La tarde siguiente le pareció a Jeff Carpenter como si hubiera vivido una experiencia de déjà vu, pues se enfrentó al mismo cuadro del día anterior. Las niñas se subieron al asiento trasero mientras la señora Colton se acercaba de nuevo, sosteniendo un trozo de papel que le resultaba familiar.
"Hola, señora Colton", dijo Jeff. "¿Pasa algo?"
—De hecho, señor Carpenter, sí —respondió la mujer con brusquedad—. ¿Leyó por casualidad la disculpa de Anna?
—Sí, justo después de que lo escribió —respondió Jeff.
—Hmmm... Bueno, quizá esto se añadió después —sugirió la señora Colton, entregándole la carta.
Efectivamente, Anna había añadido una posdata a su disculpa:
PD: Me debes las tres cajas de chicles que mi papá me hizo tirar.
Jeff suspiró y sacudió la cabeza. "Lo siento, señora Colton. Me ocuparé de ello".
—Gracias, señor Carpenter —dijo bruscamente la maestra mientras se daba la vuelta y se marchaba.
Anna captó brevemente la mirada fulminante de su padre por el espejo retrovisor y le devolvió la mirada. El padre, perturbado, puso la marcha sin decir una palabra más y los tres volvieron a casa en silencio.
Una vez dentro de la casa, Mary Rose se dirigió a su habitación. Anna comenzó a seguirla, pero su padre la agarró de la mochila antes de que comenzara a subir las escaleras.
"No tan rápido, pequeña."
Su hija se giró y le preguntó: "¿Qué?"
"Vienes conmigo."
"¿Por qué?" ella lo desafió.
—Creo que sabes por qué —dijo Jeff mientras dirigía a su hija menor hacia su dormitorio y cerraba la puerta detrás de ellos—. ¿Te importaría explicarme esto? —preguntó, sacando la disculpa corregida.
Anna se cruzó de brazos. "Es culpa suya que me hicieras tirar todos mis chicles. Si no fuera por su estúpida regla, no me habría metido en problemas en primer lugar".
Su padre no estuvo de acuerdo. "Así no es como funciona, Anna Ruth, y tú lo sabes. Todo esto es culpa tuya por no seguir las reglas de la escuela. Además, ese comentario inteligente que añadiste a tu 'disculpa' lo convirtió en un acto de total falta de respeto".
Su hija no se conmovió y permaneció de pie con los brazos cruzados.
Jeff se encogió de hombros. "Bueno, de todos modos, ya sabes lo que dicen..."
"¿Qué?", fue la respuesta sarcástica.
Pasó junto al joven que lo miraba con el ceño fruncido y cogió un cinturón largo y marrón del gancho que había en la parte trasera de la puerta. "Tres faltas y estás fuera. Tu madre dijo ayer que te ibas a convencer de que te darían otra paliza, y tenía toda la razón".
Anna se quedó estupefacta. "¿Cómo es que eso es tres strikes? ¡Solo me metí en problemas por chicle DOS VECES!", argumentó.
Her father shook his head and smiled. "Let's make it simple. Last week you were in trouble twice at school - once for talking and once for gum. Then you got in trouble yesterday, again for gum. Your mother thought you should have been spanked then, and maybe in hindsight she was right, but even if you had gotten it yesterday, I think that comment you added to that letter rates a spanking on its own just for the sheer rudeness of it."
He proceeded to sit on the bed and pointed at his wayward child. "So drop that bookbag and let's have a little lesson in obedience and acceptable behavior."
The girl started to lose her swagger. "You don't have to spank me, Daddy!" she insisted.
"Oh no? Your actions over the past week tell me otherwise. You've had numerous chances to get your act together and instead of straightening up, you doubled down on your misbehavior instead. I've told you girls time and again that when you choose a behavior, you also choose the consequence. You chose to be disobedient and disrespectful, so now you're gonna get your bottom spanked. Simple cause and effect."
Anna stayed rooted in place and started to whine. "But Daddy..."
"Anna Ruth," her father spoke sternly, "I can wait here as long as I need to. And the longer I have to wait, the worse you make it on yourself. So I suggest, young lady, that you get your little caboose over here and take your medicine. Because if I have to come and get you, we're going to be working on your attitude for quite a while."
Finally the 13-year old relented, letting her bookbag slip off her shoulders. "Not too hard?" she pleaded as she inched her way over to her imminent execution.
Jeff gently guided his daughter across his lap and locked her legs in place with his free leg. "I'm not making any promises," he stated flatly as he lifted the girl's skirt out of the way. As he pulled Anna's underwear up into a wedgie, she panicked and cried out, "NOOOOO!", making a desperate attempt to reach back and put her underwear back into place.
Her father was not pleased. "Oh no you don't. You know better than that," he scolded as he intercepted her, grabbing hold of her wrist. "I guess we're doing this the hard way then," he sighed as began to tug the waistband of the panties down off the youngster's hips.
"Wait! I'm sorry! Please don't pull them down!" Anna begged.
Jeff hesitated, then yanked the briefs back up to their previous position, wedged up tightly so that both of his daughter's buttocks were almost completely exposed. "Then I'd better start seeing a lot more cooperation from you. Do I make myself clear, little girl?"
"Yes..." the teen whimpered, steeling herself. She didn't have to wait long, as her father brought the belt down soundly across the fullest part of her rump. "OWWWW! DADDY!" she squealed.
The belt came down again. THWACK!
"What have we always told you about obeying your teachers?"
THWACK!
"That they're in charge when we're at school!" Anna groaned.
THWACK!
"That's right. Does that change if you don't like the rules they make?"
WHACK!
"Noooo!"
WHACK!
"Does that change just because you're a teenager?"
WHACK!
"Noooo! It doesn't!"
Jeff started aiming a little lower on the girl's backside.
"So if your teacher says gum isn't allowed in class, should you be chewing gum?"
THWACK!
"Ahhhh! Noooo, Daddy!"
THWACK!
"So were you disobedient?"
THWACK!
"Oooh! Owie! Yes!" Anna wailed.
Now her father started alternating sides.
WHAP! WHAP!
"And that little postscript to your so-called apology, is that how you address your teachers?"
WHAP! WHAP!
His daughter was full-on crying at this point. "NOOOOOOO!"
WHAP! WHAP!
"So were you disrespectful?"
WHAP! WHAP!
"YESSS!" the poor girl sobbed.
WHAP! WHAP!
"And what happens when you're disobedient and disrespectful to your parents or your teachers?"
WHAP! WHAP!
"I GET SPANKED!" Anna shrieked.
Jeff began to bring the punishment to a close with a few rapid-fire volleys.
"Do you like getting spanked?"
CRACK! SNAP! SMACK! THWACK!
"YEOOW! NOOOOO! PLEASE! I'M SORRY!" his daughter bawled.
"So how do you avoid being spanked in the future?"
WHACK! WHAP! THWACK! CRACK!
"AHHHH! I'LL BEHAVE! I'LL OBEY!"
"Yes, and what else?"
SMACK! CRACK! WHACK! WHAP! THWACK!
"OOOOH! I'LL BE RESPECTFUL!" Anna promised through her crying.
Her father laid the belt on the bed and helped the pitiful girl to her feet, hugging her close as she wept, shoulders heaving. He gently stroked her hair as he reassured her.
"Ok, Anna Ruth, it's all over now. We're all done. I'm sorry I had to do that, but you need to obey your teachers just like you obey us. Do you understand?" The teen just nodded as she continued to blubber.
After a few minutes Anna's tears had mostly subsided, although she was still sniffling a bit.
"Daddy?" she asked.
"Yes, honey?"
"Would you and Mommy really spank us when we're 18?"
"Ask Cara," Jeff answered, referring to their oldest daughter. "She'll tell you that we mean what we say."
"But that's so childish!" the teen complained.
Her father chuckled. "The more you all complain about being spanked, the more sure we are that spanking is an excellent punishment for you. If you don't want to be spanked at that age, all you have to do is obey the rules. It's that simple."
"Hmmph," Anna frowned.
—Ahora, creo que tienes algo de lo que ocuparte —le preguntó Jeff. Cuando su hija lo miró con cara de no entender, suspiró—. Otra carta de disculpas, y esta vez sin posdatas añadidas.
Cuando Anna empezó a abrir la boca en señal de protesta, su padre levantó la mano. "Y si esto vuelve a suceder, tu próxima carta de disculpas incluirá una descripción de tu castigo. ¿Entendido?"
La joven de 13 años estaba a punto de decir algo, pero lo pensó mejor. Exhaló ruidosamente, se acomodó la ropa, tomó su mochila y salió de la habitación de sus padres.
Jeff Carpenter sonrió y sacudió la cabeza. No era un hombre de apuestas, pero estaba bastante seguro de que su hijo menor acabaría haciendo otra visita a su dormitorio más pronto que tarde.