The Shunning (9 page)

Chapter Six

Sadie was horribly embarrassed, but she got to her feet and rounded the table. When he simply looked at her, she asked, "Did my
Dat
know you planned to spank me?" Her voice didn't sound like hers.

"Yes, he did," Samuel didn't lie. "We had quite a long talk and he gave me permission to come here and see if I could reach through your anger."

"I am not angry now, but I have been since I left your house on Monday. I felt so misunderstood, and until you scolded me for breaking trust with
Dat
, it did not occur to me that I was doing so. I was only considering my wishes and what I wanted to do. I was too ashamed to admit I was wrong. I'm sorry, Samuel... and I will say sorry to
Dat
and Mama, too."

"That is
goot
," he said, standing. "Breaking a promise is serious, Sadie. It calls for more than my hand on your bottom. We'll go outside and cut several switches and you can peel them so they are green, and then you'll get a
goot
switching." He took her hand and pulled her along and out the kitchen door. He looked until he saw a tree that was promising, and then handed Sadie his knife. Samuel felt his resolve weaken when he saw the horrified look in her dark eyes. He did not wish to harm her, but a stern lesson was called for. "Cut three, Sadie. I do not want to have to cut another during your switching if one should break."

Sadie knew she'd earned a spanking. Her disrespect for her parents this past week was shameful and her
Dat
truly was upset with her if he permitted Samuel to come here for the express purpose of giving her a
bletching
. She needed to accept this punishment and then ask forgiveness. She chose three switches, praying that Samuel would not use all three on her tender skin. As a child she'd been switched several times, and the memories were not pleasant. Sadie had a feeling that as an adult the switching would be a lot longer and even more painful.

Samuel watched as Sadie carefully peeled the bark from the switches. He was sure she would remember this part of the punishment for a long time. If he gave her time to dread the worst possible switching she could imagine, then half of his job was done. She would be in the right frame of mind to accept her punishment. Samuel knew that Levi Miller was concerned about Sadie and doubting his instincts where she was concerned. He knew the man would worry until both of them were baptized and officially part of the Amish community. But, it was like Levi said, Sadie considered herself grown and she was in love with Samuel. Levi was not the right man to give Sadie this lesson because in her heart, she belonged to Samuel. Samuel felt the same about Sadie. From the moment he looked into her eyes that first time he was in love with her. She belonged to him as he belonged to her. He knew it was unusual to be so sure of someone so quickly, but since they both felt the same way, he wasn't about to deny his feelings. Levi knew that Sadie would always be his daughter, but her heart belonged with Samuel.

When Sadie finished peeling the first switch she handed it to Samuel. Her fingers were shaking as she peeled the second switch, and then the third. She closed his knife and handed it to him along with the last switch. Her stomach was full of butterflies. "Do you have to do this, Samuel?" she asked, her voice a mere whisper she was so nervous.

"You know I do, Sadie. Let's go in the barn."

Sadie knew it would be hours before her family returned, so she didn't fear discovery, but she did not relish the switching that Samuel was determined to mete out. Three switches would leave her reluctant to move for several days, and she had no idea how she would manage at work the next day! She was frightened.

Samuel moved several bales of straw and arranged a horse blanket over the straw so it wouldn't scratch at her skin. The only place he intended to give her pain was her backside, and by the time he was done switching her she was going to feel as though she backed into a beehive. He looked at her for a few moments and then said, "You can pull up your skirts, Sadie, and lie over these bales. I don't want your hands getting in the way, so keep them in front of you."

There was no point in trying to talk Samuel out of switching her. His mind was made up, and she'd behaved like a child instead of the woman she professed herself to be. Sadie moved slowly and knelt on one bale and then leaned over another bale so that her backside was on top. Since she was so short the position was awkward and her legs stretched out in back of her. She could only hope that Samuel wouldn't switch her there. It would make walking around at work even more painful if he did. She closed her eyes, wondering if it was possible to be any more embarrassed than she was.

"I need to remove your panties, Sadie. I have to be able to see your skin so I don't cut you and injure you."

"No!" she gasped. "No! I am sure
Dat
did not agree you could do that!"

"No, he didn't, but it is necessary, Sadie. I will consider it part of your punishment, and you will accept it as such. Treating your parents with such disrespect is very serious, but I will not risk injuring you because you wish to protect your modesty." Without further discussion Samuel put his fingers under the waistband of her white cotton panties and whisked them down to her ankles, where he left them.

Sadie was so embarrassed she started crying in earnest. This was something she did not expect, and she was mortified. Surely the switching itself could not be any worse than having to lie there with her bottom all bare!

Samuel picked up the first switch and brought it down across the fullest part of her buttocks. Sadie flinched and cried out in shock and pain, but he did not give her time to savor the punishment. He gave her another and then another, watching as angry red welts rose on her skin. Samuel hated causing her pain, but he continued with the switching, making sure he didn't cross the welts.

"Please stop, Samuel!" Sadie started begging for mercy by the time he reached twenty. "I won't do it again, I promise. I am sorry!"

Samuel paused to ask, "Why are you sorry?"

"For the disrespect I showed my parents, especially my
Dat
!" she answered. "I was in the wrong and yet, I would not back down and tell him I was sorry. It was not on my mind to deceive him, but now I know it was wrong to come to your home without asking first. I broke trust with
Dat
, and I am very sorry."

"As you should be, little Sadie. Now you must accept the consequences. We are not done, I am sorry to say. Be brave."

Sadie shuddered as she heard Samuel's words, but she braced herself to accept the punishment he felt she deserved. Part of growing up was accepting responsibility for mistakes, and saying sorry to the ones who were wronged. What she had to do now was to remain in position while Samuel inflicted even more pain on her bottom. She already felt like she was burning and in pain, but he was convinced she needed more. It was terrible, and much worse than when her
Mamm
was the one wielding the switch when she was little and caught lying.

Samuel wished he could stop. He'd heard the desperation in her voice when she said she was sorry, and he truly believed her. However, it was his responsibility to make sure the switching was severe enough that she felt punished and erased all the guilt she was feeling. Going light now would be a mistake and in the long run it would be a mistake. He wanted her to know that he would do as he promised. He picked up the second switch and aimed for her upper thighs.

Sadie felt the line of fire burn across her left thigh and she cried out in pain as another line appeared on her right thigh. It was even worse than the stripes crossing her bottom cheeks with burning welts. These left her feeling raw and she could not refrain from begging for mercy.

Once more Samuel stopped to speak with her and she hoped the horrible punishment was over, but to her dismay he picked up the third switch and her sensitive sit spots received their share of the switching, too. Sadie was sure Samuel was going to keep on laying welts on her skin until she died of pain! This was by far the worst punishment she ever endured, and she promised herself she would never again do something so awful to earn a switching!

Pretty little Sadie was sobbing uncontrollably by the time Samuel finished crossing her backside with welts. Her skin looked angry and red, and he knew she had to be in serious pain. Still, Samuel was aware of her modesty and he did not dare touch her while she was so exposed to him, even though he longed to touch and caress her and ease her pain. Instead, he took her panties and gently eased them up and over her swollen bottom, and then he pulled down her skirts, holding in the heat of the switching.

Sadie continued to cry for what seemed like forever, but she finally was able to control her tears and gingerly get to her feet. "I am truly sorry for my behavior, and for allowing myself to get so angry with
Dat
when he only has my best interests at heart. I am sorry I put you in the middle, Samuel."

"I know you are sorry, sweet Sadie. The punishment is done now, and I feel you have learned what you need to know. We shall soon be baptized, and then I will welcome your visits, and I will visit you often. Even though the next few weeks will seem long, they will eventually pass. In the meantime, I want you to obey your
Dat
and
Mamm
and keep your promise to your Dat. It is important to me that you show respect for your word and give your
Dat
confidence that you may be trusted."

"I will do so, Samuel," Sadie said in a small voice. She was in so much pain it was excruciatingly difficult to stand here while he scolded her even more for her trying behavior. "I need to be alone now," she whispered. "I need to lie down."

"You are not to do anything to relieve your switching, Levi's Sadie," he warned, shaking a finger at her.

"I will not, but I truly feel ill right now and I cannot bear standing here any longer," she told him quite bluntly. "Please go, Samuel. I am not myself at the moment." She was desperate to remove her skirts and panties, and seek her lightest nightgown and lie down on her bed. Her legs hurt so much it was painful to stand, and she did not know how she would endure walking to the house.

"Let me help you inside," Samuel offered, giving her his arm. Sadie was trembling from the shock and pain of the switching, and needed his comfort. Her
Dat
and
Mamm
would not approve of his staying now that he'd completed his errand, but he would not leave Sadie while she was suffering so much. That would be cruel, and he was not a cruel man. He hoped it would never be necessary to cut switches again. His hand would be enough to correct the woman he loved in the future.

Once inside the house Samuel insisted they stop in the living room and sit on the sofa. "I know you do not feel like sitting, but right now you need human contact. We will be careful of your bottom. Samuel gently seated her on his lap, and had her rest her head on his shoulder. "Are you comfortable, honey?" he asked tenderly.

"I hurt something awful, Samuel," she admitted, tears leaking from her eyes once again.

"I know, Sadie," his voice was soft and comforting, offering the sympathy that she sorely needed. "I am sorry I had to be so firm with this lesson. I did not enjoy inflicting pain on you and making you cry."

"I know," she said, believing him with all her heart. "I just get so lonely for you and two weeks seems like forever."

"Yes, I feel the same way," he admitted. "The only thing that makes it bearable is knowing that I will be baptized and then your
Dat's
fears will diminish tremendously."

"I certainly hope so!" she declared. She grew quiet as he held her, his hand gently rubbing her back. She felt much calmer and less like she was going to be sick to her stomach. "Do you want some ice tea?" she offered.

"No, Sadie. I need to be going now. Your
Dat
will not be pleased if I stay longer. Do you feel well enough to be alone now?" he asked.

"Yes, I am not shaking now," she said truthfully. "I am still in pain, of course, but the shock is going away now. Thank you for holding me and offering comfort and sympathy. I needed to know that you care."

"I do care, and I ask that you do not put us through this again. When you grow lonely, just count the days until our baptism."

"I will do so, Samuel. I will also work on the quilt I am making for us."

"That is a good idea. I will keep working hard to make the farm something you will approve of."

"You are a hard worker. Everyone says so," she shyly offered, repeating what others have said about him.

"This is
goot
!" He smiled gently. "I must go now, Sadie. It will not be long before the next meeting and singing. I hope your
Dat
will permit you to come."

"I hope so, too. I owe him an apology for not accepting my punishment today. I am afraid he will deny me the privilege of attending the next singing as punishment for my stubbornness." She knew she would find that unbearable, but it was her own fault she was in this position.

Samuel simply kissed her cheek and then left. He hated leaving, but Levi would ask how long he stayed, and he did not wish to be found guilty of staying past what was considered proper and acceptable. It was going to be a long two weeks before he could see Sadie once again. He hoped her
Dat
would consider the switching enough punishment for his daughter.

Sadie slowly made her way up the steps and to her room and quickly took off the heavy dress she wore and the panties whose elastic was biting into her sit spots. Sadie only had a small mirror in the room, and that was for the purpose of putting up her hair and making sure it was under her
kapp.
It wasn't large enough to view her backside. She gingerly ran her hands over her cheeks and then her sit spots and thighs. The welts were angry and stinging like fire. She slipped into a nightgown, and went back to bed, lying on her tummy. Sadie couldn't help indulging in one more spate of weeping. Her bottom did hurt, but even worse was knowing that she'd deserved the
bletching
. She would have to find a way to tell her
Dat
that she was sorry, too. This time her apology would be sincere and from her heart.