See Shells, Sea Shells

Chapter 4

"Stupid bear!" Richard hissed. He open the window and tossed the stuffed animal from the limo. Then he closed the window again. Sinking into his seat, he crossed his arms and began to pout.

"Richard!" his mother snapped, shocked at her son's behavior. He knew he had crossed the line but he was too tired and frustrated to care. His mother couldn't be dissuaded so casually. For the first time in his new life, she put him over her knee. She was about to drop the hammer on him when there was a rap at the window. Richard scrambled to pull up his pants while she lowered the window, using the control on her armrest. "Yes?" she asked tersely. 

"I'm sorry to interrupt, ma'am, but somehow this fine toy bear ended up out here on the tarmac."

Staring down her son, Ginger narrowed her eyes. "Richard..."

Richard had no choice but to reclaim his ownership of the stuffie. He snatched it from the man's hands and smirked at him. Through gritted teeth, he grudgingly spit out the words his mother demanded. "Thank you, sir."

"Thank you, young man. I'm sure Richard appreciates what you've done for him," Ginger added. She rolled up the window before the steward could respond. He stepped back and watched dumbfounded as the limousine pulled away. Richard gazed through the partition that separated him and his mother from the men in the front. They seemed to be engaged in some sort of animated conversation, totally ignoring him and his mother. 

He didn't have time to contemplate that. His mother abruptly pulled him back over her knee to continue the lesson as his bear once again tumbled to the floor. She yanked his pants down below his knees, exposing his bare butt. 

Somehow a spanking from her bare hands seemed to hurt much more than a lesson by his daddy using a hardwood paddle. Her hand came crashing down on his sensitive behind again and again and he was soon reduced to a sobbing, soppy Little boy, filled with regret for his transgressions. He was bawling his eyes out in a fashion he couldn't have imagined ever before and he began to understand why his cousin always reacted so dramatically to correction. Especially correction meted out by his Aunt Toni.

To his mind, the session seemed to last hours. At last, his mother pulled up his pants for him, adding to his total humiliation. He knew he needed to apologize to his mommy but couldn't bring himself to face her. He turned instead toward the window, his chest heaving and eyes leaking. He retrieved his bear and hugged it tightly, watching the world pass by as the vehicle navigated towards the gate and out onto the main highway. Silence, except for the occasional sniffle, filled the cabin. 

Mrs. Thornberry opened the partition. "Excuse me, gentlemen," she began, "but where exactly are we headed?"

Her husband turned to face her. "Back to the Grants, dear. Is Richard okay?"

"Yes, he's fine. He just forgot his place for a moment," Ginger glanced at her son who was wiping his nose on his sleeve. She swatted his arm and handed him her scented woman's handkerchief instead. Then she smiled knowingly at her husband. "He's better now."

The Grants and the Holmes families were lined up in the driveway when the limousine pulled up and the Thornberrys got out. Wilton Holmes's eldest son, Jake, was the first to notice Richard's disheveled appearance. "What happened to you?" he wanted to know.

"Nothin', " Richard sniffed.

"Nice bear you got there, Richard," Colton goaded.

"I got it for you," Rich smirked, as he thrust the bear into his cousin's hands. 

"Eww! It's wet!", Colton exclaimed, holding the bear by its ear at arm's length. Richard gave Colton a shove with his shoulder as he brushed past him, ignoring his protests. "What's his problem?" Colton asked nobody in particular. He didn't get an answer. Everyone else was too involved in getting reacquainted.

"There are refreshments on the back deck," Aunt Toni announced as she led the group inside. "What about our bags?" Ginger asked, glancing back at the vehicle.

"Oh, just leave them for later. The limo is rented for the rest of the week at Evette's request."

"Did she now?" Ginger sniffed, her nose in the air.

"Come on, Ginger, don't be like that," Evette pleaded.

"Well.." Ginger replied, shaking her friend's hand from her shoulder.

Evette looked to Wilton for support. "It'll be alright," he assured her.

Morton paused in the foyer of the expansive mansion. He was expecting his son to be waiting there for them and was disappointed. "Now where has that boy run off to?"

"Just leave him be," Ginger said. 

"This is a big house. He could disappear for days," Toni added with a chuckle. "But I'm sure he'll show up sooner or later."

Richard had run off to find somewhere to pout and ended up in the first bedroom he came to at the top of the stairs. He plopped down on the queen-sized bed, buried his face in his arms, and waited for someone to come looking for him. As the minutes passed and he began to focus on his surroundings, he realized that not only was nobody bothered by his absence but that they were actually having a very good time without him, laughing and talking up a storm on the patio just beneath his open window. 

He got up and tugged his shirt down. Going to the window, he peeked through the curtains. It was then that he became aware of the stinging sensation emanating from his well-tanned behind. He went to the attached bathroom and looked through the medicine cabinet. Not finding the ointment he needed, he suddenly remembered the bathroom across from Colton's room at the end of the hall. "There's got to be some cream in his medicine cabinet," Richard thought to himself as he headed in that direction.

Despite his diligent efforts, Richard's search proved fruitless. Although he tried to soldier on through the pain, the discomfort was just too great. The rest of the clan was enjoying their drinks when he suddenly appeared before them and asked if anyone had any diaper cream, blushing as he realized what he had just said.  "I've got this!" Jake volunteered a bit too eagerly for Richard's taste as he rose. "I think there's some in Little Willy's diaper bag."