I Got The Slipper At School
I started smoking when I was 11, just to get up my dad's nose. A bit foolish really, but hey that was me! It makes me laugh to this day when I think about teachers doing the 'smoking patrols' at school around all the usual nooks and crannies that we used to hide in. There was always somewhere to hide that was safe, especially if you could find a trusted non-smoking friend to keep toot, and give us early warning of a teacher coming!
Most of the time we were safe, but on rare occasions you'd get caught out. Since smoking was a guaranteed slippering (always 6 real stingers, never more, never less with that damn plimsole!) you'd be careful, but it wasn't the end of the world if you were caught. There'd be a few ooohs, arghs and yelps, maybe some damp eyes, and you'd be sore for an hour or so, but you'd live. As I got older, I wasn't too bothered about the slipper! The worst part was having your cigarettes confiscated and no doubt straight into the teachers pocket for later.
In the first three years at secondary school, I must have got caught smoking at least 6 times, and ended up getting the obligatory slippering. It never ceased to make me giggle when we were marched up the corridor up to the head of years office and going past the staff room you could hardly see for the amount of smoke seeping from under the door! The irony of it was never lost on me, even at that age.
Even knowing what would happen at home that night didn't dissuade me from quitting. My dad, being a biology teacher, was forever going on about the health risks blah blah. But I was more concerned about my backside's health, because by the time his slipper had finished with me, my backside would be hotter than the lit end of a tab! That's the after effects of 20+ whacks of his slipper, applied rigorously to my bare butt, complete with sitting down gingerly for the next day or so. I could expect the same if he caught me out having a cigarette or smelling smoke on me at home too!!
When I see how much I now spend on cigarettes, I wish I'd been more severely punished as a kid for getting caught. If I'd have been caned at school and had the skin taken off my backside at home with my dad's belt, that WOULD definitely have made me quit!!
Most of the time we were safe, but on rare occasions you'd get caught out. Since smoking was a guaranteed slippering (always 6 real stingers, never more, never less with that damn plimsole!) you'd be careful, but it wasn't the end of the world if you were caught. There'd be a few ooohs, arghs and yelps, maybe some damp eyes, and you'd be sore for an hour or so, but you'd live. As I got older, I wasn't too bothered about the slipper! The worst part was having your cigarettes confiscated and no doubt straight into the teachers pocket for later.
In the first three years at secondary school, I must have got caught smoking at least 6 times, and ended up getting the obligatory slippering. It never ceased to make me giggle when we were marched up the corridor up to the head of years office and going past the staff room you could hardly see for the amount of smoke seeping from under the door! The irony of it was never lost on me, even at that age.
Even knowing what would happen at home that night didn't dissuade me from quitting. My dad, being a biology teacher, was forever going on about the health risks blah blah. But I was more concerned about my backside's health, because by the time his slipper had finished with me, my backside would be hotter than the lit end of a tab! That's the after effects of 20+ whacks of his slipper, applied rigorously to my bare butt, complete with sitting down gingerly for the next day or so. I could expect the same if he caught me out having a cigarette or smelling smoke on me at home too!!
When I see how much I now spend on cigarettes, I wish I'd been more severely punished as a kid for getting caught. If I'd have been caned at school and had the skin taken off my backside at home with my dad's belt, that WOULD definitely have made me quit!!
51-55, M
