Mother's Accountability (For Tangerine)

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Cyrus was nervous about his first job. He had only graduated from high school and was now at the home of his former teacher and future employer. 'It is just a simple babysitting job...what could go wrong?' he asked himself as he let himself in. Though based on rumors, the brats he would be watching were quite the handful. But the extra money he made would help him survive college...so it was worth it right?

Cyrus watched the children as they screamed and yelled throughout the evening. He was exhausted by the end. He finally got them to sleep. He looked at the clock. It was 9:45, well past when his shift ended.

Cyrus stood by the door awkwardly, waiting for his employer to return, his slightly tall and muscular frame shifting uneasily. He had worn semi-professional attire with a collared green shirt and pleated brown pants with a thick and flat brown belt along with brown dress shoes.

[Tangerine]

It couldn’t have been really called the future employer, so to speak, but just the employer. He was there after all, at her home and performing the job. Hopefully well, at that. Since she knew him already, and given how much she needed someone to look after her kids, it wasn’t really a surprise that things had developed rather swiftly. On the first day of the job, her return to her home was sadly not as swift though. After school, Carmen had started to do this consulting job for a pharmacy firm. Something of a supplemental income, at the expense of spending less time with the children.

Knowing only too well how late she had been, Carmen hurried back home when she was finally finished. Scaring her student off from the very first day wouldn't be nice, considering how difficult it could be to find someone else whom she could trust. Naturally, she was apologetic as the chemistry teacher, eventually, walked through the front door. An unexpectedly long meeting was the culprit in this case. And also the reason for her formal-esque skirt and blouse. And tights too for that matter.

“Hi!” she greeted the undergraduate. “Oh, shouldn't talk so loudly, should I? Well, hi.” The woman offered a smile. “How were they then? Wasn't that bad, right?” How much brattiness this place sometimes housed was at the back of her head, of course. Also though, she’d hate to find herself in a situation where she searched for a new sitter. So, she understandably didn't want to convey the impression that this was always the case here, the children acting up that is.

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"Well..." Cyrus didn't want seem like a complainer, but he figured he could at least be honest to Carmen. "They were a handful. I had to keep redirecting them to do their homework and they refused to eat their vegetables. Also, not a big deal, but I thought you were supposed to be back at 9..." He sighed and stretched.

"But they seem very smart, no wonder since they're yours," he smiled at Carmen. "Maybe I should learn how to discipline them. Any methods you prefer Ms..." he hesitated, wondering how he should address her.

[Tangerine]

It was funny, and perhaps ironic, that she used to encourage him to do his homework, when he was doing the same with her very children now. Sometimes, it truly felt that time was going by too fast. Well, probably unless you were tasked with babysitting a prince and a princess who tended to believe that the world revolved around them and thus they could do anything.

“Yeah. I was supposed to. Something came up though. Terribly sorry about that,” Carmen apologised. Apart from that, she didn't talk much about the veggies and bedtime protests, as those had become part of her daily routine by that point. “And thanks. That's why I wanted you to look after them. To make sure they wouldn't get, less smart, by the misguidance of a negligent babysitter.”

While she was busy taking her jacket off, there was some rightful talk about discipline and such. Since he was responsible for the kids' behaviour when she was away, it only made sense for him to be allowed some tools of authority. To keep things under control. For an overly indulgent single mother, it was a foreign concept though, which could explain the children's less than ideal behaviour in the first place.

“Well, it's not their fault,” she faced him again. “As the parent, it ought to be mine rather.” With that, Ms Hailey elected to go to the kitchen. Maybe to avoid discussing possible punishment methods, when it came to her angels.

A natural sway accompanied her wide hips on the way to the kitchen. “So if they do anything wrong, you can just tell me and we can surely puzzle it out,” she added. “I take full responsibility after all. Like paying you, paying for their misdeeds should be only natural for me.”

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Cyrus appreciated her compliments...but he felt like he was being handled. He considered leaving but he was bothered by her overindulgent attitude. He followed her into the kitchen. "Well something needs to be done. I don't want extra pay for their bad behavior. I want to make sure the kids grow up to be respectful and constructive."

"If you are to take responsibility, maybe you should shoulder the punishment." He kept his tone sarcastic, but his words didn't come out as confident as he liked because she was still his former teacher and current boss. "Why don't put you in time out, or give you a sp..spanking!"

[Tangerine]

Frankly, by saying paying for the kids’ misbehaviour, she didn't exactly mean offering him more money to make up for it. It was rather answering for it herself. Or in different words, bearing the penalty of it herself as their mother. Or shouldering the punishment, as Cyrus soon put it. So, she nodded after him. “Yeah. That was what I meant.” At the moment, she didn't really think about what such a promise might lead to.

There wasn't an official contract that detailed how proper babysitting is done, and what authoritative powers were granted to fulfil the job well. It would probably be fair that he got to decide what deserved which punishment and when. Being put in time out for instance. Other than the fact that it was mostly imposed on children, separating herself from the rest of the world could help her mull over better parenting practices.

Soon, another traditional correction method was heard. “Huh?” It widened Carmen’s eyes. Being his teacher, and now his boss of sorts, she was probably among the least likely people he’d expect to spank one day. And as a thirty-five-year-old mother, she herself wouldn't have guessed she might be subjected to it as a punishment.

Right after admitting she should face possible penalties, she pondered what to say at this suggestion. “Well, umm…” she looked about, her blonde locks swinging. “Would you like to have some tea or coffee in the meantime?” thoughtful, she opened a wall cabinet. A random one, really. Looking into it she closed her eyes, shaking her head. Finally, her answer came out quietly. “Nobody should know though…”

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Cyrus was unsure if he was understanding her correctly, but he was too intrigued to stop. Also his frustration and tiredness was clouding his judgment a little. "Forget the coffee and tea. Bend over the table and keep your arms extended forward." He put on an authoritative attitude hoping that it would give him confidence. "Punishment for your children being behind on their homework and being picky eaters."

[Tangerine]

The contrast between how he sounded just before and was sounding at the moment was quite stark. Suddenly, there was an air of sternness. It almost seemed like the sitter had put on the same professional caretaker demeanour he did while taking care of children. For her this time, and not a brat. “Alright, no drinks..” Carmen said silently.

From an out of context perspective, it was incredibly unorthodox to be told to bend over by her former student. Out of nowhere, she found herself in a much difficult situation. For once, the teacher wasn't the one bickering over pending homework. Thanks to the kids falling behind on their homework, she now had to have a pair of hands falling on her own behind. Having just admitted that she should take the blame, and considering the inconvenience of finding a new sitter, Carmen wasn’t really in a position to say no.

“You mean now?” The peril she felt dilated her pupils. “Right here?” she narrowed her lips. The deep breath she took came out through a sigh. “Well,” after seconds of pause, she turned around, unhurriedly stepping towards the island in the centre. “Should have suggested a different method to this when I had the chance..” the blonde mother talked to herself. Gingerly, she bent over the counter. Her palms slid up the worktop until her chin perched on it.

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"Right here. Right now." he said sternly. He grabbed her wrists and pulled her slightly further so she was slightly on her tip toes. It was strange, him ordering his very recent teacher around, but not as weird as what was to come. He eyed her shapely bottom, mustering the courage to deliver the first blow. Would he dare to undress her?

He shook that thought out of his mind as he started his first strikes onto her rump. "I hope you understand that your children's behavior reflects upon you and you learn something from this."

[Tangerine]

Her lower half couldn't exactly be considered slim. All of that was now balanced on her toes when Cyrus pulled her farther up the island, making things more shaky. Well, she was bent over the counter, but still. Most of her discomfort wasn't physical though. This was a situation that challenged her mind too after all. Presenting her bum like that, to the sitter who happened to be her student. Yeah.. It definitely wasn't an easy pill to swallow.

“Well. This is why we're doing this,” Carmen answered. Hopefully, while going through this questionable act to improve on her parenting, she wouldn't feel like a child herself. To somewhat prepare herself for it, she commenced taking a deep breath. The slap that came in the middle of it quickly vacated her lungs though, “woo-” Letting her shapely legs down, she put the rest of her feet on the floor, the elevation of her bum dropping a couple of inches. “You sure there's no, alternative, method to accomplish the same?”