Over Mother's Knee
A young man experiences the joy of motherly discipline.
Little did I know this would be an Easter weekend I would never forget.
"Mum", I called out as I entered the front door,
"In here Paul," came a muffled reply from the kitchen. I walked through the hall to see my mother facing away from me on all fours, peering into the washing machine. Her skirt had ridden up, so that her thighs were visible, almost to the top, and her feet had slightly slipped out of a pair of white, low-heeled court shoes, exposing the curve of her nylon clad heels. I felt a slight twinge between my legs at the sight. Mother was a little eccentric in that she always wore skirts, never trousers, and more than once over the years I'd found myself looking at her legs in a way no son should.
"Bloody thing's on the blink," she said, turning to look up at me. "And it's Easter Saturday. We'll never get someone out to fix it now, and I've all this washing." She pointed to a vast wicker basket filled to the brim with clothes.
"You could take it to the launderette down the road on Monday Mum, they'll be open then and do a service wash"
"Good idea," she said, holding out her hand for me to help her up. "And sorry for not welcoming you," she added, giving me a peck on the cheek. "It is really lovely to have my boy back from college for Easter." She looked down at her leg, where a broad ladder ran up her tan-coloured tights. "Oh no," she cried out, raising her skirt to reveal the ladder going all the way up her thigh. "I thought I might have caught my tights on the corner of the machine, and I obviously did. This is my last pair and I've the dress rehearsal later. No time to shop for more, and all the others are dirty, in the washing."
Mother had been an actress in her youth, before she met my father, a naval officer who died in an accident at sea when I was only two, leaving her with a comfortable widow's pension and time on her hands. She was now a keen amateur actress, and with luck, plus a healthy lifestyle, had retained her looks. Tall (five foot ten, I think), with an elegantly slim figure, pretty face, and mane of black wavy hair with only the slightest flecks of grey, she excelled at playing fiftyish strong charactered women.
"For that amateur dramatics lot, what are they called?"
"The Tunbridge Players, and yes, we're doing a political thriller."
"And you?"
"I'm, er..." She blushed. "Playing a tart who blackmails an MP."
"Ooh..., Mum."
She looked at her laddered leg again.
"I, er... do have some underwear I keep for special occasions that would do until I can buy some more tights after the weekend. It's in a box on top of my wardrobe. You wouldn't be a darling and get it down for me would you? Leave it on my bed?"
"Sure Mum."
I picked my own case up and climbed the stairs. After dumping the case in my room, I entered Mother's bedroom, immediately sensing its familiar smell of perfume. Chanel Number Five, as she had worn all my life. Even if I passed a women in the street giving off the merest hint of that fragrance, I would always be transported back to my childhood and Mother's scent. Looking up, I saw a brown leather box on top of the wardrobe, and reaching on tiptoes, managed to grab it. Then I slipped and the box dropped to the floor. I gasped as the lid came open and a cascade of lingerie fell out. Suspender belts of all colours, lace push up bras, corsets, frilly panties, fully fashioned seamed stockings, some in packets, some still attached to the suspender belts, some stockings tan, some black, and even elbow length black silk evening gloves. I hurriedly packed the lingerie back in the leather box, and in doing, so felt something long, thin, and hard by the lining. To my surprise, this long, thin, hard object turned out to be a short leather riding crop. The last piece of lingerie to go back in was a pair of waist high pink filly knickers. I looked at them, rubbed the soft, satiny nylon against my cheek, then for no reason I could explain, stuffed them in my pocket.
"Chest's on the bed Mum," I called down the stairs, then quickly went to my own bedroom and hid the pink knickers under my pillow. Coming back out, I passed Mother on the landing.
"I'm just going to change, then you can take me to the dress rehearsal. But before we do, I'd like you to read for me, go over my lines. That OK?"
"Course Mum, I'll wait downstairs in the lounge."
A few minutes later, Mother entered the room, clutching a sheaf of papers. I noticed she had replaced the laddered tights with what were presumably full-fashioned tan nylons from the chest, judging by the seams and the slight wrinkling behind the knee.
"Now then Paul, we're going to need to enact the scene as well as read the lines, and it's a little, er... shall we say, risquΓ©. Is that OK?"
"Sure," I laughed. "But what's risquΓ© about it?"
"Well, as I said, I play a tart who blackmail's an MP. And this MP has slightly eclectic tastes in the, um... bedroom."
"Eclectic?"
"Yes. I have to ride him like a horse and then spank him over my knee. There's even a scene where I use a riding crop on his bare bottom."
"Riding crop!" I exclaimed, whilst inwardly explaining to myself the reason for the crop I'd found in Mother's leather lingerie chest.
"Well, we won't enact that scene, I can improvise with a shoe, but do you think you could do the other two. It'd really be doing me favour."
"Er.. OK Mum. How do we start?"
"Well, here's your lines." She passed me a sheet with some lines for a character called Tarquin highlighted. The script also noted a hidden film camera at the side of the room, which Mother was to glance at every now and again. "Now just follow the instructions and we'll try it together, alright?"
"Alright," I said, looking at the script. "So, I start off by kneeling in front of you?"
"Don't ask me anything Paul," she admonished, almost sternly, as if slipping into character. "Just follow the stage directions and speak your lines."
I knelt and looked up at her.
"We're going to play Ride a Cock Horse tonight, aren't we Tarquin Teddy?" Mother's was now fully in character, her tones clipped and strict, sending a shiver down my spine.
"Yes, Madam."
"Then over you go, on all fours." I did as I was told, she raised her skirt a little, then sat astride my back. I could feel the softness of her upper thighs through my tee-shirt, the hardness of suspender belt clips, and hear the slight rustling of nylon as she settled into her riding position. The space between her legs was also warm and comforting against the exposed bare skin between my shirt bottom and trousers, and it seemed to me, her crotch even a little moist. She then took off one court shoe and tapped me lightly with the heel on my buttock.
"Gee-up little horsey Tarquin Teddy, gee-up."
This was my cue to start crawling round the room, while Mother rode me, tapping my buttocks with her shoe every now and then, before singing the nursery rhyme Banbury Cross in a shrill voice.
"Ride a cock horse, to Banbury Cross, to see a fine lady upon a white horse..."
it went.
I remembered Mother singing that same rhyme to me as a child, but this time the song was different, with Mother rolling her r's deliciously, and the phrase 'Cock Horse' taking on an entirely new meaning in my mind. We circled round the room twice and then came to a stop by the settee. Mother dismounted, then stood over me. The script demanded I stayed on all fours and look up at her sheepishly. I did my best.