Memorial Day Weekend. The unofficial start of summer here in the Midwest. Actually I guess it’s country wide, but here it means warm weather, no school and beach parties. For my family, Memorial Day Weekend is also the weekend everyone goes up to by grandparents cabin and helps them open it for the summer. The guys all help grandpa with some project while us ladies help grandma cook, relax and look after the little ones. Well we used to help look after the little ones, but now my youngest cousins are in middle school, so we mostly relax and play games.
This year started like most every other year. I drove back from college on Thursday so I could hitch a ride up with my parents. They both took Friday off so we left first thing and got to the lake around noon. Lake Michigan is beautiful this time of the year. Freezing cold, but beautiful. My grandparents place is in the woods on the northern shore where the house is perched on a small cliff providing great panoramic view. Supposedly they bought the property years ago because of the view and decided to build their summer house here when they retired.
Only two of my aunts and uncles came up this year, and then only Aunt Sally’s younger daughter, Lani, came. Lani was born 6 months after me, which meant we did everything together at family functions. Growing up, we lived about half an hour away from each other, so these little family reunions were our time to catch up and play.
Friday evening grandpa made a bonfire. Those of us cousins who made it this year roasted marshmallows for Smores. My uncle’s two boys, James and John, were drinking beers while my cousin Lani and I taught John’s fiance how to cook the perfect marshmallow. Jenny came from the city, not the country like all of the rest of the family. Lani and I would have to teach her how things were out here.
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The rising sun inched its beam of light across our faces. I could hear the sizzle of bacon already cooking as I fought back consciousness. Sleep good! The sleeping bag was so warm and comfortable. Why do old people have to get up so early in the morning?
“You all going to sleep till noon?” Grandpa poked our feet on his way out to the deck.
I dragged my lifeless body out of the cozy embrace to make a beeline for the bathroom. I wanted to beat Jenny since I bet she took forever in the bathroom in the morning. I never did understand why they only built one general bathroom. The house is like 10,000 square feet and there is only one bathroom. Well, three if you count the one off my grandparents bedroom and the one off the guest room.
I was scratching my hair as I left the bathroom and did not even notice Jenny waiting at the door. I’m not a big girl, actually at the ‘ideal’ weight for my 5 foot 7 frame , but Jenny is a petite little thing and stood no chance when we collided. Makeup and toiletries that she had bundled in towel went everywhere as she fell to the floor. It took me a moment to realize what happened when she shrieked. I couldn’t help but giggle as she scampered about collecting items. I don’t know if the pink satin panties or the tampon was more embarrassing, but she was blushing.
Lani took the opportunity to seek ahead in line, while I “helped” Jenny collect her things, making Jenny have to wait again once everything was secured in the towel. Mom on the other hand did not care for my helpful gesture.
Breakfast was delicious as always. There is something about grandma’s biscuits and gravy that beat out every restaurant. Even Mom cannot seem to get the recipe right. Lani and I chatted about school while the guys spoke about the repairs to the dock over breakfast. Mom, my aunts and grandma took their regular turns between the kitchen and deck with fresh supplies of eggs, bacon and biscuits.
After breakfast Lani and I begrudgingly took up station by the sink, washing the pots and pans from breakfast. We never us real plates or utensils on these weekends so we only every need to wash are the pots and pans. It is still no fun. A few sprays of the kitchen hose though make it a little more interesting. I got Lani good for her smearing the leftover gravy in my face. Washing dishes was just starting to get fun when Aunt Sally yelled at us to stop making a mess.
When we finally finished with the dishes our mothers were working on some arts and crafts project and the guys where tearing apart the old dock. Neither looked to appealing to Lani or I so we decided to take a walk and explore.
Grandpa’s workshop was nothing special, just a bunch of woodworking tools. He would build stuff over the summer then sell it at various arts and craft shows as they traveled down to Florida for the winter. There were table saws and sanders and other kinds of saws, all coated in a thin layer of sawdust. I started writing “Clean Me” in the sawdust when Lani found something on anther workbench.
“Hey, look what I found!” Lani held up a dirty plastic bag full of red white and blue things.
“What are those?”
“Water balloons!” Lani said with a broad mischievous grin.
“Lets get the boys!” I said as I snatched up the bag and headed around back.
An exterior faucet poked out the backside of the workshop, allowing us to stay hidden while we prepared our ammo. Living on Lake Michigan, my grandparents draw their water directly from the lake, generally making their cold water just above freezing. Bad for outside showers, but excellent for water balloons.
With five rounds between us, we crept over to the woods then out to the shore. Most of the shore is a mixture of rocky jettisons mixed with five foot cliffs, but the top of the cliffs are covered in bushes and other low brush making it hard to see from the water. We would have great cover for our surprise attack.
SPLAT! SPLAT! SPLAT! Direct hits! The water balloons struck James on chest and his older brother on the back and head. The surprise assault really took John off guard. The impact was just enough to cause him to stumble on the dock support. The narrow beam did not have enough room for him to regain his footing before he tumbled into the lake.
Lani nor I could help but giggle as John crashed into the water. John was going to be pissed, so we had to get out of here right now.
“Com’n lets go,” I whispered to Lani before taking off through the brush towards the woods.
“Lani Marie!” “Theresa Anne!” Two voices called from the house. I looked over at Lani and just mouth “Oh shit.”
“Go or hide?” Lani asked.
“Putting off our execution is only going to make it worst,” I said.
“Unless they forget?” Lani responded with a tight smile.
“Your mom ever forget?”
“No…Rats, and this was starting to become a good weekend.” Lani pouted as she led the way back to the house.
Mom and Aunt Sally stood side by side on the deck with their arms crossed. Even from the edge of the woods we could tell our mothers were mad. I initially hoped I could talk my way out of it, but as we got closer, the strip of leather in my mom’s hand dashed any hope.
“What do you girls think you were doing?” my mom yelled at us.
“You could have hurt someone,” Aunt Sally added.
“We didn’t mean to.” Lani and I pleaded.
“Sure you didn’t. Why else would you throw water balloons at your cousins while they are working with power tools.” Mom said, wagging her finger at me. This always made me feel like such a kid. Only naughty little girls get fingers wagged at them.
“We are sorry, we were just having a little fun,” I pleaded. My eyes had yet to leave the 16 inch strip of leather in mom’s hands. I knew what is was for and did not care to feel it today.
“JUST A LITTLE FUN! They would have been seriously hurt or killed!” Aunt Sally yelled.
“We are really sorry!” we pleaded.
“SORRY? I’ll show you sorry!” Mom grabbed by arm and pulled be over towards the railing. I could hear Lani pleading with her mom as she was forced behind me.
“Please mom, not here. I’m an adult. Please!” I pleaded before being unceremoniously bent over the deck rail. I started to push up when Lani joined me on the right. Mom would have none of it, pressing her left hand into my shoulders and forcing me farther over the rail.
“Yeeks, No please!” Lani shrieked next to me.
Mom followed her sister-in-laws example, working my jean shorts and panties down to my ankles. I could’ve died of embarrassment at that moment. Here I was, a rising sophomore in college, bent bare bottom over a deck rail about to get spanked. “Mom Please not bare!”
“Stop whinning you too.” Aunt Sally scolded us.
THUACK! The first stroke us both by surprise. Lani and I yelped almost in unison. I had forgot how intense of a burn the strap could impart on the first stroke.
THUACK! The straps bit down in unison again before I had much of a chance to internalize the first spank.
I bit my lower lip, preparing for the next stroke as I glanced to my right. Lani was looking back at me. The fear, the embarrassment, the pain, all shown in her eyes. Her eyes snapped shut, and a grimace of pain spread across her face as I heard her strap make contact before mine. Is that what I look like during a spanking? I only had a second to ponder before fire shot up my backside.
I grunted, then tried to kick off the sting. My resistance was rewarded with the strap firmly laid across the top of my tights, which stung like none other. “PLEASE not there!” I cried out.
Our mothers separated into their own pace after the first few strokes, deciding to wear out their daughter’s independently. I could not tell if mom was going faster or slower and it really did not matter at the time. The supple leather bit over and over into my tender cheeks until I was sobbing and could no longer even make out Lani through the tears.
“Do you think you will need to be spanked again?” Mom asked.
“No ma’am sniff” I answered quietly.
“Good, you can join Lani over there on the wall until lunch.” Mom said, slapping my bare bottom. I shuffled over to the wall, rubbing my sore bottom with one hand while pulling my t-shirt as low as it would go in the front. I’d rather moon my family than the other option. I took a quick glance at Lani’s bottom on my way to her side. I always felt a pain of jealously when I saw her well toned bottom. It should be well toned with her going to college on a track scholarship.
I’m not sure if the spanking or standing with my bare butt facing the lake was more embarrassing. Jenny sure tried to maximize our discomfort. I guess it was payback for our fun with her earlier mishap.
“Aw, were you little girls naughty? I bet your bottoms really sting,” Jenny commented as she went in the house for the tenth time to get something to drink. With Mom sitting on the porch I just had to bit my tongue and bare it, otherwise risk another spanking. Another spanking right now was the last thing I wanted.
Mom eventually returned our clothes and sent us in to get lunch, once everyone else had made a sandwich and were seated on the deck. Lani and I scampered off to the bathroom to get dressed and inspect the damage.
“How is mine?” I asked trying to twist around and see in the mirror. All I could see is pink tops of my cheeks.
“Ouch, you got caught on the thighs?”
“Yea, kicking too much. Let me see you,” I said turning to look at Lani. She turned her back to me, wiggling off her deep red cheeks at me. A few dark maroon welts had been left by the edge if the strap. I gently dragged an index finger over the ridges, feeling the hot rough texture.
“Ouch! If your going to touch, at least use some cooling cream!” Lani snapped, looking over her shoulder at me.
“Fine..” I snickered popping open the medicine cabinet. Sunburn cream would work nicely to cool down out bottoms. I first worked a generous amount into Lani’s rear then she returned the favor. It felt wonderful as the soothing cream worked into my tender flesh.
We disappeared for most of the rest of the day. Getting another spanking was not in our agenda for the weekend. The first one had kind of became tradition over the past few years, but a second one, definitely not. Anyways, on Tuesday I would start my summer internship at my other grandfather’s law firm and wouldn’t get to have this kind of fun all summer long. I had gotten most of the mischief out of my system. Hopefully at least until Independence Day.
In Hushed Voices 