Moment of change

Sabina tried to sneak into the house as quiet as possible. Her curfew was fixed at 10 o'clock but today she'd stayed out longer for a reason. This afternoon she fell out on Peter, her foster-dad, leading him to send her out to his office, as usual when it was time for a time out. She'd only been in their care for a week before he realized it was a bad idea to send her to her room. The loud music drove Peter and his wife Mel out to his office, situated in the guest room next to the garage across the patio, and so they thought it better for her to switch house instead. Peter couldn't work while she calmed down, but at least they could be in their own house.

Sabina knew Peter's computer was off limits. Once in a while she pulled the blinds and played some Tetris anyway, but usually she respected the prohibition. This afternoon she'd been so furious she did something terrible – before she could even stop herself. She deleted the whole file with the important in depth articles he'd written for the Gazette. Well, it'd been on the screen when she entered the room and so… one thing led to another.

Therefore she'd made an excuse to leave the house as soon as she was let out from the office and now she hoped she could sneak up to bed and postpone the confrontation until tomorrow. Then she intended to simply deny the whole thing. Peter was such a novice when it came to computers he might just as well have accidentally deleted the file himself.

Sabina locked the door behind her quietly. The old clock in the living room struck 1. Well, the O'Hara's would be fast asleep already. She didn't turn on the light but headed for the stairs. She was just to pass the dinner room when she sensed "something". She stopped and the very same second the light turned on.

The dinner table was covered with paperwork, a tired and disappointed Peter O'Hara leaned to it with his hands in his pockets, in the background a sad Mel sat on a chair.
"Where have you been?" Peter asked in a sad tone.
"Er… out." Sabina replied.
She prepared for an accusing 'what do you know about this' or a naïve 'oh, you wouldn't believe what happened to me today', but instead Peter uttered only one word:
"Why?"

Sabina was taken aback and didn't know what to say. She browsed the table with her eyes. It seemed like Peter was trying to go through the whole paperwork and see if he could remember his articles from the material. Mel gave her a sad look and Sabina simply lost her defence. Peter sure didn't mean 'why have you been out late' but 'why did you do this'. The couple had been so sweet to her the six months she'd been living there she just didn't have the heart to put on the cold mask she usually showed her foster-parents. It felt weird to deny her action when it was clear both of them understood she did it, and they were right about it.
"I don't know," Sabina whispered with her head hanging low, "I was just… I don't know. I'm sorry."
"They were the most important articles in Peter's career. You know how hard he's been working on them." Mel said sadly.
"I'm really disappointed in you, Sabina. I know you were angry with me this afternoon, but I would never think you could do such a cruel thing." Peter added.

Sabina hated it. She wished they could be like the other foster parents she'd had; screaming, accuse her on false grounds, threatening her, throw things at her, get really angry, call her names. That she could deal with, but these two disappointed faces she couldn't deal with. She felt an unpleasant knot grow in her stomach, it was nothing like the adrenaline rush she usually felt when she was caught. It began to feel warm in here and she just didn't seem to be able to lift her head. She didn't know what was happening, but it didn't feel like anything she'd felt before. She even started to regret what she'd done.

"Sabina?" Mel said gently, "What do you say? Isn't there anything you'd like to say in all this?"
Sabina buried her hands in her pockets and shrugged her shoulders. What was there really to say? She didn't even know herself why she'd done it other than she'd been furious at Peter and that the deletion had been an impulse.
"Well," Peter began, "you are a sweet girl, Sabina, and I can see on you that you understand the seriousness in what you did. Although I would of course also like to hear why…"
He gave Sabina a chance to grab the opportunity, but when she didn't, she just began to draw circles on the floor with her left foot, he continued;
"The natural next step now would probably be to announce your withdrawn allowance or you being grounded for the next couple of weeks and then send you off to bed. But I won't do so."

He made a pause. Sabina didn't like the beginning and certainly not the pause. A pause was never a good sign. She prepared for the words to follow; 'we feel that we can't provide for your care anymore, we will terminate the contract'. Sabina prepared for moving, she prepared to run off onto the streets tonight to avoid yet another placement. Peter continued:
"We, well I, feel that there is one thing we've been reluctant to do because of your history. But considering everything that has happened recently and especially after the events of today I now find it inevitable. Before we send you to bed, Sabina, you and I are going out to my office and there I will give you a well-deserved spanking for your behaviour. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Sabina looked up. He said what? Peter looked her calmly straight in the eyes. He wasn't kidding. Mel bit her lips but seemed to stand behind Peter on the issue. Sabina sensed a mix of feelings rushing through her veins. They didn't want to give her up, why not, she'd been terrible? They had considered her in their dealing with her behaviour, how come? Others didn't give a damn, they just fired away without warning, these guys explained that she was going to be punished, why did they do so? She looked foolishly at them for a few seconds. Then she woke up, nodded and began to walk towards the patio door. When she passed Peter he put his hand on her shoulder and went with her. From the table Mel pleaded:
"Peter, please be gentle with her."
To which Peter simply replied:
"I'll give her a spanking, not a massage."

Peter closed the glass door but didn't pull the blinds. Sabina noticed Mel by the dinner table inside the house, and figured she'd keep an eye on the events, before she followed Peter to the couch which stood out from the wall and divided the room into an office space and a guest room space. She felt a bit nervous, but couldn't put her finger on why. Sabina followed every move when Peter unbuckled his broad leather belt, pulled it out of its loops, double folded it and stretched it until it snapped. She swallowed.

"I hope I will never have to do this again, Sabina." Peter said while he tried the grip of the belt. "You are a very special young girl and Mel and I love you very much. But what you did today… Today was the climax of several days of unacceptable behaviour from your side. I know that you understand why I sent you out to the office today and punishing me for punishing you is not the behaviour I expect from you, Sabina. I can not accept that. And I can not accept that you ruin my work. Is that clear?"
Sabina didn't take her eyes from the double folded belt in Peter's hands, but she nodded.
"Ok," Peter continued, "then it's time to get down to business. I want you to unbutton your jeans and lay over the arm rest with your bottom on the edge and then I want you to pull down your jeans and panties."
"Couldn't… couldn't I please keep them on?" Sabina whispered.
"No, it's my firm belief that the belt does its work best on your bare skin."

Reluctantly Sabina obeyed Peter's instructions. She pulled her pants down to right under her buttocks, but Peter wasn't satisfied so he pulled them down a bit further to get a clear shot even to the lower part of her bottom. Sabina was so nervous her lip trembled. She lay flat on the couch with her bare bottom over the arm rest, sticking up in the air. She grasped the cushion with her fingers, lay down her head and waited.

WHAP
Sabina flinched. It stung a bit in her skin, but…
WHAP WHAP WHAP
In a steady pace Peter whacked her bare bottom with the belt. Sabina pressed her lips together and screw up her eyes. The nervousness was gone, right now she just concentrated on the unpleasantly sharp sound when the belt hit her bottom and on the stinging.
WHAP WHAP WHAP
The stinging spread as the belt crimsoned her globes. Sabina's lip trembled and she sniffled. It stung. She so regretted being mean to Peter. He didn't deserve it.
WHAP WHAP WHAP
But she probably deserved this spanking. Sabina sniffled and moaned. Her bottom burned.
WHAP WHAP WHAP
Sabina sobbed in her arms and strained the muscles in her legs. Her skin stung like fire under the belt now.
WHAP WHAP WHAP
Peter didn't hit very hard, but enough to turn Sabina's bottom pink and to create such a stinging to make Sabina sob with pain. She wiggled her bum and locked her own arms under her head to cope.
WHAP WHAP WHAP

Peter stopped. Sabina cried silently in her arms while he put on his belt again.
"Sabina, you can pull up your trousers now." Peter said gently.
Sabina reached back and pulled up her panties. She crawled forward until she lay flat on the couch, grabbed her buttocks and cried softly. Peter felt sorry for her and hoped it to actually be the last time he needed to do this.
"Come here." He said and sat down on the couch. He pulled Sabina to him, scooped her up in his arms and rocked her while she cried into his chest.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She sniffled into his shirt.
"Sch, sch, it's ok." He whispered.
"No, it isn't." Sabina sobbed. "I'm really sorry. I really am."
She sobbed some more and when her voice was somewhat steady she sniffled:
"You guys have been so sweet and I've been so mean. I'm really sorry. I thought you would give me up today, but… I wouldn't blame you if you did. If you want to I'm ok with it."
"Stop it, Sabina. What are you talking about? We wouldn't give you up for the world. Where in heaven's name did you get that from? Huh?"
Sabina sniffled. Her bottom burned and she was careful the keep it free and don't lean on it.
"I just… I don't know… I suppose… others… I wouldn't blame you. I'm such a meanie sometimes. I thought deleting your file would… I understand if you hate me. I can leave if you want to."
"No!" Peter said sternly. "Stop talking like that. We would never want you to leave us. For heaven's sake, Sabina, Mel and I thank higher powers everyday that you walked into our home and our life. You're not mean, sweetheart, you're out of line sometimes, but that's what we try to correct. I didn't spank you because I hate you, don't you ever think I do because I don't, I love you, honey. I spanked you BECAUSE I love you. I want you to behave, that's all. Oh dear, such dark thoughts you carry, my sweet little peach pie."

Peter kissed Sabina's head and rocked her some more. Sabina was confused. How the heck could he NOT hate her after what she did? Her bottom throbbed and she sniffled occasionally. It felt good to be hugged and rocked in Peter's arms. At last they rose up. Sabina pulled up her jeans with a grimace and they walked back into the house, Peter with his arms around Sabina's shoulders.
"You know what," Sabina suddenly said, "I think there's a way to recover the file."
"There is?"
"Just leave the hard drive to the computer guys at work. I think they are able to recover it."
She couldn't see Peter's smile, but she felt him hugging her shoulders. It was probably the first time she'd shown an interest in helping someone. Perhaps it was too early to tell, but something seemed to be about to change.