Sissy Time for Patrica
Whilst Karen, or Miss Wright, as she now demanded to be called, was tearing me a strip for having dust on the seat of my school dress, Nanny Mitchel appeared at the bedroom door.
How we had not heard the creaks on the staircase as she came up was a miracle in itself.
When playing upstairs in the bedroom of Nanny Mitchel’s house, the creaks on the staircase would always serve as a warning signal to us youngsters to stop what we were doing.
This was especially true if we were up to no good.
Cousin Karen however did not seem phased by Nanny Mitchel’s appearance at the door.
“I hope you are not squabbling with your cousin Patricia,” Nanny Mitchel said with a wry smile.
I looked at Nanny Mitchel with a very confused expression.
Why in heaven’s name was she calling me Patricia?
Was she in on this game?
Had she and cousin Karen plotted together to invent a game that was to cause me much humiliation and pain?
I would not have put it past either of them.
Suddenly, as if to add to this present humiliation, cousin Karen piped in
“Yes, I hope you are not squabbling with me Patricia, or there will be big big trouble for you!”
Nanny Mitchel then continued to tell cousin Karen how grown up she looked in her brown herringbone dress, which Karen had helped herself to earlier from Nanny Mitchell’s wardrobe.
“You are also wearing my favorite broach, Karen.”
“How lovely.”
Nanny Mitchel continued, full of admiration for her favorite granddaughter
“One day you really will make a superbly wonderful school teacher dear.
I was now starting to get the impression that nanny Mitchel had granted cousin Karren permission to wear one of her dresses from her wardrobe.
Nanny Mitchel now turned her full attention to me.
“That school dress is a little tight for you Patricia,”
Maybe you need to lose a little bit of that fat around your tummy.
Still, I was questioning as to why Nanny Mitchel was calling me Patricia instead of Peter.
Was she trying to change me into another granddaughter?
I realized Nanny Mitchel did not care too much for boys or males in general, after all Grandad who had died some time ago had not always been the nicest of husbands.
However, changing me into a girl was possibly taking things a step too far.
“Maybe tomorrow morning I could give Patricia a physical education lesson Nanny,” cousin Karen piped in.
“What a truly wonderful idea treasure,” Nanny Mitchel replied.
” A little exercise and fewer sweets will soon get Patricia’s dress to fit.”
With beady eyes, Nanny Mitchel looked me up and down, inspecting the school dress I was wearing.
“Turn around please Patricia,” Nanny ordered me in a not too unkindly voice.
Duly I turned around to allow Nanny Mitchel to inspect the back of my dress.
Nanny Mitchel came closer to me and proceeded to put her hands on my shoulders.
Smoothing any creases in what I believed to be cousin Karen’s school dress, she worked her way down.
Suddenly without any warning,
Smack!
I felt the full force of Nanny Mitchel’s hand applied to the seat of the dress.
This was quickly followed by another smack.
“Why have you got dust on the seat of your clean dress Patricia?”
“You have not long had the dress, yet already you have managed to get it dirty?
Although these two smacks were what may be considered a minor punishment, both smacks were to take my breath away.
During the war, Nanny Mitchel had worked in an ammunition factory as well as time spent as a land girl.
These years of service had obviously built nanny Mitchel’s small frame up, for her arms were as strong as tree trunks and her hands were like concrete.
I started to try and explain.
“Nanny” I started to explain in a slightly nervous voice,
“Karen made me sit on the dusty floor whilst we played school”
“Do not tell tales, Patricia, it is not the done thing.” Nanny Retorted.
“And do not blame Karen for the state of your brand new school dress that has been purchased for you.”
At this point, I worked out that all these shenanigans had truly been well planned in advance.
I was later to find out that “Nanny Mitchel” had ordered this school dress some time ago from her Gratten Catalog.
“In the future, you will keep your school dress and any other dress that is purchased for you clean, tidy, and well presented.”
“Is that understood?”
I looked at Nanny Mitchel with Puppy dog eyes, however, this was to have no effect on my current situation.
“Is that understood” Nanny Mitchel demanded, this time with more vigor in her questioning?
“Yes, Nanny Mitchel” I replied with a nervous tinge in my voice.
“Good!.”
“I am glad we now understand each other.”
“Now it is time for you both to come down and have your dinner”.
Cousin Karen had been watching gleefully and paying great attention to the scolding that I had received from Nanny Mitchel.
She had especially enjoyed watching the two smacks I had received on the seat of what was now my school dress, a little disappointed that I had not had to endure more smacks.
All three of us filed down the creaky staircase, with Nanny Mitchel taking the lead, closely followed by cousin Karen and me dragging my heels following them both.
As we entered the small dining room I noticed a checked pink house coat hanging up on the handle of the toy cupboard.
Cousin Karen was invited to sit at the dinner table as if she had now assumed the position of some kind of royalty, whilst I was ordered to set it.
Nanny Mitchel herself disappeared into the adjacent kitchen to finish preparing dinner.
I went to the chest of drawers where the cutlery was all kept and proceeded to clumsily retrieve three knives, forks, and spoons along with three mats.
Sitting bolt upright, prim, and proper at the dinner table cousin Karen ignored me as I carried out my chores.
However, this act of ignoring me was short-lived as clumsily I dropped all the cutlery and mats on the floor.
Cousin Karen now briefly turned her full attention to me and then just as quickly turned back to her full bolt upright position at the dinner table.
“Nanny! ” she called out, in an ever so slightly whining voice,
“Patricia has just dropped the cutlery and mats on the floor”.
Nanny Mitchel now armed with a wooden spoon came rushing out of the kitchen to see the commotion as fast as her little legs could carry her.
As quickly as she viewed the cutlery and mats on the floor, she proceeded to lift the wooden spoon up and bring it down three times across my seat.
“You clumsy wretch” she shrieked
“Can you not even do a simple chore without a commotion?”
“Go and sit at the dinner table!” she ordered.
“I will set it myself.”
With a posterior that was now a little sore, after having the wooden spoon applied to it three times, I slowly and without a little discomfort lowered myself on the seat at the dinner table.
I noticed a little smirk on Cousin Karen’s face, who was still sitting bolt upright at the table, totally ignoring me.
With a certain degree of anger Nanny, Mitchel did not so much set the table but bashed the cutlery and mats on the table.
Once she had finished this she took herself back into the kitchen to continue to prepare the evening meal.
Once out of Nanny Mitchel’s earshot, cousin Karen proceeded to continue where Nanny Mitchel had left off.
“That told you,” she said in a highly Patronizing manner.
Finally, after a few minutes wait, Nanny Mitchel finally came out with our Dinner.
However, this was not to be without a further shock to my now fragile system.
Nanny Mitchel had prepared for me a measly salad, whilst she and Karen would have the full treatment of a roast dinner with all the trimmings.
It was explained to me that because I had failed to fit into my brand new school dress I was from this moment onwards on a diet.
It was also explained to me that in no uncertain terms I was to eat all that was served to me without any fuss or I would be going to bed early with a sore bottom.
Slowly but surely I picked at the food I had been given, whilst Nanny Mitchel and Karen ate.
After dinner was pudding, of which I was to have none whatsoever, after all, I was on a diet.
However, it was pointed out to me that in no uncertain terms the Pink checked house coat that was hanging on the door handle to the toy cupboard was there for a reason.
I was to put the housecoat on clear the table, wash up and clean the kitchen.
It was also told, once again in no uncertain terms that I was to do this in a lady-like fashion without dropping anything.
Washing up after dinner and cleaning the kitchen was new to me, for I had never done such a thing before.
Normally at home, this was the job of my long-suffering mother.
However, it was soon to become apparent that Nanny Mitchel was not going to put up with any idleness whilst I stayed under her roof.
Nanny Mitchel always claimed.
“The devil will find work for idle hands”.
It was very clear that she was not going to put up with me being idle let alone being the devil like I had been in the past at home.
The family I came from, with Nanny Mitchel being in the role of head matriarch had decided that I had put years on my mother along with many grey hairs.
Unbeknown to me a decision had been made that drastic action needed to be taken.
This drastic action was to be made very apparent in no uncertain terms throughout this weekend.
For now, however, I was to wash up the dishes and clean the kitchen.
Whilst doing so Nanny Mitchel and cousin Karen would retire to the living room as if it were some form of teacher staff room meeting place.