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This is a story I wrote after seeing an episode of Benson where the governor gives his daughter a spanking for lying. The spanking does happen but is not shown on-screen. What I have done here is fill in the gaps as to the "lost" scene. Please comment and tell me what you think!!

Here is the first part. It is long, and I will post it in several parts.


THE TRUTH HURTS

Introduction

Lying was “a spanking offense” according to the Honorable Governor Gene Gatling. Katie knew a spanking would take place in the governor’s mansion tonight. Benson had essentially told Katie that a sore backside is better than a guilty conscience. Young Katie was about to find out if this was true. Soon her father would bend her over his knee, hold her in place, and swat her backside in a loving effort to teach her a lesson.

The year was 1979. It was deep into the fall, and America was about to embark on a new decade. Katie Gatling was 8 years old and in the 3rd grade. Katie was the quintessential all-American child: fair-haired, blue-eyed, and wholesome. Katie was quite an intelligent child, and her father expected that she would grow up to be some kind of professional, along the lines of doctor or lawyer. She was truly her father’s pride and joy. Katie’s father was the state governor, Gene Gatling. Gene Gatling was a man of the utmost integrity. Integrity meant everything to him, and he tried to raise young Katie to hold that same belief.

The governor had been a single parent ever since Katie’s mother died when Katie was only 2 years old. With the help of close friends, the governor had been able to pursue an ambitious career and be a good father to Katie. His career success included owning and operating his own business and, most recently, being elected governor. Part of the reason for the governor’s election was his honesty. He was elected at a time when Watergate was still on the minds of voters, and they wanted a man they could trust despite the fact that he was not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer. They knew he would always tell them the truth even when it was tough to do so.

With his busy career, the governor was not able to spend as much time with Katie as he would have liked or even as much as other fathers. Sure, there were sacrifices and hurt feelings sometimes, but the time the governor did spend with his daughter was pure quality. The governor and Katie had an extraordinary father/daughter relationship. He always kept things in perspective and knew his job as a father trumped all others, even when he had to do his job versus doing things with Katie. He had to make those decisions sometimes. Most recently, the governor had been forced to miss Katie’s school play because the president had called him to Washington, D.C.

Katie was an easy child to raise. She had always been very well-behaved and respectful. She rarely got in trouble. The governor was an easy-going, gentle father with her. However, he was also old school, and he believed in giving an occasional spanking. His usual problem was knowing when to spank, not if to spank. If he believed Katie really needed a spanking, he saw it as his fatherly duty to give it to her. The governor never spanked for misunderstandings, accidents, or petty matters. He only spanked for serious transgressions that needed swift correction. So far he had done an excellent job raising his daughter. Katie was NOT a brat and was NOT spoiled. She had good manners and solid values.