I earned my mother's displeasure while we were out shopping one afternoon, and she promised me "a spanking when we get home."  I remember being on my very best behavior after that, hoping she would change her mind or forget.  Mother calmly enjoyed my extra good behavior and addressed me in a pleasant tone for the rest of our errands, as if she truly had forgotten. This encouraged me to continue being extra good, which I am sure suited Mother just fine.

I tried to think of something extra good to volunteer to do as soon as we got home. I hoped she would quietly let me do that instead of put me over her knee. Just as we approached home I cheerfully declared that I wanted to polish our best silverware now. Our best silverware really was made of silver and would tarnish and not look its best if not polished from time to time. Mother praised me for offering to do this extra chore without her needing to ask and she told me what a very good little girl I was.

Once we arrived I dashed straight in and fetched our tray of special occasion silverware while she got out silver polish, a piece of oilcloth and a rag, and together we set up everything for me on our kitchen table. As we did, I hopefully acted eager to begin, angelic well-behaved little helper that I was!

I almost imagined my plan had worked and that I truly would get to polish silver instead of get my bare behind polished. No sooner did I attempt to sit down and begin than Mother gently restrained me and stooped to my eye level to remind me again how pleased she was with me. She then declared, still smiling, "you may polish the silverware later, Margaret... after you've been spanked."  She uttered those terrible words with the same pleasant tone,  pronouncing her final four words a wee bit more slowly as if for emphasis.

For me it felt as if our brightly lit kitchen had suddenly gone dark and ominous.  Before I'd had time to react to this abrupt change of affairs she added, "come with me," took me by my wrist and whisked me straight to my room.  There she placed me over her knee, pulled down my panties and spanked me - every bit as soundly as she had earlier promised me she would.  My goody-goody behavior of the previous half hour had bought me no leniency.

And once I had finished crying and we had prayed together, I still had to go straight back to our kitchen, sit my poor little bottom down, and polish all that silverware!  I smiled and tried my best to still act as if offering to do this chore had had nothing to do with that spanking she had promised me when we got home.  But by then I realized she had seen right through me all along.