Chapter 1. The Bride-to-be

"Why did you decide to get married in the winter? It's cold and wet out here!"

The day was made for trudging. The rain was pouring down, and every step they took left momentary footprints on the sidewalk. The umbrellas were useless with the gusts of wind, and water was beginning to collect in the bottom of their plastic shopping bags. The three shoppers remained in high spirits, but it was taking more of an effort.

"I'm not getting married outside, silly! It certainly wasn't *my* idea to drive downtown today," Amy retorted. She still wasn't completely sure what her two best friends were up to. She had let them lure her downtown on the pretext of finding "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue." But what could she borrow downtown, except trouble? Amy was quite the adventurous one, though, and looked forward to the surprise she thought her friends had in store for her.

Dianne spoke up. "That's right, Kim. It *was* your idea! And I still think it was a good one. Let's get out of the rain, and we'll feel better. Nordstrom's is just a block over, and they have a place we can eat lunch."

Amy didn't really care where they went. She was quite willing to play along with whatever their plan might be. But mostly, just one thing was on her mind: Only two weeks, and she would be married to Jeff! With thoughts of Jeff, she bounced between feeling cold and wet, and feeling excited and wet. These two weeks would seem to drag on forever, she was sure, in spite of all the details she had to work on for the wedding.

Nordstroms. Their newest destination reminded Amy of something. "Mom has a charge account there," she told the others. "I'm sure she'll let me use it, if we find something really nice. Let's get out of the rain!"

It would be weeks before Amy realized it was this little comment that led to such a life-changing series of events.

Chapter 2. Father of the Bride

"Just five days, and my little Amy will be married," Tom mused to himself. He would be glad when the wedding was over; both he and Barbara, his wife, seemed to spend every extra moment with wedding details. But it was worth it; Jeff seemed a good choice of husband, and they (of course!) wanted the best for their firstborn daughter.

Little Amy? Not exactly. Tom realized his daughter had grown into a stunning beauty. She remained a very conservative dresser, but whatever she wore always seemed to look just right on her. Yes, stunning was the best description. She was no airhead either, though she could give that impression when it suited her purpose. Jeff would have a handful, all right.

The phone rang. It was Barbara. After they talked together a moment, it was obvious she was concerned about something.

"Did you do any shopping at Nordstrom's last week?" she asked.

"No, why?"

Barbara explained that the monthly statement had just arrived, and included several hundred dollars' worth of charges from last week. Who could have charged on the house account then?

"Was that the day Kim and Dianne took Amy downtown?"

Barbara said it was. "I forgot we gave Amy permission to use that

account years ago. She's never touched it since high school. Do you think she might have used it without asking last week?"

Tom replied, "I think we'd better find out tonight. If it was her, she has a lot of explaining to do. If not, we'll report the forgery tomorrow. I'll call Nordstrom's today and see if they can dig up the charge records-- and have them stop any further charging!"

They speculated for a few moments longer as to what could have been bought with all that money. Certainly they hadn't noticed Amy with anything new besides the sweater she showed them last week.

Tom hadn't been off the phone to Nordstrom's for more than five minutes when it rang again.

"Dad?" It was Amy.

"Your mother and I were just discussing you. Where are you?"

"That's what I'm calling about. I'm at the police station."

"What! Are you hurt? What happened?"

"No, I'm fine. But we had a little problem and they won't let us go home unless somebody picks us up. They said we need a bail bond."

"Just what happened? And who's 'we'?"

That was the tough question, but Amy was anything but stupid, and knew it was going to be asked. "Kim and Dianne are here with me. They accused us of shoplifting. They don't care if we're really innocent or not. They say we have to stay here overnight unless somebody posts bail. Dianne's not 18 until next month, you know, so they are about to take her over to 'Juvy Hall'. They're just waiting to see if you'll pick us all up. I've been trying for an hour; your phone was busy." There. She'd said it just right, implying the whole matter might be a horrible mistake and nothing for her father to get too terribly upset about.

Tom caught the "Miss Innocent" act, and decided to reserve judgment until he had the whole story. It was time to make it clear that he knew there was more to the story than had yet been explained. "I was on the phone to

Nordstrom's. That's why you couldn't get through. Do you know anything about some in-store charges made last week?"

Amy mentally kicked herself. She'd forgotten all about that! This wasn't going to look very good. She did her best to explain. "Oh. It was an

emergency. I was going to tell Mom about that right away, and then I forgot-- I was so cold and wet when I got home... They're scowling at me here. I'd better get off the phone soon. Could you please come pick us up?"

That answered the forgery question. Tom had confirmed that the charges were made by his daughter. For one about to marry, she should know better! So he told his daughter, "I think an overnight stay would probably do you a lot of good. You'll have plenty of time to think about what's right and what's wrong." Tom was very big on Right and Wrong, and his daughter knew it.

"Daddy, please! They said we could go if you bail us out. I'm scared of being here overnight. Please come get us?"

Tom thought about it. A bit of a scare might be just what she needed to bring her back down to Earth. On the other hand, he'd hate to have her hurt there. First, to be sure she knew this was serious--he was not about to bail her out with no questions asked. "I'll tell you what. Since you probably only get one phone call, I'll call Jeff for you. Seeing as how he's about to marry you, he ought to be anxious to bail you out. I don't know about Kim and Dianne; I suppose I could call their father for them." Kim and Dianne were sisters.

"Please don't tell Jeff! I'd die! Please, PLEASE come get me!"

"Maybe Dianne's father would rather bail you out? I, for one, think a stay overnight would do you some good."

Amy knew her father was backing her into a corner. She did not like that at all, and was even more mad at herself for letting herself get into this mess. How much would she have to admit, how many promises would she have to make before he would agree to come get them? She'd do anything to get out of there, especially without Jeff knowing. It was just a matter of finding the right words to say. First she had to explain why Dianne couldn't call her own parents.

"Kim and Dianne are afraid to call. Dianne got busted once before-- that's why they insist on bail. She's sure her Dad would ground her for life if he knew. So Kim's stuck too. If he bailed out Kim, obviously, he'd find out about Dianne." Actually, grounding would be the least of Dianne's worries. She would most likely spend the first day of grounding waiting for her back side to cool off. But Tom didn't need to know that.

"All right then. I'll come get you. But understand that actions have consequences. Anyone I bail out tonight comes straight home to discuss things with me and your mother. Don't expect us to go easy on you. After you hang up, tell Kim and Dianne that if we bail them out too, we'll have the same discussion with them that we do with you. It's their choice. Are you sure you don't want to stay there and think about it?"

This speech gave her pause. Was her Dad reading her mind? When she was a little girl, talk about actions and consequences always meant a spanking was on the way. She'd not heard that phrase in many, many years. She was a full- grown adult now. Surely he didn't think he could still spank her? And what about her friends? No, even when she was little, she'd never been spanked in front of any of her friends. And certainly none of her friends had been spanked by either of her parents. So this must just be part of the game, backing her further into a corner. Besides, just about anything would be better than spending the night where she was.

"I'm sure, Dad. Please just come get me."

Chapter 3. Cooperative Agreements

After receiving the necessary instructions, Tom hung up the phone and reflected a few minutes. A disciplined and careful person, he rarely took action without thinking things through first. A plan had been forming in his mind while he was on the phone, and he now considered what additional groundwork might be necessary before meeting the girls.

He'd used that phrase with Amy almost automatically, to point out what she *really* deserved. But now that he thought it over, he it realized it might turn out that spanking *was* the appropriate action to take, even at this point in life.

Just in case, then, he would lay the proper foundation, obtaining the necessary permission and cooperation. Even if a spanking proved unnecessary or counterproductive, this extra "clout" might help to get the message across to people who did not want to hear what he had to say.

Now that Tom had thought things through, he gave Kim and Dianne's father a call. They passed the time of day for a few minutes. Neither cared to talk about sports, but both were accomplished outdoorsmen, and talk about the weather led up to Tom's reason for calling.

"Do you remember the time a few years back that your girls went with us for a couple of weeks?"

"You mean when you took them all the way out to Bryce Canyon? They had a great time. I heard all about it. I think the one loop you walked is still the longest hike they ever took."

"Yes, that was quite a trip. What I was remembering just now, though, was an offer you made before we left. We never needed to take you up on it, but I'm wondering if it might still apply."

"What was that?"

"Well... I just got a call from Amy. She's with Kim and Dianne, and the three of them seem to have gotten themselves in trouble. I don't think Kim or Dianne are ready to face you yet. It looks like it might work out best if I bail out all three at once, and I'm wondering if it would be a good idea for me to treat your two daughters exactly the same I do Amy.

"Back on that Bryce Canyon trip, you said to treat your daughters the same as I would my own. If they needed spankings, to go ahead and spank them. Of course, that wasn't necessary the whole trip.

"But from the confused story Amy just told me, I'm wondering if the best thing possible would be to hand out spankings all around. Then I remembered what you said years ago, so I thought I'd call just in case that's how I deal with Amy.

"So what do you think? Would you rather I send Kim and Dianne home whether they're ready or not, or deal with them the same as Amy? Or should I give you a call once I get the whole story?""

Fred was accustomed to making quick decisions. After a few moments of surprised thought, he replied. "There's obviously a story here that you're being careful to not tell me. Please assure the girls that we'll listen; we'll try to wait until they're ready to explain.

"In fact, if punishment is necessary, and that can be handled without our intervention, maybe they'll feel more free to come tell us. If you

don't disclose that you and I have talked, just tell them that you'll intervene on their behalf--you know, the old 'good guy/bad guy' routine.

"If they agree that they'd prefer to be treated the same as Amy, and that they'd rather have you and Barbara deal with the situation, go right ahead with what you think is best. If they need a spanking, go ahead and spank them. Just so all three are treated fairly. Don't let them fool you. Kim and Dianne have both been spanked before. In Dianne's case, it was not all that long ago.

Fred hesitated, but then continued. "You don't need to tell me, but I think I will let you in on a secret to keep to yourself. If this problem has anything to do with shoplifting, be careful to not go too easy on Dianne. We have been through this before. If I'm guessing wrong, please forget I said anything!

We'll be home; feel free to call if you need to. Let me know how it works out. Good luck!"

"Thanks. I don't know the whole story yet, but so far as I can tell it has nothing to do with immoral behavior. There doesn't seem to be anything to worry about in THAT direction."

"Well, that's something. I suspect I know the problem, but I'll wait for the whole story. Let us know if we can help."

That conversation went surprisingly well. Now it was to the bank, and then time for the final piece of groundwork. He made a last telephone call to set up an appointment at the police station and get directions to the station.

His appointment was with the desk sergeant, as it turned out. It was a slow night, and the sergeant was willing to take the time to discuss the situation.

The sergeant agreed the plan just might work, shaking up the girls enough to keep them on the right path in the future. Seeing as how it was the first time for his daughter, and if all went well no police help would be necessary, the sergeant was willing to make the exception needed to support Tom's plan.

All three girls were waiting for him. Women, not girls, he had to keep reminding himself--after all, Kim was the same age as Amy, and Amy was about to get married. Dianne was four or five years younger than her sister, but dressed to look as close to her in age as she could.

The sergeant made his speech to the girls. He had seen a lot of women who started out in exactly their situation. He described their experiences the second, third, and (in some cases) final time. Most of these people were now dead. He explained how and why.

The sergeant was good at what he did, Tom could see. The sergeant now moved from the horror of what happened to most, to the good news that it need not end that way. The really smart ones--and he could name some of them too--chose to learn their lesson the first time. These three at the moment, at least, obviously intended that this be the only lesson necessary.

The sergeant finished up by explaining that he hoped that they would listen to Amy's father, who at least cared enough to come get them, and try to set them off in the right direction.

He had made an agreement with Tom, he explained, which was this: They would discuss tonight how to deal with the situation, and where to proceed from here. If at any point Tom didn't feel he was getting sincere cooperation, he was to bring them right back down to the station. If they wouldn't come back with him, he (the sergeant) would send an officer out to pick them up. Could he do that? Yes, he could.

If they ended up back here, that obviously meant that they wouldn't learn the easy way. He, the sergeant, assured the women they would have a rough night if they ended up back here. They would do their best to ensure the women learned, one way or another, what jail could be like.

This threat was in a normal tone of voice, but all three women shuddered. Even Tom wasn't quite sure the sergeant was acting. It was almost like a sadistic jailer inviting the women into his special "play room."

The sergeant concluded by saying that he got off duty at 2 am, but if Tom called before then, he could easily arrange to be there the rest of the night. He glanced at the women, and you almost wondered if he was about to drool and lick his lips.

As the three women shuddered--more noticeably this time--and looked towards the door in obvious hope of deliverance, the sergeant gave Tom a broad wink. "Be sure to call and tell me how things are working out."

Tom had to put on his fiercest scowl, to keep from chuckling in relief.

The drive home was quiet. None of the three young women wanted to be the first to speak, and Tom preferred to wait until they got home.

Chapter 4. Logic and Philosophy

Home, for Tom and Barbara, was at the eastern edge of the suburbs, near the base of the Cascade Mountains. Their home had originally been shamefully far from town, but with more people building homes in the area, they were now considered suburban.

Tom and Barbara lived on nearly a full acre of land. About half of it was wooded with tall douglas fir trees, and planted with 20-year-old spruce, western redcedar, and hemlock trees. The wooded portion of their yard was kept pruned and brush-free, the rich soil matted with fir needles. Because of the shade, Barbara could get little to grow beneath the trees.

When they were growing up, their two daughters used to play many games in "the woods." They would often come back inside fragrantly smelling of crushed spruce and redcedar needles. For several years it seemed that Amy needed to be constantly rescued for one reason or another, usually because her younger sister had tied her to a tree. Amy was the more adventurous of the two, but the younger sister always seemed able to extricate herself at need.

But this afternoon "the woods" was a rainy, soggy, dark background. (It was raining again, but that was normal for February.) The remainder of the yard was also soggy, but colorful. Colorful, that is, if you happen to enjoy green. Green grass, just a few green weeds, green moss (three different shades), and green juniper bushes. The rhododendrons and roses would provide a brilliant display in the summer, but right now everything was dormant for the rainy season.

The house was brightly-lit and inviting, a two-story farm house with basement. (There was no farm, but it was supposed to look like a farm house anyway.) The outside was painted sky blue with white trim. Today, with the lowering skies, it looked like battleship grey.

Barbara was waiting for them at home. She looked even more disturbed than Tom--but it had been a long week of wedding preparations. She directed everyone in to the living room and sat down next to Tom.

The next two hours were filled with tearful remonstrance. It took a while for everyone to get the story straight. The initial story seemed to leave out a few details, and ignored the concepts of right and wrong. The whole story, as it finally developed, was this:

Dianne was a habitual shoplifter. She couldn't help it; it was practically an addiction. She'd pretty much gotten caught at Nordstrom's. Instead, the girls agreed to put the charge on Barbara's in-store account. They were going to explain and make good right away. But things didn't quite work out. The story was that, today, they were trying to *return* things when they got caught.

The store manager had told the police that they were already suspicious. The three of them had been closely watched, and that's why they got caught.

So was this all Dianne's fault? Well, no, not exactly. Kim and Amy had benefited at least once each in the past, and "sort of" encouraged this behavior. It was Amy who signed the Nordstrom's charge. And this from a woman about to be married?

Tom was a systems programmer by trade, and made a habit of looking at things logically, breaking problems down into their component parts. Now that he had the situation identified, he proceeded with the question: What issues still need to be dealt with, and what can we do to prevent the problem from happening again?

Tom announced his solution. "Okay, here's the deal. Starting tomorrow, each of you need to make a list of each person you've stolen from. You need to apologize and make restitution. You might want to ask each one to forgive you."

"But Daddy, I don't have that much cash. How am I going to pay them back this week?"

"Sell your car. If you need to, find other things to sell. Let's not forget that you *are* in the wrong here."

This statement got all three of the young women wound up. They went around and around about whether Tom was being reasonable, and whether it was physically possible, even if they had the means, to pay back every person they had wronged. They finally came to the agreement that each woman, by tomorrow, would make a list of each *known* theft, and an estimated amount. Tomorrow, then, they would together work out a plan for getting everyone repaid, realizing this might involve selling off a few essentials. Tom assured them that such a written plan would make things easier as they discussed the problem with each of their victims.

Now came the main event. Kim and Dianne would have to explain the

situation to their parents, and Amy would have to tell Jeff. Tom was willing that they wait a few days before breaking the news--this way, at the same time, they could also show the progress they had made at setting things right. But they had to give a "full disclosure" before the end of the week.

Tom's reasonableness, of course, was again called into question. Amy did *not* want to tell Jeff. Tom was willing to let Amy wait until she and Jeff returned from their honeymoon trip, but no longer. With Kim and Dianne, Tom relented. Provided they kept to the agreement, and accepted the remainder of their punishment, they would not be required to tell their parents.

"Please, Dad, if I can get everything straightened out before the wedding, couldn't you let me start with a clean slate? It would mean so much to me. I'd never forget if you forgave me this one last time."

Barbara had been quiet for several minutes, but saw it was time again for her to show her support for her husband.

Barbara said, "It's already getting late, and you're just wasting time. I think you'd better hear Amy's father out before you start arguing. Amy, he's still your father and I think you need to show him a little more respect." Her words would not seem to carry very much weight--there was really nothing stopping the young women from walking out--but they had their effect.

Amy asked, "You mean there's more? I guess we'd better hear it." Now it was time to get nervous. She suspected what was coming, but could hardly believe it was possible.

"Oh yes indeed, there's more! We talked about restitution, but we have not talked about punishment. Theft is still a crime, whether the goods are returned or not, punishable with jail time.

"I discussed this with the desk sergeant. You saw me talking before picking you up. I explained that I needed an alternate plan in case I found you three rebellious or uncooperative. He doesn't normally do this, but as you heard, he agreed to allow me to turn you back in!

"So, you see, you have two options. You can take the 'official' route, returning to the station tonight, and making do as best you can. Or you can take the 'parental guidance' route, accepting discipline and instruction from us. Which will it be?"

Amy replied, "It looks like I'll be spending all week apologizing to people. But I guess I'd rather do that than spend the time in court. I do NOT want to go back to that hateful station!"

Tom continued, "That sounds about right. In fact, if you can get everything cleared up before your wedding, you won't need to tell Jeff."

Tom turned to the sisters. "Kim and Dianne, what about you two? Shall I deal with you two the same as Amy, or send either of you back to the station?"

Kim answered for both of them, "We'll take our lickings here, along with Amy."

"Fair enough. Now what punishment do you think is appropriate to the situation? Is there anything short of jail time that would keep you from pulling this ever again?"

Nobody had any suggestions. Tom and Barbara waited expectantly. The young women had obviously thought of a thing or two, but were reluctant to mention anything for fear it might come to pass. Just apologizing and paying people back was obviously deemed insufficient, and being placed on restriction was pointless with the wedding less than a week away.

Amy made one last try. "You know we're really sorry. You've made your point. Couldn't you just forgive us? It seems to me that would be the 'right' thing to do."

She knew the answer from her childhood memory, even before it was given. "Certainly we can forgive you, and all the store owners can forgive you, but that does not alter the fact that actions have consequences. Either way, the shoplifting still happened."

"There was that phrase again," Amy thought to herself. "Actions have consequences." She knew what was coming for sure, now.

Amy practically wailed. "Surely you don't mean to spank me! You haven't spanked me in years and years! You said yourself that I'm too big to spank. What good would that do?"

Tom replied, "Let me put it this way. If you were younger, and behaved as you did, would you feel yourself deserving of a spanking?"

Amy was crying a bit, but they were not the tears of sorrow she used to cry when about to be spanked. Rather, she was feeling sorry for herself; she was grown now and did not deserve to be treated like a child. She was not to the point of snuffling yet, and replied in a small voice, "I suppose I would deserve one if I were little. But I am NOT little. You're not being fair!"

Indeed, was he being fair? Yes, he was; she had the option. But would it do any good? Tom wasn't sure. It *did* sound a bit crazy. "To be fair, you have the option of returning to the station." Amy shook her head at this, as Tom continued, "But you obviously don't want to take the adult consequence. Remember, you're in the big time now, Amy. That was a real police arrest. You have a real police record, which does not please me in the slightest. Since you don't want the adult consequence, the child's consequence seems logical. Maybe that will help remind you to stop acting like a child. Remember that tears and restitution, so long as both are sincere, have always been a good combination."

Tom again asked if anyone had a better suggestion, one that was equally likely to achieve the intended deterrence. The young women looked at each other, but nobody spoke.

"Very well, then. Kim, do you also agree to a spanking, making restitution, and hopefully disclosing matters to your parents? You *are* an adult, so the spanking is entirely your option. I will do my best to make it worthwhile--that is, I will try to make you cry even though you're a grown woman. Is that what you want?"

Kim replied, "It's not exactly what I *want*, but I guess I'm stuck with it. Go ahead if you think you must."

"So you agree to everything?"

"Yes, except I don't know if I'll be telling my parents or not."

"Fair enough." Tom turned to the youngest. "Dianne, same question. I'm sure it's not exactly what you want, but is it fair enough? Are the spanking and restitution acceptable?"

Dianne figured she was getting off easy. She answered, "Yes."

Tom was struck by another idea. "I just had another thought, Dianne. I'm not sure a spanking will be all you need to cure you of the shoplifting habit--but I'll do my best. Will you also agree to get counseling related to stopping the habit, beginning this very week?"

"Okay."

"Care to guess what the consequence will be if you don't follow through?"

"Another spanking?"

"Right. Will you also agree to that, or whatever your father decides?"

"I'd take the spanking. But I'll go get the counseling--really, I will."

"How about you, Amy? How long's it been? At least eight years, maybe ten? Do you accept a hard spanking as a fair punishment, and agree to make restitution this week?"

"I guess so. I already said yes."

"Very well. Rather than telling Jeff, what do you expect as a fair consequence of not getting everything cleared up this week as promised?"

"It sounds like I'll be getting another spanking if I don't do it.

But I promised I would, and I will."

"Good. Now then, I don't think we'll do this in private--I don't think that would be quite appropriate under the circumstances. Please take a chair from the kitchen to the rec room and we'll meet you there. I don't think you would want to be spanked here, so close to the front door.

"If anybody needs to use the bathroom, now would be a good time. You know where it is."

It seemed everyone suddenly needed the bathroom. Amy took a chair back to the rec room and then joined the sisters in the bathroom.

This turned out to be a twenty-minute break. Tom realized all that talking was thirsty work, and used the time to down two glasses of orange juice. By now it was too late in the evening for anything with caffeine, or he'd be up all night. That wasn't the real point, of course--Tom simply liked orange juice, but had not wanted to interrupt the tearful discussion for such a mundane consideration.

Tom had a good sense of the ridiculous. Holding up a spanking for a glass of orange juice! Barbara caught him chuckling to himself, and he explained the humor of the situation. "Here we are on this solemn occasion, with three women about to get their bottoms warmed--but they're hiding in the bathroom and I'm enjoying my orange juice! We're all acting the part. Amy, Kim, and Dianne are acting like little girls trying to put off their punishment. I think it's finally beginning to sink in. And here I am, analyzing the situation.

"Well, it's time for the ceremony. Do you want to remind the girls of what they're here for, or shall I?"

Just like old times, Barbara called to the children in the bathroom, noting that their time was up, and that keeping "your" father waiting would not be a very good idea. Washing-up sounds continued, but the door soon opened.