During my childhood in the 1970s, my parents took a trip to visit my grandmother in Cornwall.
We lived in Leeds, so I was sent to stay with my Aunt Jennifer in Saltdean, near Brighton, for the week.
Aunt Jennifer was a stern woman in her late fifties, with sharp features and a no-nonsense attitude. She had piercing blue eyes that seemed to see right through you and like her, her house was meticulous and clean.
From the beginning, it was clear that Aunt Jennifer wasn’t fond of Northerners and resented my presence.
She constantly corrected my pronunciation and pointed out every little flaw she could find.
On the first day, I accompanied Auntie to the shop and met some other youngsters who were of my age group.
The next day, I joined them at the local park to play.
Unfortunately, we accidentally kicked our ball into a fenced-off field.
We climbed in to retrieve it, and who should spot us but Aunt Jennifer!
She grabbed my arm and dragged me back home.
Once home, Aunt Jennifer took a cane from a hook in the hallway and led me to her bedroom. The cane was a long, slender, and polished wooden stick with a curved handle, often used for discipline in the old days.
She slapped my face twice, scolding me for trespassing on private property.
In her bedroom, she pushed me onto the bed, raised the cane, and began swishing it menacingly.
I heard the final swish before the cane landed on my bottom, causing me to yelp in pain.
I received six strokes that day, and it seemed Aunt Jennifer took pleasure in each one.
The first stroke was sharp and stinging, making me gasp. The second was even harder, bringing tears to my eyes. The third stroke felt like fire, and I couldn’t help but cry out. The fourth stroke was delivered with precision, leaving a burning line across my skin. The fifth stroke was relentless, and I could feel the welt forming. The final stroke was the hardest of all, leaving me sobbing and trembling.
She then made me stand in the corner with my hands on my head for an hour.
As if that wasn’t enough, I was assigned chores for the rest of the week.
Needless to say, I never wanted to see Aunt Jennifer again!
