Saturday, November 1, 2025

 The Clubs part 3

A month had passed, and everything had been peachy.

Just about every morning we had amphitheater lectures by department head professors, and in the afternoon we were split into smaller groups for working on those lectures with associate professors. They always took time to explain what we might have missed during the morning lectures. If need be, we could be individually followed. 

We were encouraged to perform. Cricri and I, as well as our roommates know that our scholarships would be renewed according to our average grades.

As for those who have parents wealthy enough to pay the astronomic fees, they still have to perform because they will be dropped if their average grades underscores the standing of Saint Mary vs other colleges.

Such a Damocles sword means that everyone crams. As for us, we helped each others. Cricri and I are quite proud of the French grades of Jojo and Tanka. In return they help us according to their best subjects.

Sports like competitions are also encouraged, if our volleyball team wins a tournament we will be given points towards the renewal of our scholarship. So far, our coaches are first doing their best to teach us how to play according to the rules, and not as we used to play in our backyards. They have also teased us about reinstating the old Sports Discipline rules mentioned by that vintage poster.

A week later, we had a surprise chemistry quiz. These American quizzes always terrify me. They look deceitfully easy with having no more than to check the box for the correct answer, but all of the choices always sound great, and if you don't know the right answer its a dangerous guessing game. There's also no time for hesitation or backtracking, if you are to complete the quiz.

The buzzer buzzed, and we had to raise our hands while the supervisors  collected our work. I could see that my roommates had sweated it as much as me. Chemistry and biology are our black holes. The four of us can't excel in all the subjects we have to take.

After a ten minute break, we were given our work back. I was quite dismayed to have been awarded a D, and below that lousy grade the prof had written in red, "Please see me after classes." All of my roommates had Cs, even Tanka had managed a C minus. They teased me, "He's going to give you a spanking, hahaha!"

  I didn't laugh. With two more girls from our floor I waited to be called in.

When I finally faced him, he pointed to a few of my answers. "You obviously didn't know the answers to these questions, and you have guessed them wrong. You either haven't learned the lesson, or didn't understand it, if so you should have asked for help."

He hadn't invited me to sit down, I stood in front of his large desk, and blushed as a scolded ten year old.

"Were you punished back home when you had poor grades?"

I felt a hot glow, I knew I was deeply blushing, and nodding was superfluous.

"It must have encouraged you, since you had your baccalaureate with honors."

"We have a voluntary discipline program for motivating slacking girls. Its called the Paddle Club. You have for sure heard of the famous American paddle for punishing naughty girls. If you decide to join that program you will regret your shortcomings, and apply yourself to avoid further application of the paddle to your lazy derriere."

With these last words, I had no doubt that I must have blushed as a peony.

"Ask yourself if you could benefit from the discipline offered by the Paddle Club, and tell me tomorrow."
  I didn't know what to say. I pitifully nodded.

"You are dismissed, run along."

 Outside my roomies were waiting for me. "Whoa! You have quite a glow!"

"What happened?"

At first I stammered, I couldn't say more than, "He... he... he..." They were real nice. They had me sit down, and got me a tall Coke.

I eventually let the cat out of the bag. "He suggested I join the Paddle Club."

Jojo being American immediately understood, and explained for Cricri. "It must be a discipline program."

Tanka added. "The paddle is a major ouch, although it depends on its size and shape and whose hand holds it. I got four whacks from my high school principal; it was bad, but the vacuum cleaner's extension cord bit harder, and the marks lasted longer."

I didn't sleep too well that night. In the morning I barely had finished my coffee when my roommates popped the question. "What have you decided?"

"I can't go back home after a year because my scholarship wasn't renewed."


 Cricri dotted the i and crossed the t. "And your Papa will roast your bum!"

"Yes, but more important he will be disappointed, and I will have..."

I couldn't finish my sentence, and didn't have to, my roommates and friends had understood.

 Liliane (Lili), Christiane (Cricri), Jolene (Jojo), and Tanka Rae (Tanka)

To be continued...

./.

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Sunday, October 26, 2025

The Clubs part 2

Our second day at Saint Mary was a Saturday, and after breakfast we rode to the Sports Complex for the volleyball tryouts. We first discovered the game hall with its multipurpose floor and stands, and already imagined competing against other colleges with cheers from our fans.

The volleyball practice court wasn't as grandiose, but well equipped. We gave our names to the assistant coach. She made sure that our own sports shoes wouldn't damage the parquet before giving us knee and elbow pads.

We were over forty girls, and told that only twelve would be selected. At random twelve girls were called, and divided into two teams for a short game. Four girls were kept and while they rested, twelve more fought it out. After having played three games we exchanged high fives as the four of us had been selected.

 The G.I. Jane like coach called us in turn for proper registration. I was opened mouth for the vintage poster hanging beside the trophy cabinet. I slowly read it.

 Saint Mary Sports Discipline

Late for practice and minor offenses : two smacks

Repeated lateness and serious offenses : four smacks

Missed practice : four smacks

Missed practice repeated and serious offenses repeated : six smacks

Expulsion from the team after twelve smacks within a single month.

Smacks applied to the bare bottom in front of the team.

 The assistant coach issued us a backpack with our team uniforms plus two pairs of court shoes. All of that was quite fetching with St M red embroidering.
 At the Coffee Shop of the Sports Complex the banter was about that old poster. Our American roommates teased us. "That sure would sting more than your martinet!"

Cricri told. "We are no longer getting the martinet..."

She was interrupted by Jolene laughing, and Tanka added. "Lucky girls!"

I completed Cricri's sentence. "We have been promoted, its the belt now."

They both had silent 'Ohs', and blushed. I teased them back. "You're also getting your bums tanned, aren't you!" I had spotted their blushing, and with a wide grin, I didn't make it sound as a question.

They blushed the more as they nodded.

Cricri asked. "Have you ever tasted the extension cord for the vacuum cleaner?"

Jolene giggled. "Is it worse than the one for the sewing machine?"

Tanka didn't giggle. "It sure is worse than the belt!"

I confirmed. "Yes! You get stripes for a week with it."

Then it was Sunday, and mass was mandatory. We also had to wear the Saint Mary summer uniform with St M embroidered white blouse and navy pleated skirt, which had been issued on arrival.


 Our roommates had attended a private high school with a uniform, and were surprised that we had never worn one.

 I explained. "Very few French schools have a uniform, and they are private and very pricey. Since our fathers are knights of the Légion d'honneur we could have attended the free elite Légion d'honneur school for girls, and we would have had to wear a uniform, but we didn't."

Cricri added. "Its a boarding school, and my parents wanted to keep me with them, and I am thankful they did."

I nodded. "Samo, and even if I had my bum well tanned!" I know they love me."

Tanka echoed. "We didn't want to be boarders, and were happy that our parents kept us."

Jolene concluded. "We never got a tanning that we hadn't deserved."

We all laughed as we agreed on that.

Then we hurried up for mass. I chimed, "It feels strange to be wearing a skirt!"

Cricri giggled. "I feel like am going to show my knickers to the whole world."

We were quite surprised when both Tanka Rae and Jolene laughed out loud. They saw our raised eyebrows, and laughed the more. Then they told. "We always wear skirts and dresses at home, Mom says that jeans are for truckers and cowboys."

 "Ah!"

I remembered that their traveling clothes were dresses, and understood why they had been so fast to change into cutoff shorts.

 In unison they asked. "You don't wear skirts at home?"

Cricri answered. "We do, but we don't have to."

I added. "I always do when Grandma visits, and as short as possible!"

Mass was as boring as in France. I was quite surprised by the number of communions. I had never imagined Americans to be such churchgoers. Jojo and Tanka received communion. I poked Cricri, and we followed them.
After mass, it was a barbecue on the huge lawn between the old Saint Mary school building with its Greek columns and the tall church. 

There was probably a thousand people, professors, staff, and of course students. I noticed a number of white priest like collars, and ladies wearing a cross on their lapels, but the majority of profs were civilians. 

All of the girls who had been sporting jeans and shorts were now wearing St M embroidered white blouses and light navy or summer skirts.

All of the first years, as us, basically kept with their roommates. The more senior students kinda ignored us. They mingled with their peers. On the other hand the professors mostly mingled with us. We met French professors exchanged with famous Catholics colleges from back home. We introduced our roomies, and learned that their father is a Colonel, same as ours.

 Liliane (Lili), Christiane (Cricri), Jolene (Jojo), and Tanka Rae (Tanka)

To be continued...

 ./.

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