heart–” He put his hand on his chest. “–that she’s safe and doing okay. I know that at some point she’s probably going to fight me for custody. Who knows, she may even use the community practices as ammunition. But I can’t think about that. I have the responsibility of not just my family, but every other family, on my shoulders. If I’m overly strict, that’s why. If one link breaks it all crumbles.”
Polly pondered his words.
“I know what I did was reckless,” she said. “I’m sorry. You have to know that I didn’t intentionally break the radio.”
“I do know that,” he said. “But when you realized that you had, you should have come to me.”
“I was afraid,” she said. Her teeth were chattering now. “That’s part of the problem I have with this place. How honest is someone going to be if they know they’re going to be punished?”
“Very honest,” he said. “Especially since lying doubles the penalty for whatever the miscreant is trying to hide.”
“You’re right,” she said. “This is going to be very hard for me to understand.”
“There’s something else,” he said. “Something I don’t think you’re going to understand any better. I suppose I should tell you, but not out here. We need to go to your cabin.”
He turned, and Polly had no choice but to trudge along behind him. She didn’t think he was going to spank her again, and at least in the cabin she could get warm. But as she entered through the door, she stopped cold.
“Is that everything?” Walt was asking Noni.
“I think so,” Noni said quietly, motioning towards several cardboard boxes containing Polly’s belongings.
She looked at Noni. “What’s going on?”
But the other woman didn’t even acknowledge that she’d been spoken to. “I’ll be going if there’s nothing else you need.”
“There’s not. Thank you,” Walt said.
Polly felt a surge of hope. “Does this mean I get to leave after all?”
Walt shut the door and turned to her.
“I told you, Polly. There’s no way out of Pepper’s Hollow until the spring thaw. But you are leaving the cabin. We had a meeting at lunch, the whole community. They insisted on it. You’ve upset a lot of people, and the general feeling is that you are too much of a loose cannon to be left unsupervised. But everyone else is too upset with you to have you stay with any of them. So, you’re moving in with me.”
He fell quiet, allowing the words to sink in. Polly felt rooted to the floor by her still thawing feet. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Now she wasn’t just trapped in the community, but she was being forced to live with the very man who had twice spanked her.
“Please, Mr. Springer. I won’t do it again.”
He sighed. “It was a community decision,” he said. “That puts it out of my hands, Polly.”
She crossed her arms. “Well, I don’t think it’s a good idea to move another woman into your house with Aidan and Kerry just months after their mother’s gone. Have you even stopped to think about them?”
“The kids have to learn early that everyone makes sacrifices for the community. People talk, and they know what’s going on and why you will be staying with us.”
She shook her head. “This is not a good idea,” she said. “Not at all. It’s not a good idea for me to stay with you and it’s not a good idea for me to keep teaching. The people don’t respect me. The students don’t respect me.”
“They’ll do what they’re told,” he said.
Polly gave a harsh laugh. “Do you really think you can just demand that people respect you?”
“We’re not telling the kids to respect you, Polly. We’re telling them to act respectfully towards them. If you want their respect—or the respect of their parents for that matter—you’re going to have to earn it.”
He leaned down and picked up a box. “Come on. I’ve got some guys coming over to bring the boxes to my cabin.”
“I can carry my own
Polly pondered his words.
“I know what I did was reckless,” she said. “I’m sorry. You have to know that I didn’t intentionally break the radio.”
“I do know that,” he said. “But when you realized that you had, you should have come to me.”
“I was afraid,” she said. Her teeth were chattering now. “That’s part of the problem I have with this place. How honest is someone going to be if they know they’re going to be punished?”
“Very honest,” he said. “Especially since lying doubles the penalty for whatever the miscreant is trying to hide.”
“You’re right,” she said. “This is going to be very hard for me to understand.”
“There’s something else,” he said. “Something I don’t think you’re going to understand any better. I suppose I should tell you, but not out here. We need to go to your cabin.”
He turned, and Polly had no choice but to trudge along behind him. She didn’t think he was going to spank her again, and at least in the cabin she could get warm. But as she entered through the door, she stopped cold.
“Is that everything?” Walt was asking Noni.
“I think so,” Noni said quietly, motioning towards several cardboard boxes containing Polly’s belongings.
She looked at Noni. “What’s going on?”
But the other woman didn’t even acknowledge that she’d been spoken to. “I’ll be going if there’s nothing else you need.”
“There’s not. Thank you,” Walt said.
Polly felt a surge of hope. “Does this mean I get to leave after all?”
Walt shut the door and turned to her.
“I told you, Polly. There’s no way out of Pepper’s Hollow until the spring thaw. But you are leaving the cabin. We had a meeting at lunch, the whole community. They insisted on it. You’ve upset a lot of people, and the general feeling is that you are too much of a loose cannon to be left unsupervised. But everyone else is too upset with you to have you stay with any of them. So, you’re moving in with me.”
He fell quiet, allowing the words to sink in. Polly felt rooted to the floor by her still thawing feet. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Now she wasn’t just trapped in the community, but she was being forced to live with the very man who had twice spanked her.
“Please, Mr. Springer. I won’t do it again.”
He sighed. “It was a community decision,” he said. “That puts it out of my hands, Polly.”
She crossed her arms. “Well, I don’t think it’s a good idea to move another woman into your house with Aidan and Kerry just months after their mother’s gone. Have you even stopped to think about them?”
“The kids have to learn early that everyone makes sacrifices for the community. People talk, and they know what’s going on and why you will be staying with us.”
She shook her head. “This is not a good idea,” she said. “Not at all. It’s not a good idea for me to stay with you and it’s not a good idea for me to keep teaching. The people don’t respect me. The students don’t respect me.”
“They’ll do what they’re told,” he said.
Polly gave a harsh laugh. “Do you really think you can just demand that people respect you?”
“We’re not telling the kids to respect you, Polly. We’re telling them to act respectfully towards them. If you want their respect—or the respect of their parents for that matter—you’re going to have to earn it.”
He leaned down and picked up a box. “Come on. I’ve got some guys coming over to bring the boxes to my cabin.”
“I can carry my own
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