bucket was in the middle of the room, full of damp clothing. A pile of packing straw and dirt was by the bedroom door. He opened it and stepped in the bedroom, to find his wife sound asleep, curled into a little ball in the middle of the bed. He wanted to curl up with her and make up for last night, but he had a duty to perform now, and he’d better get on with it before things got even worse.
Rebecca sat up straight in shock as she felt a hard slap to her right buttock. “Ow!” she yelled, and then saw her husband’s angry face as he stood at the side of the bed.
“Becky, why is there no water or firewood in here?” He crossed his arms and glared down at her.
“Oh! I must have slept too long! I was so tired from all that work, Josh, I had to lay down and rest for a while.” Rebecca scooted to the opposite side of the bed and stood up. Josh came around the bed, and she stayed in place, wondering what he was up to. He didn’t look like he wanted to hug her, that was for sure. He stopped a foot away and started taking his belt off. Rebecca’s eyes widened in alarm.
“Becky, I hate to have to do this, but you need to learn a lesson right now. Bend over the bed.”
“What!” Rebecca stared at him in shock. “I’m not a child!”
“No, you’re my wife, and as your husband, it’s my duty to see that you learn to obey. I was very proud of the work you did with those boxes, but all those other things left undone just cannot be ignored. Now bend over the bed.”
Rebecca started to cry as she realized that he was actually going to beat her with his belt. “Oh, please, Joshua, please don’t hurt me. Don’t beat me!”
Joshua’s resolve wavered. He didn’t want to hurt her. He only wanted her to obey. He only wanted what was best for her. “Becky, I don’t want to do this. I just don’t know of any other way to resolve your disobedience.”
“But I’m very sorry! I just fell asleep, that’s all! I was going to finish up the chores, really I was!” Tears streamed down her face, and Joshua slowly dropped the belt onto the floor. He held out his arms to her, and she threw herself into his embrace. He wiped her tears with his shirtsleeve, and held her tight.
“Shhh. It’s all right, Becky, I won’t beat you. I guess you were just too tired after all the work you did do. I believe that you didn’t disobey me on purpose.” He stroked her back and she pressed herself against his hard, muscular chest.
“Thank you, Josh. I love you, and I was really trying to do all you’d asked.” Rebecca stopped crying, and sighed in relief. They separated, and she went to the other room to put on her coat and boots. She swept the pile of straw onto a flat strip of wood and took it out with her. On her way to the river, she saw the tree on the ground beside the house. She smiled and felt good that Josh loved her and wanted to help her have a Christmas tree. She went down to the river and then carried the bucket of water back into the house. As she filled their three pitchers, she saw that Josh had brought in firewood and was coaxing the embers into a merry blaze. She took the bucket of wet clothing out to the clothesline and spent almost an hour hanging them up to dry. When she went back through the front door, though, Josh was sitting in a kitchen chair in the middle of the room, his arms crossed, and a serious look on his handsome face.
Rebecca hung up her coat and pulled off her boots, smacking them to get the snow off. She felt very nervous for some reason, and didn’t dare think about why Josh was sitting in the middle of the room. She put her feet into her soft slippers and stood up, intending to stir the beans.
“Come here, Rebecca.” Josh never called her Rebecca. She stood still, her eyes wide as he patted his thigh and gave her a stern look.
“Why?” Her voice was barely a whisper. He crooked his finger, and she slowly approached him to stand a few feet in front of him.
“Rebecca, where are my textbooks?” His voice was quiet and firm, and sent shivers down her spine.
“Um…they’re in a box to go to your office. I didn’t think you’d need them here.”
He nodded slowly, as if in understanding. “And where are my notebooks?”
“Also in a box.” She tried to keep her facial expression innocent of any wrongdoing.
“And my suits?” Rebecca then lost her bravado and looked down at the floor as tears of shame stung her eyes.
“In…in a box…”
“And my box of cufflinks?”
“The…the same…” The tears began to fall then, and she felt them dripping onto her tightly clasped hands at her waist. She sniffled and wiped her face with her dress sleeve.
“Come over here.” His tone was final, and she didn’t hesitate this time. As she reached his side, he took her hand and guided her over his lap until her face was inches from the hardwood floor.
Rebecca cried harder as she felt her skirts and petticoat lifted, and then her drawers were lowered, leaving her bottom bare.
SMACK! “OWWW!” Her buttock cheek suddenly flared with pain, and she tried to jump up, but he held her down easily with his left hand on her back. SMACK! “OW! Please, Josh! Please! I’m sorry!”
But Josh had no misgivings this time. He was thoroughly irate at her selfish acts, and was determined to make her pay. WHACK! SMACK! WHACK! He spanked her cheeks alternately, holding nothing back, as she yelled and squirmed and fought to get up, to no avail.
Rebecca’s bottom felt as if it were on fire, and all of her senses were lost to the searing pain as he spanked her again and again. She screamed and cried and struggled to get away. She kicked up her feet and he held them down with his right leg. She put her hand back to cover her poor buttocks, but he pinned it behind her back. She banged on the floor with her fist as she yelled out her protests. WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! “Stop it! Stop! You’re killing me! Josh! Owwwww!” She didn’t remember her childhood spankings as being anywhere near this painful, but it had been over ten years since her last session over her father’s knees. WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! Suddenly, she felt his hand lying still on her throbbing cheeks as she continued to cry hard, seeing the tears puddle up on the floor.
“Rebecca, why am I spanking you?” She heard his voice, hoarse and filled with emotion.
“Because…” sniffle, “because I packed your things away!”
“That’s right. And why did you do that?” He was rubbing her cheeks gently, but it just seemed to add to the pain.
“Because there wasn’t enough room for your things and mine!” Rebecca wiggled a little, trying to see if she would be allowed to get up. But Josh just squeezed her pinned hand and pressed it down into the small of her back.
“So your books and hair ribbons were more important than my books and my belongings?” Rebecca didn’t answer as the tears still fell. Her nose was stuffy and her arms were aching. “Rebecca, what is the real reason that you did this selfish thing?” Josh patted her right cheek in warning, and she knew she’d have to confess.
“I…I packed your things because you’re the one who’s selfish, you’re the one who doesn’t want us to have anything, you moved us into this stupid little place that’s too small to fit anything into, and you’re mean and miserly, and you make me do hard work, and I hate it, and…” Rebecca closed her eyes tightly and clenched her buttocks, waiting for the retribution that would surely follow. She sobbed her heart out as she waited for the searing pain to continue. But Josh let her hand go, and pulled her up gently to sit in his lap as he hugged her close and she continued to cry.
“All right, Becky” He stroked her back and she put her arm around his neck, still sobbing. “You can get dressed, now. I’m going to take you back to your parents’ house.” He stood up then, pulling her with him.
Rebecca looked at him in surprise and stopped crying. She wiped her tears on her sleeve, and asked, “We can go back? Really?” Joy pulsed through her as she sniffled again.
“No. Not we. You. I knew we weren’t ready to get married yet. I wanted to have a nice place for us to live, first. I shouldn’t have let you talk me into getting married too soon. You’re going back to your parents’ house, and I’ll come and get you when I’ve saved enough money for a decent place. Go and pack your things, now. I’ll bring in the empty boxes.” He let her go and strode out the door without even putting his coat on.
Rebecca stood still in the middle of the room, in total shock. Not live with Josh? Not sleep with her husband? Not make love every night? Not see him every morning and evening, joke with him, play cards with him, and read to each other? This wasn’t what she wanted at all! She looked around the little room as if seeing it for the first time. It wasn’t really that bad. It was clean and fairly new, and there were no holes in the walls or roof. It didn’t have water, but they could build a system of pipes. They could add on to it one room at a time. She could get some gloves to protect her hands from the hard work. And it hadn’t really been that bad, doing all that stuff. She actually felt a sense of satisfaction that she’d been able to do so much in one day. Her little tree was lying outside, waiting to be set up and decorated. Why she’d put all those stupid hair ribbons all over it and it would be the prettiest tree in the county!
Rebecca gave her face one final wipe, and marched out the front door in her slippers. She stepped out right into Josh, who was carrying in three boxes. They fell onto the wooden porch. She threw her arms around him and held on tight. “Oh, Josh, I don’t want to leave! I’m sorry! You’re right; we don’t need all these things! And I’m the one who’s been selfish, and childish, too! Please don’t take me back, I want to stay with you!”
Josh hugged her tightly. “Becky, what about all those things you said? You thought I was mean and cruel, and…”
“But I’ve changed my mind, Josh, I’ve just realized what you’ve been trying to tell me for so long. I understand, now. Please let me stay! I’ll help you save money, and I’ll help build our house, and I’ll do all my chores, please, Josh!”
Josh felt his heart swell with love and pride. Maybe she did understand. Maybe he should have taken control a long time ago. But he didn’t really believe she’d suddenly be the perfect little wife. “Becky, I want you to understand that I will have to spank you in future, if you do disobey me or pull another stunt like this one.”
She stiffened at that, but reluctantly said, “Yes, I know. But I won’t do anything like that again, I promise.” She felt his hard arm muscles tighten around her. He reached down and lightly squeezed her bottom. She winced at the pain, but didn’t move away from him. She felt loved and protected as they walked into the house together and shut the door.
The next evening, Rebecca had re-packed everything. She’d put back most of the little figurines – they didn’t really match the décor. She packed up her dolls and most of her shoes. Josh had elected to take his books to his office, and she kept only the three books she hadn’t read yet. She’d done most of her chores, and was almost finished ironing all the clothes she’d hung the night before. She stopped to check the biscuits in the small oven of the firewood stove. Almost done. The pitchers were full of water, the floor was swept and mopped, and the fire was stoked up to warm the two rooms. She looked around to see if she’d forgotten anything, when she smelled something burning. She looked in the fireplace, but there was nothing but the logs she’d added earlier.
Rebecca turned toward the door, and felt her stomach flip over as she realized she’d left the hot iron right on Josh’s shirt sleeve! She grabbed it up and set it on the metal stand. A large black burned area was emblazoned onto the white cotton. Rebecca swore at herself for her stupidity, and wondered what Josh would do when he saw his shirt. He’d be very angry; she knew that. This left him only three shirts to wear to his office. She felt tears rising up and she rubbed her still-sore bottom, dreading what would most likely happen soon. She stared into the fire a moment, then impulsively walked over and threw the shirt into it. She watched it burn with satisfaction. Now Josh would never know! She would just keep his shirts washed and pressed, and he’d never know that one was gone. Even if he did discover it missing, there would just be no explanation for its disappearance. She put the iron up on the hearth, took the protective metal sheet off the table, and finished dinner just as Josh came in the door.
Rebecca went right to him for a big hug. “I missed you,” he breathed into her ear. She felt shivers run across her abdomen, remembering their passion the night before. He’d seemed more handsome and stronger than ever before, and they’d both had extraordinary releases that had left them so happily exhausted that they’d almost slept too late this morning. Rebecca had jumped up from the bed and hurried to make his breakfast and lunch, as he’d shaved and dressed. She’d sent him off with a box lunch and a kiss, and had wondered if he would like the food she’d prepared for him. As if reading her mind, he said, “The lunch was great. Thank you, darling.”
“You’re welcome, Josh.” She smiled up at him, full of pride at his compliment. “Dinner’s ready, do you want to eat now?” He nodded, and she hurried to put everything on the table. The biscuits were perfect, and she’d made ham again, with gravy and sliced, fried potatoes. Joshua ate every bite with relish.
Rebecca cleaned up the dishes, and Joshua dried them for her. They sat down at the table to play cards for a while, and talk about the house they would build someday. As they were getting ready for bed, Joshua laid out his clothes for the next day. Rebecca hadn’t anticipated this. There hadn’t been room in the little bedroom before now; all the boxes had taken up so much space. He draped a shirt and a pair of pants over the one chair in the corner, and put clean socks into his shoes. He was rummaging through the wardrobe as Rebecca finished putting her nightdress on. She froze as she heard him say, “This is strange. I only have three white shirts.” Damn! “I wonder where the other one is.”
“Are you sure, Josh? I washed everything yesterday, like you asked.”
“Yes. I have this one here, one in the dirty clothes here from yesterday, and the one I’m wearing.” He looked puzzled. “Maybe I hung it up somewhere.” He walked out into the other room and looked under the coats hanging on the wall. He came back to the bedroom, and sat on his side of the bed. “Do you remember seeing my other shirt anywhere? Is it hanging on the line?”
“No, Josh, I haven’t seen it.”
“Oh, well, it’s a good thing we’re going to buy some material tomorrow; you can make me three new shirts now.”
Rebecca decided she’d better let the cat out of the bag. “Um…Josh…I don’t know how to make your shirts.”
“What? You never learned how to make clothes?”
“No, sir.” She stared at the floor, feeling suddenly inadequate.
Joshua sighed, and said, “Well, we’ll just have to buy one shirt ready-made, and you can learn how to sew from the seamstress in town. I’ll arrange for classes, and the money spent will be saved in the long run.”
Rebecca smiled. This would mean she’d get to go to town with him more often! “Thank you, Josh.”
“You’re welcome.” He smiled back, and got up to bank the fire. Rebecca lay down and pulled the covers up, waiting for Josh to return. It seemed like he was gone a long time, and when he finally came back, he brought the lantern with him and set it on the dresser. She watched him as he carefully removed his clothes from the chair in the corner and laid them across the bed. Then he pulled the chair out from the wall and sat down in it. Rebecca’s heart started to beat faster as she recognized the gesture. Surely, he couldn’t know?
“Rebecca.” Oh, Lord, he did know! How could he have found out? She sat up in bed, still pretending innocence.
“What?” She tried to look confused.
“I stirred the fire up. Guess what was in the ashes?”
“Um…um…I don’t know!” She drew her knees to her chest protectively.
“Several buttons. And a small piece of charred, white cotton.” Her heart pounded in her ears as she heard his words. “How do you suppose they got there?”
“Um…I don’t know!” Still she continued to deny it. The shirt could’ve fallen in there? How could he prove she put it there?
“Come here, Rebecca.” Oh, Lord, he was really going to spank her again! And her backside was still sore from last night! She slowly shook her head, too afraid to move. “NOW, Rebecca.” His angry tone took her by surprise, and she jumped up, unable to disobey any longer. She warily walked to his side, and then struggled for balance as he suddenly gripped her wrist and pulled her down over his left knee. He pulled up her nightgown, and the cool air hit her bare skin, feeling good temporarily. She whimpered and tears sprung to her eyes as she stared at the floor inches away from her face.
“Let’s see if we can improve your memory.” With that, he started spanking her hard and fast, and her mind filled with pain as she struggled and cried and pleaded with him to stop.
WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! “No! Please stop! Oooohhh! Owwww! Please!” WHACK! SMACK! WHACK! WHACK! Joshua had no mercy for her, feeling very angry that she’d lied about the shirt. A lie could not be tolerated in any shape or form, in his opinion. He continued to spank her rapidly, until his hand was burning, and her cheeks were glowing bright red, and her cries were almost incoherent, but still she struggled against him.
“Do you remember now?” Joshua stopped for a moment and waited for her to answer. All he heard was more sobbing. He let her have another volley of fierce, hard smacks, then stopped again. “Well?”
“Yes! Yes, I remember!” She cried pitifully, but he felt no remorse.
“What happened to my shirt?” She heard his firm, angry voice as if from afar.
“I burned it!” He gave her several more spanks.
“Yes, I know that. But why?”
“I accidentally burned it while ironing it, and I didn’t want you to know, so I threw it in the fireplace!” She stopped crying and started sniffling, feeling strangely relieved that he now knew the truth.
Joshua figured it had been something like that. “You know, Rebecca, I wouldn’t have punished you for a simple accident.”
Her head popped up in surprise. “You wouldn’t have?”
“Of course not. Accidents can happen. Now, if it had been the second or third shirt you’d burned, then of course, there would be a need to correct your carelessness, but one mistake isn’t a reason for discipline.” Rebecca chided herself for being so stupid. “And,” he continued, “If you’d just shown it to me, I could have taken it to the seamstress to put a new sleeve on it.” Rebecca started crying again as she realized the depth of her foolishness. “But now, you’ve lied to cover it all up, and lying is something that deserves a very severe punishment.” She started shaking, certain that if he spanked her anymore, she would die from the pain. But he gave her ten more hard smacks, and then pulled her up to stand.
Her arms went out as she wanted to be held, but he shook his head. He pulled her nightgown up and off, and then pointed to the corner. “Go stand in that corner and think about what you’ve done!” She hurried to the corner and put her face against the rough wood of the logs. She reached back to rub her burning cheeks, but Joshua snapped at her to not touch them. She started crying again, but stayed as still as she could. It was so embarrassing to be standing naked in the corner! And displaying her poor red buttocks made her feel ridiculous. Finally, Joshua called her name. Her full name.
“It’s time for the second part of your punishment.” She turned around to face him, tears still streaming down her face. “Bend over the bed.” He had the belt in his hand, and she felt more afraid than the time she’d been lost in the woods as a small child.
“Oh, please, Joshua, please don’t hit me with the belt!” But even as she pleaded with him, she knew he wouldn’t stop this time. She walked to the bed and slowly bent over, sobbing all the while. He pulled her back up, but only to place a pillow near the edge of the bed.
“Lay over this pillow. I want your backside up higher.” She complied, shaking all over as she waited for the first blow to land.
“WHAP!” The belt seared her flesh, leaving a wide red mark right across both cheeks. Joshua almost lost his determination as Rebecca screamed into the bedcovers. She jumped up and howled, holding onto her buttocks with both hands. He dropped the belt onto the bed, and put his hands on her shoulders to face him. “Rebecca! Look at me.” She stared up at him, anguish and fear marking her expression. “You’re going to bend back over, and you’re going to think about what you’ve done. I want you to remember this for a long time, because I don’t ever want to have to do this again!” She stopped hopping up and down and her brow relaxed a little. “You will never, never lie to me again, and this is how I have to make sure of that.” She looked ashamed now, and the fear was fading away. “I’m going to give you four more licks with this belt, and after every one, you’re going to apologize and tell me you’ll never lie to me again. Is that understood?” She nodded her head but the tears began falling faster. He bent her over the pillow again, and drew back the belt.
WHAP! Rebecca clenched her muscles and yelled into the covers again, but she stayed in place. After a moment, she managed to say, “I’m sorry I lied to you, Josh…and I’ll never, never lie again!” WHAP! The belt hit again, right at the tops of her thighs, and she screamed again. “I’m sorry…” She sobbed. “I’ll never lie to you again, I swear!” WHAP! Rebecca just cried this time, and it took her a while to recover. Finally, she said in a very quiet voice, “I’m sorry, Josh, I’m really sorry. I promise I’ll never lie to you again…” WHAP! Joshua pulled her up and sat down on the bed, holding her tight as she cried, “I’m so sorry. I know I’ll never lie to you again!”
He rubbed her back and murmured, “Shh. The hardest part’s over now. When we’re all through, I’ll trust you just like I did before, and I’ll believe everything you say to me.” Rebecca looked up through her tears, realizing he’d healed the broken bond between them. She finally understood why it had to be this way. He stood up then, got her nightgown from the corner and helped her put it back on. Then he picked up the lantern and pulled her by the hand into the other room. He sat her down on the hard wooden chair at the table and she sobbed out loud once, then got control of herself. He handed her a handkerchief and she wiped her face. Then he placed his pen and inkwell and a piece of paper in front of her on the table. “Now, you’re going to write the words, “I will never lie again” two hundred times. If you need more paper, just call me and I’ll get another piece, but I hope you can get it all onto that one. I expect neat handwriting.”
Rebecca stared up at him in dismay, but then dipped the pen into the ink and began her task. Josh sat down at the other end of the table and dealt out cards for solitaire. She kept sneaking glances at him, hoping for a reprieve, but his expression remained stern as he concentrated on his cards. It took her over an hour, and her hand was cramping when she finished.
She put the pen into the inkwell and placed the paper on the table near Joshua. Her bottom was still burning as she shifted her position on the hard chair for the fiftieth time. Joshua finished playing his game before picking up the paper for inspection. She had numbered the sentences, and it wasn’t hard to see that she’d done exactly as he’d directed. Joshua stood up, picked up the lantern, and went into the bedroom. She got up and followed him. He put the lantern down on the dresser again. Then he went to his toolbox and got a hammer and a nail, and fastened the paper to the wall on Rebecca’s side of the bed. She blushed in embarrassment and wondered if it would still be there when her family finally came to visit.
Joshua then told her to lie down on her stomach on the bed. She did as he said, although she was afraid of what might happen next. He retrieved his medical bag from the other room, pulled up her nightgown, and began to apply a soothing ointment to her buttocks. She sighed in relief as the medicine slowly eased the pain…
Two weeks later, Rebecca sat at the table, sewing a collar together for one of Joshua’s new shirts. Her Christmas tree was in the corner, covered with pretty ribbons. Two packages sat underneath it, waiting to be opened that evening. Joshua had compromised with her, and they were going to travel to her family’s home the next day, Christmas Day, and celebrate with them. She smiled to herself as she made tiny, neat stitches into the fabric, and thought back to that day a few weeks ago, that Josh had first spanked her. Their love life was even more exciting now then it had been on their honeymoon. She didn’t know why, but their attraction to each other continued to grow rather than fade with time. She’d been spanked twice more since that horrible night she’d lied to him, but they’d been mild in comparison. She’d come to enjoy getting up early and making his food. She was getting better at her chores, and could get them done in just a few hours a day. They’d been shopping in town twice, and she’d had his Christmas present specially made.
Later that night, Joshua read the story of Mary’s baby from the Bible as she curled up on the floor by his feet. Then they traded presents. Joshua watched her open hers, and smiled as she exclaimed in delight over the new figurine he’d bought her. She placed it in the middle of the mantel and admired it from different angles.
Then she watched him open his present. He carefully removed the paper and folded it up. She looked down at the paper she’d ripped from her present, still on the floor, and she picked it up. He opened the long box, and stared down at highly polished, eight-inch long wooden paddle emblazoned with the words, “Rebecca loves Joshua”. He grinned and picked it up, feeling its smooth edges. Rebecca waited only a moment more, and then jumped up as his eyes began to twinkle. She ran to the other side of the table and he chased her around it until he caught her, pulling her over his lap and giving her a taste of it as she squirmed and giggled and tried half-heartedly to get away. They made love several times that night, and Joshua tried out his new present more than once.