I assumed we'd find out what fate awaited us in their bedroom, where they discussed it privately. I imagined the feeling I had as I walked away from the kitchen was the one the condemned prisoner has as they walk toward the gallows for the execution. I even placed my hands behind my back, subconsciously feeling like an inmate.
"Oh, we are doing this in the living room?" Holly stopped in the living room when she saw my father sitting like a judge, imperiously in his reclining chair facing us.
Ethan and Nick were sitting on the couch, like two members of a kangaroo court jury waiting to see us found guilty.
"We decided the punishment together, but Ethan and Nick should hear this because it affects them as well, and we can answer any questions they may have as well," he said.
I hoped beyond hope that by "affect my brothers," it meant "included them," but I was not optimistic.
"Girls, we spent a long time deliberating what to do about today. Much more time than we should have to spend. I have to work tomorrow, and this should be the time I relax stress-free in my home. Instead, I am here having what may be the most uncomfortable discussion of my life with you."
That did not bode well. I stood there and listened while Holly took a seat next to her husband and faced us. We remained standing, me with my hands behind my back and my sister standing casually.
My father started by telling us this was not a negotiation. This was already decided, and it was set in stone, and the only ones who could change that would be him and our mother. He warned us both that if we did try to negotiate, we would only make things worse because he wasn't going to tolerate that.
He promised us that it would be easier for us just to accept that this was the decision and not argue.
"There is no easy way to say this, so I'll just come out with it. You should be punished for what you did. When we add up the booze, the cigarettes, the panties, and even if we subtract the normal sibling rivalry stuff of he-said/she-said and bickering, the weight on the scale still tells me that there has to be a consequence. Do you agree?"
This was going to be an INTERACTIVE discussion? I wished Dad would just come right out with it and tell us what we had to do. I had already resolved to do whatever I was told and just take my lumps. I’d only make it worse by trying to negotiate or be defiant.
"Yes," we both mumbled.
"Alright, that's progress. You both did real monetary damage to this house. I have no idea what it will cost to fix our washer and dryer, but to replace all of those clothes is going to cost me at a time when I don't have the money, and you'll need an entirely new set of school clothes. You both have no money, and yet you managed to purchase cigarettes, alcohol, toys, and specialty panties, but you have yet to tell me the source of those funds. Do either of you want to own up to that before we start handing out the punishments?"
Dad implied it would go better on us if we did. I briefly considered trying to make up a lie in the hopes of some clemency, but I kept my mouth shut, and so did Joy.
"That's disappointing. That was one piece of this complex jigsaw puzzle I was hoping to find. As long as you have that source of income, or someone buying it for you, or you are stealing, that means you may have access to those same types of items again. I never want you to bring those types of things into my house again, but your word right now doesn't mean a lot. Obviously, if you are caught during your restriction, we are going to reassess how effective it is and probably extend it for a LONG time."
Restriction actually sounded good, considering the alternatives. I didn't have access to much for them to restrict, and the boys monopolized the only television that wasn't in my parents’ room.
"This punishment comes from both of us, and it will be enforced by both your mother and me, and we will be the ones to change it as needed if it's not working. We both came to this conclusion, so I don't want either of you to think it was solely MY decision or solely your mother's decision. We arrived here jointly."
I actually appreciated my father taking the time to tell us he was in solidarity with my mother because I would want a supportive husband who made decisions for me if I were her as well. The only thing I wanted more was to just be told what we had to do.
"Your Restriction lasts until January 1st, we decided that new year, new you. That doesn't mean you are out of the woods on January 1st. Depending on how well you behave, we may remove all the restrictions, or we may have to keep some in place until we can trust you again. You only have ONE currency with me, Mary, and Joy. That currency is trust, and when you use it up like you have, you have nothing. You have to earn it all over again, and you are starting from a deficit."
I loved how my father was so well-spoken. He enjoyed being a Park Ranger, but he was once a high school teacher.
"Now, this is the part that I am not really comfortable talking about," Dad seemed reluctant to tell us the punishment. My mom volunteered to tell us what we had to do, but Dad insisted he be the one to do it.
"Your mother and I feel that how you are dressed right now is how you shall remain."
The impact of that statement was like a ton of bricks dropping from the sky and flattening me. I felt its weight in the pit of my stomach, and my jaw fell open. I couldn't see Joy's expression, but her body language suggested that she couldn't believe it either.
"I see from your expression that you didn't expect that," Dad seemed relieved as if he was hoping we'd feel it like a freight train running us over. "You will obviously be issued clothes when appropriate, but right now, we don't have any for you. It may just be an old shirt of mine until your mother can take you shopping."
Dad stopped and asked if we had any questions before he continued.
"Is there more?"" I asked.
"A whole lot more," Holly added.
That ton of bricks that dropped on me just had another eight tons of bricks dropped on top of it with me underneath. I assumed that spending Christmas and my birthday for an entire month totally nude was the EXTENT of our punishment. I couldn't imagine how they could do more for us.
"You will be on work detail from now on. We are going to reduce the bickering between you and your brothers. Your brothers will have their assignments during the day, and you two will have yours."
That didn't sound so bad. I could handle that. It was like that now.
"Work detail begins at 6 am and lasts all day," Dad began. That sounded bad.
"There is nothing wrong with hard work, so in addition to the normal chores you have been doing, we will be assigning you some duties that your mom and I have been doing as compensation for the extra supervision you are going to require over the next month. Those may continue after the restriction is lifted. We don't have a laundry machine any longer, you will be washing everybody else's clothes and drying them by hand."
That sounded bad, too.
"Your mother liked how you helped set the table and allowed her to enjoy her meal in peace, so we are going to add the duties of setting the table by yourselves, clearing it, washing up, and getting people refills for their drinks, replacement forks if they drop them, and anything the table needs like butter and you will be eating at the counter. We haven't decided yet, but obviously, considering your lack of clothes, you aren't to sit at the dining room table or any of the furniture in the living room."
I imagined that Ethan and Nick would be straining to hide their tittering laughter, but instead, they remained completely expressionless.
"You can obviously sit Indian style on the carpet, but you won't be watching television, playing videogames, using laptops, cell phones, or reading books -unless the book is approved by one of us and it is done in the living room."
That wasn't entirely bad. I could probably handle that. It sounded like that may be the extent of it.
"I am going to remove the hinges from your bedroom door. We can no longer trust you not to hide things in your room, and since you won't be changing clothes there, your mother felt that the possibility of you getting caught if someone walks past your door would be a good deterrent."
"It wasn't just me, you agreed as well," Holly frowned.
"I am sorry, poor choice of words. I was giving you credit for the idea," Dad was stony-faced. He was clearly uncomfortable delivering this punishment to us. He didn't have any of it written down, so it almost felt like he was making it up as he went in no particular order.
"Do you want me to continue, dear? This is uncomfortable for you," Holly said.
Dad said it would be fine for her to continue where he left off and took a sip of water.
"We don't think you need to be in your room during the day, so you are forbidden from going into your room until bedtime, and we expect you to be up and READY to work at six in the morning. If I am coming in there to wake you up, then you will be in trouble. You'll be waiting in the living room and ready to go at 5:55am if you know what is best for you, bright-eyed and bushy tailed. If me or your father are not there, will leave the list of chores with Ethan, and he can give them to you. If nobody is awake, you'll wait there until someone does. You are NOT to knock on our doors and wake us up unless there is an emergency."
Just the mention of Ethan being involved filled me with an existential dread.
'I want things done a certain particular way, and I haven't been trying to micromanage you girls. I believe everything is in its place and a place for everything. I will stay home from work tomorrow to observe and supervise you two. That way, you will understand what I am expecting. Obviously, taking time off from work costs us money we don't have to spare, but it is an investment in you that sets you up for success. If you do things the way I want, then good things will happen; if you don't, then you will do them over, got it?"
We nodded.
"A Yes, Ma'am would be appreciated when I am talking to you like this," Holly said, so we repeated that back to her. "I was raised to know that was a sign of respect, and it's fallen out of favor. I think you two lack respect for me, so I'd like you to start using it with me and your father. You will address him as Yes Sir when he tells you something, so we know you are listening."
"Yes, Ma'am," I replied, and my sister followed suit.
"Good, some minor details, and then we'll get to the punishment," she said it like it was not that big of a deal to be punished and more of a formality.
I thought the restriction WAS the punishment, but now it sounded like it may be a separate thing.
"I don't ever want to see either of you bending over at the waist. I don't care if Ethan or Nick aren't there. If I can see your bottom hole, I am going to put a strap on it. Does that compute, ladies?"
It didn't, but I said Yes, Ma'am, anyway. I mean, I know she meant she'd spank me if she could see my butthole from behind, but I had no idea how visible it was. Judging from my sister, I could see hers anytime she walked.
"Hygiene," Holly's eyes laser-focused on my pubic hair. It was admittedly a thick patch of bushy black hair. "You will be working hard, so sweat and dirty fingernails might be normal during working hours, but when you are not working, I expect hair clean, teeth brushed, skin clean, nails clean, and legs shaved. I do not think the amount of makeup that Joy wears is appropriate for a girl so young, so there will be NO makeup while you are on restriction, and once you are off restriction, we will talk about what is appropriate for your age."
I heard an audible gasp from my sister. Holly seemed pleased to get that reaction.
"I am talking to Mary because Joy is okay, but I will give you a razor and scissors, and I want you to shave your lady hair tonight. It is unkempt, unseemly, and frankly a distraction. I didn't want to have this discussion in front of Ethan and Nick. There are some things they don't need to know, but since we are, I think it is important that they know I also expect young men to take care of themselves."
I couldn't believe she wanted me to shave! And talked about it in front of everyone. I was shaggy, but gosh, pointing it out in front of the entire family was a fresh scoop of embarrassment piled on.
"The reason I did that was mostly because of the times we are not going to be home and because it could impact them if they want to have friends over."
"That's true," Holly agreed. "Boys, you didn't ask for any of this, and I know you have just been really patient and super calm about everything, and we appreciate that. I was worried about how you'd react, but you've just shown yourselves to be good young men."
Utter hogwash.
"We know there aren't many kids around the area to play with, but should you make a friend. Obviously, you can't just bring them home if the girls are going to be naked."
That was good, at least.
"I understand, Mom," Ethan smiled. "I would call first and make sure it's okay!"
"No, I mean, you can't bring anyone over. There is no calling me first. I can't let you bring over boys your age to see the girls like this."
"I don't mean to be disrespectful, but you said that they could wear clothes when appropriate. Surely, they could put some on while we have some friends over to visit?"
There were no kids around for miles! We had looked when we first got here.
"Ethan, I'll take questions at the end, but if your father and I are not here, then you can't have anyone over, period. End of discussion. We are putting you in charge when we aren't here, and I need you to ensure that no one invites anyone over, ESPECIALLY the girls. I am not above placing you on restriction. What is good for the goose is good for the gander!"
"How can I do that, Mom? They won't listen to me!"
"Ethan, as I said," Holly was sharp with her son. I liked seeing that. She usually doted on Ethan, and he seemed like her golden boy who could do no wrong. "I was hoping to hold questions to the end, but since you asked, we realize that. We took into consideration that the girls can be willful, and we feel that they will listen because they know what's coming if they don't."
"We may as well talk about what happens when we aren't home," Dad said and offered to explain it to the rest of us.
"When we aren't here, we realize there has been some chaos, some bickering, some arguments, and everyone wasn't working as a team. I assumed that would just settle down. I am not interested in who said what to whom; I am interested in harmony and peace in my house. Your mother and I discussed several options, including her taking a leave of absence from work."
Obviously, that wasn't the option they chose.
"We want you to be as separate from the girls while they work as possible," Dad said.
That was actually the FIRST thing that I agreed with and looked forward to.
"Obviously, that is not going to be possible with limited space in the trailer and for meals because you will be home for a while. We are still debating whether or not home school might actually be better than public school for you, but we'll cross that bridge later. Suffice it to say we want to minimize conflict, not create more of it."
That made sense, all except for homeschooling. I needed books, academics, and other smart people to talk to about lofty topics!
"Your sisters will be making your meals and serving them to you just like at night, and they will eat at the counter."
Oh no! This already sounded terrible. My mind was reeling.
"You will also have to make sure that they stay out of their room and don't repeat any of their previous shenanigans down by the highway. I don't want you EVER locking them out of the house. If you lock them out of the house, you will join them. I don't care if ONE of you locks the door, the other that didn't unlock it will be joining them as well."
GO DAD! I could hardly contain my approving smile.
"I don't know what you are smiling about, Mary. It's tragic that I even have to threaten my sons with the prospect of punishment because of what happened today, so don't gloat."
I wasn't gloating, but I erased the smile with a quickness.
"There are three tools we are going to give you, and we thought long and hard about this," Dad said. He seemed to be talking to Nick as well as Ethan, but these tools were meant for Ethan. Ethan's body language didn't give away that he was probably thrilled right now.
"The first is texting us. If they are down by the highway, having people over, drinking, smoking, or anything like that, we want to know about it right away. You took a lot of pictures that left no doubt that you caught them, but do not text those to me. You can show me when I get home. It's not that I don't believe you, but it's hard to believe some of the things the girls did."
"Understood, Sir!"
Ass-kisser!
"I don't want texts constantly for every little annoying thing. I only want texts when there is a danger or something that is a big deal, like people at the house or they are in their room during the day and won't get out. We are going to trust your judgment, but I am inclined to say if you are ever in doubt, it's better you tell us than not tell us. Text us BOTH at the same time."
"Absolutely!"
"Nick, this goes for you as well. If Ethan is busy, feel free to take responsibility and text us. Is that okay?"
"Sure, Dad!"
"Now, the second tool is for those annoying things that don't warrant a text. I am going to give you a little list, but if we feel this is being abused, work isn't being performed, then we'll adjust it," Dad said.
Oh dear, what could this be?
"If they are rude or argue back, or they are lollygagging around, watching television, then I want you to go ahead and give them a time out like they had earlier," Dad said.
Ethan and Nick seemed puzzled, and I was as well.
"What your dad means is to put them in the corner like I showed you. Fifteen minutes, nose and toes should be touching the wood, hands behind the head. It is not cruel, and it should do the trick. I want you to keep track of the number of times you had to do that and the reason. That will be one of your special projects. If it's more than three during the day, then we are going to have to address it. If it keeps on happening day after day for the same reasons, we'll adjust it. I know it will be frustrating, but we can't just let them walk all over you."
"Thanks, Mom, I won't let you down!"
"I know you won't. You are a good boy. You have been in the corner before. You know that there is no talking while they are in the corner unless you talk to them first. They can't talk to each other at all. It's just silent time to reflect."
"The third tool is positive reinforcement," Dad said.
I was quite enthusiastic about that.
"A restriction is meant to RESTRICT something, and that means privileges that the girls take for granted right now, like the ability to select their clothes and wear them and use their leisure time as they choose. Punishment is meant as a deterrent by inflicting a consequence, and for you, that's making them wait in the corner. We don't want to only focus on the negative. We want a positive outcome out of the effort, and if they can only ever be punished, they have very little incentive except to do the minimum to avoid punishment. Does that make sense, Ethan?"
"Sure does, Sir!"
"We want to recognize when the girls make progress, celebrate it, and reward it," Holly chimed in. She clearly agreed with this measure, and that surprised me. This sounded hopeful, and I appreciated the fact that they chose to include it.
"I am not talking about merely doing their assignments. That is expected. I am talking about going the extra mile to do something above and beyond while exhibiting a positive attitude. You boys are going to have to sacrifice some of the time you would normally spend playing outside, watching TV, or playing video games. One of your special projects will be following behind the girl's work to check to see how well they did, and as compensation for that, we aren't going to make you do your normal chores"
What happened to positive reinforcement???
"I don't mind doing chores, Mom!"
"I know Ethan, and we may have you do a few things like the great job you did on the tree," Holly glanced over at the lit-up Christmas tree in the living room. "You aren't to make the girls start over or watch over them while they do the work. You just check to see that it was done and make sure they move on to the next assignment. You can, however, recognize a good job on the spot!"
Okay, that sounded better.
"The girls can choose either a snack, 15 minutes rest, or an extra bathroom break!"
BATHROOM BREAK? THERE IS A LIMIT TO THE NUMBER OF TIMES WE CAN GO TO THE BATHROOM?
"Outside of meals, the girls aren't to have ANY snacks, but I am preparing a list of healthy snacks like apple slices that they can make for themselves and eat at the counter in the kitchen. They can have 15 minutes to read or relax in the living room, but NO television. They need to sit facing away from the TV. They can also choose an extra bathroom break. They can save them until the end of the day or use them right away, but they can't carry them over from day to day. We aren't getting into that kind of accounting."
I had so many fucking questions.
"Sure, that sounds great, Mom!" Ethan had none.
"When the girls do something right, you'll put it on the chart. We'll track what they did wrong and what they did right that day. If they get three or more in a day, we'll see about a special reward when we get home!"
That was something, anyway.
"Now, we want the girls to automatically have two rest periods of 15 minutes per day in addition to those chances to earn a little time off. We decided they would get three bathroom breaks, once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once after 2 pm. If we get home after 6pm, we'll text you, but that should be more than they need. They can always earn more, but we don't want them in the bathroom lollygagging and shirking their work."
WHAT? WHY? The indignity.
"Lastly, for snacks, the girls will never be starved, so you will make SURE they finish their food. If they don't, they can't have any snacks, no matter how good a job they did. You'll tell us if they left food on the plate."
"Should we make them stand in the corner if they don't eat everything, Ma'am?" Ethan asked.
Holly looked to my father, who said that would not be necessary.
"I am just checking. This sounds complicated, Dad."
"We know, and we know your lives are impacted by the actions of your sisters, but we don't want you to make this about you doing our job. This is just to maintain things while we are not here, so it's very minimal compared to how it will be when we are home."
Oh, Cripes! Is THIS minimal? What is the maximum?
"You aren't judge, jury, and execution, your mother and I are. You and Nick are more like the deputy. You observe and report. If they do a good job, you can reward them on the spot and tell them they did well. If they don't do well, you write it down, and we'll address it. If you notice them doing something they really shouldn't be doing, tell us, and we'll handle it. If they give you a hard time, send them to the corner. That's really all this is. You don't have to be a drill sergeant hollering orders and yelling at them or doing much more than that. Your mom will be home tomorrow to work out some details and make sure you feel comfortable."
"Thanks, Dad, I am a deputy as well?" Nick asked.
"Yeah, Nick. You are the youngest, but I think between you and Ethan, you can make sure things run smoothly, and that way, it's not just Ethan's word against theirs about what happened during the day. You can vouch for what really happened."
Ugh!! He could if he wasn't a lying liar who lies all the time with pants on fire.
"Anything else, Dear, before we move on to the punishment?" Dad asked Holly.
What punishment? This already sounded like a punishment.
"I would just ask the girls if they have anything to say or questions about their restriction? Is it fair?"
FAIR? That's a relative term. I could have given a diatribe on what is fair, but it was a bit late for that.
"Yes, Ma'am, it's fair." That was all I managed. My sister did, too.
"Mary, I am surprised you have no questions. I assumed you would be concerned about not having permission to wear clothes?" Dad asked.
"You said at the very beginning not to argue, protest, or bargain, so if I had any concerns, it doesn't matter because this was already decided, so I accept it, Dad. I am worried, despite what you think about me, I am a shy person. I also don't understand this. It sounds like we have to work outside sometimes naked?"
"Never down by the highway, you'll clear off the snow on the cement in front of the trailer every single day," Holly added. She told us when we took out the garbage cans, we were to drag them close to the trees by the highway and Ethan and Nick would take them up to the street.
"We won't even get shoes?"
Holly frowned and looked at my father. I think she was inclined to make us work barefoot.
"You won't be outside for more than thirty minutes at a time," Dad decided. He told Ethan and Nick to make sure we do thirty minutes MAXIMUM outside, and we spend at least an hour inside working and warming up before going back again. "They can have shoes and socks if there are any when they work outside. I can be convinced of gloves if they are needed when picking up things."
"Is that my call, Sir?"
"No, they had gloves on today. Go ahead and let them wear gloves and shoes, but if I find out you left them out for more than thirty minutes or locked them out, you'll be on work detail right next to them. That goes for you too, Nick!"
"Won't happen, that was a complete misunderstanding, Sir," Ethan assured him. He glanced at me wickedly like a cat that was about to eat a canary, and I was the canary.
"What else?" Dad asked. He knew I had more questions, and I had a lot, but they were all details running through my mind.
"You said that Ethan can tell us to stand in the corner, but what if he does it just because he can?"
"Ethan or Nick, but Ethan is in charge; the worst that happens is you waste fifteen minutes of your day, and your arms get a little heavy. You are going to be on work detail, Mary. You have to be respectful to your brothers, not just Holly and me. I thought you would bristle at that, but I assure you – this is the least of your worries."
"I understand, but let's say he tells us to stay that way all day. Are we allowed to text you if we are concerned? We could miss all our deadlines to complete the work."
Dad sighed and thought about my question.
"It's very unlikely, and it's been a long, trying evening, Mary. Your cell phones are history, vamoose, gone. That's a given. You won't be in any danger because you aren't going anywhere outside of the yard and never back to the road. You won't be texting us or anyone. Trust me, I thought about just making you two stay in your room the entire day, but it wasn't fair to put all the chores on your brothers for something that YOU did. If you accomplish nothing, we'll come home and see that one of your brothers gave you corner time all day and address that with them. Stand there and stare at the wall."
Sheesh!
"I understand it's been a long day, and I appreciate that you are trying to make us face a consequence that is fair for everyone. I am just trying to make sure that I understand what is expected of me, and you asked me if I had questions. I wasn't sure how you'd know the difference if he said we were just lazy and didn't get it done versus legitimately putting us in the corner, but I trust your judgment, Sir."
Nicely played, Mary! Dad liked that comment. He even gave me a look of approval.
"You don't have ANY other questions?"
"I have about a trillion, Dad, but I put myself here right now, and I know you have our best interest at heart and love us both, and we'll find out when we find out," I said.
He asked Joy if she had any questions.
"Um, it's kind of embarrassing," Joy shifted in place and looked around.
This whole thing was embarrassing.
"It's supposed to be, Joy. We can't spank common sense into your brain, but we thought that since you like to flash guys on the side of the road and wear sexy things, by taking away the option to do it when you want, how you want, and making you stay naked for a month, you would never want to do that again," Holly explained.
Joy nodded and clarified that her question was embarrassing to ask.
"Oh, okay," Holly shrugged and told her to go on and ask it.
"Um, well," Joy indicated, her huge bosoms hanging down. They looked like filled water balloons and were so different when she wasn't wearing a bra. "I can't go like this all month. I need some support. Can I at least wear a bra?"
Holly seemed relieved to hear the question -almost as if she was hoping it would be asked, and my sister just earned a gold star. That's why my mother's answer surprised me.
"Absolutely not, young lady! I've seen your prideful attitude as you parade around the house, and I know your breasts are what you consider your best features, but they are just part of our body and nothing special. Ethan and Nick have had the illusion dispelled that women have special boobs that stay up by magical anti-gravity. We pad, tuck, and push things up where they need to be, and now they know that is all an illusion. You will keep your hands AWAY from your um…well, I hate to say it so coarsely, but your nipples. If I catch either of you touching your nipples, your lady parts, or your bottom hole for ANY reason, then I will assume you are playing with yourselves, and there shall be hell to pay, girls. I don't want ANY of that around my boys."
Holy shit. I felt my heart palpitate, and my pulse quickened when Holly mentioned that rule. It's not that I masturbated frequently or anything, but it was just how she said it that filled me with terror and shame. It made it sound like we were chronic masturbators. It wasn't even my sister's question -and it just sort of came out of the blue.
"I didn't think that one needed to be said, but I agree with your mother. That's one reason you will sleep without sheets and with the door open. We may walk past, and if we think we see anything even resembling masturbation," Dad started to blush after he heard himself say, "Well, just don't let us see it, and we won't have to cross that bridge."
"I didn't want to use the word masturbation, but since you did," Holly frowned "That is what I would consider it, and one reason I was opposed to the idea of you serving out your restriction in the buff was that I know there would be a temptation to tickle your clickle if you have a free moment. I would strongly advise that you put any thoughts of that out of your mind. I know about your obscene tastes and proclivities. If you were to try to entertain yourselves OR each other, we'll make sure that you have a proper deterrent to self-pleasure."
That didn't sound good at all. The part that sounded weird was pleasuring each other? My sister?
What did she think I was like?
Dad made sure nobody had any immediate questions and promised we'd be talking every night about what we did right, what we did wrong, and what we needed to do more of, making adjustments and answering questions. He told us he was going to move right into the punishment we had to face in addition to our restriction.
I made a cover for the story
