Hello and ...

Hello again. If I have any readers left, welcome back.  

Vacation was great. Watching my grandson walk down the aisle to get his high school diploma brought tears to my eyes and a tug at my heart.  I can still see him running down the hall butt naked as he liked to do after a bath, beyond that I remember the thrill of his first picture (the sonogram) announcing his impending arrival, the first time I held him in my arms; then I remembered back to all those memories of his mother and know how she feels releasing her firstborn into the real world. It's a sobering experience.

The day after the graduation the six of us piled into the car and spent the day wandering around Monterey Wharf.  I bought the one and only thing on the entire trip there.  Ray jokes that I have a sweatshirt from everywhere we visit because I never bring a jacket.  Monterey was no exception, the daytime was wonderful, but once the sun started to set, the breeze off the water was kind of brisk.  Surprised him though, I didn't buy a sweatshirt, instead, I bought a fleece jacket in my color.  It did come in handy a couple of times on the trip, but then I mixed it in with my Clearwater sweat jacket from a previous trip.

We left that area the following morning after breakfast with our daughter.  It was sad to leave but easier knowing that soon my beloved will be celebrating his 75th birthday and she's coming to share the experience.

Our next stop was Cambria.  It is a small seacoast town not too far from San Simeon and Hearst Castle which we planned to tour.  It's funny, but all the years living in California and passing it numerable times, we never stopped, so this was the perfect opportunity.  We stayed at a place called Cambria Pines Lodge which is a resort settled among the pines  Great place, we stayed in a quaint cottage, decorated in the style of the Hearst Castle era. I booked it through TravelZoo - it was great, two nights, a dinner with a bottle of wine and two full breakfasts for one price.  Definitely the best deal of the entire trip.  Hearst Castle sits atop a mountain and the view is spectacular.  The tour was worth taking to get some of the histories of the castle and such.  The furnishings were opulent but I couldn't help but think that it was decadence of the royal order (think Old Hollywood as depicted in the movies) except this stuff was real and worth millions.

That was the end of schedule portion of the trip.  After that, we were traveling on a whim with no particular destination in mind except it would be along the coast.  We couldn't take Highway 1 all the way which was disappointing.  There was a huge landslide last year and it is still closed so we missed some of those breathtaking vistas through Big Sur.  

We did manage to make a stop at Pea Soup Anderson's, a landmark restaurant along 101, famous for it's,  guess what - pea soup.  Ray always made it a point to stop there and it was close to lunch so....  It's the same but the town, Buellton, has grown up around it.  Not too far is the Danish village of Solvang, noted for their pastries and Scandinavian charm.

In case you haven't guessed by now, this travelogue is in place of a story.  Not once on the whole trip did I write one word - so much for plans.  It did get me thinking though that I'm going to follow through on what I've been thinking about for a while.  I'm going to take a break from Monday stories and blogging in general - at least through the summer.  I'm not going totally away and will post here and there but not on a regular schedule.  For some time now, I've felt like a fraud on this venue with the only thing making it legit in my eyes was that I supplied stories about TTWD.  Well, lately I've fallen off that horse and can't seem to get back up.  A break might be just what I need.

So, now that I've given you the news, I think I will end this week's post and who knows the remainder of the trip might be another post in a couple of days or next week.  Who knows?

Thanks for reading and see you later for more Aimless Ramblings.

Vacation Post

Happy Monday - As I mentioned in my last post, I'm on vacation.  Rey and I are having a great time and another week to go.  Yahoo.

Here's a retread.

Billie Jo Michaels tried sneaking into bed.  Breathing a sigh of relief as she brought up the covers, her head had just settled on the pillow, when Benny rolled over.

“A little late aren’t you?”

“I’m sorry I woke you.  I tried being quiet.  It was a busy night and there was a lot of clean up and prep work for tomorrow’s brunch.”

‘Then how come you reek of cigarette smoke?”

“Oh, one of the new girls smokes like a chimney and it must contaminate all of us.”

“Uh huh.  You know how I feel about lying?”

“Yes, Benny, I do.”

“So how come you reek of cigarette smoke?”

“Honest, hon.  We stood out back waiting for everybody to finish and I guess that’s why.”

“Okay Babe, but you better be telling me the truth or else you know what happens.”

“Yes, Babe. ”

                                   _______________________________

Billie Jo Michaels had talked Benny into her taking a weekend job as a hostess/server at Bennington’s restaurant.  Benny thought one job was enough but Billie Jo threw that logic right back at him.  Benny was a full-time high school history teacher, the assistant football coach, and also served as a referee during basketball season.  He was actually considering taking on the cross-country team in the spring and Billie Jo won her point by telling him she was a weekend sports widow.  Benny loved his job and sports but that wasn’t the reason he took on the extra duties.  Teachers didn’t make a great deal of money, so the extra stipends from coaching went right into their house downpayment fund.  Billie Jo agreed she would contribute her restaurant salary to the fund and that sealed the deal.

Billie Jo’s restaurant co-workers would often go over to the casino after work and they finally talked Billie Jo into accompanying them.  The first time, she did really well playing the slot machines, coming home with $500 in winnings, the second time she won again and she became hooked.  She made more in two nights than she had in two months at the restaurant and she went more often. When she finally told  Benny, he became apoplectic.

“Gambling is addictive, believe me I know.  I experienced it in my family and it almost ruined my parent’s marriage.  I forbid you to continue to gamble away your hard earned money.”

“But, Ben, I’ve won at least $800.”

“Yes, that’s how you get sucked in.  It will only be a matter of time before you lose money. Once that happens, you start to bet more and more hoping to win it back.  I’m serious, Billie Jo, I forbid you to visit the casinos without me.  Do you understand?”

“But what will I tell the girls.”

“I don’t care what you tell the girls, tell them your husband forbids it.”

“Oh, I could never do that.  They would give me a hard time.”

“Well, if I catch you gambling, I’ll be giving you a hard time.”

                                                  

Billie Jo turned down the girl’s invitations the next couple of times, but then one night she was mad at Benny and accompanied her friends.  She lost her initial stake and kept playing more and more money trying to recoup her loss.  Before she realized it, she had lost over $1,000. I don’t need to tell Benny, I’ll put it on the credit card and he never checks the bill so I’ll just pay it off before he finds out,” she thought to herself. 

Unfortunately, plans don’t always work out the way we want.  On one of those rare weekdays when Benny beat Billie Jo home from work, he retrieved the mail from the box.  He opened the credit card bill and when he saw the charge for the casino, he hit the roof.   He sat in the living room to keep an eye on the street.  The minute her car hit the driveway, he was up and waiting for her at the door.  He had his belt doubled over in his hand when he opened the door and took her arm.  He didn’t waste any time, he was lashing her backside as he ushered her into the bedroom.

“Take off your clothes and lay over the bed, he bellowed while he arranged the pillows.

“Why, what did I do?”

“I can’t believe you are asking me that question.  Does that mean there’s more than one thing that deserves a spanking?  We’ll talk about it while you’re standing in the corner after I stripe your bottom.”

Billie Jo quickly removed her clothes; she knew better than to try to stall or talk him out of this punishment.  When he was in this mood, the best thing she could do for herself and her tush was  to move fast and quietly to do his bidding.  She lay over the bed and he wasted no time in expressing his displeasure.  The belt landed quickly and often, not giving her enough time to catch her breath before the next stripe marked her bottom.

She tried clenching her butt cheeks making him stop for a moment.

“Do I have to get the ginger?”

“No.” she managed to get out.  He moved her thighs further apart and his belt once again began it’s assault on her now tender red backside.  Billie Jo’s fingers clutched the comforter as she tried to focus on accepting the pain of the spanking. She didn’t think she could take another spank when she realized the belt was no longer striking her backside.

He stood her up and propelled her to the corner.

“Hands clinched behind your head.   When you’ve stopped sobbing I want you to tell me exactly what this was all about.”

Standing behind her, he watched as her sobs started to abate.  He could feel the heat coming off her red striped ass and knew she had to be hurting. He wanted to get his point across because he didn’t want to visit this subject again.  Gambling ruined his childhood, and he didn’t want to relive the experience as an adult – he thought he had made that clear to her.

“So are you ready to talk to me?”

She brought her hands down and turned around.  Very sternly he told her“I didn’t tell you to turn around and get those hands back up.  All I want you to do is to tell me why you just got spanked," 

“I don’t know.”  He picked up the belt and swung it across her ass.  He saw her body jump as the fresh strike brought back the heat that had just started to subside.

“Want to try that again.”

“I don’t know.”  The belt lashed her throbbing bottom three more times. “Before I ask again, I want you to think long and hard because if you don’t give me the truth, you’re going to be back over the bed and your welts will have welts.  Do you understand?”

She shook her head yes.  “Why are you getting this spanking?”

“I disobeyed you.”

“That’s a start, care to embellish.”

“I disobeyed you and went to the casino without you.”

“Finally,” he said.  He sat down on the bed and watched her.  He let her stew there for fifteen minutes before he told her to come to him.  He made her stand between his legs while he explained once again how much he hated gambling. 

“I hope this spanking will be a reminder the next time you decide to gamble.  Now lay back down on the bed.”

“What?  You just spanked me, why am I getting another spanking.”

“You’re getting another spanking because you didn’t tell me when it happened.  If I hadn’t opened the credit card statement, I would still be in the dark, wouldn’t I?”

“Yes, I’m sorry.”

“Yes, I know you are but I want to be sure you remember.  After this spanking, you’re going to go to the computer and look up Gambler’s Anonymous.  When you’re finished reading, I want you to write down the twelve steps and post it on the refrigerator along with your five hundred lines of Why I don’t gamble.”

“Yes, sir.”

He took pity on her and this spanking was not nearly as harsh as the first.  He gave her five licks with the belt and then took her over his knee and finished up with a brisk hand spanking. He pulled her up onto his lap, arranging her over his legs so that her bottom wasn’t touching anything. He cuddled her tightly as she wrapped her hands around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder.

Afterward, she went to the bathroom to freshen up and came out dressed in her robe.

“No dice, Billie Jo. Take it off.  I want you to feel the humiliation of the spanking while you’re sitting at the table reading and writing your lines.  When that is completed, your punishment will be over and you can get dressed.”

“But…

“Billie Jo, are you going to disobey me already.  The belt is still here on the bed.”

“No sir.”  He watched her leave the room, and he had all he could do to stifle the laugh that was bubbling up inside.  The look on her face when he reminded her about the belt was priceless.  He wished he had a camera to preserve it for posterity.

An hour later, she was still sitting at the table writing her lines, when the doorbell rang. She immediately jumped up.  “Stay right there,” he told her.

“But Benny, I don’t have anything on.”

“I’m well aware of your situation.  Stay right there.”   He could see the UPS man standing at the door and knew he would not be allowing him any further than the door but Billie Jo didn’t know that.  He watched her squirm and more than her bottom was red.

“As he opened the door, he told her loud enough to hear in the kitchen “Stay where you are unless you want another spanking.”  The UPS man handed him the package and winked.  Benny was quite sure Billie Jo would remember the spanking and this embarrassment for a while.

The next time the girls asked her to join them on a casino night, she politely refused.

“My husband doesn’t like me gambling,” she told them as she unconsciously rubbed her butt cheek.

The UPS man never passed their house without smiling.

See you later for more Aimless Ramblings.

All Rise for the Judge

Happy June everyone.  Wow, that came fast.  Are you all set for summer. The summer weather is here - 106 yesterday.  We're praying for rain but nary a drop in sight.  Fires are popping up everywhere - things are so tinder dry.  And yet, other parts of the country are being deluged.  Weather patterns have sure changed.

Ray and I are leaving this week on vacation.  I'm excited.  We're visiting family first, because of grammar school and high school graduations for our grands, then we're taking a leisurely drive down the coast highway stopping in several coastal town along the way before heading back home.  We haven't done that drive in years.  It was usually further north along the coast or flying to California.    Weather should be cooler which will be lovely before we come back to wither in the AZ summer.

I know I've said this about some others, but I think this may be either a new book or a longer story in a short story collection.  Either way, it is not finished but I'm posting in and I'm well into the second part.  I probably won't be posting the next part until I return so next week will be another retread.

If you want to read something new and actually finished,  may I suggest PK's latest book, Educating Jenny.  It's book 3 of that series and PK's writing never disappoints.  

You'll recognize lots of old friend in there too. 

Now for the new story.

Here Comes the Judge

“Georgie Hanson you stay away from me or else”

“Or else what, Magdalene Darling.”

“Or else I’m gonna punch out your lights”

“Yeah, you and who else”

That scenario went through Maggie's mind as she walked into the courtroom and saw Georgie Hanson sitting on the bench – the most honorable George M. Hanson now. Maggie turned around to leave the courtroom but was stopped by her attorney just entering.

“You’re going the wrong way,” he told her.

“No, I’m not.  I won’t get a fair hearing.”

“Of course you will.”

“No, the judge and I have history.”

Emil Jannings shook his head.  “What kind of history could you possibly have, you haven’t lived in this area in years.”

“Yeah, well we do and it did take place years ago.  See that scar above his right eye.”

“Yes, so what.”

“I put it there.”

“Oh, really.  The judge always says it was a war wound.”

Maggie flushed.  “As far as I know, Georgie Hanson was never in a war and I know I wasn’t. I’ll tell you how he received that scar.  He was teasing me about my name as usual and when I told him to quit, he laughed at me, so I knocked him down and punched him.  It bled something awful.  He needed stitches.”  Emil Jannings was laughing now.

“Stop laughing, it’s true and he swore I would be sorry.  There is no way he is going to give me a fair hearing.”

“Maggie, that was how many years ago.  I’m quite sure Judge Hanson isn’t still holding a grudge.”

He ushered her toward a seat in the courtroom.   She was more nervous now than before.  Her case was to get the zoning changed on her Grandma’s  (now hers ) property.  Gran Darling had passed and left her Victorian house to her only granddaughter, Magdalena.  She had plans to turn it into a bed and breakfast.  The Darling house and name were well known in these parts and she wouldn’t even have to change the name.  It was a darling house in more ways than one.  Her great-grandfather had built it for his bride when they were first married.  It had eight bedrooms and three bathrooms, unheard of in a house built at the time.  They anticipated a houseful of children but only two lived to adulthood, one of them was my Grandma. 

Grandma Darling was somewhat of a rebel – a woman way before her time.  She moved away when she was twenty and joined a dancing troupe that was touring the country.  She met my grandfather and soon became pregnant.  Much to her parent's dismay, she refused to marry the man just to get a name for her son.  “My child has a name, Darling, it was good enough for me and it will be good enough for him or her,“ she told her parents.

Steven Foster Darling was born and lived with his parents in a trailer. They were still part of the dance troupe and were performing all over.  When war broke out, Steven Foster, my grandfather enlisted and was killed in battle.  By this time, my great-grandparents' health was failing and Gram and her son, my dad, moved back to care for them.

My dad went off to college and met my mother.  She was an easterner, through and through and thought of Montana as being filled with cowboys and Indians.  It was not for her and she refused to settle there.  My dad tried it her way but could never adjust to city life.  He moved back here and I would visit him during the summer and every other Christmas.  I met Georgie Hanson during one of those summer vacations.

He was a cute little shit and I fancied myself in love with him.  He put up with me if no one else was around but would abandon me if something better came along.  It was during one of these times that we had our ‘incident.’  After that, we weren’t friends anymore, and on my visits, I no longer sought him out.

As Gram became frail, Dad sold his place and moved into the Darling House to care for her.  When Gran passed I knew the house had been left to me but there was no way I was going to displace my dad.  When he passed last spring, I decided to move to  Greenwich and convert Gram’s house into a B and B.  It was something I always wanted to do and Gran’s house was perfect and Greenwich was also a picture postcard kind of town, both in the summer and the winter.  Being a freelance writer gave me the freedom to work anywhere and the extra money from the B&B allow me to live very comfortably.   I began making the plans to rezone the property  There now you know the story, do you still think Little Georgie will give me my approval stamp, Mr.Jennings."

"Not if you call him little Georgie Boy."  I laughed and some of my nervousness left.  So there I stood with all the T's crossed and I’s dotted.  All I needed was a rezoning ordinance for the work to begin. The plan was for two of the existing bedrooms to be converted to a large en-suite and each of the remaining bedrooms would have their own bath.  The downstairs would be the public space, library, media room and kitchen.  There was an old carriage house on the property to be converted to my living quarters.  There was ample parking and when I presented t the plans to the city council they were overwhelmingly approved. The last step in this process was the final courtroom hearing before the judge.

She sat in the courtroom looking at Georgie.  He had turned into a fine looking man, with a full head of hair that was almost white - surprising since he wasn’t that old.  Although she couldn’t see much of him under his judicial robes, he appeared in good shape.  She didn’t notice a wedding band and leaned over to ask Emil if he was married when she heard her court case called.

She stood on wobbling knees and walked toward the bench, Emil Jannings next to her and waited.

George Hanson shuffled through papers in front of him. He suddenly stopped and looked up before looking back down again.

When he next rose his head, “So Miss Magdalene Darling is it?  How is that right hook?”

Maggie was sure she was red from her neck up.   “Pardon me, your Honor.”

 

“Oh come on, Ms. Darling we both know what I’m talking about.”  His eyes twinkled and there was a slight glimpse of a smile on his lips.

“Yes, your Honor, I do.  Let me just say that I haven’t had occasion to use it for a while so I’m not sure.”

“Well, let me say, that I hope you won’t have to.”

He went back to shuffling through the papers.  “Before I make my final decision, would Ms. Darling please approach the bench.”

Emil Jannings started to walk with her.  “No Mr. Jannings, Ms. Darling only.”  Now Maggie was really nervous.  When she was right in front of him, Georgie brought down his head and in a conspiratorial whisper asked her to dinner.  Maggie was flummoxed.  “If I say no, will my plans be denied?”

“I’m sorry you think so little of me Maggs.  After all, we were childhood friends.  My decision will be based on the merits of your plan and the recommendations of the city council.  I’m just asking if you’ll have dinner with me some evening.”

“I ’d love to if you promise not to call me Maggs.  It’s not going to cause problems with your wife, or will she be joining us?”

He laughed.  “No wife, I’m a widower.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be, if she hadn’t passed I’m sure we would have divorced.”

“That good, huh.”

“It was, but things changed. How about you, do you have a husband.”

“No, no husband.”

“Never married  or…

“Never married.”

“Can’t say I’m surprised, if they ever showed them your right cross, it would be enough to scare away any man.”

“Ha, ha, ha.  I’m not sure I want to have dinner with you now.”

“Too late, you already accepted and the fact that you have no husband is even better because there’s been something you have coming, something I promised myself if I ever saw you again, and a husband would have definitely been a problem.”

“I really am rethinking having dinner with you.”

“Have you turned chicken, you never were before.”

“No, I haven’t turned chicken and I’ll stand by my acceptance.  Besides, I’ll always have that right hook."

See you later for more Aimless Ramblings.