Dread rising, I was tempted to just ask my stepdad to sign the punishment exercise or even attempt a forgery of mum’s scrawling signature – but I knew that if I was found out, it would make things much, much worse.
Eventually, after having completed my homework, showered and dressed for bed, I could put it off no longer and silently, I tentatively held out the incriminating piece of paper to Mum. I watched her face turn to rage as she realised what she was looking at. “What did you do?” she demanded. The punishment exercise itself only contained the enigmatic word ‘insolence’ in the ‘reason for punishment’ box.
I wanted to explain the injustice, defend myself, to beg for her understanding, for belief of my innocence – but I knew from past experience it was all futile. “I’m sorry!” was all I managed to wail, already in floods of tears over the impending smacking. “Oh, you will be!” Mum replied, her heavily pregnant body struggling to rise from the chair and get to my naughty little bum.