One April Fool (3 page)

“I will take you to Aunt Penny’s,” Derrick said quietly.  “Get your shoes… and your undergarment, and your jacket.  It is still a bit chilly outside.”  If his Aunt was the dragon April claimed, then why would she ask to go and face her to apologize? He wanted to ask that question, but he was afraid April would refuse to go, and his Aunt really needed an apology, and to know that April was confessing to Father Smith, and sharing a letter of apology with the entire parish.  It would go a long way toward restoring his Aunt’s confidence.

It didn’t take April long to get ready; she made a trip to the bathroom to wash her face, and she didn’t bother replacing the makeup that she washed off.  As red as her eyes and face were from crying for so long, no amount of makeup would make her look good.  Her telephone started ringing just as they were walking out of the house, and the answering machine clicked on to take a message. 
April, please answer the telephone.  I know you are upset…
  April looked at Derrick and said, “Let’s go.  I’ll call Charity later tonight.  I’m too upset to talk to her right now.”

“She is not responsible for your problems, April,” Derrick scolded.  She didn’t answer him, and he was suddenly sure that Charity, and probably Maureen, were the two people who encouraged her to take the prank to a level that was beyond cruel.

Derrick drove directly to his Aunt Penny’s home, knowing full well that she would still be inside, probably with her eyes still swollen from crying so much.  April would be lucky if he didn’t spank her right in front of his Aunt.  She certainly deserved it, but he had no doubt that it would upset Aunt Penny even more if he was to do something of that sort.  He knocked on the door, and then called out, “Aunt Penny, it’s me, and I’ve brought someone with me.  He still hadn’t shared the results of his investigation with his Aunt, and was glad that he didn’t have to do so.  April’s apology would take care of that.  He didn’t want to tell Aunt Penny how deliberately April had gone out and hired the videographer to record the entire event.  She’d also sent the singing telegram, and prepared the program and printed it in the same manner that Aunt Penny did.  He still didn’t know why his Aunt had mentioned that Penny was the one person who most disliked her, but that part certainly seemed true.

April was shocked when Penelope opened the front door and then stood aside to let them inside.  The older woman appeared to have aged overnight.  Her hair was grayer than April remembered, of course it was hanging down and not pinned up in the tight bun she normally wore.  She was wearing a faded rose colored bathrobe and fluffy slippers that probably matched the robe a long time ago.

“I thought you were alone, Derrick.  I’m not in the mood for company,” she whispered, and hearing the sadness in Penelope’s voice made her sound old and unsure of herself.  April wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole.  She was consumed with guilt.  Perhaps the woman was difficult to work with, but April felt as though she destroyed Penelope with her prank.

Chapter Three

“Who is with you, honey?” Penelope asked in her wavering voice.

“It’s me, Miss Winslow; April Burnside.  I would like to speak with you.”

“Come inside then.  I’m afraid I’m not dressed for guests.”  Penelope was very flustered.

“It’s all right, Aunt Penny.  April asked me to drive her over here to see you, and I felt it was best.  I probably should have called first, but I honestly didn’t think you would mind,” Derrick explained.

“I could fix us some tea…?” Penelope offered.

“No, thank you, Miss Winslow.”

“Aunt Penny, April has something she wishes to say.”

“Very well.  What is it, dear?  Is there a problem at work I should know about?” she asked, resigned to hearing whatever it was that April wanted.

“Miss Winslow, I am the horrible person who played the April Fools prank on you and I want you to know that I am beyond sorry for humiliating you in that manner.  I didn’t mean to turn church members against you, or for Father Smith to get angry.  I just wasn’t thinking beyond the moment.”

“It
was
you?” Penelope said quietly.

“To my everlasting shame, yes.”  April started crying.  “I am so sorry.”

“Why, April?  Why would you go to such extremes to embarrass me?”  There was no anger in Penelope’s voice, just resignation and sadness.  April felt even more guilty than before.  “Please tell me; I must have done something unforgiveable…?”

April started crying so hard she couldn’t speak.  Her tear filled green eyes begged Derrick to speak for her, and he shook his head, but decided to get a few questions answered.

“Aunt Penny, April was upset because she felt she was unfairly criticized by you at work.”

“What…?  When…?”

“Give Aunt Penny an example, April.  Stop crying now, and tell her,” he said a bit more firmly when she continued to cry without speaking.  “April, enough crying now.”

April tried to pull herself together.  “The day that the Wolman report was due… You were upset that I didn’t have it on your desk, and you scolded me in front of everyone.  You didn’t ask
why
it wasn’t ready, and I had a darn good excuse.  I was on the telephone with another client we had a deadline with, and he was changing all sorts of things.  It took over an hour of my time, and I had to take care of it.  If he hadn’t called, I would have had the Wolman report on your desk early.”

“I’m sorry; I didn’t know.”

“You never ask, but you assume that we are always being irresponsible.  It isn’t fair.  And, when we do something really well, you never give us kudos.  Everyone wants to hear they’ve done well.  It’s as important as scolding when we mess up.”

“I didn’t know.  Why didn’t anyone ever tell me how I was perceived?” Penelope asked.

“You are feared,” April admitted.

“Me…?”

April nodded, but then she said, “I was so awful to you, and I know that saying ‘sorry’ isn’t enough.  I’m planning to go and speak with Father and tell him the truth, too.  I’ve also written a letter of apology to put in this week’s bulletin.  No one will blame you for anything once they read that.”

“Oh my goodness, April…!  Please tell me that you didn’t mean any of those things you wrote in that awful program…?”

“I got carried away,” April admitted.  “I thought that people would take it all in fun… I was laughing and giggling when I typed all of it.  I just didn’t think how it would sound.  It was so critical and mean.”

“What you said about Cynthia’s singing was true, however,” Penelope said with a smile.

“Aunt Penny!” Derrick sounded shocked.

“The truth is the truth, honey.  And, I’ve told you for some time now that you should come and meet April.  Isn’t she very pretty?”

Derrick blushed and so did April.  His Aunt made a big to-do of asking April more work-related questions and promised her she would think about everything that was said, and she also hugged her and said she was forgiven.  She thanked April for coming and apologizing in person, and for telling her ‘why’ she’d played such a prank on her.

Derrick drove April next to Father Smith’s office at the parsonage, and the priest wasn’t nearly as understanding as Penelope Winslow, and sitting on the wooden chairs in his office and listening to him drone on and on about how she’d hurt innocent people in her quest for revenge brought her to tears long before he dismissed her.  He promised to see to it her letter of apology was published and was somewhat mollified to realize that she’d put some thought into things before she arrived.  He wouldn’t have been permitted to reveal what she told him otherwise, and it was one of the reasons he was so firm in scolding April.  He didn’t want Penelope to continue to suffer and pay the price for something she didn’t do.

April was exhausted when she finally reached her home.  She wanted nothing more than to climb into bed and take a long nap.  She hadn’t slept well for days, and she knew it was her guilty conscience keeping her awake most nights since her prank.  However, April soon learned that Derrick had no intention of allowing her to simply go inside and rest.  She suddenly recalled what he said about punishing her…!  “Don’t you think I’ve suffered enough?” she demanded when he followed her to her door.

“No, I don’t.  You haven’t been punished at all, young lady.”

“You already spanked me until I am so sore I can barely sit down.  Isn’t that enough?”

“That was because of the attitude you were giving me.  You were being sassy, and you told me how many times that you didn’t know anything about the prank…?  You lied, April, and I do not tolerate lies.”

“I was trying to protect my job… Can’t you see that?  Now I have no job to protect, so I stopped lying.  Please, I’ve lost my job as a consequence, and I’ll not be able to find another one here in town… Not after I insulted people so much!  I’ll have to drive all the way into the city, and eventually move there, provided I find something.  I can be sure that Mr. Brimley won’t give me a good recommendation.  I don’t need another spanking to prove how terrible I am; I already know.”

“What you need is a good punishment to relieve your guilt, and that is what is going to happen right now, young lady.  You need to learn that lying is not acceptable, and you need to learn that playing practical jokes on people needs to be done with discretion and thought.  You failed to think this through, April.  If you’d known that my Aunt would have been so devastated, would you have gone ahead?” he asked.

“No!  Of course not!

“If you’d known that feelings would be so hurt, would you have gone ahead?”

“No…!” She was in tears again.

“If you’d known that Father Smith would be so indignant and embarrassed, would you…”

“No! No! No!”  She was crying in earnest then, feeling humiliated and shamed.  She didn’t have any strength to resist when Derrick gently steered her from the entry into the living room of her apartment.

“This isn’t going to be easy for either of us, April, but I am a man who always follows through.  You behaved badly and you are going to reap the consequences now.  Bend over the back of your sofa and place your hands on the seat cushions.  I expect you to keep them there,” he advised as he picked her up to slide her further over the back of the sofa and off of her feet.

April quickly realized that she couldn’t do anything to defend herself in this position.  If she moved her hands she would fall on her head!  There were times that being so short sucked, and this was one of those times!  She felt Derrick flip up her skirt, and if that wasn’t enough, he pulled her panties down to her knees.

The redness on April’s buttocks was gone from earlier, but Derrick was positive that it wouldn’t take many strokes of his belt to bring back that blush and add to it.  Her skin was very sensitive, and he hated the thought of strapping her, but she needed a serious punishment to take away her guilt… and to satisfy himself that she would never forget the lesson and do something so stupid and foolish again.  Not all people were as forgiving as his sweet Aunt Penny.

“Please don’t do this, Derrick!  I promise you I will never ever play another practical joke as long as I live.  Never.  Never. Never!  I don’t need another spanking…”

“Spanking…?  I’m not going to give you a mere spanking this time, April.  I am going to stripe your ass until you’re welted and don’t have a bit of skin left.  This will probably be the worst punishment of your life.”  Derrick intentionally set out to frighten her.  The physical part of a punishment was second to the mental part.  He wanted the pretty redhead to be able to completely forgive herself by the time he was done giving her a dose of his belt.  He would take no pleasure in causing her more pain, and if there was any other way… but little April was all alone in the world, having lost her parents a few years ago in a car accident.  It was why she had no education to speak of, and why his Aunt was so firm with her at work. He understood now.  He hoped that April understood, too.

April cringed as she heard Derrick unbuckle his belt and slide it through the loops on his pants.  The sound was horrifying, and she was wiggling her butt in anticipation of the first fiery stroke.  Derrick did not keep her waiting long, either.  She heard a whistling, and then a sharp pain exploded like fire across her butt cheeks.  “Owwww!” she cried out.  A second stroke left another welt below the first, and in spite of all her pleading, April was forced to admit that she was being punished for behaving badly.  Over and over the belt cracked loudly against her creamy white skin leaving behind a burning red welt as wide as Derrick’s leather belt.  “No more!” she finally begged.  “Oh, please, Derrick, no more!”

“You do not get to decide how long you are punished, young lady.  I intend to make sure you do not sit without pain for some time to come.  I want you to remember this lesson,” he told her, his words accompanied with another hard lick across her sit spots.

“I will remember!” she promised, but her words seemed to have no affect on the man.  He continued to punish her until her bottom cheeks, sit spots, and upper thighs were covered with welts, and she was sobbing so hard he feared she would actually tumble over the back of the worn sofa.

“Now then, young lady, is this ever going to happen again?” Derrick demanded.

“I told you it wouldn’t before you whipped me again!” she sorrowfully answered, and he had to fight to keep from smiling.  Instead, he used his hand to spank her left cheek, causing her to cry out again.  “Owwww!”

“Are you being sassy with me?” he demanded, more to remind her to censor her answers just a bit.  She had another interview to face in the morning, and she would need to be on her best behavior then.

“I’m sorry!” April said.  “I wasn’t really being sassy, Derrick.  Please believe me, I won’t ever risk pulling another prank.  It snowballed out of control!” she tearfully insisted.

“Very well.  Do you need some time in the corner?” he gently asked after he helped her down from the sofa.  Her skirt fell  down to cover her, and Derrick regretted that... very much.  His Aunt Penny was right about April being very pretty, and he knew for a fact that his Aunt would be horrified to know he’d bared April and punished her so thoroughly. 

“No, please.  I don’t want that,” she bawled, and he quickly realized that she was unsteady on her feet.  Derrick pulled her into his arms and was shocked to realize that she was trembling.  He carefully picked her up and carried her over to her rocking chair, which was probably the only new thing in the room furniture wise.  Not that there was anything wrong with her used pieces, but the recliner rocker was comfortable, and he decided to sit there and hold her until she calmed down.

“I’m so sorry!” April insisted over and over.  “Please believe me now.  I don’t know what else I can do, but I’ll make it up to your Aunt… somehow.  I’m sorry!”

Derrick felt like a monster for being so hard on the pretty little redhead.  He’d reacted instinctively, but maybe he was too hard on April?  His brothers were the ones with the experience with woman, not him!  “It’s all over now, and you’re forgiven, April.  You just need to forgive yourself.”

“I’ll never live this down, Derrick.  This feeling is why your Aunt has been so miserable.  People in a small town can be so unforgiving.”

“I’m sure they will forgive you, April.”  He heard her tummy growl and immediately realized that he was starving, too.  He didn’t say a word, however, since he knew that April was too caught up in dealing with the pain of the strapping to even care that she was hungry.  She was still crying and trying to convince him that she regretted her actions.  What he wouldn’t give to be able to talk to Griffin or Barton right now.  They were married; they would know what he should do now!  Giving a spanking was one thing, but he couldn’t just up and leave April all alone when she was feeling so low.  For some reason, this was something that he and the brothers hadn’t discussed.

Derrick finally realized that April was no longer crying and now she was sound asleep.  This he could handle, he decided.  The television remote was lying right there and he turned on the cooking channel, even though he muted the sound.  April was exhausted.  A few minutes later he realized that she was sleeping so soundly she wouldn’t notice if a train roared through the house.  He carefully rose to his feet, with April in his arms, and carried her into her bedroom.  He gently placed her on her bed and then covered with a quilt that was folded at the base of her bed.

Derrick wasn’t about to leave April alone while she was so upset.  He had to make sure she was all right, and he was positive she would be hungry when she woke.  It was nearly time for dinner.  Derrick headed for the kitchen to do what he did best… cook.  He wondered what he could find that would make dinner for two and started exploring by going to her refrigerator and finding salmon steaks!  More than needed for one person, surely, and Derrick was stabbed with an unfamiliar emotion that he immediately recognized for what it was… jealousy!  Was April expecting company for dinner?  He probably should be gracious and leave, but he didn’t feel particularly gracious, and April wasn’t in any condition to receive visitors.  She was too vulnerable right now, and she would be easy prey for an unscrupulous man.