Mrs Miles walked into the girl's sixth form College where her daughter, Larissa, was a student, but she was away at a camp arranged by the college and was due back next week. Mrs Miles was forty-one and Larissa was seventeen and in her first year at the sixth form college.
Mrs Miles was due to meet Mrs Waterman, the headmistress, who was in her early fifty's. The reason for the meeting was that Larissa had been given a double detention and so when she attended that on her return next week, she would have to attend the headmistresses study and be caned by Mrs Waterman.
When Larissa had explained how unfair it was that she was given even one of the detentions, that was when the meeting was called for by Mrs Miles.
Mrs Miles was certainly an alpha female, both at the office and at home. She had very strong views, on almost everything, and was generally persuasive and so got others to agree with her point of view. Mind you, she was almost always correct in her views.
Mrs Waterman was also an alpha female, authoritative, demanding, setting high standards at the college, and was well respected by staff and students. She was also a strong advocate of using the cane because of its incentive for the college girls to behave rather than be sent to her to be punished.
Mrs Miles got to the headmistress's study, knowing there was an outer office occupied by her secretary, Miss Chambers, who was in her early twenty's. She therefore just walked in.
Miss Chambers was used to parents just barging in, and so calmly looked at the calendar, looked at Mrs Miles, and said, "Hello, Mrs Miles, I see you are a few minutes early. Please take a seat next to Mrs Waterman's study door."
Mrs Miles was going to object and insist she was allowed to go straight in, but then heard a thwacking noise and a yelp coming from inside the study and realised that it must be one of the girls being caned. So instead of insisting on being seen immediately, she realised that couldn't happen, and instead obediently went and sat on the chair closest to the study door. As she sat down, she heard another thwack and another yelp.
There were four more thwacks with four louder and louder yelps, before silence. Then she heard Mrs Waterman sternly dismiss the girl, and moments later the door to the study opened and a girl who Mrs Miles recognised was in Larissa's class, came out of the study, rubbing her bottom, and tears were dribbling down her face as she went over and stood in front of Miss Chambers' desk.
Miss Chambers looked up and asked, "Was it just the six strokes, Jodie?"
Jodie replied as she still rubbed her dress-covered bottom and sobbed, "Yes, Miss, six strokes."
Miss Chambers looked down at the papers on her desk, filled in what Mrs Miles assumed was the number of strokes, looked back up, and said, "Okay, Jodie, you can go now."
Jodie sobbed again as she replied, "Thank you, Miss."
As Jodie left the office, closing the door behind herself, Miss Chambers buzzed through to Mrs Waterman and said, "Mrs Miles is here to see you, headmistress."
Mrs Waterman replied, "Send her in, please."
Miss Chambers looked up and said, "Please go through, Mrs Miles." She then added with a clearly sarcastic comment, "No need to knock on the door."
Normally, Mrs Miles would have made a very sharp retort if someone in her office had made that kind of comment to her, but she was focused on what she knew would be a difficult discussion with Mrs Waterman. So, she just nodded to Miss Chambers, turned, walked through and closed behind her the door to the study, and walked over to Mrs Waterman's desk and sat down in one of the visitors' chairs.
As she sat down, Mrs Waterman gave Mrs Miles a clear, 'At least wait until you are invited to sit down,' look, but saw the smirk on Mrs Miles' face, which clearly indicated that Mrs Miles knew she wasn't giving her the respect that the college girls clearly gave her.
Letting that pass, Mrs Waterman gave what was clearly a false smile and said with a sarcastic tone, "Nice to see you, Mrs Miles."
There were quite a few helicopter mums like Mrs Miles at the college, and Mrs Waterman was known to treat them with disdain, as she felt they should be far less involved than they so often were.
Mrs Miles knew the scene was set for a very difficult discussion as she was going to be asking Mrs Waterman to release Larissa from both detentions and therefore the caning as well, and fully expected the headmistress to support the teachers who gave both detentions. She was ready to argue her daughter's case, however, because being an alpha female herself, she was well-used to having discussions where she managed to change the view of the person arguing against her.
Mrs Waterman immediately dived into the discussion and said, "I know you are here to discuss the two detentions for your daughter. However, I have checked with both of the teachers, and both say they were correctly given."
Mrs Miles retorted with, "Well, that is not what Larissa has told me. Please ask both teachers to come here as well so I can question them."
Mrs Waterman replied, "I'm afraid that can't happen. Both teachers are actually at the camp and so not available."
Mrs Miles knew that and hoped the request would back foot Mrs Waterman. However, it clearly hadn't.
Mrs Waterman decided not to give Mrs Miles the chance to reply, and immediately added, "So is there anything else I can do for you, Mrs Miles? The detentions will stand."
Mrs Miles looked sternly at Mrs Waterman and said, "You don't think that the fact that you fondled Larissa's breasts, albeit accidentally according to you, is enough for you to reverse the detentions?"
Mrs Waterman knew exactly what Mrs Miles was talking about, but she clearly hadn't fondled Larissa's breasts but had simply lost her balance, held her hand out, and brushed Larissa's breasts by accident.
Mrs Waterman still looked shocked as she demanded, "Is Larissa accusing me of fondling her breasts, Mrs Miles?"
Mrs Miles kept a straight face as she replied, "No she isn't, not even suggesting it, but then she doesn't have the experience that I have about such things happening where claims are made, and the defence is exactly like you have said, which is that it was an accident."
Mrs Waterman knew that in recent times it was quite common when such accusations were made for there to be a presumption that it was done on purpose and wasn't an accident. It seemed being held innocent until proven guilty didn't apply in the same way as other things. The last thing she had expected when meeting today was to have that accusation made, but now it had been she really didn't know how to respond other than to repeat, "As I said, Mrs Miles, it was an accident."
Mrs Miles knew that she did now have Mrs Waterman on the back foot and said, "Maybe we should see what the governors have to say about it?"
That got Mrs Waterman even more worried because it could lead to her being sacked. Maybe she would have to release Larissa from both the detentions after all. However, that would mean that she had lost the argument, and if that got around, who knows which other parents would use that same suggestion in future. To date, any parent that came to see her asking for favours, always left with her tail between her legs because, Mrs Waterman told herself, that's what happens when you take on an alpha female like she was.
Believing that she was untouchable, she then said, "Maybe, as well as me caning Larissa, I should give you the cane, Mrs Miles, for making such a threat?" She smiled to herself as she saw the look of surprise on the face of Mrs Miles. She was getting the upper hand, she felt, which she should do, being an alpha female.
However, Mrs Miles was quite used to those with weak arguments saying outrageous things, thinking that they would turn the argument around in their favour. Well, Mrs Miles wasn't having it today, just as she never had it, and retorted with, "Actually, Mrs Waterman, I think what is needed is that I give you the cane as the only thing that will stop me going to the governors."