Mum had canceled a visit to my cousins’ home after her car broke down. We could have used the public transport to go but it was quite a lengthy trip and Mum was tired after a hard-working week. I was really disappointed at not being able to go and threw a tantrum, which had no effect – Mum would not change her mind. I then ran to my bedroom and angrily slammed the door. If Mum had felt sorry for me at first, this dispelled all sympathy.
She came to my bedroom and I realized that her compassion had gone – slamming doors was a big ‘no no’ in our house. Mum sat on my bed and dragged me face down over her knee. A dozen hard, rapid smacks rained down on my bottom.
While I was wondering where her missing right slipper could be, I heard a loud ‘whack!’ – which was followed by a shooting pain across my backside.