Ham was unhappy and upset and it was only four-thirty in the morning when he gave up the pretense of trying to sleep.  He left the bed he shared with his wife of eight years, slid his feet into his slippers and put on his soft new robe over his tee-shirt and sleep pants.  The plush brown robe was a Christmas gift from his youngest sister, Hannah, and he fell in love with it on sight.  Of course, Kara couldn’t resist making one of her insulting, sharp comments about the robe as he tried it on at his family’s Christmas party.  She said it made him look like an overgrown bear and told Kara that blue would have been a better color for him.  Hannah’s feelings were hurt even though Ham quickly stepped in and stated that brown was his favorite color, something Hannah well knew and his wife should have known.  It grew even more tense in the living room when Kara unwrapped her gift from Hannah and rolled her expressive green eyes and exclaimed, “More cheap bath products…?  Thank you, Hannah.  I guess I won’t run out again this year since I haven’t touched the ones you gave me for my birthday two years ago!”  A red-faced Hannah had quickly offered to return the bath products and exchange them for another gift of Kara’s choosing, but Kara made a point of telling her that it would only earn her another long lecture from Hannah’s big brother if she permitted Hannah to do something reasonable.  Ham spent the next few minutes trying to calm his wife while reassuring his little sister that they understood her financial situation.  His parents both were tight-lipped, and Hannah’s husband poured himself a stiff drink, trying to deal with his rage.  It was an unpleasant Christmas for everyone, and only the smallest child seemed unaware of the tension in the household.

Ham made his way to the kitchen and turned on the coffee maker that Kara set up on a timer before going to bed the night before.  She admittedly wasn’t ‘human’ until she had at least two cups of the strong brew in the morning, but Ham didn’t feel like waiting for her to get up.  It was the day after Christmas and neither of them had to work.  Kara wouldn’t stir before ten o’clock.  By then, this pot of coffee would be history, Ham decided.  He got in the freezer and found a toaster pastry and popped it into the toaster, and then sat on a stool and contemplated his marriage while he waited for the toaster and coffee maker to do their jobs.

He was unhappy.  No, he amended, forcing himself to be honest, he was miserable.  Marriage to Kara was one constant battle, and yesterday at his parents’ home brought home the message that his wife was hurting others besides himself.  Hannah’s finances were terrible since her husband lost his job.  She couldn’t afford to spend much on gifts, and it was inexcusably rude for Kara to point that out and tell Hannah that there wasn’t anything else at Walmart she would care to own when Hannah offered to exchange the bath products.  Why couldn’t Kara be more understanding?  Why did she have to be such a bitch with Hannah?  It wasn’t the first time, but it was certainly going to be the last time.

Ham didn’t want a divorce; he’d been through that once before, and vowed it wouldn’t happen a second time.  And, the circumstances were different this time.  He knew that Kara loved him; she was simply spoiled rotten, had a terrible temper, and wasn’t used to thinking of anyone but herself.  The entire problem in a nutshell was her bad attitude.  She assigned motives to people that didn’t exist.  All the way home last night all he heard was how Hannah bought her that cheap gift at Walmart because she wanted to show Ham that she thought Kara was ‘cheap’.  She said it was obvious that Hannah spent a lot of money on her brother, and could only spare ten dollars for her!  He’d reminded Kara that Hannah bought his new robe on sale at the end of the season nearly a year before, when her husband was still working, and she couldn’t take it back.  Kara accused him of making excuses for his baby sister and said he wasn’t the one with a cheap gift.  He’d calmly tried to make her understand that it was the thought that mattered, but Kara’s mind was already off in that place she went when she was sure she was being singled out unfairly for whatever reason she could dredge up from her unhappy past.

And that was where Kara’s bitch attitude originated, Ham reminded himself as he poured coffee into his favorite mug.  He took his paper plate with the pastry and his mug and went into his small home office and sat down at his computer and turned it on.  While he waited for it to boot, he admitted that all of his loving patience had done nothing to make things better with Kara, and their marriage was in serious trouble.  He’d showered the lovely redhead with attention and gifts, trying to show her she was loved, but it hadn’t worked, and in retrospect, had contributed to making the situation worse.  Kara was growing more and more rude and more hateful with him… and with his entire family.  It even extended to those who worked for him, and just last week he’d had a devil of a time talking his secretary out of quitting on him because of the snippy way Kara spoke to her when Denise followed his orders and refused to interrupt him when he was with an important client.  Kara accused Denise of wanting him, and Denise a happily married and very pregnant young woman, a good fifteen years his junior.  Denise was furious and Ham was mortified and embarrassed.  He’d promised Denise that Kara would apologize, but Kara adamantly refused, not the least bit ashamed of her assumptions.  She claimed she was justified.  Ham still needed to resolve the situation between Kara and Denise, or he would be searching for another secretary, something he had no desire to do.  Denise was young, but she grew up in the construction business and handled his office with an expertise it would be hard to match if he had to look for a replacement.

There were other incidents over the last eight years, and Ham was intelligent enough to realize that it was Kara’s old childhood ‘ghosts’ causing most of the problems, but it couldn’t continue.  Kara was an adult and there was simply no excuse for the hateful way she treated other people.  Ham was frustrated with her convoluted reasoning and excuses, and she was growing more and more distant when he didn’t seem to ‘understand.’  Kara’s past needed to be put in the past and not permitted to cloud their future.  Ham had tried coaxing her into a sense of security with him, but his methods failed miserably.  His brother Charles mentioned something to him yesterday while Kara was in the bathroom pouting over his family ‘hating’ her.  Charles suggested that Kara needed a damn good spanking.  At first Ham was shocked by the idea, but after lying awake and contemplating his brother’s words he wondered if he might be right.  One of his employees openly admitted that he and his wife lived a traditional lifestyle, one that included a spanking when warranted.  Ham had fantasized a few times about turning Kara over his knee, and he had even given her a playful swat or two in bed, but an honest-to-goodness punishment spanking…?  No.

It was a sign of his desperation that he was considering corporal punishment now, but if he didn’t take Kara in hand and deal with her attitude, his marriage was going to end in disaster, and he couldn’t face that pain a second time.  He loved Kara, and she loved him, in spite of the fact he would never be able to give her a child.  His ex couldn’t live with that knowledge, and promptly divorced him and married someone else.  She now had twin daughters and seemed happy.  Kara was pretty insistent that she didn’t want to bring children into the world… again because of her unhappy childhood in the system.  She didn’t want to risk that happening to another child, and she told him she was relieved to have the factor taken out of their relationship.  He’d suggested adopting, and she decided she could live with that.  They’d turned in their application some time ago, but if their marriage wasn’t solid, there was no way they would be given a child to raise.  One more reason to deal with Kara’s attitude, he decided, typing ‘spanking’ into the browser’s search engine. 

After skimming over a few listings, he decided he wasn’t finding what he was looking for.  He typed in ‘domestic discipline’, and finally found some sites of interest.  He immersed himself into reading and thinking, and made sure to check out several sites dealing with the subject.  What impressed him most of all was how most of the women said that spanking made them feel loved, safe, and cherished.  It put an end to what used to be a several day argument with lingering bad feelings.  Ham also learned that his own behavior had to be above reproach before he could take Kara to task for her behavior.

By the time Kara came downstairs six hours later, he felt prepared to deal with her attitude.  He was going to give Kara an ultimatum; either she agree to a trial period with accountability or he was going to move out.  It would break his heart to leave her, but it was time to take a stand.  Her behavior was out of control, and he wasn’t about to stand by and do nothing while she wreaked havoc on his family.  They didn’t deserve her contempt.

“Why did you get up so early?” Kara demanded with a pout, stomping into the home office to confront him.  “We planned to sleep in.”

“I couldn’t sleep,” he answered truthfully.  “Your behavior yesterday at my parents’ home upset me; it was beyond cruel and thoughtless, Kara, and your attitude needs mending.”

“Oh brother!”   She rolled her eyes expressively, and then shrugged.  “You don’t need to worry, Hamlin.  I intend to avoid your family from now on.  It’s obvious they don’t like me!”  She sighed dramatically.

“What is obvious is that you really do not realize how hateful you are, Kara.  My family has bent over backwards to accept you and make you feel welcome.  In return, you have been rude, snippy, fault-finding, and in general, a pain in the ass to be around.  I’m sick and tired of having to worry over what you are going to complain about next.  You hurt Hannah’s feelings yesterday, and instead of feeling ashamed of yourself, you went on a diatribe listing all the reasons you were mistreated, all of which are in your imagination.”

“You think your family is perfect!” she accused.

“No, I don’t think they are perfect; but neither do I think they are the evil monsters you paint them to be.  You are surely capable of realizing that Hannah couldn’t afford expensive gifts this year.”

“Your gift was expensive!” she reminded him, her voice full of accusation.  She’d assigned motives to the gift, and in her mind it was the truth.

“It was purchased on sale at the end of the season, before Ken lost his job.  You heard her explain that.  No one else complained about her gifts.”

“That is because they have no taste.”

“That is because they were raised to have some manners, which you weren’t.”

“So, you are taking your sister’s side and telling me that I am wrong?” Kara pouted.

“I am telling you that my sister had none of the motives you assigned her.  I am telling you that you hurt her feelings, and you made everyone in my family feel uncomfortable, including me.  I am telling you that it is time I dealt with you as you deserve.”

“You’re leaving me, Hamlin?” Kara asked in a small voice, her bleak expression telling him that she knew all along this would happen.

“That is totally up to you, Kara.  Unless you agree to certain changes in our marriage, then yes, I will leave.  I don’t want to, but if you give me no other choice, then I will leave.”

“What changes?” she asked, looking at him with hurt-filled green eyes.  He hated that look.  It was the look of a little girl who’d been hurt one too many times and didn’t trust anyone to be fair or loving with her.

“I want to try a domestic discipline lifestyle, Kara.  Ever since I got up six hours ago, I’ve been reading and studying on the subject, and I am hoping it will work for us.  All of my patience and understanding hasn’t helped to rid you of the past and of the demons that make you strike out at those who love you.  I am looking for a way to help you feel safe, and I believe that being held accountable for your actions will give you the security you were denied as a child.”

“Held accountable in what way?” Kara demanded suspiciously.

“It’s very simple, my dear.  When you earn a spanking, you will receive a spanking.”

“A spanking!”  She was shocked.  “A spanking!  I’m not a child, Hamlin!”

“I’m not talking about spanking you as a child, honey.  I’m talking about spanking you the way a grown woman whose husband is frustrated and exasperated spanks his wife.  It will hurt, honey.  But I feel it will work.”

“That’s easy for you to say!  You aren’t the one who is going to be beaten!” she argued.

“I swear before God I am not going to beat you, Kara.  A spanking given with love for the purpose of making our relationship better is a far cry from a beating given in a rage.”  He looked at her steadily.  “I love you, Kara, and I want our marriage to work.  I have kept hoping for the last eight years that you would feel secure in my love for you, and you would stop being so caustic and hateful with my family, but my cosseting you has not helped at all.  I believe a good spanking is in order, and if you love me as much as I think you do, you will give this lifestyle a try.”

“For how long, Ham?” she asked warily.

“One month,” he promptly replied.  “We will revisit the discussion at the end of a month and decide if we wish to continue, but in the meantime, you have to make every effort to do as I ask.  I will be the head of our household, and your job is to obey.  You have my word that I am not out to humiliate you.  I am not going to ask you to bring my slippers and sit at my feet.  I am only going to enforce a few rules, things we have discussed time and time again.”

“What if I don’t want to do this, Ham?” she asked in a small voice.

“Then I will have no choice but pack a suitcase and move out, honey.  God knows, that is the last thing I want to do, but I will not permit you to lash out at my sister like you did yesterday without facing and accepting consequences.  You were extremely rude and you behaved like a spoiled child in need of a spanking.  You will be spanked, Kara,” he promised.  “I’ve talked and talked to you about your attitude towards my family, and I am through talking.  It is time for action.”  He looked at her and said quietly.  “I’ll give you an hour to think about this, Kara.  If you don’t come to me within that hour, prepared to accept a spanking, then I will pack up and move out.”

He left the study, carrying his coffee mug, and giving her time to think.  With Kara it was difficult to predict what she would do, how she would react.  She could very well tell him to go straight to hell and order him from her life.  She could decide he was out to humiliate and abuse her and call the police.  Or, she might try to bargain with him and wiggle out of the spanking she’d earned.  One never knew how Kara would react, but he would have his answer soon.  He took his coffee mug to the kitchen and poured another cup just to have something to do with his hands.

He sat down at the breakfast bar and wasn’t a bit surprised when Kara entered the kitchen and headed for the coffee.  He noticed her hands were shaking, but he said nothing.  The next move was hers to make.  She needed time to think about their marriage, and decide if she was willing to work to save it.  She added milk and sugar to her mug and then came and sat across from him at the table, her green eyes steady as she stared at him.  Ham was used to her intimidation tactics and he returned her gaze politely, but said nothing.  He wasn’t going to back down, and he certainly wasn’t going to offer reassurance.  He was resolved to take this next step in an effort to save their marriage and once Kara realized he was serious, she would stop trying to figure out a way to distract him from his purpose and make a decision.  It took all of ten minutes before her cheeks turned pink with the realization that he had no intention of recanting his ultimatum.  Without a word, she jumped to her feet, stomped to the coffee pot and topped off the contents of her mug before leaving the kitchen.

Ham forced himself to relax.  Kara had another forty-eight minutes to make her decision, and he wouldn’t do one thing in the meantime, except drink too much coffee and pray that Kara would accept the spanking he was positive she needed so badly.