第1回
如果你在“学校”里犯了错误……
自从女人去世后，他们相依为命——这个丧母的青年和他的鳏夫父亲相处得很好。尽管他们都沉浸在对她的思念中，但是生活还得继续。她成为了他们更加努力的动力。他们都希望能实现女人的愿望：支持儿子读书直到高中毕业，这是这对夫妻过去没能实现的愿望。
他们的生活非常有规律：一周中有五天他们早起，一起吃早饭然后各自去上学或工作；傍晚回到家后就是一连串的家务事、家庭作业、晚饭时间，然后按时就寝。父亲薪水微薄，家中经济局促，尽管如此在经过他们的精打细算省吃俭用的生活后还是能挤出一点积蓄。
青年还有额外的一套严格的惩戒规矩需要遵守。尽管他犯错的次数并不多，一旦违反规矩，父亲就会用皮带重重鞭笞他的屁股。这是他们家的传统，而且青年从来不会有任何求饶、狡辩的举动，即使他的屁股在持续的责打下变得热辣辣的。就好像草长长了就需要割了，碗碟脏了就需要清洗一样，这种疼痛只不过是生活的一部分。
上一次的惩戒就很典型。那天父亲回到家时，青年还没有做好他该做的家务和作业。打屁股用的皮带被再醒目不过地放在了桌子上。父亲换掉工作服洗完澡后，青年向他解释自己没有及时完成家务是因为在学校里犯了错误被留下来了。然后他恭敬地将皮带递给了父亲，亲手脱掉了自己的长裤并弯下腰伏在专门用来执行惩戒的那把椅子上。男人举起皮带在儿子的屁股上抽了六下，这是这个错误应得的数目。他甩得非常用力，青年的屁股上先是很快地浮现一条条棱子，然后变得一片通红。青年紧紧抓住椅子边缘防止自己乱动，嘴里咬住一块布不让自己喊出声来。皮带抽打屁股如预料中的一样痛，但是青年希望自己“像个男人一样”坚强地承受打击，而不是像一个孩子一样又扭又叫。
等到惩罚结束后，青年站起身穿好裤子。“谢谢您，爸爸。我一定会更努力，争取不再犯错。”父子俩长久地拥抱，之后青年将皮带放回橱柜。他们继续着有规律的生活，不再讨论儿子犯下的错误。他们在过去制定规矩的时候已经讨论得很清楚了，没有必要再重复一次。
这一天是星期五——男人领取薪水的日子。青年准备了一张家中资金运转的单子，上面记录着必要的债务支出和日常必要开销。一旦他们将这些账户算清楚了，到了周六他们就能去债权人那里缴纳债款。好一点的情况就是能够到银行里小小地存上一笔。除非有提前计划好或者遇上比较大笔的消费，是绝对不允许从账户里提款的。除了拥有一个真正的银行账户以外，每周末的这一套程序和半个世纪以前的电影《慈母泪》（1943）中卡特里娜·汉森的家庭如出一辙。
这一周遇上了较好的情况：薪水付完账单后还有富余。父子俩为他们积极的财务状况感到自豪，哪怕是一点点的积蓄都要倚赖稳定的收入和一整周的勤俭节约。不幸的是，在装薪水的信封里还有一张处罚单。
父亲在工作上出了点问题，这张处罚单通知他必须接受停薪一日的处罚。这意味着接下来他们必须用好几周的富余资金，来弥补停薪一日带来的损失。他们算完了帐，将桌子收拾干净、东西摆放回原样，等待第二天去还债务。
这时候青年问了一个简单的问题：“这是不是意味着你在工作时被惩罚了呢？”父亲说是的。年轻人去橱柜那取来了皮带。父亲表示不解。
青年解释道：“当我在我的‘工作岗位’上——学校里受到惩罚时，我回家就要再被皮带打屁股作为家庭惩罚。这和你的情况有什么差别吗？”
父亲无以应答。
“请摆好你的姿势，爸爸。”青年手拿着皮带，礼貌地对父亲下命令。
男人现在能做的事情只有一件：他站起身，把那把专用的椅子摆到正确的位置；他脱下自己的裤子，弯下腰紧紧抓住扶手。从他还是一个年轻人、在自己的父亲的家中最后一次受罚以来，他有二十年没有做这些步骤了。
青年有点不安地站在鞭笞者的位置上，准备开始对自己的父亲的惩戒。他用力地挥动皮带——像过去祖父和父亲那样——当皮带落在那个应该被击打的屁股上时，发出了令人害怕的声音，并留下了一道宽宽的红色印子。六下抽打以后，父亲的屁股上每一个角落都红得发亮，看不清每一条印子的痕迹了。
男人起身穿上裤子，青年将皮带放回橱柜。他们照样长久地拥抱，然后共进晚餐。“爸爸，也许你可以在周一的时候找一份临时工？”青年建议道。
“可能吧——运气好的话。”
第二天，父亲修改了儿子的家规。他在其中加上了这么一条：“如果你在学校里犯了错误，回到家必须在接受一次惩罚。”我们都明白这新的家规将给年轻人带来两倍的惩罚——并且这是多么的不公平。
If You Get It At School…
By
YLeeCoyote@mail.com
After she died all they had were each other. The motherless youth and the widower man got along very well. They both missed her greatly but life must go on. She was the influence that drove both of them to work hard. They both wanted to fulfill her dreams of her son graduating from high school as neither her nor the man had.
Their lives were pretty regular as five mornings a week they got up, had breakfast and went off to school and work. When they returned, it was chores, homework, dinner and bed for both of them. Money was tight as the mans job was low level but they got along even managing a few extras after the absolute needs had been accounted for.
The youth had the extra motivation of strict discipline. Although it was not often he did misbehave at times and felt his fathers belt on his bare butt. It was their custom and he did not resist nor resent his father when his ass was turned into red-hot pain center any more than that the grass grew and needed to be cut or that the dishes needed to be washed. It was simply just part of life.
The last time was pretty typical. When the man returned home that day, the youth was behind in his chores and his homework. Most noticeably the punishment strap was on the table. After the man had changed from his work clothes and washed up, the youth explained that he had a detention at school. He then handed the strap to his dad, dropped his pants and leaned over a chair as was the protocol. The man raised and lowered the strap the usual six times. He swung hard and the youths butt quickly showed stripes which blended into one red mass. The youth gripped the chair tightly so as not to move and clenched his teeth on a rag so as not to yell. The strapping was hard as expected yet the youth was determined to "take it like a man" neither moving nor yelling like a boy.
When it was over, the youth stood up and pulled up his pants. "Thank you, Father. I shall do my best not to err again." Then after a long hug he took the strap and hung back in the cupboard. They went on with their lives without further discussion. They had had this discussion in the past and their was not any need to repeat it.
* * * * * * * * * *
It was Friday – payday for the man. The youth had prepared the papers for the money allocation both for the necessary bill paying and daily cash needs. Once they had worked all that out, on Saturday morning they would visit their creditors and pay up. In good weeks they would even be able to make a deposit into their bank account. It was practically sacrilegious to make a withdrawal other than for some preplanned, large expenditure. Except for actually having a bank account, the procedure was the same as that of Katrina Hansens family in "I Remember Mama" a half century earlier.
This was a good week for the pay envelope contained more money than was required to pay off the current bills and thus even make a small deposit into the account. They were both proud that they had a positive cash flow due too slightly better than usual earnings and lower expenditures. It was the extra slip in the pay envelope that was most unfortunate.
The man had managed to have some trouble on the job and the slip was a one-day without pay suspension notice. It would take several weeks to make up for the loss even if they were both extra fugal. They finished up the task, clearing the table and putting everything away until the morning.
The youth asked a simple question. "Does this mean that you are being punished at work?" The man, admitted that it did. Then the youth got the strap from the cupboard. The man was puzzled.
The youth explained. "When I get punished at my job – school, I get strapped when I get home. Is this any different?"
The man did not have an answer.
"Position, please, Father." said the youth respectfully as he folded the strap.
The man could only do one thing. He got up and pulled the chair into position. He dropped his pants and bent over gripping the rail tightly. He had not done this for a couple of decades since he was a youth in his fathers house.
With some trepidation the youth got into the swinging position and started. He swung the strap hard, just as his father and grandfather had done when they swung it. It made a fearsome sound as it connected with the target butt and left a wide, red stripe. After six cuts the target was bright red and the stripes had merged into one red mass covering the mans butt.
The man got up and dressed as the youth returned the strap to the cupboard. They hugged for a long time before they had dinner. "Maybe you can get a pickup job on Monday, Dad?" the youth observed.
"Perhaps – if Im lucky."
The next day, the man modified the youths rules by striking out the one that said: "If you get it at school, then you get it again at home." now understanding that it was most unfair and double punishment.
The End
个人觉得结局不好！我希望结局是父亲修改了规则，以后父亲犯错儿子也可以打他，这样才体现两个人共同努力维持生活的温馨主题嘛！
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