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Chapter 2: A Short Demonstration
Sue-Linn & Isobel's companion stayed where they were. Graham was still standing with his face in the corner.
The stern faced woman in the dark glasses seemed to be taking little interest in her surroundings but then suddenly spoke. "You're not a member of New Opportunity, are you?" she asked.
Sue-Linn shuffled uncomfortably for a moment. It was expected, she knew. When a girl got to eighteen, it was the done thing. The trouble was, though, she had never been much of a joiner-in. The other girls at school thought she was bookish and a bit geeky. Nobody had asked if she wanted to come along when the rest of them had organised a panty raid on the local boy's reformatory. It had been the same when two of the girls had trapped one of the delivery boys in the game keeper's shed and had auctioned off his attentions for the afternoon. Sue-Linn looked across at the woman and shook her head. "No. I guess it didn't seem like my sort of thing."
"I think you are under-estimating yourself," the woman said. "You would learn a lot of useful things, make useful contacts. You might even have some fun."
Fun wasn't something Sue-Linn would have expected the cool looking woman to suggest. The woman took off her dark glasses. Sue-Linn was astonished by the piercing blue of her eyes.
"You'd get classes in basic civic rights too. You'll need to understand those. Had you thought?"
Sue-Linn nodded. "Oh yes, but I have studied things. About property rights and contract and, and, male disenfranchisement and positive female discrimination. I've learned a lot from reading and we had extra classes at school and…"
"I'm glad you're taking it all seriously."
"Mummy was very keen that I should. She says I have no idea what she had to put up with when she was my age and I shouldn't have to."
"That's certainly what New Order was intended to do. And how about control skills? You won't be learning those at school, will you?"
Sue-Linn blushed and shook her head. "No, but mummy says…. Well, since Graham isn't my real father, more my sort of, well, step father, I guess. Anyway, she says that it's all right if I … "
"It's all right if you practice on him?"
Sue-Linn nodded.
The woman nodded too. "Yes, she is right. Provided that you are getting the practice. I would be concerned if there was any question of a girl of your age, domiciled with a sponsored male but without the skills necessary to cope with any situations that night arise."
"I can show you if you'd like. Mummy won't mind." Sue-Linn smiled brightly, keen to demonstrate her competence.
"That would help me a great deal. Thank you."
Sue-Linn went to a cupboard that stood against the far wall and opened a drawer. She took out a pair of high heeled shoes and a whippy cane. Sitting on the couch she changed her pumps for the glossy black stilt heeled shoes, "Mummy says it helps," she said by way of explanation as the other woman looked on in approval. The turning to where Graham was standing she called, "Step-father. Come here."
Graham turned around looking worried. "Please," he said, "must I?"
Sue-Linn was implacable. "Of course. You know you must do as you are told. Come here at once!"
Graham looking both reluctant and embarrassed at being ordered about by his step-daughter, made his way across the room slowly. Sue-Linn smiled in triumph as he reached her side and, without being told, dropped to his knees beside her.
"This lady wants to see that you know how to behave. Head down on floor now!"
Graham looked around towards the woman with the piercing blue eyes. He had no idea why he should expect her to intervene on his behalf but his pleading look told how he hoped that she would. The way in which she folded her arms and leant back against the wall made it clear that he could expect no help from her though. Defeated, he did as his step-daughter had ordered, pushing his face down against the living room carpet.
"Now," Sue-Linn ordered, "slide your face over to our visitor. Show her respect please."
Graham started to move towards where the woman was standing but a moment later his step daughter's crane cracked down across his back. "Keep your face on the carpet. Don't you dare lift your head!"
Graham gasped with the pain of the blow but pressed his face back down against the carpet pile, ignoring the dust that he was forced to inhale and the coarse texture of the carpet rubbing against his face. He shuffled his face forward, trying to guess when he might be getting close to the woman.
"Stop!" snapped Sue-Linn.
Graham responded, but not quickly enough to prevent him bumping his forehead against the pointed toes of the woman's shoes.
"Oh, sorry, Miss," Sue-Linn said, apologetically.
"Don't worry," the woman replied. "It is difficult to judge things like that. It comes with practice. Look I'll show you." She leant forward and hissed in Graham's ear. "Turn around, you little shit, and get yourself back over to your step-daughter.
Graham knew enough not to answer the woman but swivelled himself around until he was pointing towards where he hoped Sue-Linn stood. He set off again, his face rubbing against the carpet as he crossed the room once more.
"Stop," the woman ordered. "Now look up!"
As he did so Graham saw Sue-Linn lounging back in one to the room's armchairs. Her legs were crossed. His face was only an inch from the high heeled shoe she had planted on the floor. The other foot, its shoe dangling from her toes, hung threateningly above his head. Sue-Linn was smiling and flexing her cane between her two hands. "Very good, step father," she said with a giggle. "You can kiss my foot as a reward."
When Graham was slow to respond, Sue-Linn' s cane cracked down across his back. Graham yelped but then pressed his lips to her shoe, anxious to show that he was eager to obey her instruction. He knew that if there was any trouble resulting from the inspection it would be him that was made to suffer afterwards.
© Freddie Clegg 2012
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