The Housekeeper - Chapter 43 Part 1 of 2

The Housekeeper

By Karen Singer

Chapter 43 Part 1 of 2

All week long, Joseph Halifax had felt good.  Even somewhat happy.  Yes, that damn woman had raped his mind again and his head seemed to be more screwed up now than ever.  Thinking straight was nearly impossible!  But she had promised him a vacation – a cruise!  Not to mention that it would be with a beautiful woman and that they would be spending an additional week on the beach in Miami.  It couldn’t get any better than that!  He couldn’t wait!  When he had told his secretary about it, she had mentioned that she thought he needed it.  He couldn’t disagree at all.  After what that woman had done to him, he did need a vacation – badly!  And when he got back, maybe he would buy himself a dog.  He had spent so much time studying them over the last few weeks, he figured he was nearly an expert on them now.

He pulled his car into the long term parking lot at the Atlanta airport.  Finding an open parking place was somewhat of a chore – as it often was.  He had parked here many times in the past.  A few minutes later, he was boarding the tram that would take him to the south terminal.  He never once even thought about the fact that he was going on a trip – and hadn’t packed any luggage. 

The tram let him and several others off near the center of the south terminal and he began walking along the outside of the building instead of going inside.  He wasn’t the only one doing that.  Most travelers checked their luggage outside before going into the terminal, so in places, he had to fight past a few crowds as he headed down the length of the building toward and past the baggage claim area.  He was intimately familiar with the baggage claim area of the south terminal.  He had been through it enough over the years that he should be.

As he had been programmed to do, he continued down toward the very last set of doors.  He almost didn’t recognize her when he saw her.  Her large brimmed hat and sunglasses hid most of her face, but the moment she approached him, he did recognize her, and immediately felt a surge of icy fear wash though his body… along with a bit of anticipation and hope.  He really was looking forward to this vacation.  He just needed the rest of the travel information that she said she would have for him.

Janice smiled broadly as Halifax approached.  “Hello, Mr. Halifax,” she said.  “I hope you had a good trip to get here.”

Foremost on Halifax’s mind, was the fact that she was being nice again… as he had hoped.  But that didn’t wipe the fear away.  He had seen all too many times that she could go from nice to miserable in a split second… with no warning at all.  “Yes,” he replied.  “Traffic was heavy, but no real problem.”

“I’m so glad you’re on time,” Janice said as she started walking back along the way he had come.  Halifax fell in beside her.  “I’m sure you’re looking forward to your trip,” Janice said as they walked together.

“Very much,” Halifax replied.

“Well, I have everything you need in my car.  Please follow me so I can give it to you.”

Joseph Halifax’s mind wasn’t working as well as it used to so her request didn’t register any warnings in him.  And despite that, his brain was now so conditioned that he wasn’t capable of anything except whatever she wanted.  She wanted him to follow her to her car, so he went. 

Janice led him into the parking garage, up to the second level, then led the way toward the middle of the garage.  She had searched hard to find a parking place there… amid many other cars.  She didn’t want to park where there were a lot of empty spaces because that was where more cars and people would be.  As she approached her car, she was happy to see that they were somewhat alone.  What few people she could still see were nowhere near them and weren’t paying any attention to them… not that she was going to give them any reason to.

Instead of going to the driver’s side of her black SUV, she opened the door to the front passenger side instead.  Then she turned to Halifax who was waiting right next to her.  “Mr. Halifax, she said with a kind smile on her face, “I’d like you to sleep and obey now, sleep and obey.  Sleep and obey, Mr. Halifax, sleep and obey.”  Almost instantly, Halifax dropped into a deep hypnotic trance.  She only worked on his trance briefly, not wanting to take any time with it just then.  When she had him deep enough, she told him to get into the car and fasten his seat belt.  She herself closed his car door before going around to get into the driver’s side of the vehicle. 

In the car, she removed her hat and sunglasses.  Halifax was staring straight ahead, still in the trance he had quickly dropped into.  With all the mind conditioning she had already done with him, she knew that he was in a somewhat deep trance already, but she took the time to drop him further into that trance.  In the privacy of her car she wasn’t worried about anyone seeing what was going on… not that there was anyone else around anyway… and even if someone did see them, all they would see was her talking to him… nothing that would seem out of the ordinary anyway.  Once she was satisfied, with his level of trance, she told him to stay seated like he was, looking straight ahead out the front windshield.  Then she told him to close his eyes and go to sleep… staying just like he was.  Satisfied with her preparations, Janice started her car and left the terminal.

Navigating the confusing conglomeration of highways surrounding the airport, she was soon travelling north on Interstate 75.  She glanced over at Halifax a few times as she drove, but he never moved, never opened his eyes – just as she wanted.  An hour and a half later, she pulled off the road at an exit that boasted a host of different hotels. 

She went down the frontage road a ways and finally selected a motel that looked fairly nice, and that also had rooms that she could see were easily accessible from the parking lot.  It was early enough that there weren’t many cars there yet.  Leaving Halifax still sleeping in the front seat, she went in and registered for a room.  She wasn’t happy about having to show her driver’s license, but that couldn’t be helped.  The fact that the hotel had no problem taking cash for her night’s stay was something she pretty much expected.  And fortunately, Halifax had already given her plenty of money on her previous meetings with him.  She asked for a bottom floor room at the back of the hotel where it would be quiet and she could park her car right near the door to make it easy to get her luggage between the car and her room.  Fortunately, the hotel had plenty of open rooms like that.

A few minutes later, she told Halifax to open his eyes but remain deeply in his trance.  She had him get out of the car.  She had him take her bags out of the trunk and carry them into the motel room. Still in a trance, she let him use the bathroom since it had been so long since he had a chance to relieve himself.  And finally she had him lay down on the floor in an out of the way spot and remain soundly asleep until she woke him again. 

With Halifax now taken care of, Janice took the time to go out and find herself a decent dinner.  She phoned her daughter just to say hello and check on things.  And she basically relaxed and enjoyed herself before going back to the hotel room… and business.  When she got back to her room, she found Halifax still sound asleep, right where she left him.  She left him like that for a few hours more while she relaxed and watched TV.

At nine o’clock, she finally tuned the TV off and grabbed her notebook.  She pulled the desk chair out into the middle of the room and set it where there would be plenty of room around it.  She dug the dog collar with the shock box on it out of a bag and put it around Halifax’s neck.  She grabbed the remote control for it… and woke him up – fully!

Halifax looked around.  They were in a hotel room, not on a cruise ship.  He was about to ask what was going on, when he heard her say.  “Sit in the chair!”  He moved quickly, noticing the damn remote control already in her hand.  Only then did his fuzzy brain register the collar that was already around his neck.  What about his vacation?

“Stand up!” Janice ordered, and watched as he stood quickly.  “Sit down!” she ordered.  His movements were just as fast.  This was the first time she had done this to him with his clothes on.  She had no reason to really remove them now.  They would be gone soon enough – permanently for him.  Command by command, she attacked his brain.  Suggestion by suggestion she took over his mind.  He was lost before he even knew it.  Her mind soon totally controlled him.  Every thought she had for him she only had to speak and he carried out the order immediately… almost fast enough that he was reading her mind.

She finally set the remote control down.  “Mr. Halifax,” she said, “I believe you should have some money put together for your trip.  Give it to me now.”

Halifax immediately reached into several pockets in both his jacket and pants and pulled out four fat envelopes.  Janice took them one by one and examined the contents.  Each envelope was stuffed with money.  She set the envelopes aside.  She would count it all later, but she had no doubt that the total there would be the ten thousand dollars she has asked for. 

She picked up her notebook and started working on him again.  She went over everything – just as she always did.  The impossible impenetrable wall that grew thicker each time he stood up or sat down – even as a dog.  The fact that he could never ever tell anyone about her or what she had done to him – not that he was ever going to speak as a human again – and he wouldn’t be remembering her either, but she covered the subjects thoroughly anyway.  And then she launched into all the many instructions for him to become Ben-ben – the dog!  That part took the most time. 

It was after eleven o’clock at night by the time she woke him up – fully.  She gave him a few minutes to come to his senses before she removed the dog collar with the shock box from his neck.  “Do you need to use the bathroom?” she asked, knowing that it had now been a very long time since he had gone.  She waited until he came out of the bathroom again.  She saw the confused, worried look on his face.  She saw no sense in enlightening him.  Before he even got back to the chair she had set out for him, she said, “It’s time for Ben-Ben the dog!”

Halifax’s worried and confused brain had a brief vision of many file drawers closing, and one very important drawer opening… as he fell to the floor, desperate to get the hated clothes that were covering his body off of him.  In his desperation to get naked, he pulled and ripped clothes, and threw them anywhere where they weren’t in his way.  He didn’t care.  All he cared about was getting the darn things off of him.  He hated the clothes.  They felt horribly wrong on his body.

He began having more and more trouble getting his clothes off as he got down to his underwear – because by that time, his hands had started to curl themselves permanently into paws… paws that he would never be able to extend out into hands – something that he would never even think to try.  Eventually, he managed to get himself totally naked.  He felt much better.  Dogs didn’t wear clothes… and he knew without a doubt that he was now a dog.  Totally a dog.  Nothing but a dog.  And he knew without a doubt that he would always be a dog. 

Brief thoughts of Leila flashed through his dog’s brain.  He knew he had been human, but because of what he had done to her, he now deserved to live the rest of his life as a lowly dog… and he deserved whatever abuse anyone gave to him.  All because of Leila… and what he had done to her. 

He looked up at the tall thing… the human like he had once been… and he whimpered slightly.  The thing said something to him, but none of the sounds that it made were any of the commands that he was capable of understanding.  So he just sat there and looked up at it.

Janice smiled down at… the dog… Ben-ben.  Because that’s all that Halifax was anymore.  Halifax was now gone – forever.  The animal that was left wouldn’t even remember that name.  Now there was only Ben-ben.  Only a dog. 

She went to the paper bag that Halifax had been so kind to bring in from her car for her earlier, and pulled out a new dog collar.  This one, like the collar she had attached the shock device to, was also red leather.  She fastened it around Ben-ben’s neck.  “Are you hungry?” she asked the now dumb animal.  Naturally, she got no reply.  Going back to the bag, she started pulling items out. The first thing she grabbed was the stuffed toy duck that both Boots and Ben-ben had used.  She threw it to the dog who tried unsuccessfully to catch the thing in mid-air with his mouth.  She wondered if he would ever get any better at that.  Only time would tell and she wouldn’t be around him long enough to find out.

From the bag, she also pulled out Roger’s purple dog dish and a can of dog food.  Opening the can, she found a fork in the bottom of her bag and used it to help get the dog food out of the can and into the bowl.  She chopped the food up a bit and set the bowl down on the floor for Ben-ben.  She watched as the dog sniffed at it carefully, then shoved his face into the food, grabbing large mouthfuls of the foul smelling food and devouring it quickly – just as he had been programmed to do.

It took Ben-ben only a few minutes to finish his dinner.  Janice quickly rinsed out the dog bowl a bit and put some water in it and set it down by the bathroom sink.  She watched as Ben-ben lapped a bit of it up before deciding he had enough and left it alone. 

Her next task was to attend to all of Halifax’s now unneeded clothing.  She went through all of it carefully, removing everything from the pockets and making sure there were no identifying labels in any of it that could indicate where it came from.  His passport and wallet she put into her suitcase.  The rest went into a plastic trash bag she had brought with her just for that purpose.  She went through his wallet, emptying it completely.  Everything she felt safe throwing away she put with his now unneeded clothes, the rest she stuck into one of the money envelopes.  She would deal with it all later, most of it would get shredded before being tossed in the trash.

She turned the TV on again and got undressed for bed… not worrying in the least about the dog seeing her.  She was tempted to put Ben-ben’s remarkable tongue to work on her again, but it was so late she decided to forego that pleasure.  She set the alarm on her cell phone.  She wasn’t going to get much sleep tonight, but that couldn’t be helped.  She just hoped that the damn dog wouldn’t keep her awake or bark at anything.  Dogs weren’t allowed in this hotel!  With a final glance at Ben-ben, who was happily chewing on the stuffed duck, she turned out the light.