Introducing Eli

"Hey, Dad."

I’d just finished snapping the ends from a bunch of green beans and was washing them, so I answered without turning back to him.

"Howdy, Noah. How’d practice go?"

"Pretty good. I brought a friend home with me. Is that okay?"

Before I could answer, PJ’s baritone interrupted, "It’s not my fault, Jack. He begged."

"It’s not a problem, guys," I said, picking up a dishrag to dry my hands as I turned around.

"You remember Eli, Dad?"

"I think so. You play halfback, don’t you?"

Eli nodded, looking a bit shy.

"Are you staying for dinner?"

"Is that all right?"

"I’m sure we’ll have enough."

Noah took a deep breath.

"Pot roast; right?"

"Yes, it is. And talking about smelling things," I said, then glanced at my watch, "you boys should just have time to go get a shower before dinner." I looked again.

Eli’s a nice looking boy. His head is nearly triangular, with a long jaw and rather small, round chin. His mouth looks a bit wide for his face, but his thin, well-shaped lips split wide in a bright smile, which he seems only slightly shy about, even with his braces. His hair is a medium brown, which he wears very short, almost shaved on the sides, and longer on top, standing up, but not quite spiked. Looking at it, I think he’s one of those boys with hair that’s naturally very curly. His eyebrows and lashes are a darker brown than atop his head, and the brows nearly meet over the bridge of his nose. The nose itself is lean and straight, and only flares into a ‘T’ at the very base. I remember he’d been basically fair-skinned when I’d first met Noah’s teammates, but he was already starting to show a decent tan, though it was still fairly early in the spring.

Eli has a really nice, interesting face, but his eyes are his best feature. His eyes are a very bright blue, nearly like a husky’s, and they were even more shocking with his dark eyelashes and skin that was already beginning to tan.

I had to ask later to be sure, but I thought that Eli was a little older than the twins. It turns out he was in sixth grade, a year behind Noah, but his birthday was in early October, so he was about six months older than them. He seemed a little tall for twelve-and-a-half, maybe 5’2" or so, but he was pretty lean—I doubt he hit one hundred pounds. It was hard to be sure about that, though, since he was wearing very bright and fairly baggy orange shorts with lots of flowers and an orange Abercrombie t-shirt that was about equally as baggy. What he wasn’t doing was carrying a bag.

"Didn’t you bring anything to change into, Eli?"

"No, sir. Sorry. I didn’t think about it."

"It’s all right. You can probably fit into something of Barry’s. He’s a little bigger than you, but you obviously don’t mind wearing your clothes a little… loose. Now you two get moving."

The two boys were laughing (with me or at me?) as they trooped through the dining room towards Noah’s bedroom.



Noah and I had a brief clash after dinner because it was his and Barry’s turn to clear. He protested, based on the fact that he had company over. I told him he could trade if someone was willing, but he’d already received one strike this week for putting a chore off, then forgetting it. He grumped a bit but excused himself to Eli.

As soon as that minor crisis was averted, I went into the living room. I was trying to decide between glancing at the news, checking chores, or reading a bit when Eli came up behind me.

"Excuse me, Mr. Wells."

"Please call me Jack, Eli."

"Okay. Ummm… I was just wondering. Is it really true that some of your kids have run away from home to come live with you."

I thought about it for a second. Some of the kids who’ve lived with me moved in because of trouble with their parents, but there wasn’t really any ‘running away’.

"No, not really."

"Oh. Noah said he…."

"Well, Noah’s a different case," I interrupted him. "Noah was living in a foster home because he didn’t have proof of who his father was." I went on to briefly explain what had happened in Noah’s case.

Eli was listening intently as I explained and looked a little disappointed as he realized that Noah and I were biologically family, though the story of how that was learned was pretty interesting.

However, there was something in his look and the way he’d acted when he’d first arrived that got me thinking. I’m usually pretty good at picking up nonverbal clues from kids, and an idea clicked in my head.

"Eli, do your parents know you’re over here?"

The boy’s eyes went wide for a second before he glanced away from me. Then he shrugged.

"Eli, did you have permission to come over here after practice?"

He shrugged again, but it was less energetic, and his shoulders were slumping. I glanced around and saw that we weren’t alone, though no one was really paying us a lot of attention.

"I think we’d better go in my office so we can talk in private."

Eli didn’t look happy at that, but he didn’t resist as I put my hand on the back of his neck and guided him in that direction.

As soon as we were in my office, I let go of Eli and shut the door. He turned to look at me, and he appeared more than just a little nervous. I pointed at the couch, then took a seat next to him, turned so I could look at him.

"When Noah took you to his room, did you notice anything hanging near the door?"

His eyes went wide and his thick, dark eyebrows arched up high. I saw his throat jump up and down as he swallowed.

"You mean those paddles?"

I nodded. "Did he tell you what they’re used for?"

Eli nodded. "He said you whup him with one of ‘em."

"Did he say anything about how?"

The boy paled a bit beneath his early tan. "You mean on his bare butt?"

I nodded again.

"I want you to answer me, honestly and completely. If you lie to me or try to play me, that’s what’s going to happen to you. Understand me?"

He nodded slowly.

"Believe me?"

His nod was much more energetic this time.

"Were your parents expecting you to come straight home from practice?"

"Not really. I’m not lying," he added suddenly, loudly and nervously. "I mean, I don’t have to go straight home. I probably should have been home by now, though," he added more quietly.

"Were you thinking about running away?"

He nodded again.

I looked at the boy for a minute, but he was staring at the carpet between his large, bare feet. I patted him on the shoulder, and he looked up at me. Then I leaned back.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He stared at me for a minute, his eyes weighing me, before he finally nodded and leaned back.



"My dad gave me a whupping this afternoon. It was really hard, and I didn’t even do nuthin’. I was just so mad."

He paused, trying to gather his thoughts, then went on more quietly.

"He’s not really my dad."

I couldn’t stop a laugh, and he looked up at me, a bit irritated.

"He’s not really your big brother, is he?"

The look of irritation disappeared as he giggled. He quickly covered his mouth, then he shook his head.

"No. He’s my step-dad; well, my adopted dad now."

He’d sat up a bit, but now leaned back again and took a deep breath. His eyes unfocused a bit as he looked into the past.

"I guess he started dating my mom when I was six, because he was at my seventh birthday party. I really liked him. I never knew my real dad. I love my mom, but it was so nice having a guy around, you know?"

I nodded, remembering how it’d felt to be fatherless when I was that age, but didn’t say anything since I didn’t want to interrupt him.

"Todd was really cool because I could tell he didn’t just like mom. She’d dated some guys that I barely even saw because she’d leave me with some babysitter. But Todd took me with them sometimes. After a while, me and him even did some stuff alone. And sometimes he’d come over and we’d pop some corn and just stay home and watch vids. It was really like a family, you know? It was nice."

"Todd’s always acted like a dad. At least since him and Mom decided they were going to get married. I don’t remember when it happened, but I was still seven when they had the wedding. I was really happy when I first found out, but then I got a little mad one night ‘cause I felt like they were ignoring me. I guess I was acting up or something ‘cause Mom said if I didn’t settle down and be polite, she’d send me to bed early."

The boy looked up at me, then glanced away, but it was obvious he was blushing a bit.

"I guess I back-talked her and maybe called her a name. Anyway, I knew I was in trouble, but I was kinda mad, too; Y’know? She started to say something, probably to yell at me, but Dad put his hand on her arm and said something to her. I could tell he was upset with me, but not like he was really mad. Then she said something like ‘Are you sure it’ll be okay?’, and Dad nodded. Then he got up and came and got me."

"Todd took me to my room, and he sat down on my bed and made me stand in front of him. He talked to me about why kids have to mind, and how parents have to teach kids stuff, and all that cr… stuff. Anyway, then he said that when boys can’t behave, they have to be punished, so he was gonna spank me."

"Now, Mom had never spanked me, but I had friends who got it, so I knew what it was, and I was pretty scared, but Todd wasn’t acting like he was mad at me or nuthin’. He said he was gonna help me get ready for bed, then he’d give me a spanking. He said some other stuff, but while he was still talking, he helped me get undressed, then he took me to the bathroom, and I took a quick bath, and he even washed my back for me. Then we went back to my bedroom. I didn’t have any clothes on and I wanted to put on my pajamas, but he stopped me. He sat down on my bed again and picked me and put me over his lap. Then he spanked me."

The kid’s face was a little distressed as he shared this, but it was also very affectionate. It was obvious to me that Todd was the boy’s true father, and that he loved him as well as any naturally born son would and probably better for knowing what it was like without one. I think the amount of warmth and comfort he was showing as he shared this memory showed why he was so upset by what he’d said had happened earlier that it made him think of running away.

"I thought I was gonna die. I couldn’t believe how much it hurt. I couldn’t believe some of my friends really got this, and I thought this couldn’t be what they meant when they said they got spanked. But then it ended, and Dad set me up in his lap and hugged me until I stopped crying. Then he helped me get my pajamas on and took me to the bathroom to get a drink and wash my face. Then we went to the living room, and I apologized to Mom, and he took me back to my bedroom and tucked me in."

"Mom came in a few minutes later and asked me if I was okay. I told her yeah. She asked if I was mad at her or Todd, and I said no. She said that, if she married him, he’d spank me whenever I needed it. We were both quiet for a while, and she asked if I still wanted her to marry him. I said yeah."



I was looking away from the boy, only watching him from the corner of my eye. He glanced at me, then glanced away. I think his eyes might have been a little damp. I know he reached up and ran a hand across his eyes. I gave him another second, then turned back to him.

"It sounds like he’s a pretty good dad."

Eli nodded.

"But he whipped you really hard today, and you didn’t deserve it?"

He shook his head.

"After Mom and Dad got married, they had two more kids… Both girls," he added, sounding a bit disappointed, but only a bit. "Heather’s four and Ruth is like… twenty-one months or something. Now, don’t get me wrong," he said, sounding as if I were going to accuse him of being jealous, "I mean, I know they’re his real kids, but the only reason he treats me different is ‘cause I’m a boy and I’m so much older than they are. He never treats me like a foster kid…."

"Step-kid," I interrupted to correct him.

"Yeah, he never treats me bad. He spanks me when I need it, and he don’t always let me do everything I want or have everything I want but…."

He stopped and looked around, obviously wanting to make sure no one was going to overhear this next remark.

"Well, that’s good. Sometimes kids get spoiled, and parents gotta do that stuff, y’know?"

I had a very hard time not laughing, and could understand why he’d looked around; that remark would probably be considered treasonous by the Kid Union. Still, I managed to keep all but a quick grin off my face as I nodded.

"Well, the thing is, sometimes Heather’s a real pest. I mean, she’s cute, and I love her and everything, but I can’t always stop and do what she wants. We have a math test tomorrow, and I was trying to do my review sheet before I had to leave for practice, and she kept bugging me, and I finally told her to go away, and I guess I gave her a little push."

"It really was little, Jack. I barely touched her. But she fell down and started bawling, and when Dad came to find out what was going on, she said I was being mean to her, and I hit her."

He was obviously upset now, and his eyes were getting damp as he went on.

"I tried to tell Dad what really happened, but he wouldn’t hear it. He told me to go to my room and get ready for bed. That’s what he tells me when I’m going to get a spanking; he means get off all my clothes, but my boxers. He let’s me leave those on while he che… lectures me."

"It’s okay, Eli," I said, trying not to smile. "I don’t mind if you call it chewing out. I call it that sometimes, too."

He smiled at me a second, but then he looked sad again. He looked away, and is jaw dropped open a bit, then he looked up at me again.

"Last year, I kinda snuck out of my last class to go play around with one of my friends, and we got caught. When I got home, Dad talked to me and told me I was getting too big for just spankings all the time, at least when I do something really bad. He’d always just used his hand before. I mean, I’d just turned twelve, but I still cry when he hand spanks me. But this time he was really upset. After he made me take my boxers off—he lets me leave ‘em on ‘til he’s finished chew… chewing me out-- after I took ‘em off, he stood up and took off his belt. I was really scared, Jack; but I remembered that first time he spanked me, and I tried not to be too upset, but…."

"But you trusted him, even though it was really scary?"

"Yeah. Noah says you never whipped him with a belt…."

"No," I volunteered, "but I got the belt when I was a kid, and younger than you."

Our eyes locked for a moment in mutual sympathy. Then Eli took a deep breath.

"Well, he made me get my pillows. I had to put one of them over this rail-thing at the end of my bed and lay down over it, and he told me to hold on to the other one. Then he whipped me."

"It hurt really bad. Way worse than a spanking."

I nodded so he’d know I understood.

"Anyway, I’m a pretty good kid, and he’s spanked me since then but never used the belt again."

"Until today," I guessed.

He looked up at me and nodded.

"Same way?"

He nodded again.

"Eli, have you ever made a mistake?" He started to nod, but I went on. "I mean, have you ever done something that you knew you shouldn’t do, and as soon as you’d done it, you felt bad about it, and you couldn’t even figure out why you’d done it in the first place?"

He stopped and thought about it, then nodded.

"Did you feel really bad about it, but knew there was no way to fix it?"

"Yeah. Sometimes I went and told Dad about it. Sometimes we talked about it. Sometimes he spanked me."

"You had dinner with us, so you saw how many kids I have, and I’ve got more that don’t even live here anymore. I try my best, but sometimes I screw up. Sometimes I make a mistake. Sometimes I spank someone when they don’t really deserve it."

I looked up and made sure he was looking right in my eyes.

"But that doesn’t mean I love my kids any less. Everyone screws up because we’re all human. Todd gave you a spanking today that you didn’t deserve. Maybe he feels like you pick on your little sister, so he didn’t believe you today when you said you didn’t. Maybe he was mad about something else you’ve been doing, so he overreacted to this. Or maybe, he was just in a bad mood, and this hit him the wrong way."

"Eli, your dad may never admit he was wrong about this. Maybe, from his point of view, he’s right and you were wrong. But here’s the important question: do you still love him?"

Tears were starting to flow down the boy’s cheeks as he nodded.

"Then let’s give him a call and let him know where you are. Okay?"



About twenty minutes later, Noah and Eli were sitting in the living room. They were trying to talk, but Eli was much too jumpy to concentrate on anything. When the doorbell rang, I think he nearly came out of his skin.

I had to chase a couple of people off, but I answered the door.

"Jack Wells?"

The man asking was, a little older than me, but not quite as tall, maybe 5’10" or so, and a little heavy, but not real fat-- probably 210 pounds or so. His build suggested he’d once been pretty powerful, and still was, though he was starting to loose it. His hair, which he was about shoulder length and pulled back into a pony tail, was black, turning to steely-gray, as was his close clipped beard, though his eyebrows were still dark. His brows stretched a bit towards his ears and, with his lean, slightly hooked nose, there was a hint of bird of prey about him. His arms were thick with black hair, which wasn’t enough to hide the anchor tattoo peaking out on his right arm, from beneath the sleeve of his black, Harley-Davidson t-shirt, which looked a bit incongruent with his khaki carpenter pants. Overall, he had a down home look that might seem threatening.

"Hi, you must be Todd."

We shook hands as I invited him in. I turned to find Noah and Eli standing right behind us.

"Hello, Eli. You’re Noah?"

"Yes, sir."

"Hi, Dad."

I invited Todd into my office, where the two of us talked for a bit, then I opened the door, to invite Eli to join us.

The two of them stared at each other for a minute.

"Eli, you know you don’t have to come straight home from practice, but you should have called us when you came over here. Right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Didn’t you know your mother would be worried?"

"I’m sorry."

"Sorry’s good, but it’s not enough. Do you think you deserve a spanking for pulling a stunt like this?"

The boy paled and looked miserable, but nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Then I guess it’s a good thing I already gave you one today. Jack says you didn’t deserve that, and after talking to him, I think he’s right. I’m really sorry about that and about not listening to you when you tried to tell me. Forgive me?"

Eli had been brave when admitting he deserved the spanking, but now tears began to roll down his face as he nodded.

"I’m sorry, son."

"I am, too."

I stepped out of the room and pulled the door closed behind me.



A few minutes later, Noah and Eli had made their good byes, and I was escorting the gentlemen Rice to the door. Eli stopped and looked at me for a minute, then looked at his dad, then back at me. Suddenly I found myself caught in a tight embrace, as the boy jumped forward at me.

"Thanks, Jack."

"Your welcome, kiddo. You gonna be okay now?"

"Yeah," he said, stepping back and smiling up at me, even as he wiped at his eyes again, and seemed a bit embarrassed.

"By the way, Eli," I said as they stepped through the door. "I told your dad that you’re welcome over here whenever you want to visit, and we always have a lot going on here during the summer. Just make sure…."

"I tell them where I’m going to be," he interrupted me with a smile.

"That’s right," his dad added. "And having seen his backyard and game room, I’m sure you’re going to be over here a lot, so I told him that whenever you’re around, he should treat you like part of the family and paddle your rear whenever you need it."

Eli smiled up at his dad, then at me. Then the grin quivered just a bit before firming back up.

"He’s just joking, Jack," the boy assured me. "Right, Dad? Dad! Tell him you’re joking."

The last thing I heard as I shut the door was, "DAD!"





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