On this sunny Monday morning, she would be visiting her old secondary school to appraise its current standards and decide if she was going to send her own daughter there. 20 years ago it had been a great place and Jennifer had enjoyed her time there. All her teachers were bright and enthusiastic and the headmaster ruled the school with firm but fair discipline.
Corporal punishment was still in use in those days and should you run foul of the rules, then you were certain to become acquainted with Mr Carter’s Strap or Cane. Jennifer had managed to avoid being punished, not through good behaviour, but by not getting caught.
Her best friend Katherine had not been so lucky. Looking back, a shiver of guilt ran through Jennifer as she remembered her final year, when she and Katherine had been smoking some pot her brother had given her and ‘experimenting’ with each other. They were in the sports equipment store room when suddenly the door opened and one of the PE teachers came in looking for some mats. The two girls hide behind the folded up table tennis tables, but the teacher saw Katherine’s foot poking out.
“Whoever that is behind the table tennis table, you’d best come out now.”
The two girls looked at each other, resigned to their fate. Katherine tucked her blouse back in and straightened her tie, and stepped out from behind the table.
“It’s just me here sir.”
“Well Miss Grey, what do you have to say for yourself?”
“Sorry sir.”
“You will be by the time Mr. Carter is through with you.”
Jennifer, still concealed behind the table was fighting with her conscience. She couldn’t let Katherine take the punishment herself could she? Jennifer had seen the cane in Mr. Carter’s office and tried to imagine how it might feel. She had seen other girls coming back from a visit to the headmaster with tear stained faces, and had seen their difficulty in sitting on the hard classroom chairs. Still Katherine was her friend. She was about to step out from behind the table when she heard the door open and Katherine and the teacher left the store room, leaving Jennifer alone.
The bell rang a few minutes later and Jennifer went to her next class. She waited anxiously for Katherine to return. The lesson was almost over when the door opened and Katherine came in and handed a note to the teacher. It was clear that she had been crying, but she gave Jennifer a bright smile when she came forward to sit down.
“I’m sorry Kath, I should have come out too.”
“It’s okay Jen, it wasn’t too bad really. My bum hurts like hell and I’ll not sit well for a few days, but the wicked weed helped dull things a bit.”
It had been many years since she had seen or heard from her friend. After school, came university and then Jennifer met Mark. Marriage, child and moving to South Africa followed, then divorce and moving back to the UK all conspired to cause her to lose track of Katherine.
Jennifer opened her dresser drawer and selected a simple white lace bra and panties and put them on. She then selected a light summer dress from her walk in wardrobe. She tied her hair up in a ponytail and finished off with small gold earrings. Looking at herself in the mirror again she smiled to herself.
Walking through the gates of the school brought back memories of her time here and she spent a few minutes wandering the halls and looking in classrooms. Although it was a Monday, the school was closed for off-site teacher training. Jennifer walked to the headmaster’s office and knocked smartly.
“Come in.”
Jennifer stood in the door staring, not believing what her eyes were seeing. “Mr. Carter?”
“Yes, you must be Ms Carson, are you alright?”
“But, this can’t be. You’ve not aged a day.”
Julian Carter burst out laughing. “You must be mistaking me for my father.”
“Your father?”
“Mr. Carter senior.”
“Gosh, you’re his mirror image.” Jennifer laughed. I thought I was seeing a ghost.
“I get that from a few of the parents. Good genes will out I guess.”
“How is Mr. Carter?”
“He passed away about 6 years ago, cancer.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I always liked him.”
“Thanks. Now, what can I do for you today Ms Carson?”
“Please, call me Jennifer. I’m thinking about enrolling my daughter here and was interested in how the school had changed in the last 20 years.”
“Well, let’s take a walk around the school and I’ll tell you all about it.”
“Great, thanks.”
Julian Carter held the door open for Jennifer and took the opportunity to appraise his guest. She was every bit as pretty as his wife had told him she was and there was clearly a nice ass under that dress which he hoped he’s have the chance of viewing more closely.
Julian walked her around the outside of the school, pointing out all improvement to the buildings as well as the new construction. Heading indoors, they toured the new classrooms and ended up at the school sports trophy cabinet, which coincidentally was located next to a door which Jennifer remembered well.
“Are you alright Jennifer? You look a bit worried.”
“I’m fine, I was just remembering the last time I was in that room.”
“Oh, that’s still the sports equipment store room. Were you helping get kit out?”
“No, not exactly. A friend and I were in there doing things we shouldn’t have and a teacher walked in. My friend took the rap and 12 strokes of the cane, but she never told your dad that I was there too. I’ve always felt guilty about it.”
“So you weren’t the angel your report cards said you were then.”
“How?”
“I took the liberty of looking you up in my dad’s records.