Coming of Age

Hello - Things here are good.  Hope everything is where you are.  Thanksgiving is swiftly approaching and with it the countdown to Christmas.  It comes entirely too fast these days.  Ray and I are both feeling better and glad about it.

Next weekend is Love our Lurkers.  I won't be participating this year because Ray and I are going away for a few days.  I'll miss it - don't you. 

I don't know about this story.  It took me all day and couldn't get to the important part.  I finally did but it's way too long but I'm too tired of it to make the changes.  Sorry about that.

Coming of Age

James Thompkins lived on the Winchester Estate his whole life – not in the main house – but in the caretaker's cottage.  His father, Harry had been the caretaker for the Winchester’s since before his birth.  When he went to university was the only appreciable time he had been off the estate. It was as much home to him as to the Winchester’s so that when he returned from uni he didn’t know what to do with himself. Did he go back to his folk’s place or strike out on his own? Without a firm job offer, and with money tight, his dad suggested he could use him at the estate during the summer.  James accepted his dad’s offer and moved back to the cottage.  His sister and brother had moved on during his university years so it wasn’t nearly as cramped as before. 

One day on his return trip from town to the estate, he noticed a girl walking along the lane.  She seemed to be enjoying the sojourn so he tooted and waved as he drove by, careful not to kick up too much dust as he passed.  About an hour later there was a knock on the door.  When he opened the door, on the porch stood the girl that he passed on the lane.

“Hello, can I help you?”

“Not now,” she replied.  “You could have helped before.  I don’t know who you are but I noticed your car as I walked to the house.  Do you live here?”

“Yes, I’m the caretaker’s son and I’m working here for the summer.”

“Well it seems to me that for someone who is employed here at Winchester Estate you would have the good sense to make inquiries if you see someone walking along the lane.”

“I’m sorry.  Who are you?”

“I’m Janelle Westmoreland.”

“Well, Janelle Westmoreland, I’ve lived here almost my whole life and never once have I questioned someone walking along the lane and I can’t imagine starting now.  Why would I?”

“No need to get huffy.  It’s just that it seemed to me that a stranger on the road would be of interest .”

“Ms. Westmoreland, you don’t know me at all.  For all intents and purpose, I could be the stranger.”

She got all red-faced when she realized the truth of that statement.  The color became her, she was much too pale otherwise.  She had the lightest shade of blond hair and the palest of blue eyes and dressed as she was, almost totally in white, she could have been a spirit.  The embarrassment proved too much for her and she turned on her heel and walked away.

His next encounter with Ms. Westmoreland came at the post office a few days later. He readily acknowledged and greeted her but was rebuffed by her haughty “Do I know you?” statement.

If she expected him to humiliate himself by explaining their first encounter, she was dead wrong.  After saying, “I guess not, I must have been mistaken,” he turned and walked away.

That was not the reaction Janelle Westmoreland expected.   After their first encounter, she found herself thinking about James. He was a good-looking man and seemed well-spoken for a mere employee.  Raised as an only child, she was born late in life to a couple who were steeped in Victorian life and mores.  The twenty-first century was more than they could bear and so they shielded themselves and their child as much as possible.  When Janelle went off to school she was treated like outcast – a nineteenth-century girl in the twenty-first century.  Her dress, manners, and  thoughts were an enigma to most of her classmates and she found herself friendless and alone. To say she was a snob was an understatement.    After one semester she returned to her parents’ home.  They were disheartened at the dismay of their only child and suggested a long visit with her Winchester cousins might do her a world of good.   

   

 Janelle looked down on every one of her cousin’s friends for one reason or another and found herself once again, alone and lonely.  Could James Thompkins be the answer?  Obviously, she would have to do better than her last attempt at playing coy. 

She spied on him for a few days while he was at work.  While watching him one day she remembered a scene in a book she had read.  The heroine was trying to get the attention of one of her father’s groomsmen and feigned an accident hoping to get the man to come to her rescue.  She noticed that James visited the garden shed several times throughout the day and she began planning her mishap.

Unfortunately, her plan backfired.  The day of her ‘accident’ she entered the shed and tripped on a rake that was lying on the floor.  This would have fit right into her plan except that instead of James coming to her rescue, it was his father. 

“Ms. Westmoreland, are you hurt?  I left that rake there not thinking anyone else would be coming in here.”

“It’s okay,” she fumbled.  “I I I was looking for a small pot to plant a sprig of mint.”  After helping her to her feet, he found a small pot and asked if that would suit.  She nodded her assent and left the shed, colliding with James on the way in. 

“What was she doing here?” she heard him ask.

“Looking for a pot for something or other. “ 

“She’s one snooty bitch – way too full of herself,” she heard James tell his dad.

“How did you come to that conclusion?”

James told his dad about the house visit and then their encounter at the post office, and just now she bumped into me and never even said a word.

“Maybe she just needs someone to take her in hand and show her the error of her ways”

James laughed.  “You could be right about that.  I wouldn’t mind taking a shot at that.” With that, he picked up a garden stake and swished it through the air.

She heard them both laugh as she hustled away from the shed thinking how dare they presume to know what she did or did not need, she’d show them. 

When James entered the greenhouse the following morning, he couldn’t believe his eyes.  The place was flooded and as he rushed to turn off the water, he saw the other damage as well.  Many of the garden tools were floating in the water and several panes of glass had been shattered. All of the seedlings had been uprooted and overturned and several of the annuals that were ready to be planted were lying on the floor.  He was trying to rescue as much as possible when his father came in.

“What the hell happened here?”

“Not sure, but it was a deliberate act.”

“We’ve never had anything like this before.   We’ve got a day’s work ahead of us, that’s for sure, including getting a lock for that door.”

“Yeah,” James answered.

James’ dad left to go get the lock leaving James alone.  He was perspiring from the hard work and had hosed himself off.   Janelle appeared in the greenhouse and one look at James had her heart aflutter.  He noticed the color began creeping up her neck as she took in the full effect of wet clothes clinging to his body. 

“Can I help you, Ms. Westmoreland.”

“What a mess,” she said, “what happened here?”

There was something in her voice and manner that made his hackles rise.  “There seemed to be a bit of mischief here.  My dad has gone into town to report it to the police.  I’m sure they’ll be here soon to check out the scene and dust for prints.”

He watched her face and knew his assumption was correct. 

“Oh,” was all she said before she took her leave.  James smiled to himself –he knew exactly how he was going to make her pay for her bit of mischief.  After all, he could cross-examine witnesses with the best of them – at least that was what his law professors told him.

Sure enough, James’ opportunity arose.  Janelle was walking along the lane as James drove by.  He stopped and asked if she wanted a lift into town or just on a walk.

“On a walk but thank you for stopping.”

“Are you sure you don’t want a ride?” He coaxed.

 She accepted and he didn’t waste a moment. He opened the conversation telling her that the sheriff had been able to pinpoint the time of the incident and found some hard evidence that he was sure would catch the rowdies.

“Oh, so there was more than one.”

“Not according to the sheriff.  He determined it had to be a young man, based on the imprints in the mud.  Of course, it could have also been a girl.”

“Really.” He watched her squirm in her seat.  “You know while we’re in town I think I might stop by the sheriff’s office and see if he has any new information.”

“Oh, I’m sure he would let you know right away, wouldn’t he?”

“He had a suspect in mind and maybe he’s nailed it down by now.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know.  It’s just a feeling I have.”

“If you know anything, now would be a good time to let us know.”

“Why would I know anything?”

“You said you had a feeling.  Have you seen anyone skulking around?”

“No, I think it was just a prank that got out of hand.”  He pulled up in front of the Sheriff’s office and turned off the truck.

“I’ll wait here,” she said.

“Are you sure, I may be a while.”

“No, you go ahead.”   He came out a few minutes later followed by the sheriff.  James had filled him in on his suspicions and the sheriff played along. Between James and the sheriff, she was squirming like butter in a frying pan.

“Okay, okay.  I did it.”

“What?” They both said and acted surprised as hell.

“I’ll pay for any repairs.”

“You caused an awful lot of trouble young lady.  I’m not sure you can get off that easy,” the sheriff said.

James piped up then.  “I think we can take care of things without getting the law involved.  After all, it’s her uncle’ s property and he’ll be paying anyway.”

“You’re not going to tell my uncle, are you?” 

“I’m not but you are?”   He winked at the sheriff and James got back in the truck.

“Please don’t tell my uncle.  It was a childish thing to do.”

“Why did you do it?”

“I overheard you and your dad talking about me and I wanted to get even.”

“So you destroyed property that wasn’t yours and knew you would cause havoc.”

“I know, I’m sorry, but please don’t make me tell my uncle.  He will be so disappointed.”

“What you need is a good spanking?  You may look like a grown up but you don’t act like one and I’m tempted to give you what you need.”

“If it means not telling my uncle, then please spank me.

“Are you sure because I’m not fooling here. “

“I’m sure.  Okay, I’m going to pull over here unless you want to wait.”

“No, I want to get this over with.”

James knew just the spot.  It was in a grove of trees that provided privacy all around.  There was a bench cut out of down tree that was just perfect for what he had in mind.  As he pulled off the road, he noticed Janelle’s nervousness.

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“Not too late to back out.”

“No, I’m ready.”

James pulled the truck into the copse of trees and turned off the ignition.  He opened the door for Janelle and helped her down.  He led her to the downed tree.  “Wait here,” he said.  “I have something I have to do.”

“You’re not leaving me here.”

“No. I’m going to cut a switch.”

“A switch.”

“You didn’t say anything about a switch.”

“Are you backing out?”  She watched as he tested several branches before he chose one.  He chose several and inspected them thoroughly and tried each one by swishing it through the air.  Janelle gritted her teeth as she heard the sound.

“When you’re ready, bend over the bench.”  He saw her watery eyes and noticed her quivering body.  He steeled his resolve thinking of the mess she had made and how haughty she had been. He raised his arm in the air and brought down the switch purposely not finding her bottom.  He heard the intake of breath and then the release when the pain didn’t come.  She relaxed a bit and that’s when he raised the switch again and this time it landed on her bottom.  She cried out but didn’t move.  Three more times he brought down the switch before dropping it to the ground.  He helped her up – tears were streaming down her cheek but he was proud of her.  She had taken her punishment, something he hadn’t expected.

He gave her a hug, handed her some tissues and walked to the truck.  “Take your time and come over when you’re ready.”

She walked gingerly to the truck and James assisted her up.  He heard her wince as her bottom hit the seat. She hugged the door on the ride back to the estate. 

“What happens now?” she asked.

“It’s over, you took your punishment, but know that if you ever do anything like that again, it will not be that easy.”

“I won’t.  Will you do me a favor?”

“What kind of favor?”

“Would you ask me out on a date?”

“What?”

“Ask me out on a date.  I’ve never been on one with someone that wasn’t a relative. “

“I guess I could do that.  Janelle would you like to go to dinner with me tomorrow night.”

He smiled at her as he waited for an answer.

See you later for more Aimless Ramblings.