Flogged

3

Lizzie was home alone with Sonia the helper, or so she thought.  She watched Sonia's every move while  Sonia folded each piece of clothing that she had taken from off the line. 

"Come, put these in yuh draw."  Sonia handed Lizzie her set of clothes and she quickly did as she was told. 

"Me know where these muss guh," pointing to her brothers clothes.

Mek me carry dem guh put in dem draw fi yuh," Lizzie exclaimed, eager to help.

Sonia handed Lizzie Al's clothes, "gwaan guh put up these and come back."  Lizzie took Al's clothes and hurried off to her brothers room. 

Al's drawer was much neater than Romeo's and his clothes were all folded with much room to hold his freshly washed clothes.

Lizzie neatly placed Al's clothes in his drawer and hurried back to her room where Sonia was still folding up clothes.

"Alright, put these in Romeo draw, me wi put up di ress a clothes."

Once again Lizze took the clothes and headed back to her brothers room.  Romeo and Al shared a chest of drawers.  Romeo's drawer was partially opened with few pieces of clothes hanging out. 

He never bothered himself much about folding his clothes, instead, he just shoved them right in and dragged them out whenever he needed them. 

Romeo never spent time to close his drawers either. He just couldn't be bothered.  

Lizzie opened Romeo's partially closed drawer and moved some clothes aside to make way for the ones she brought.  She then hurried back only to find that Sonia was not in the room.

Lizzie was somewhat disappointed but was also amazed at how quickly Sonia had transformed the room.
All the clothes were now neatly packed away and the room looked all tidied and smelt fresh.  Lizzie marveled at how fast Sonia worked. 

Lizzie quickly turned around to the faint sound of running water coming from the bathroom and Sonia's voice humming to a song on the radio.

Lizzie's eyes wandered around the room until it stopped on Sonia's old brown, tattered bag that she brought with her on the first day she had arrived for the job. 

Lizzie could see patches of thread peeping from the hand-stitched work on Sonia's bag which perched next to the bed on the ground. 

Lizzie's eyes grew narrow with curiosity when for the first time she realised that Sonia's bag was opened. 

Lizzie stealthily moved towards the bag trying to get a closer look.  

Without stopping to think, Lizzie jumped on the bed and lay as close as possible to the edge face down with one of her legs on the ground supporting her body while she examined the contents on top of the bag. 

Lizzie tried her very best not to move anything out of place as she continued to looked with pierced eyes. 

Lizzie recognized the purple floral blouse Sonia wore the very first day she arrived at the house.  Then something caught her eyes and without hesitation she moved her hand toward the bag.

"What you doing?"  Lizzie jumped with astonishment with the sound of her father's voice. 

Panicked, Lizzie quickly sat upright on the bed with her little heart beating heavily like a drum.

"You don't know you mussen go in people's bag, eh?"

"Yes daddy!"

"Come here to me!"  Lizzie's dad quickly grabbed her and held her hands together while pulling his belt with the other hand.

Lizzie began to cry quietly...

"What you crying fah?"  "You get anything to cry fah?" 

Lizzie could feel the stinging sensation of the belt as it whipped across her back.  It was now more difficult than ever to stop herself from crying.

"You hear a say I don't want to hear any crying!"  "Hush it up!"
"And don't you ever go into anybody's bag again without their permission, you hear me?"

"Yes daddy."

And that was the last day Lizzie was flogged or beaten by either of her parents.