Dot Com Success, Career Restart

By Daring Diane

Chapter 1

The woman stared at her and sarcastically stated, “Well Jennifer, I guess you finally found time to fit us into your schedule.”

Jennifer just stared at the woman.  Finally, she said, “Well, the reason I came in was because I didn’t get my unemployment deposit.  When I called, they said I had to come in.

After a pause, Mrs. Sarcastic continued, “Yes, we can be a little annoying.  I know what an inconvenience it can be to have to come over here and discuss your situation.  I mean being out of work, I’m sure you are keeping a busy schedule.  Have you had a lot of interviews lately?”

Jennifer paused and then admitted, “Not really.  I haven’t gotten a good lead in over a week.  But, I keep sending out the resumes and working the network.”

“That’s great.  Now Jennifer, as you know, when you file your periodic paperwork to maintain your unemployment benefits, you are asked to document your job contacts and resume submissions.”

“Yes, I have tried to do that.”

“And with each of those submissions, you file a statement indicating that you are capable to work and available to work.”

“Yes, I know” Jennifer answered.

“And finally, you are asked if you have received any offers of employment.”

“Right, and I say no and then I am finished.”

“Rrrightt,” Mrs. Sarcastic said staring at Jennifer.  “So just to clarify, you have not received any job offers?”

“No, I have not.”

“Ok Jennifer, can you please sign this form confirming that you have not gotten any job offers?”

Jennifer looked at the form, pulled it towards her and responded, “Sure, no problem.”  She signed and dated the document.

“Now I need you to initial on the next line where it says that you are signing this and that lying is perjury.”

Jennifer wrote her initials.

The lady took Jennifer’s paperwork and asked her to wait a minute.

Chapter 2

When Mrs. Sarcastic returned, she had another lady with her.

“Now Jennifer, this is my supervisor.  I asked her to come along for a moment to witness my notification that I believe you have perjured yourself and we will be considering further action.  Please sign this sheet accepting the notice.”

“What, I don’t understand.  What is this notice?”

At this point the supervisor spoke, “After you sign the acceptance, we will give you a formal copy of the notice and we can discuss alternatives.  Sign the sheet.”

Jennifer was stunned.  She had no idea what they were talking about.  She decided to sign the sheet and find out what the accusation was all about.

Mrs. Sarcastic had started with an abrasive attitude, but things had changed.  She was acting like judge and executioner. 

“Jennifer, this is the unemployment office.  We provide assistance for people that cannot get a job.  We do not provide assistance for people wasting time or for people looking for their dream job.  You have sworn on official documents on multiple occasions that you have not received a job offer.  Under our system, which you agreed to when you accepted our assistance, you do not have the option to turn down a reasonable job offer.”

Jennifer was stunned.  “I have not received ANY job offers.  What are you talking about?”

Mrs. Sarcastic pushed a copy of a letter from St. Mary’s Catholic school. 

Jennifer recognized the letter, but did not understand.  “I didn’t apply to this school.  I’m not a teacher.”

“Look little lady.  I don’t care and the system does not care.  This school included a copy of your resume with the offer letter.  They indicate that you have skills they need and that they have developed a custom program to get you certified so that they can employ you.  The salary is not unreasonable.  What is your problem with this?  They have documentation of sending you this offer three times over the last three months.”

Jennifer considered her response, realizing she had a problem.  “I didn’t think it was serious at first.  Since I had not applied and since I did not plan to be a teacher, I tossed it aside.  This is not where my skills can be best utilized.  I led a dot com as one of the technology leaders.  Few people have the skills I have.  Companies need me.”

Mrs. Sarcastic smirked.  “Well unless you have a job offer on the table, we have a serious problem.  We like to work these things out.  You don’t have a job offer do you?”

“No, I don’t,” Jennifer answered.

“Then let’s review this letter.”

The letter indicates that St. Mary’s wants a person with internet and web development experience.  To be a teacher in their state, people with a degree and professional experience can teach after getting certified by the state.  While the school realizes that Jennifer does not have the certification, the school is unique in that they participate in a teacher certification program with the local junior college.  They have worked out an arrangement with the local junior college to help them get Jennifer certified.  Therefore, the offer basically is that they will train Jennifer for the job they want to pay her for.

“Well, Jennifer.  Here’s how it is.  If you are willing to commit to the offer from St. Mary’s today; I mean right now, then the state will waive prosecution.  If however, you drop out or do not complete the program, we will immediately proceed against you.  Having accepted benefits under false circumstances and perjuring yourself will lead to a minimum 3 year sentence and maybe as much as 10 years.”

“You will agree that you misled the system.  You will sign an agreement to commit to completion of the certification program and working for a minimum of one year at St. Mary’s.  Assuming you get the certification quickly, I assume that is an 18-24 month commitment.  If you drop out or do not complete the program, you will go straight to sentencing.  After that, I’m sure a smart girl like you can sell this experience as an attempt to give back while waiting for the perfect job.”

Jennifer was in a quandary.  “I guess I don’t have much choice.”

“No you don’t.  Also, there is one other issue.  You have to pay back the last year of unemployment since you agreed that you falsified your documents.  We will need to get that worked out within the next few days.  For now you need to agree that you lied since we obviously have proof.  The other details and exact amounts can be formally figured out by end of business tomorrow.  Then you and your husband can work out paying it all back as soon as possible.”

Jennifer was so flustered, she never thought about any of the advice she always freely gave her friends and business associates.  She did not call a lawyer.  She did not even call her husband.  She just submitted and signed the affidavit confirming her falsification of documents and agreeing to pay fines and amounts owed. 

Chapter 3

Jennifer’s husband Paul was very upset when she told him what had happened.  Over the next few days, Jennifer and Paul reviewed their finances.  Jennifer had been the main breadwinner.  She had been an executive at a dot com and she pulled down a great salary.  They had bought a big house and nice cars expecting the gravy train to continue to flow.  Since Jennifer had been out of work, they had been barely making payments.  They were actually behind on many things.  Paul couldn’t help whining to his mother about their situation.  His mother told Paul that she would see what she could do to help.  But she told him, she was not in a position to help them financially.

After thorough review, it was clear that to make the required payment, they would have to sell the house and at least one of their cars.  Jennifer and Paul discussed their situation over dinner at Paul’s mother’s house. 

Paul’s mother, Mary, felt sorry for her son’s situation.  Unbeknown to Paul and Jennifer, Mary had lobbied the school to make the offer to Jennifer.  She had actually convinced them to help her get the certifications needed.  She was very upset when she found out that Jennifer had ignored the job offer and felt it was beneath her. 

Mary was never happy with her son’s selection of Jennifer as a wife.  Jennifer was a domineering woman who lorded over her daughter.  Mary felt it was horrible that Jennifer had so much success and she felt that Paul was belittled by this.  Mary thought Jennifer should help Paul to be more successful and stop tooting her own horn. 

While she was distressed by the financial disaster their life had turned into, Mary was secretly hopeful that this situation would allow Paul to move forward and become the husband and father she expected him to be.  Mary was happy to do anything she could do to help the couple, but she was also happy to take Jennifer down a notch or two. 

Mary offered to allow the couple to move into Paul’s childhood home and she assured them she would do all she could to help.  The home was not large and while she was happy to have them, she explained that they needed to bring the bare essentials to work through this period.  Mary offered to pay for a storage unit to hold some of their important belongings until they could get back on their feet.

Chapter 4

So, a few weeks later, Jennifer and Paul were moved into his mother’s home.  They could only bring some of their clothes since space was limited.  Paul brought his work clothes and some jeans and shorts.  Jennifer was told to leave her professional clothes in storage.  Due to her commitment to the training and taking a teaching job afterward, she would certainly not need her professional clothes until she completed the training.  Mary told her daughter in-law that the school had a strict dress code and she offered to ensure that Jennifer had the appropriate clothing.  Therefore, Jennifer brought some casual clothes and little else.  She knew she could go to storage to get anything she needed.

Following a suggestion from his mother, Paul insisted that they close their credit card accounts until they got their finances back on track.  Given their financial situation and the sale of the house and car, Jennifer agreed to this plan to try and appease Paul.  She tried to convince him that they should keep one card for emergencies.  Paul felt that they should get things under control and if that limited their ability to do things he was ok with that. 

So when they moved into Paul’s mother’s home, they brought clothing, a few nick nacks and their one paid off car.  Paul was the bread winner for the time being and his mother was going to help them through this situation.  Jennifer felt like she was losing control of her life. 

Chapter 5

After completing their move over the weekend, Monday morning was the beginning of new routines.  Paul got up, prepared himself and left for work in their car.  Paul’s mother Mary was up before him and prepared a hot breakfast for her son.  Jennifer got up as Paul was going down to the kitchen.  She brushed her teeth and washed her face before moving to the kitchen.  Jennifer kissed her husband goodbye and sat down at the kitchen table where her mother in-law was reading the morning paper and drinking coffee. 

Jennifer grabbed a glass of juice, because she did not really like coffee.

Mary observed her daughter in-law and thought about the situation as she nursed her coffee.

After a few minutes, Mary put her paper down and looked at Jennifer.

“Jennifer, we need to talk about how things are going to work.  As you are aware, I know a couple of people that work at the school.  I have talked to them about your situation to try and help smooth things out for you.”

Jennifer was well aware that she and Paul were very dependent on Mary and her generosity.  However, as all younger people, she was always wary of help from older relatives and the associated expectations.  Jennifer listened to Mary and chose her words carefully.  “Mary, Paul and I appreciate everything you have done and promised to do for us.”  Jennifer paused to see Mary’s reaction.

“Jennifer, I want us all to get along.  I have asked you in the past to call me mother or mom.  You are family and I want you to please do this for me.  Is that something you can do?”

“Yes, I’ll try...Mom.”

Mary smiled.  “Good.  Thank You.  Now, I talked to the school and we have an appointment today to go in and fill out several forms at the office to get your training program started.  We’re supposed to go by at 10:00AM.  So put on some casual clothes and we’ll leave to go to the school in about 45 minutes.”

Jennifer thought for a minute and said, “Mom, I can go by the school by myself.  Remember, I’m not a kid.”

“Obviously, I am aware of that.  But, I know these people and I have asked them to help us out and they expect a certain amount of courtesy on both of our parts.  That includes me being there to thank them for what they have done.  Also, you do not have a car and I will need to drive you.  You are not on my insurance so I cannot let you drive my car right now.”

Jennifer decided getting into a fight now was a bad plan.  She gave in and agreed to let Mary drive her to the school. 

Chapter 6

Jennifer rode silently in the passenger seat as Mary drove them to the school.  Since Jennifer only had casual clothes, she wore a pair of designer jeans, a scoop front t-shirt and sandals with a 2 ½ inch heel.  Her hair was long and she wore it loose because Paul liked that.  Because she was casual, she had worn little make-up. 

Mary and Jennifer entered the administration offices for the school and were soon seated in the office of the Director of Admissions, Mrs. Adams.  Mrs. Adams explained that St. Mary’s was a private catholic school.  St. Mary’s provided schooling from Kindergarten through high school.  The school was officially broken up into a grade school and high school.  The two units were in separate buildings and the only things they shared were the athletic facilities. 

St. Mary’s had been working with the local Junior college for many years.  St. Mary’s offered advance placement courses which allowed accelerated students to gain college credit while still in high school.  They presently had a program where students that wanted to go into teaching could perform the teaching assistant requirements at their grade school.  The program was very successful and St. Mary’s was very proud of the program.  The students in the program were Juniors and Seniors who had or were taking courses based on a teaching degree program. 

It was clear immediately that Mary and Mrs. Adams were old friends.  Mrs. Adams explained that the school had designed a program that integrated with their existing program to get Jennifer the needed training to get her certified.  Mrs. Adams explained that if this program worked out, they might bring in several more people from the out of work professionals. 

Mrs. Adams mentioned that she had met with Mary last week and that Mary had mentioned some of Jennifer’s issues without telling her anything personal.  Mary had mentioned that Jennifer no longer had a car and the school believed they had worked out a plan to deal with things. 

Mrs. Adams seemed excited as she explained the program and Jennifer was glancing around the office looking for something to garner her interest.  Suddenly a word caught her attention “…bus…”.  Jennifer interrupted, “I’m sorry, did you say bus?”

Mrs. Adams looked annoyed as did Mary.  “Yes, I was saying that there is a bus line that goes right past Mary’s house that will bring you to the school.  It’s really convenient and it will solve your transportation problem.  There is no cost and we just have to carry you on the registration role and you can ride the bus to and from the school.  Isn’t that great?”

Jennifer wished she had not spaced out there and felt very embarrassed.  She did not want to ride the city bus, but if it was a direct route, that would be a simple solution until they resolved their car issue.  “Yes, I guess that will be a good solution for now.”

Mary added, “Well, I hope you don’t expect me to drive you every day.  I do have other obligations.”

Jennifer was worried about offending Mary, “No mom,” she added the mom to placate her, “this will work out fine.  I don’t want to be a burden.”

Mrs. Adams added, “Almost all the students in your area ride that bus.  So it should work out great.”

Mrs. Adams moved on.  The three of them toured the some of the classrooms and common facilities before returning to the office.  Mrs. Adams pulled a folder to the center of her desk. 

“So Jennifer and Mary, we have a few formalities to get this all official.  I need to gather some data and get you to sign some things.  School registration is always crazy.”

Yeah thought Jennifer.  I thought I was done with any kind of school registration.  She always waited till the last minute and often had to beg to get the classes she needed. 

Mrs. Adams continued, “So Jennifer, this is the basic registration form.  I have your name Jennifer right here.  We have you at Mary’s house.  I filled in her phone number.  We put Mary as your emergency contact for any issues since you are living at her house.  I need you to sign here Jennifer and I need Mary to sign on the bottom since she is listed as the emergency contact.”

Jennifer was barely listening again.  She signed where indicted under student.  She did not understand why Mary needed to sign anything, but really did not care. 

Jennifer signed a document agreeing to the program with the junior college which enrolled her in their certification program based on performance at St. Mary’s. 

Mrs. Adams started talking to Mary again and Jennifer ignored the conversation.  Something about the health forms, rules and permission slips.  Mary took some form from Mrs. Adams and looked it over.  She initialed several places and signed the bottom and handed it back. 

Jennifer asked what the forms were and Mary answered, “Since you are living at my house, you are on my health insurance and I have to give them information on your health policy and I’m also giving my permission for them to deal with you in case of emergency.  Do you have a problem with that?”

Jennifer was annoyed that Mary was giving permission for anything.  Mrs. Adams pushed a form to Jennifer and asked her to sign it.  She looked it over and asked, “What does this guardian stuff mean?”

Mrs. Adams looked Jennifer in the eyes and said, “Look, you are living with Mary and covered under her health policy.  We just have to make sure there are no misunderstandings.  This says that Mary is acting as your guardian in these matters and that you agree to basically give her power of attorney in any school or health related matters.  That way if there is an emergency, she can make decisions.  She has made a donation to the school to cover any expenses related to getting you into the program and getting you enrolled here.  I think she has demonstrated her commitment.  Just sign the paper and we can get you on your way to a teaching certificate.”

Jennifer sighed and figured it didn’t mean anything.  So she signed the document.

Mrs. Adams asked them to wait a few moments and she went out into the general office.  She made copies of all the documents and gathered a few things.  Upon her return, she placed an envelope with copies of all the documents in front of Mary and Jennifer.  She then handed Jennifer a copy of the student handbook.  She explained that Jennifer would be expected to follow all of the student rules and regulations.  She explained that the student clothing rules were clearly identified and that Jennifer would be expected to follow the rules to the letter.  All of the other teaching assistants were bound by the same rules.  She was told that she would have her picture taken for her identification on her first day.  She was given a schedule of classes.  The schedule indicated which classes were the ones where she was expected to be a teaching assistant.  She was given a welcome packet and other material.

With Jennifer’s hands full, Mary gathered up the signed documents and helped her carry things out to the car.  Jennifer was told that she classes started a week from today and she should be there on time.  Mrs. Adams congratulated her and thanked her for joining the program. 

Chapter 7

When they got home, Jennifer felt drained.  She told Mary she wanted to lay down for few minutes.  She could not believe her life’s path had led her to this point.  On the flip side, Mary seemed pretty upbeat. 

Later that afternoon, when Jennifer entered the living room, Mary suggested that she should read the school rules and get familiar with them. 

Jennifer grabbed the book and flipped through the pages.  She stopped when she came to a picture of a boy and a girl in uniforms.  The boy was wearing dark pants, a white shirt and what looked like dress shoes.  The girl was wearing a plaid jumper, with a white blouse, knee socks and some kind of low heeled dress shoe.

She exclaimed, “What the hell is this?  They have a uniform?  Like a real exact specific uniform?”  She looked up at Mary.

Mary slowly looked up, “Well yes they do.  Mrs. Adams mentioned it several times.”

Jennifer was almost speechless.  “That sucks.  What do the Teaching Assistants wear?  I don’t see that section.”

Mary took great satisfaction in delivering this news to Jennifer.  “Well Jennifer, I believe that she said you should wear the uniform.  I don’t think they have more than one uniform.”

“Do you mean to tell me that they expect me to wear this little kid’s outfit?  That’s crazy.”

Mary continued to stare at Jennifer.  She relished this moment.  Taking that smug woman down a peg or two was going to be very satisfying.  “Jennifer, you were told this in the meeting and you agreed.  Weren’t you paying attention?”

“I thought they had a dress code.  You know, no short skirts, nothing revealing.  This is crazy.”

“Well Jennifer, you agreed to show up in that uniform for your certification program.  You are now signed up in the program.  You agreed in a settlement with the government to enter the program.  The program requires you to wear that uniform.  So I’m betting that come next Monday, you will be wearing that uniform.  That’s why I said you didn’t need to worry about bringing work clothes.  Of course, you could back out and go to prison, but they have a uniform there too.”

A look of resignation passed across Jennifer’s eyes.

Seeing the resignation, Mary stated, “I’ll take you by Catholic Supply to pick up your uniforms tomorrow.  Read the rules on the uniform and other school rules.”

Jennifer hung her head and paged through the book.

Chapter 8

It was a new morning and Jennifer felt like she was still in a haze following the realization that she had agreed to wear a catholic school girl uniform.  When Paul got home from work, she could not even bring herself to tell him.  They had a quiet dinner and Jennifer went to their room and did some reading before turning in for the evening.

Mary suggested that Jennifer dress casual and wear no make-up to avoid questions at the Catholic supply store.  Jennifer insisted that everyone would know she was a grown woman.  Mary told her that people saw what they wanted to see.  If she dressed less adult and was buying a school uniform, people would assume she was a student and ignore other features. 

Jennifer had never been a very religious person.  So, Catholic supply was a little bit intimidating.  Pictures of saints, the savior, Mary and Joseph were everywhere along with statues and all kinds of trinkets.  One side of the store was dedicated to the school uniforms.  Apparently, every school had its own version of plaid uniforms.  Mary got the attention of one of the floor people and explained that she needed uniforms for St. Mary’s for Jennifer.  

The saleswoman sized Jennifer up and plucked a jumper and blouse off the rack.  She directed Jennifer and Mary to a dressing room and started up a banter with Mary while Jennifer entered the dressing room.  

Jennifer pulled off her t-shirt and slipped the blouse on.  It had a childish collar and looked ridiculous.  But, it was the right size.  Jennifer was surprised.  She pulled the jumper over her head and tried to straighten it out. 

Suddenly, Mary pulled the curtain open and asked how things were going. 

Jennifer was caught off guard, but she was dressed.  Before she could complain, the saleswoman ignored her and confirmed to Mary it was the correct dress and the right size.  She mentioned that St. Mary’s girls were supposed to wear a specific type of camisole under the blouse.  Mary was writing things down. 

Jennifer was taken aback when she heard the sales lady ask Mary if Jennifer was in seventh or eighth grade.  Mary stated that she wished Jennifer was still in grade school, but she would be in the high school and the woman seemed surprised.

Jennifer was stunned that the uniform fit since the woman seemed to select it from the middle of the sizes on the display.  She found it disheartening that she was wearing a school uniform that was not one of the larger ones.  It reminded her that being barely over five feet tall, there would probably be a lot of students taller than her.  It was scary to think that after everything she had been through, that she could be mistaken so easily for a school girl, maybe even a grade school girl. 

Mary selected several uniforms, five blouses, socks and the uniform shoes which were a leather loafer with no heel.  Jennifer did not notice, but Mary also bought Jennifer a full gym uniform along with the school approved tennis shoes.  Mary included a school blazer and a uniform hat that went with the coat.

They stopped by a big box store and Mary ran in to get a few things.  Jennifer waited in the car. 

When they got home, Mary helped Jennifer carry all the bags into the room she shared with Paul.  Within minutes, there were uniforms and blouses hanging in the closet and Mary was stacking cotton camisoles and panties in a basket to be washed before being worn.  She explained that the saleswoman had told her that the uniform required a camisole and a certain style of panties.  She picked them up at the box store. 

Jennifer ignored the new underwear.  She thought this was ridiculous and went to look the information up in the booklet.

Chapter 9

When Paul got home and went to hang his coat in the closet, he immediately noticed the school uniforms.  Jennifer felt like a kid who had been hiding a secret when she told him about the uniforms.  Paul was in a full belly laugh and crying by the time she got done telling him about going to Catholic supply. 

Jennifer had never felt such a lack of confidence.  She was always the dominant one.  She made the jokes.  She did not like being the butt of the jokes. 

Mary observed what was going on and for the first time, she thought her son was actually acting like the man in this relationship.  After all that Jennifer had put her son through including their present financial disaster, she liked how this situation was playing out.

Over dinner, Paul looked at Jennifer and said, “Mom, I can’t tell you how excited I am about Jenny starting at her new school.  It was so nice of you to take her out shopping for her new uniforms.  Now she won’t have to worry about what to wear every morning.”

Jennifer glared at Paul as he and his mother broke out into another fit of laughter.

Mary looked at Paul seriously and said, “Now Paul, Jenny is new to the whole Catholic school system and we have to help her out.” 

More laughter.

Jennifer got up and went to the bedroom.

It was a cold night in Paul and Jennifer’s bed.

Chapter 10

In the morning, Jennifer sat in bed and thought about the last few weeks.  With everything that had happened lately, Jennifer needed to get herself focused on completing this training program.  Once she started working at the school, she would be able to concentrate on her job search again.  The job search was a waste of time right now since she was basically committed for the next year or so. 

Jennifer decided she needed to make sure to do what was needed to get through the training program.  If it meant wearing some dumb uniform, who cares.  No one she knew would ever see her in it.  She needed to focus on this like everything else she had done in life.  She needed to do her best. 

With that in mind, Jennifer grabbed the student manual and did a serious read to make sure she was prepared for her training program.  She did not want to make any more mistakes and wanted to avoid misunderstandings. 

The dress code was pretty specific. 

Uniform section of the handbook:

The handbook laid out the basic uniform, blouse, socks and shoe requirements. 

When in the school uniform, no nail polish or other make-up will be worn.  There will only be one earring allowed in each ear.  It must be in a hole in the lowest portion of the ear itself.  Acceptable types of earrings are a simple loop or a stud with a metallic head or a single gem.    Jewelry for the ears will be gold or silver and may include a diamond, ruby, sapphire or similar single stone.  Costume jewelry resembling such items may be worn.  Jewelry will be understated and it is up to the staff to evaluate the appropriateness of jewelry. 

A St. Mary’s class ring is the only hand ornamentation allowed.  Other than previously mentioned earrings or the school ring, no other jewelry is allowed.

Hair may only be managed as follows.  Hair may be held with simple bobby pins, school uniform scrunchies, or the school uniform headband. 

When in uniform, all books and personal items will be carried in your hands or in a school issued backpack bearing the school insignia.  No purses, brief cases or other carryalls are acceptable.

When in the school uniform, individuals with a differential chest measurement of at least one inch between chest and bandwidth below the breast will wear a school approved brassiere in the appropriate size.  Otherwise, a school approved camisole will be worn under all school uniforms and gym outfits. 

Individuals wearing the school uniform will wear appropriate white cotton, full cut underwear at all times.  The school nurse or an administrator can answer any questions a student may have regarding whether specific items meet the uniform regulations. 

When in uniform and during school hours, no electronic devices of any kind may be used or in the individual’s possession.  All such devices will be turned in to the office at the start of the day and picked up after school hours.  Laptops for use in class may be allowed as needed.

Jennifer thought it was cute that they had taken the time to define when the little girls got to start wearing a training bra.  The lack of jewelry and make-up would not help her image as an adult.  Based on the reaction at the Catholic supply store, she was going to be accepted much too quickly as a student and not the adult she really was.  Jennifer steeled herself and kept telling herself this was just a short term bump in her life. 

Jennifer read through lots of rules that did not apply to her.  There were ones regarding homework and gym.  An entire section was dedicated to discipline.  Jennifer had no idea that schools practiced corporal punishment around here. 

Jennifer resolved to do everything expected of her so that she could complete her training as soon as possible. 

Chapter 11

After Paul left for work, Jennifer went running.  Jennifer had taken up running in college and still tried to run at least three times a week.  Due to a good diet and regular exercise, she was very thin and proud of her runner’s body. 

When business was good, Jennifer had treated herself to laser hair removal to simplify her life.  She had the hair on her legs and underarms removed permanently.  She had had some shaping done to her personal areas which eliminated the need to shave when donning a swimsuit.  She typically kept a little landing strip which Paul seemed to enjoy.  Since she had been out of work, she had simply shaved or heavily trimmed her pubic patch. 

Looking in the mirror, she wondered if this was going to make her problems worse when she put on the school uniform. 

After her shower, Jennifer pulled open her panty drawer and was surprised.  Her silk thongs and bikinis had been pushed to one side of the drawer and there were two new carefully folded piles.  One pile was thick cotton little girl underwear in white with little flowers on them.  Behind that pile was a matching group of thick cotton camisoles with the same matching flowers. 

More curious than anything, Jennifer pulled out one of the camisoles.  She had heard Mary and the sales woman talking about them.  She had also seen them listed in the handbook.  Jennifer preferred silk camisoles with thin spaghetti straps that were often invisible under her expensive blouses and dresses.  These cotton camisoles seemed more like heavy undershirts.  Jennifer pulled the camisole over her head to see if it fit.  It was skin tight.  Even with her bra on, this camisole seemed to hug her body and flatten her breasts.  She was not heavily endowed, but the bra and the camisole were at war.  And she was worried the camisole was winning.  This thing would make her look like she had the figure of a young boy.  The straps were wide and although they were decorated along the straps with a little lacy edging, the shirt was designed to be utilitarian not feminine. 

Worried now, Jennifer got out a pair of the matching panties and pulled them on.  Turning to the mirror, she was horrified to see that she looked like a gangly little girl.  The camisole flattened her torso and the underwear seemed to scream youngster. 

She quickly pulled the underwear and shirt off and threw them in the far corner.  She wanted it as far away as possible.  It was like the underwear had cooties.  She shivered as she looked away.  She grabbed a sexy thong and skimmed it up her legs.  She still had her bra which had been hidden beneath the camisole before.  Looking back at the mirror, she was relieved to see that the body she loved and worked so hard on was still there. 

She dressed for the day and went to the kitchen.

While eating breakfast, Mary was working on several tasks around the house.  Mary entered the kitchen behind Jennifer with a smirk on her face.

“Jennifer, I see you tried on your new underwear.  I hope you understand that I do not plan to traipse around the house picking up after you?”

Jennifer jumped and she spun around in her chair.  “What do you mean?”

“After we remove our clothes, we do not just throw them around or throw them into the corner and expect someone else to pick up after us.  We put them in the dirty clothes hamper.”

Being berated like this, Jennifer remembered her mother making similar speeches to her.  “I didn’t mean to throw them there.  I was just putting them there for…”

“Oh come on, you sound like a little kid.  Own up to what you did.  And, don’t let it happen again.  Even if you just tried them on, they should be washed.  Now, how did everything fit?”

Jennifer felt more like a child and she felt ridiculous.  “I’m sorry.  I guess they fit.  They just look silly on an adult like me.”

Inside, Mary relished this interaction.  The opportunity to belittle and put Jennifer in her place was delightful.  “Well those are what the uniform rules require, so as long as they fit, I guess that is what you will need to wear.  I’m glad we got the correct size.”

Of course, Mary did not tell Jennifer that she made sure to pick up underwear from the little girl’s section instead of looking for underwear in the larger sizes that would meet the dress code.  Jennifer was so caught up in the sudden change that it did not even occur to her that the description did not say kid’s underwear.  But since Jennifer felt that she was being forced into a child’s uniform, she accepted without question that the rules meant child’s underwear when that was what Mary purchased. 

Mary decided that since she was doing the wash, she would make sure that the children’s underwear made it back quickly while Jennifer’s dainties might get incorrectly routed somewhere else.  Mary would go back to the store and get some more of the children’s underwear.  When she was first looking at the underwear in the store, Mary realized that since Jennifer was so small framed and skinny, she would fit into the children’s underwear.  Mary figured any girl above sixth or seventh grade would not be seen dead in little girl panties like she bought for Jennifer.  But, Jennifer didn’t know that.

Chapter 12

By Friday, Paul and Jennifer had been living with Mary for about a week.  Jennifer had a number of surprises regarding her training and the school rules.  The young couple had lost their home and their independence.  Mary gave them a little space over the last few days.  However, the weekend was arriving and she wanted them all to get into the right routine as Jennifer began her training at the school the coming week. 

Over dinner, Mary started, “I know the last week has been overwhelming for the two of you.  Now that we are getting all settled in, I wanted to discuss some things we can do to make our living together work out best.”

Paul and Jennifer were paying attention and Mary continued, “I love to cook and I will probably plan on doing most of the cooking.  I also enjoy doing the clothes washing.  I ask that you put your clothes in the hamper in your room.  I will not walk around your room or the house picking up your dirty clothes.”  Mary was staring directly into Jennifer’s eyes.  Jennifer looked away. 

“However,” she continued, “everyone needs to contribute.  Paul, you will be working hard every day and I think that will limit what you can do on a daily basis.  If it is alright with you two, I will put together a simple list of tasks for everyone.  If we have any concerns then we can all discuss them.  Does that sound okay?”

Paul quickly agreed with his mother and suggested that he would take care of the yard and putting out the trash cans on trash days.  Jennifer simply nodded her agreement.

That evening, in her room, Mary prepared a couple of sheets of paper.  The first was titled “The Man of the House” and listed several yard activities and that he should take out the kitchen trash when full.  The second sheet was titled “Mom will Manage:”, and listed kitchen and clothes washing activities, shopping and said she would make sure everyone else did their assigned shores.  The third sheet was titled “Jenny’s Chores”.  Mary hoped this would clearly indicate how she perceived the hierarchy in the household.  Jenny was to set the table for meals and clear the table.  She was to help wash the dishes and clean up several areas of the house.  In another section it indicated that Jenny was responsible for cleaning the bathrooms on the weekends.  Mary added that Jennifer should pick up sticks in the yard before Paul cut the grass.  Mary thought she should wait until Sunday or Monday to post the chores lists.  Fireworks were bound to erupt when “Jenny” saw her chores list.

Chapter 13

On Sunday, after a nice brunch, Jennifer and Paul were sitting in the living room talking.  Mary overheard them and stopped to listen. 

“Paul, I am going to look so silly in that school uniform.  I mean adults just do not wear clothes designed for kids to wear.  I think what I will do is take the uniform in my bag and change when I get to school.  I don’t want to get embarrassed on the bus.  I’ll be a laughing stock.  Imaging a grown woman wearing a school uniform on the bus.”

Paul responded, “That’s probably a good idea.  I don’t understand why anyone cares what you wear.  What’s the difference what you wear on the way to the school?”

Mary chose that moment to walk into the room.  She asked Paul what he meant, while acting like she had not heard Jennifer.  Paul gave a summary of Jennifer’s thoughts.

Mary acted thoughtful and then, “Well Jennifer, I think it is silly to dirty an extra set of clothes just so you look different on the bus.  You won’t see any one you know on the bus and the bus will be full of other students.  They won’t be changing clothes.  I think the school expects people to show up dressed to start as soon as they get there.  Also, your plan would create additional dirty clothes for me to wash.  And it is all for a little bit of vanity.”

Jennifer was upset Mary felt the need to get involved.  “Mom, I appreciate what you are saying.  I probably won’t see any one I know on the bus.  I guess if the bus will have other students on it. Then it would make more sense to just go dressed for the day.”

This thought depressed Jennifer.  She had wanted to minimize the amount of time she would be wearing the dreaded uniform.  Now she would have to ride a bus where other people could see her dressed in the kid’s uniform.  She had still not accepted it as her uniform.  It was some other people’s uniform she was being forced to wear. 

After dinner, Mary suggested and everyone agreed that they should get a good night’s sleep before the new week.  Jennifer laid awake staring at the wall wondering how she got herself into this situation.  Eventually she fell asleep.

Before turning in, Mary went to the circuit box and flipped the circuit into Paul and Jennifer’s room off. 

Chapter 14

Jennifer awoke to knocking on the door.  Paul rolled over and looked at the clock.  It was a digital clock and appeared to be off. 

“Kids, its seven o’clock and Jennifer has to catch her bus in just a half an hour.  You guys should have been up by now.”

Jennifer jumped out of the bed.  She couldn’t miss the bus and be late on her first day.  Paul was also running late.  They fought for space in the bathroom and Paul got in the shower.  Jennifer put on her bra and the new camisole and underwear.  She buttoned the blouse and pulled the jumper over her head.  School socks and the new low heeled shoes were quickly put on.  She ran the brush through her hair and grabbed the school scrunchie Mary had bought.  She wasn’t allowed to wear make-up and Jennifer wanted to cry when she looked in the mirror.  She dusted her face with a little foundation just to even things out and used a natural color lipstick just to feel a little more put together.  She inserted some simple earrings and yelled “Coming!” when Mary called up asking where she was.

Jennifer had her purse and she told Mary she would buy the school backpack at the school office. 

Mary said, “Jennifer, don’t you just want to take some money with you?”

Jennifer looked at Mary like she was crazy.  “I have to have my things with me.  I need my identification and other important personal items.”

Mary had put out some dry cereal with a little milk.  Although it was not what Jennifer ever ate, she was hungry and in a hurry.  She swallowed several spoons of cereal before Mary said it was time to get to the bus stop.  Mary told her she would show her where the bus stop was.

They walked down to the corner and turned.  Jennifer saw two other kids wearing similar uniforms waiting with a motherly figure several houses up.  Jennifer’s stomach started binding and she slowed down.  She felt ridiculous and now people in the neighborhood would see her dressed this way.  Unconsciously, she moved towards Mary.  Mary saw the fear in Jennifer’s eyes and noticed that she stepped closer and behind Mary as they walked to the bus stop. 

Mary introduced Jennifer, “Stacy, this is Jennifer.  She is starting at St. Mary’s today.  Jennifer, this is Mrs. Wilson and her children Michael and Tracy.  You guys will all be riding the bus together won’t that be fun?”  She turned and looked Jennifer in the eye and half nodded.

Jennifer responded slowly, “Yes, it’s nice to meet you.  I guess we will be on the bus together.”

Stacy turned to ask Mary about Jennifer and Mary leaned over and said, “Why don’t we get the kids on the bus and we can grab a cup of coffee?”  Stacy agreed and the kids were telling Jennifer what grades they were in and what they had done over the summer. 

Jennifer felt silly talking to these kids.  They thought she was just another girl from the school.  They did not realize she was an adult there for a teacher training program.  This day was already worse than she could have ever imagined.

While Jennifer was talking to the kids the bus pulled up behind her.  As she turned, she realized that she lacked imagination.  The floor had dropped out of the day.  Jennifer realized why Mary said she would not see anyone she knew on the bus.  It was suddenly clear why wearing her uniform on the bus was a good idea.  Jennifer was staring at a bright yellow St. Mary’s school bus.

The cheery driver obviously knew Tracy and Michael.  “And you must be my new rider this year.  Hello Jenny.  Grab a seat.”

Jennifer was too flustered as she walked in a haze onto the bus.  She heard Mary say, “Have a good day at school, Jenny.”  While Mary emphasized the Jenny, Jennifer was so lost, she barely heard it.  And, then the bus was moving.  Jennifer sat on the school bus full of mostly grade age school kids and rode in a silent haze until she got to the school.

As they exited the bus, the cheery driver wished everyone a great day.

Teachers were directing students where to go and Jennifer went the way she was directed.  As she tried to regain her composure, she felt lost.  The building looked wrong.  A teacher told her to go into the gym at the end of the hall for morning gathering.  When she entered the large room, there were kids everywhere.  Clearly, the students were gathering by class room with their homeroom teachers.  But, Jennifer was not sure what she was supposed to do.  A teacher pushed her towards a group of students. 

Jennifer thought it was weird that the entire school of grade school kids and high school kids gathered in the morning.  But she was new and decided to go with the flow.  She was still a little disoriented after the revelation that she was going to spend the foreseeable future dressing in kid’s clothes and riding a school bus to and from her training program. 

Jennifer tried to ask where she should be and the teachers who seemed overwhelmed told her to wait until after gathering and they would work it all out. 

Jennifer just sat down on the floor like all the other kids seemed to be doing.  Eventually the principal came out.  After some rah-rah school spirit chants, she introduced herself as Sister Diane.  She was the principal.  She made a few dumb announcements and told them that things would be more organized after a few days back in school.  She told them to go where the teachers instructed and said, “Let’s get back to learning.  Remember, follow the rules.”

Jennifer tried to get the teacher’s attention again and the teacher again told her to wait.  Jennifer followed the group along until they entered what was clearly a class room.  She stopped in the door way and waited until the teacher noticed she was not sitting down. 

Jennifer looked at her and said, “I think there has been a mistake.  I don’t think I should be here.  I was supposed to go to the administration office first because I am just starting the program here this semester.”

The teacher looked at her sympathetically while the students smelled fresh meat. 

“Do you have your student ID card?” the teacher asked. 

“No I think they mentioned I would get that done this morning.  I don’t …”

The teacher interrupted, “Let’s get you taken care of.  Class I’ll be right back.  Put your things away and no funny business.”  Turning to Jennifer she said, “It’s just down the hall here.”

They exited the room and walked into an office two doors up.  The lady behind the desk looked up and said, “Hello Miss Jefferson, how can I help you?”

“Jennifer here is new and she was told to come down here to get her new id card.  Can you help her?  I have to get back to the class.  Thank you, Mrs. Barham.”

“No problem.  We’ll get her taken care of.”  Mrs. Barham stood up and indicated Jennifer should follow her.  They walked to a room off the hall behind her desk in the administrative area.  There was a drapery with the school insignia and a digital camera mounted on a tripod. 

Mrs. Barham pointed to a masking tape X on the floor and indicated Jennifer should stand there.  “Smile,” she said.  Flash, the camera took a picture.  “Go sit on the wooden bench in front of my desk until I get this completed.  What is your last name Jennifer?” 

Jennifer told her full name and was happy to find someone that seemed to know what she was doing. 

Mrs. Barham fiddled with the camera and then worked on a computer in the administrative area.  She then printed something out and punched it with a hole punch.  A clip was added and Mrs. Barham handed Jennifer her new ID card along with a hall pass. 

She said, “Go back to the class room and give that form to Miss Jefferson.  Wear the ID clipped to the shoulder strap of your uniform whenever on campus or the bus.  I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

Jennifer thanked her and walked into the hall.  She looked down at the ID card and looked at her picture.  It was a horrible picture.  Then she noticed the writing on the “Official Card” and before she realized where she was screamed at the top of her lungs, “What the FUCK is this?  Are you people totally out of your god damn minds?”

In big letters across the top it read, St. Mary’s.  On the second line centered right below that it said, Grade School.  Her picture was in the lower left.  Her name was in big letters across the bottom of the card; Jenny Martin.  To the right of the picture it said, Homeroom Teacher: Miss Jefferson and below that it said Room 109 Seventh Grade.

Chapter 15

As Jennifer stood gawking at the ID card, she was suddenly yanked from behind.  Mrs. Barham and the principal were standing there and they each grabbed an arm.  They dragged her kicking across the hall to the girls’ bathroom.  Not the women’s bathroom, the girl’s room.  Jennifer was pulled up to the sink in front of the mirror.  As she was trying to ask what was happening, Mrs. Barham grabbed her other arm as Sister Diane pulled a wet bar of cake soap off the sink and shoved it into Jennifer’s mouth.  The experienced nun pistoned the bar of soap across Jennifer’s tongue and teeth generating a full lather.  Then the nun shoved the bar of soap as far into her mouth as it would go and pushed Jennifer’s chin up causing her to bite down on the bar of soap.

Gagged by the soap and swallowing the lather, Jennifer was already crying trying to understand what was happening.  Every time she took a breath, she generated more saliva which added to the lather she was ingesting. 

The two women were holding Jennifer’s legs against the counter and she was staring at her red face with a big bar of soap and foam dribbling out.  Suddenly, her shoulders were pushed forward causing her to bend at the waist over the counter.  Sister Diane held her torso down and pulled up the skirt of her uniform.  Mrs. Barham skimmed the panties down to her knees.  As Jennifer tried to figure out what was going on, Mrs. Barham who had apparently removed one of her shoes, began to slipper Jennifer’s exposed rear end. 

Jennifer’s muffled screams were loud enough that no one dared enter the bathroom from outside.  Jennifer was mumbling, screaming and crying.  She momentarily wondered if she should just swallow the bar of soap.  Foam was dripping down her chin and her face was a mess. 

She realized that while she was trying to scream the principal was apparently trying to tell her something.

Whack Whack, Pause.  “Young lady, this is a Catholic school and we do not take the Lord’s name in vain. NEVER!”

More spanking.

“And your language sounds like you grew up in a gutter.”

More spanking.

“But in all my years of teaching, I have never had a child speak like that, in that tone of voice in my school.  And, Thank God, I have never had such behavior on the first day of school.”

There was a pause.  “Nod to answer my questions.”  Jennifer looked sideways at the nun and nodded.   

“Were you given the school rules regarding uniform when you registered?”

Jennifer nodded yes.

“Did you read the uniform rules young lady?”

Jennifer nodded yes again.

“Was there anything in them you misunderstood?”

Jennifer indicated no.

“Then perhaps you can explain why such a bright student as you, who read our simple uniform code, a student who says there are no misunderstandings, a student who talks like a street walker, a first day at her new school student trying to make an impression, a student getting her first taste of punishment; maybe you can explain why my hand holding you down for your slippering is resting on the clasp of a brassiere?”

Several hard swats followed and Jennifer, stunned and not understanding was crying and just trying to figure a way out of this situation. 

A new pause.  Sister Diane allowed Jennifer to pull her body up a little bit and then pulled her uniform over her head.  Sister Diane quickly unbuttoned Jennifer’s blouse and pushed Jennifer’s hands away.  Mrs. Barham put the slipper down and pushed Jennifer’s camisole over the top of her bra cups.  She reached around and undid the clasp and then slid the straps off her shoulders and pulled it through an armhole of the camisole.

Sister Diane and Mrs. Barham tut tutted and shook their heads.  As Mrs. Barham pulled the camisole down over Jennifer’s chest, she said, “Don’t you feel ridiculous wearing a heavily padded big girl bra.  Someday your breasts will grow and when you are older you will understand how childish you are behaving.  Put your arms back into this blouse.”

The Nun and Mrs. Barham got her blouse back on and she found herself bent back over the counter.  

“Do you understand that you violated the uniform code?”

Jennifer tentatively nodded yes.

Mrs. Barham applied two vicious strikes to Jennifer’s buttocks.

“Do you promise never to come in my school wearing a bra until you and I have had a conversation and I approve that you meet the uniform requirements?”

Two swats to the outside of Jennifer’s buttocks. 

“And, will you strive to make sure that this is the last time I will find you in violation of the school dress code?”

Jennifer was nodding.  She would agree to anything. 

They stood her up and pulled her uniform over her head.  Then they each grabbed an arm and started to walk her out of the bathroom.  Jennifer still had the soap in her mouth and her panties were dangling on one knee and heading for the ankle on her other leg.  She frantically tried to tell them.  They ignored her and pulled her along into the administration office. 

They marched her back to the room where her picture was taken.  They stood her facing the draped wall.  Her panties were on her ankles.  Jennifer did not realize it but as she had slipped the uniform back on, Sister Diane tucked the back of the skirt into the faux belt on the back which exposed the bottom of Jennifer’s bright red buttocks and her red upper legs.  Mrs. Barham went to the camera.  Sister Diane told Jennifer not to move.  Sister Diane took Jennifer’s bra and held the clasp end in the air.  She handed it to Jennifer and told her to hold it out to her right side shoulder high.  Then Sister Diane told Jennifer to look over her right shoulder.  Then there was a flash. 

Jennifer was flabbergasted.  Here she was with a bar of soap in her mouth, holding her bra up like a trophy, with her panties around her ankles and they took a picture of her.  She started to say something and Sister Diane shushed her. 

Mrs. Barham walked over and pulled Jennifer’s underwear up and let it snap onto her red upper buttocks.  She then straightened it out and pulled them all the way up which caused the leg openings to rake her raw skin.  Mrs. Barham straightened her skirt and took the bra. 

“You won’t be needing that anymore.”  And Jennifer wondered what was next.  She began to sob again. 

Sister Diane looked at Jennifer.  “Young lady, I hope this is the last time you and I ever have to deal with an incident like this.  Mrs. Barham will instruct you on our policy for children who use improper language and use the Lord’s name in vain.  In addition, while we normally hold off on homework the first week of the year, your situation begs for something more.  Tomorrow you will deliver to me a one page letter correctly formatted with no spelling errors apologizing to me, the school, the other students and to God.  You will thank us for correcting your behavior.  You may add anything else you think is appropriate.  One page only on 8.5 x 11 inch paper.  Do you understand?”

Jennifer nodded between sobs.

“Will I have any problems with you regarding this assignment?”

Jennifer shook her head no.  She just wanted to get away from these people.

“Last and not least, it is our policy that when a student flagrantly uses language we consider offensive and inappropriate, the student will not speak for any reason to any person in school for the rest of the day.  There is no reason unless you are actually dying or someone else is dying.  Do you understand?”

Jennifer nodded.

“Mrs. Barham will show you how we help our potty mouth students keep their mouths shut.”

Mrs. Barham indicated she should follow and they went out to the front desk.  Mrs. Barham opened her drawer and grabbed something along with a towel.  The two of them then returned to the bathroom. 

Mrs. Barham looked at her sternly, “Not one sound.  No words.  Nothing or you can suck on this soap till the end of the day.  Okay?”

Jennifer nodded.

Mrs. Barham reached up, “Open your mouth.”  Mrs. Barham pulled the soap out of her mouth.  “You may take one handful of water and swish it in your mouth and then spit it out.”

Jennifer tried to get as much water as possible and did her best. 

As she stood up, Mrs. Barham said, “Open up.”

Jennifer opened her mouth and Mrs. Barham popped a large child’s pacifier into her mouth.  There was a bright ribbon attached to the pacifier.  Mrs. Barham quickly looped it behind Jennifer’s head and tied a big bow.

Looking her in the eye, “Now young lady, you have disrupted our day enough already.  I don’t want to see you till the end of the day.  You can skip lunch.  You probably won’t want to sit down anyway.”  They had walked out of the restroom and were going down the hall. 

They stopped in front of room 109.  “Now we are back where we started.  You will follow Miss Jefferson’s directions and at the end of the day, I will release you from the pacifier of quiet.  Remember do not talk or say a word.”

After opening the door, Mrs. Barham said, “Miss Jefferson here is your new student.  We had some misunderstandings, but we are trying to work it out.  Isn’t that right Jenny?”

Jennifer nodded and entered the room. 

Miss Jefferson pointed to a desk in the second row.  Jennifer moved to the desk and as she sat down, she gasped and jumped up.  The entire room was snickering.  She sat down and tried to quietly cry and ignore the pain. 

Chapter 16

Jennifer sat through math, history English, and all the other regular seventh grade classes.  During lunch she just stood off to the side so she did not have to sit down.  She got a drink from the fountain during lunch to try to get some more of the strong soap taste out of her mouth.  She found that after a couple of hours, she seemed to suck happily on pacifier and thinking about it helped her ignore some of the pain and her situation. 

At the end of the day, Jennifer went to the office.  Mrs. Barham noticed that Jennifer was carrying a purse.  She must have left it in the class room earlier.  My sakes, this girl was dying to be the death of Sister Diane.

“Are you crazy?  Purses are clearly not allowed.  You need your ID and your backpack.  There is nothing in a purse that you need.  Give that to me.” 

Jennifer gave the purse to Mrs. Barham.  Mrs. Barham escorted Jennifer into the picture room for the third time.  She quickly took a picture of Jennifer with the pacifier in her mouth.  They then returned to the desk. 

Mrs. Barham printed out a sheet of paper with a full color photo of Jennifer with the pacifier in her mouth.  The sheet required Jennifer to get her parents or her guardians to sign off that they had seen the picture and understood what had happened.  There was a write up indicating what had happened and the punishment handed down. 

“Jenny, you get this signed at home and bring it back with your apology tomorrow.  Do you understand?”

Jennifer found herself nodding again. 

“I will call your guardian and they can come pick up your purse.  There is nothing you need in it.  Now you better run or you’ll miss your bus.”

Jennifer found herself deathly afraid of being stuck here with these people.  She ran to the bus as fast as she could.  The cheery lady welcomed her and shook her head when she saw the discipline form in her hand.  Jennifer had nowhere to put it.

She held the form to her side and sat quietly in a seat on the bus.  When they got to their stop, Michael and Tracy yelled at her to get off as they stormed to the front of the bus. 

As she descended the steps, Mary was waiting and she did not look happy. 

“Well I understand you had a bad day at school.  What …” Mary started and stopped.

Before Mary could continue, Jennifer was in her arms sobbing.  “Mom, just take me home.” 

Chapter 17

Jennifer sobbed all the way home.  Mary had her lay down on the bed and she tried to calm her down.  She rubbed her shoulders and her back.  Eventually, Jennifer fell asleep still dressed in her uniform.  Mary took a quick snapshot of her sleeping.

Paul came home from work.  Seeing his mom, he jovially asked, “How was Jennifer’s first day of school?”

His mother shushed him and took him into the living room.  She explained that there had apparently been some big problems and Jennifer came home crying.  She decided not to tell Paul the information she had and she did not show him the picture.  She suggested that they wait a little while and then wake Jennifer up for dinner.  Mary suggested that this was probably some mistake at the school that she could work out and that Paul should probably stay out of it as much as possible to avoid embarrassing Jennifer. 

Paul did not understand what was going on.  But as always, he deferred to his mother’s will. 

Mary gently woke Jennifer up.  She suggested that Jennifer not tell Paul what the problems were and told her that she and Jennifer would talk about it after dinner in Mary’s room.  Mary suggested that since it was late and they were just going to have dinner and go to bed, that Jennifer should just wear her uniform to dinner.

Jennifer wanted to change but went along with Mary’s suggestion. 

Paul was stunned by the transformation of his wife, the ball busting executive, who appeared to be a student from the local Catholic school.  Dinner was quiet and quick.  After dinner, Mary and Jennifer retreated to Mary’s room. 

Mary asked Jennifer to slowly tell her what had happened.  Mary was holding the picture of Jennifer in her uniform with a child’s pacifier in her mouth that appeared to be tied in place. 

Jennifer went through everything that had happened.  She began to get mad when she reviewed the details of the ID card.  Mary asked her to calm down and continue.  Mary was stunned by the take down the principal and her secretary had done and how they had basically broken Jennifer in just minutes.  They then talked about the pictures and the assignment. 

Mary was very concerned about the assignment.  She told Jennifer she thought that no matter what happened, Jennifer needed to write the apology.  She assured Jennifer that she would deal with the administration to figure out why Jennifer had been assigned to a seventh grade homeroom. 

Inside, Mary was actually thrilled that Jennifer had been taken down a few notches.  This situation would make Mary appear to be Jennifer’s helper and supporter.  All the while Mary was trying to use this situation to remold Jennifer.  If Jennifer had to get taken down a few notches along the way, that was okay with Mary. 

Paul was watching TV when the ladies came out of Mary’s room.  Jennifer went to the kitchen table to write an apology.  Mary took the sheet of paper with the picture and scanned it into her computer.  Then she signed it as Jennifer’s guardian and put it with Jennifer’s things for school the next day. 

Mary told Jennifer that she would drive her to school the next day to get the registration issues worked out.  She told Jennifer she would talk to Mrs. Barham and get her purse back. 

Jennifer did a draft and asked Mary for her input.  Mary suggested that since the bra issue had been a big deal that she should probably include that and she should promise to try not to break any more uniform rules. 

Jennifer’s final copy is:

Dear Sister Diane,

I want to apologize with all my heart for my unacceptable and childish behavior at the St. Mary’s Grade school yesterday, August 17, 2013.  I used horrible language and I uttered God’s name in vain.  I will be going to confession to ask God to forgive me.  But I know that I insulted you, your staff and all the students at St. Mary’s Grade School. 

I admit that I wore a bra with my school uniform and that students at St. Mary’s Grade School may only wear a bra under certain conditions which the rules define.  I clearly should not and do not need to wear a bra.  As we agreed, I will not wear a bra while registered at St. Mary’s unless you and I discuss it and verify that it is consistent with the uniform code. 

My heart and my bottom both beg you and everyone at St. Mary’s to accept my sincere apology.  I will strive to never break the uniform code while at St. Mary’s.

I want to thank you for correcting me and I will work to avoid ever having to learn these lessons again. 

Yours Truly,

Jennifer Martin

Jennifer could not believe that she had succumbed to write this drivel.  But Mary felt it was needed to smooth the waters.  When she was done, Mary walked her back to her bedroom.  Mary offered to help her get ready for bed and to rub some cream on her bottom.  Mary helped her out of the uniform and blouse.  She then had Jennifer lie on her stomach on the bed.  Mary carefully slid the panties down her legs and observed the tortured area.  Mary was surprised by the thorough nature of the spanking.  She rubbed a soothing cream into all the red areas and then slid Jennifer’s underwear back on.  Jennifer was out before Mary left the room. 

Lying there in the bed in her childish underwear, she looked like a grade school child worn out after a day of playing. 

She thought, if Paul sees that he might be afraid to get in bed.  So she returned to the bed and pulled the sheet up over Jennifer.

Mary sat in the kitchen having a late night cup of tea.  She was pondering the take down of Jennifer aka Jenny.  She would have to make a serious attempt to call her Jenny or little Jenny.  She wondered, even after hearing the story, how an adult woman ends up being assigned to a seventh grade class and then is spanked and essentially gagged for the entire day.  How does a real adult not revolt and stand up for their rights?  Paul was the breadwinner now and Jennifer was being remolded into a more appropriate role, Mary hoped.  At the very least, Jennifer was being given a look at the other side of the world.

Mary smiled thinking about Jennifer’s reaction to the student ID and being given a homeroom.  She obviously paid no attention during the registration process.  Otherwise she would have realized that she is going to be registered, just in the high school not the grade school.  After the trauma of seventh grade, high school should be a relief.  Mary laughed to herself. 

Chapter 18

Jennifer went directly to the bathroom.  She shucked off the camisole and panties before jumping into the shower.  Jennifer dried off and tossed the dirty clothes in the hamper as “mom” expected.  Jennifer got clean underwear from the drawer without the bra.  She dressed in her uniform and headed down for breakfast. 

In the car, Mary broached the subject of registration with Jennifer.

“Jenny, you said something yesterday I am a little worried about.  You seemed upset that they registered you at all.  You do realize that to get credit from a school you have to be registered at the school right?”

Jennifer looked at her a little confused, “Well, yes I guess.”

Mary continued, “So as was explained to you, they are registering you in their teacher assistant training program.  And that means that you are going to be registered as a student at the high school.  Otherwise the high school can’t give you credit.  That is, the special concession they are making is allowing you to register in their program.”

Jennifer was staring out the front window of the car like she had been hit with a club.  “So if I understand what you are saying, St. Mary’s is registering me as a student in the high school so I can participate in the student teaching certification courses.  Is that right?”

Mary said, “Yes I think that is right.  But that is why they had all that paperwork the other day.  We had to get you officially registered as a student in the school.  So you are going to get a student ID card and you will probably be assigned to be in a homeroom somewhere in the high school.  There will probably be other expectations of you that would be expected of any other registered student in the program.”

Jennifer was sitting in the car wearing her St Mary’s uniform with a student ID card that said she was in the seventh grade in homeroom 109.  “Just get me registered in the program and get me out of seventh grade.  I’m not sure I could survive another day in grade school.  And, since they took my purse, I have nothing to identify myself but this silly student ID card.”

“The problem is that you are in a training program to teach students.  And, I think the students you will be training with will be in the grade school.  So you will be spending time in the grade school, no matter what you think or change.  Just remember.  Your goal is to complete the program.  Do what you are told.  Follow the rules and you should be fine.  I’ll get your purse back from the office and buy you a school back pack.  ”

When they arrived at school, they parked on a side street and walked onto the playground.  Many other students were arriving and mixing together while moving towards the school buildings.  Mary and Jennifer made their way towards the main administration building until flagged down by one of the teachers. 

“Excuse me, but you need to come this way.”  She was pointing at Jennifer and looking between the two women.  She then pointed at the grade school building.

Continuing she said, “I’m sorry but students registered at the grade school are not allowed in the other buildings unless escorted by one of the administrators.”

Mary told Jennifer to wait there and walked over to the teacher.  She explained that there was a registration problem. Mary indicated that the two of them needed to go to the administration building to clear it up. 

The teacher asked, “Are you her mother or guardian?”

Mary answered in a satisfied tone loud enough for Jennifer to hear, “Yes. Yes I am her guardian.”

“Then you can clear things up there and if they need Jenny,” the teacher saw her name badge, “then they can call for her.  However, we have rules and no grade school student can go over there right now.  Jenny will have to go to gathering and you can work things out while she gets to class.” 

Looking at Jenny, she cheerily said, “Come on honey, your mom will come get you if she needs you to work out anything important in the registrar’s office.”

Mary saw Jenny getting ready to explode and quickly jumped in, “Now Jenny, remember what we talked about in the car.  Just go on to gathering and your school day.  I’ll get things worked out in a jiffy.  I’m sure we’ll get this misunderstanding worked out in no time.”  Her eyes were locked on Jenny and Jenny saw that there was no point in arguing at this moment. 

Mary was the most surprised that Jennifer gave in.  This was a new side of Jennifer.  In defeat, Jennifer’s head sagged and she made her way with the teacher to the grade school. 

Jennifer saw Miss Jefferson as she entered the auditorium.  Miss Jefferson waved and Jennifer moved over to join “her” class.  The idea made her want to vomit.  How had she ever let herself get into this situation?  Hopefully, she thought, Mom, I mean Mary, will get this problem cleared up. 

After gathering, Jennifer was guided along with her classmates back to their homeroom.  Jennifer was carrying an envelope with her assignment from the principal and the signed discipline notification.  She whispered to Miss Jefferson and asked how she was supposed to get these important documents to the principal’s office.

Miss Jefferson clapped her hands and asked for attention.  “Children, can I have your attention?  Jenny has asked a very good question and I think we should all get this out of the way as a group so we do not have to deal with it in the future.”

Jenny’s head sagged.  Was this woman so stupid that she didn’t understand why Jennifer had whispered? 

“Jenny has some important documents.” Miss Jefferson seemed to snicker at the word documents, “she needs to get to the principal’s office.  I think the students who are not new here all know what one of your important documents is, don’t we?”

Several hands shot up around the room.  Jennifer wanted to dissolve into the wall.  Miss Jefferson pointed to one of the girls, “Yes Susan.”

Susan stood and answered, “She probably has a discipline form signed by her parents because everyone gets one after they have been bad at school.  And, Jenny is supposed to ask her homeroom teacher for a hall pass and permission to go drop it off before homeroom period ends.  Otherwise, it might be considered late.  But first, she has to go to her desk and wait until after attendance is taken and we say the Pledge of Allegiance.”

LATE?  Jennifer’s eyes bugged out.  That sounded really bad.  Was this some way to get her in more trouble? 

Jennifer looked up at Miss Jefferson, who seemed so much bigger than her, and asked almost in a quiet whine, “Do I have a desk?”

Miss Jefferson smiled and pointed to a desk and said, “That will be your desk.  When we have a break for recess, I’ll show you your locker.  It seemed pointless yesterday, since we could not talk.”  Miss Jefferson raised her eyebrows as she looked at Jenny seriously.  Several kids snickered.

After attendance and the Pledge of Allegiance, Jenny asked for and was given permission to go directly to the office and then come back.  Jennifer hopped out of the child’s desk and got a hall pass from Miss Jefferson.  Then she walked briskly out the door and down the hall to the dreaded office. 

Mrs. Barham looked up as she approached her desk. 

“Well Jenny, to what do I owe the honor of your presence?  Are you already here for another slippering?”

Jenny immediately jumped back.  “No mam.  I came to give you the letter and the signed form you told me I had to bring back.”  Jenny was very disconcerted by the mild whine in her voice and the fear which struck her at the mere mention of the slipper.

Mrs. Barham had worked with children for years and she liked to make sure they remembered the discipline and held a certain amount of respect and fear when talking to her.  And, in little Jenny’s case, she wanted a lot of fear. 

Pointing at Jenny she said, “You may sit on the wooden bench while Sister Diane considers your apology.”

Jennifer skulked over to the bench and sat down.  She slouched forward resting her elbows on her knees and held her head.  She was trying to think about everything that had happened. 

“Young Lady,” a firm voice sounded, “we do not slouch.  You sit up straight and look forward until you are called upon or dismissed.”  It was some other lady that worked in the office.  Jennifer almost told her to mind her own business when she thought better of it.  She sat up straight and folded her hands in her lap.  The woman moved on. 

“Jenny, Sister Diane will see you now.”  Mrs. Barham guided Jenny into the principal’s office.  “Stand in front of her desk.”

Sister Diane looked up from the letter at Jennifer.  “Jenny, I am surprised.  I like your apology.  It is succinct and it deals with all of the issues we had.  I appreciate that you have decided to avoid this bra problem by agreeing not to wear a bra until you and I decide that you meet the uniform definition.  My door will always be open.  I hope that we will not have any more issues and that this will just be an unusual start to a very successful education for you.  If however, the need arises, be assured that I and my staff will never be afraid to set you back on the right path.  You need not say anything.  It is all in the letter.  Go on back to class.”

Jennifer felt cowed by this woman and Mrs. Barham.  She wanted to tell her she did not belong here.  She wanted to tell her to call the administration office.  But, Mom was working it all out.  For some reason she did not understand, she found herself nodding and scurrying back to class.  Class?  Wait, this isn’t right.  Where’s mom, I mean Mary?

Back in the class room, Jennifer found several textbooks on her desk.  Miss Jefferson told her to keep the history book and put the others on the floor.  Jenny was told to open her notebook and take notes.  She was reminded to get notes from the missed portion of class from one of her classmates.  Jennifer thanked her and thought to herself that there would be no need for notes since she would be out of here any minute.

The teacher asked a round robin set of questions about the president’s names and capitals of different states.  Jennifer got both of the two questions she was asked wrong, but didn’t really care.

As they moved into the second class of the day, Jennifer sort of zoned out.  She could not care less what the teacher was saying.  She was just waiting for the word that she would be moving over to the other school. 

Jennifer suddenly realized everyone was looking at her.  Jolted out of her haze, she looked to the front of the room and saw Miss Jefferson staring at her and clearly expecting a response. 

Jennifer tried to recover, “I’m sorry Miss, could you please repeat the question?”  Jennifer smiled looking at the teacher. 

Miss Jefferson seemed more upset now.  “Well Jenny, I already asked the question twice.  What is the equation for a circle?”

Jennifer seemed taken aback.  She did not even realize they were in Math.  “Miss, I’m sorry, I don’t know the answer.”

Everyone snickered.  Miss Jefferson did not.

“Jenny, see me after class.  Now who knows the answer?”  Many hands went up.

Jennifer tried to pay more attention just to avoid any more embarrassment.  But they were studying things Jennifer could not care less about.  She wondered where Mary was.

Chapter 19

Mary and Mrs. Adams were sitting in the registrar’s office.

Mary smiled at her friend Sara Adams.  “You know I really appreciate everything you have done to help me get Jennifer back into the work force.  I know it’s not what she really wanted, but, I felt she needed an opportunity.”

“Mary it was no problem at all.”

“Well, I’m not sure you know everything that has happened.  Jennifer apparently lied on some unemployment forms.  And when they found out she had a job offer from you where you agreed to train her, they forced her to agree to enter the program and commit for a minimum of one year.”

“No I guess you forgot to tell me that.  All I remember is how much you seem to dislike her.  You said she was not good enough for Paul and that she lorded over him.”

“You know Sara, she just seemed to want to pump herself up and leave Paul in the dust.  That is not the way you treat a husband.  In your and my day we knew that we needed to give up our dreams for our husbands.  Jennifer is so full of herself that she basically blew up their entire financial basis.  They lost everything and had to move back in with me.  So now I find myself having to support and take care of this woman who I think is bad for my son.” 

Sara frowned, “I know how hard this is for you.  Maybe Paul will see the light and dump her now.  This is the opportunity for them to get their lives in order.  Either they fix things or go their own way.”

Mary nodded.  “Well, that is kind of why I had approached you in the first place.  I thought if we gave her a taste of the real world and not this startup to millionaire fantasy world she jumped into, that Paul would realize she was wrong for him.  I didn’t realize she had to do this certification thing.  But, you have been very accommodating in developing a way to get her certified in your own program.”

Sara agreed and proceeded to update Mary on the program and how they had been asked by the state to develop programs to get more educated out of work people certified to teach.  They hoped to learn some things with Jennifer that would help them develop a program for more people. 

Sara and Mary were old friends and the conversation took several twists and turns.  After refreshing their coffee and catching up on other gossip, Sara realized, she did not know why Mary was here today.

“Well, as we discussed, I have some frustration and dislike when it comes to Jennifer.  So let me tell you what happened.  After our meeting here, I took Jennifer the next day to the Catholic supply store to get uniforms.  The sales lady looked her over and got her fitted out in several uniforms.  However, after Jennifer was in the dressing room, I realized there were two uniforms.  I forgot that in the high school the girls can either wear the jumpers they wore in grade school or the skirt and white polo shirt option.  The sales lady assumed for some reason that Jennifer was in the grade school and I was having so much fun, I went ahead and bought her all jumpers.  I knew you guys didn’t care, but it will make her look more juvenile when hanging around the high school.”

Sara was laughing along with Mary as she told the story. 

Mary interjected, “That reminds me.  I need to get Jennifer a school backpack.  I’m not buying her any more uniforms so give me whatever goes with her uniform.”

Sara took their cups and went to refill them.  She was gone for a while and came back with more coffee and one of the smaller backpacks issued to the kids in the grade school.  Sara explained that most of the girls in the high school converted to a school satchel that was like a giant purse but sold by the school as a book bag.  However, like the jumper style uniform, either were acceptable from the uniform code.  If Mary wanted to regress Jennifer a little bit this would probably help.

Mary got back to her story.

“So when Jennifer got off the bus, the teachers saw her with some other younger kids and they ushered her into the grade school.  Jennifer didn’t pay attention during the tour the other day and had no idea she was in the wrong place.  They guided her to join a seventh grade class that was expecting a new student.” 

Sara was laughing and shaking her head.  “This is not going to be good.”

“No,” Mary continued, “It wasn’t.  She told the teacher she was supposed to go get her student ID.  So the teacher walks her over to the office and then goes back to her class.  Amanda Barham takes her back and photographs her.  Then she makes her a seventh grade ID card saying she is in a homeroom over there and has a Miss Jefferson as her homeroom teacher.  Sara, I couldn’t have dreamt of any destiny for Jennifer that was better than this.  Amanda actually registered her in the grade school.”

“Wait a minute Mary.  You’re saying that somehow Jennifer got registered in the grade school?  I haven’t heard anything about this.”

“You haven’t heard about it because they haven’t figured it out yet.  But, I haven’t gotten to the best part.”

Sara was beside herself.  “What more could there possibly be?”

“Well, Barham put her name on the ID as Jenny Martin instead of her full Christian name.  So Jenny walks into the hall to return to class, apparently still unaware of what is happening or where she is.  She suddenly reads the ID card and screams several profanities at the top of her lungs followed by at least one slam against the name of God.”

In a serious tone, Sara Adams said, “Oh no.  I think I heard about this.  This is not good.”

Mary was still laughing and Sara although realizing the serious nature of the incidents was also laughing. 

Mary continued, “Well apparently Sister Diane and Amanda dragged little Jenny into the girls room and applied the bar of soap and slipper treatment.  According to Jennifer, it went on for quite a while.  They would not let her talk and shoved a pacifier in her mouth and forbade her from talking for the rest of the day.  So this girl that I really don’t like comes off the bus crying and heaving like a bad grade school girl and comes home a sniffles and cries for the rest of the evening.  I put her to bed early.  She was like a wild pony that had been broken.”

“By the way, after I got her the kids’ version of the school uniform, I bought her some underwear to meet the uniform requirements.  Since she already had what she perceived as a child’s uniform, I bought her underwear from the little girls department.  She has such a slim coltish figure that everything fit perfectly.  And since she thought it was a kid’s uniform, it never occurred to her that she could have been wearing more adult underwear.  When I put her to bed, she looked like a fourth grader in that underwear.  I am sorry to admit that I took some satisfaction in that regression.” 

“Wow.  It takes a lot to get Sister Diane that mad.” 

Mary thought of something, “Wait there’s more.”

“What more could there be?”

“While the Sister and Barham were spanking her, the good sister realized that Jennifer was wearing a bra.  Since most of the girls are just starting to wear bras at that age, they apparently sized her up and decided she did not meet the requirements.  They stripped her and took the bra.  Apparently most of her chest was in the bra, so their evaluation was confirmed.  After redressing her, Sister Diane gave her an assignment.  She had to write a letter to Sister Diane saying that she would not wear a bra while she was going to St. Mary’s unless she talked to Sister Diane and she agreed.”

Sara Adams was aghast.  “Your daughter in-law, college graduate, dot-com executive has agreed that she will not wear a bra unless the good sister agrees that it is the right thing to do?  And, she has signed up for a program that will last at least a year and another year of teaching after that.  That is too much.  It’s not like she is suddenly going to grow bigger breasts at this age unless she has kids.  I guess that meets your hopes for a little degradation.  So do you think that if we get her certified, the good Sister will allow her to wear a bra when teaching?”

They were both laughing again.  With all of the time they had spent together, Sara suddenly asked, “Wait; where is Jennifer now?”

Mary shook her head.  “When I was walking her over here, one of the grade school teachers stopped us.  She saw Jenny had her student ID card and said she could not come over here without someone from the grade school administration.  So they sent her on to her class and said we could send for her after I figured out what the problem was here.”

Sara asked, “So, your little Jenny is going to her seventh grade classes like a good little girl waiting for mommy Mary to save her?”

Conspiratorially she said, “That’s about the size of it.  Is there any way we can leave her there for a while.  I think my son is less likely to stay with her if she is attending grade school.  He should be able to get someone more his own age.”  There was that mischievous giggle again.

Sara thought about things and shook her head.  “This is going to be a pickle.  Someone is going to be embarrassed and you and I know Amanda does not want to be the one.  Sister Diane is going to be upset.  We have to figure out a way to handle this with the least disruption to everyone.  Give me a few minutes to investigate.”

Chapter 20

In the meantime, Jennifer had continued to sit through her classes.  In Religion class she proved that she knew little about her religion.  She had never gone to a parochial school and had learned as little as possible when younger. 

The problem was that Miss Jefferson was seeing a totally different problem.  When the class broke for lunch, two of the other girls asked Jennifer to join them.  Jennifer looked around for her savior.  When Mary did not appear, she agreed to join the other girls.  They tried to get her to talk.  But, Jennifer tried to answer as few questions as possible.  She admitted just moving into the area.  This was her first time at any school in this area.  She liked sports but wasn’t that good at any of them.  They discussed several singers and pop stars.  Jennifer held her own.

While Jennifer was in lunch, Miss Jefferson notified Sister Diane that she was concerned that Jenny was in a class too far advanced.  She did not seem to know any of the basic material and seemed preoccupied.  She suggested that they get her tested in case they needed to move her down a grade.  It would be much easier early in the year and less traumatic since Jenny was new. 

Miss Jefferson also suggested that they test Jennifer for ADHD or some other issue that could affect her ability to pay attention and focus in class. 

Mrs. Barham entered all the information into Jenny’s record on the computer after Miss Jefferson and Sister Diane talked. 

Around this time, Amanda Barham got a call from Sara Adams in the registrar’s office.  Sara wanted to inquire about the new girl and get Amanda’s side of things.  Mrs. Barham related the previous day’s occurrences and the review of the apology letter.  She also alerted Sara regarding the potential testing which Miss Jefferson had suggested.  Lastly, she informed Sara that little Jenny Martin had earned top spot on Sister Diane’s “Wall of Shame”. 

Sara returned to her office shaking her head.  “Mary, your daughter in-law, college graduate is scheduled to be tested to determine if she needs to be put back into sixth grade.  Apparently, she has not impressed her teacher in the least.  We have to get our hands around this right now.”  While Sara had a serious look on her face, there was a subtle smirk.

Mary just started shaking her head and laughing before asking, “This is unbelievable.  How could the teacher come to this conclusion?”

As both women were laughing at the news, Jennifer was waiting in class, hoping to be rescued.

We are not done with Jennifer!