I left school at the age of eighteen and went to work in a city centre department store. I work in the ladies fashion department - really I'm only a sales assistant, but I'm learning and keen to do well.
Recently I was asked to help develop an important new window display. It was a great opportunity to show what I was capable of doing and I put a lot of effort into it. Just after lunch one day I was putting the finishing touches to the display when my department head came along and told me to hurry up and finish off because the store manager was coming to look at it.
That got me a bit flustered because the store manager is pretty much all powerful at our branch. I've never even spoken to him, but he's tall, in his early forties and you have to be careful when he's around because he won't stand any nonsense and wants everything to be spot on.
Making a few last alterations I saw him coming round the corner, so I hastily pulled the mannequins top to get it into exactly the right place. I know I was very nervous and I guess that's why I did it all wrong. The mannequin rocked and then toppled over. Hastily I pulled it back upright, but it was too late. One arm was broken and the face had an ugly dent where it had fallen against a hard comer.
My department head started to say something, but the store manager silenced her. Then he rounded on me. He asked me if I knew how much that mannequin had cost and without waiting for a reply he went on about how my carelessness had ruined a vital new display. Finally he said he was too annoyed to deal with this now, but I could expect to be called to his office later.
I spent the rest of a miserable afternoon in fear of what was going to happen. I liked my job, but it looked like this could be the end of it. Finally the call came at 4 o'clock. It was actually his secretary who rang down and said that I was to report upstairs immediately.
With a pounding heart I had to sit in her office while she typed away. Next door I could hear the manager on the phone. It was a long conversation, but after about ten minutes I could tell it was coming to a close. Then he rang through to his secretary and I was shown in.
He didn't mess about. Straight away he told me that my stupidity had cost the company dear and it was quite clear that this was a sackable offence. He asked if I had anything to say, but I was so overawed and intimidated that I could hardly speak.
He said the trouble with young people nowadays was that they didn't get any discipline, schools were too soft. He asked me if the school I'd been to was strict and I said yes it was.
"Well what did they do to punish you when you misbehaved."
It seemed an odd question, but I told him that I had twice been put on detention, but that was all.
"I thought so" he sneered. "No discipline at all. Well I can put that right - either you accept corporal punishment here at work or you pick up your cards - it's your choice."
I stared at him; I couldn't believe that he was proposing to cane me or something similar. I didn't know what to say, but I was saved when the phone rang. He snatched it up and began to talk. After a minute he covered the mouthpiece and told me he'd be a while so I was to go and he'd call me back later.
In a daze I returned downstairs. My friends asked what had happened, but all I said was that he had been interrupted and I had to go back later. I passed the rest of the time in a very distracted state - what was I going to say to him!
The store closes its doors at 5.30 and then we do the last tidying up and all the staff leave by 6pm. By 5.30 the call hadn't come and I was beginning to think that he was going to leave calling me until tomorrow. But at 5.45 the phone rang and still not knowing what I was going to say I headed back upstairs.
Again I sat in his secretary's office. She was tidying everything up and then took the last of the days mail through for him to sign. Soon she was back out and putting her coat on; then with a curt goodnight she left and I was sat alone.
I heard him go back on the phone and distantly from below I could hear the sounds of all the staff leaving. Soon it was after 6 o'clock and the building was silent apart from the sound of the manager on the phone. I'd never been in the building at this time before and it only added to my nervousness.
I never heard him finish on the phone, so when he suddenly appeared at the door I was startled. He ordered me through and on slightly trembling legs I followed him.
He asked me if I'd decided - sacked or punishment. I started to say that it had been an accident and I liked my job and wanted to keep it. All right he said you can, but you have to accept my discipline. Looking down at the ground I muttered alright I would accept his discipline.
He nodded his approval and picked up the phone again. I guess he was speaking to the ground floor security desk because he told someone he was working late with Miss Hunter and he would ring through again when we had finished.
He put the phone down, then told me to stand up and take my coat off. Next he dragged a chair into the middle of the room and told me to bend over with my palms flat on the chair seat. I did that and stood there tense and waiting.
The first smack landed square on my bum and made me jump. Five more times his hand cracked down on my bottom. Then he told me to stand up, so I straightened myself up and thinking that it hadn't been quite as bad as I expected I reached for my coat.
"What do you think you're doing" he asked. "Put that coat down we're only half finished."
Dismayed I put my coat back down. Then came the real sickener.
"Take your skirt off," he demanded.
"What - what do you mean?" I stammered.
"Take your skirt off," he repeated.
For what seemed like ages (but was probably only a few seconds) we faced each other in silence. I wondered whether to walk out (and to hell with the consequences), but in the end I was the one who cracked.
My hands went to the waistband of my skirt and with trembling fingers I undid the button and pulled down the zip. As I lowered my skirt he motioned for me to hand it to him and then he took it and threw it into the comer.
"Get that ruler from my desk."
I went across and picked up an eighteen inch plastic ruler and handed it to him.
"Now bend over again."
Dry mouthed I put my palms flat on the chair. I heard him draw his arm back and tensed myself. It swished through the air and smacked down onto my bum. I thought the smacks with his hand had hurt, but the ruler was much worse. Involuntarily I jumped up into the air and rubbed my bum, before bending over and taking up my position again.
After two more strokes he paused and I tried to stifle back the sobs and recover my composure. But that composure was shattered when his voice rasped out again.
