The Housekeeper - Chapter 13 (Part 2 of 2)

The Housekeeper

By Karen Singer

Chapter 13 (Part 2 of 2)

     Roger crawled under the house.  Setting his flashlight down where it would do the most good, he started measuring carefully and taking notes.  It took him a long time since he needed to be very precise in what he was doing.  There were two types of air ducts under the house, large trunk lines that carried a lot of air and the smaller duct lines that branched off from the trunks and carried that air up into the rooms.  He was interested in both.  A short while later, he crawled back out from under the house and closed everything up again.  Now he needed to call someone who could build him the piece that he needed for Janice’s little hiding place.

     He pulled out his cell phone and went through his contact list until he found the name he needed.  He dialed with the punch of a button. 

      “O’Conner Heating and Air,” the voice on the other end answered.

      “Hi Mike.  It’s Roger Brinkley.”

      “Oh, hi Roger.  Is that system we put in for you last year still running all right?”

      “Just fine Mike.  No problems.”

      “Good.  So what can I do for you?”

     This was the part that Roger wanted to be careful about.  “I was wondering if you could custom make a piece of trunk line for me.”

      “I guess so.  For where?  Are you working on another house somewhere?”

      “No, it’s for my house.  I’d just like to make a small change in something.”

      “You want to change what we put in?  Why?  Isn’t it working well enough?”

      “No, it’s working just fine.  It’s just something I’d like to change now… for the future… in case I decide to expand.”

      “Oh, hey, that makes sense.  Yeah, I can probably come out and do it for you later in the week… probably Thursday sometime.”

      “Actually Mike, I was wondering if you could custom make the piece for me and just deliver it.  Then I can install it myself when I get around to it.”

      “Yeah, I can make something for you easy enough, but I don’t think you should install it.  And if you do, I can’t guarantee something else will go wrong.  My warranty isn’t going to cover any changes you make yourself.”

      “I know Mike, but I’d still like to do it this way.  Really, I’d much prefer it.”

      “Okay, suit yourself,” Mike said.  “Want me to come out so I can measure what you need?”

      “No, I’ve got it all figured,” Roger replied.  “I can give you the measurements right now.”

      “Okay, just a sec… let me get something to write with.”

     Carol opened the bedroom door to call Roger for dinner, except there was no sign of him in the room.  She only saw all his junk piled in the middle of the floor.  But she stared at the room with more than a bit of surprise.  No longer could she see through the wall into the other room.  It had finally been closed off so now there were two separate rooms. 

     She closed the door and went down to the next room.  He was standing bent backwards on his ladder spreading some white glop all along one of the seams in the ceiling.  “Mr. Brinkley,” she called.  “Dinner time.”

     A short while later, with his hands freshly washed, Roger entered the kitchen.  His gaze immediately fell to the purple dog dish on the floor… already containing his dinner for the evening – all cut up into bite-sized pieces.  The sight of it made him angry.  But saying anything about it would do him no good.  This was another situation he wanted to find a solution for… and fast! 

      “There you are, Mr. Brinkley,” Janice said as she quickly looked him over.  Yes, his tiny breasts were just noticeable under his shirt.  She shook her head at the ugly boots on his feet.  She and Carol sat down at the table, Roger simply stood where he was.  Janice looked over at him and waited for him to move.  When he didn’t, she said, “Your place is on the floor in the corner, Mr. Brinkley.  We’re waiting.”

     Growing angrier, Roger finally knelt down near the dog bowl. 

      “Now, let us bow our heads,” Janice said.

     Roger didn’t even try to join in any of the conversation between Janice and her daughter at the table.  Instead, he tried to eat as quickly as possible so he could get out of there and just forget the whole humiliating situation.  He would much rather be anywhere… doing anything… instead of… this!

     But before he could finish eating, the phone in his pocket began ringing. 

      “Speaker phone, if you please, Mr. Brinkley,” Janice said from the table. 

     Roger had to struggle a bit to get the phone out of his pocket before he could answer it.  “Hello?”

      “Roger,” Stan’s familiar voice replied.  “What’s happening?”

      “Hi Stan,” Roger replied, somewhat sorry his friend had called.

      “Hey,” Stan said, “I just wanted to let you know that there’s still a bed left for Friday night at the cabin if you want it.”

      “Thanks Stan, but I still can’t make it this year.  I appreciate the offer though.”

      “Well, I just wanted to let you know,” Stan said.  “What are you doing anyway?  I can’t imagine anything that would keep you away from the first day of fishing season.”

      “Finishing my house!” Roger replied.  “Spring break is coming up and I’d like to get it done before school starts again.”

      “It still doesn’t sound like you,” Stan said.  “Why finish that thing now.  You’ve been doing pieces of it since you moved in.”

      “I just need to finish it right away,” Roger told him.  He looked up at Janice and Carol who were both watching him intently.  “I need these rooms for my housekeeper and her daughter.”

      “Okay, Roger,” Stan replied somewhat conciliatory.  “Maybe next time.”

      “Yeah, next time,” Roger replied.  “Bye Stan.”  Roger ended the call and put the phone back into his pocket.  Janice and Carol were still looking at him.  He was about to bend back down over his dog bowl, when Janice stopped him.

      “Do you have a lot of friends?” Janice asked.

     Despite his position on the floor, Roger shrugged.  “A few.”

      “Are they all teachers from your school?”

      “Most of them,” Roger replied.

     Janice thought about that as she turned back to her own dinner.  She realized that, for the future, it would be better to separate Roger from as many of his friends as possible.  Which made another good reason for him to not teach anymore.

     Later that evening, Janice returned from taking Carol back to the foster home.  After removing her coat, she headed directly for the bedroom where Roger was working.  She opened the door and quickly backed up.  The air was thick with white particles from where he had been sanding on the walls.  Looking further, she saw that Roger himself was covered in the fine white particles.  “Mr. Brinkley,” she called from the other side of the hallway. 

     Roger turned from where he was sanding the wall. 

      “I need to talk with you, Mr. Brinkley,” Janice said, “but I didn’t realize what a mess you would be.  Perhaps it would be best if you stopped working now and immediately took a shower.  Then you can join me in the living room for a few minutes.  Don’t bother getting dressed after your shower, when we’re done you can chain yourself to the toilet again.  And please try not to make a mess when you come out of there.” With a shake of her head, Janice retreated to the living room where the air was much cleaner.

     It was a good twenty minutes before Roger finished cleaning up and headed… naked… out to the living room.  He was glad to see that the blinds had been closed on all the windows. 

      “There you are, Mr. Brinkley,” Janice said brightly.  She motioned toward one of the chairs across from where she was sitting and watching TV.  Pressing a button on the remote, the TV went silent and black. 

     Nervously, Roger sat… naked in the chair.  He looked around, but he didn’t see any sign of her collar or even one of the kitchen chairs that she used during her other “training” sessions.  He breathed a bit easier.  Maybe she did just want to talk.

      “What do you do during the summer months, Mr. Brinkley?” Janice asked.

      “What do I do?”

      “Yes,” Janice replied.  “How do you support yourself?  School isn’t in session all year long.”

      “I teach summer school,” Roger replied. 

      “Does that last all summer?”

      “No, only a few weeks.”

     Janice nodded.  “And then what do you do?”

      “I have several friends in the construction business that I usually try to work for.  Sometimes I do a few odd jobs for myself, but building houses pays better.”

      “Does it pay better than teaching?”

      “Sometimes,” he replied.  “It depends on the weather… and if there are jobs available.  The economy isn’t what it was,” he told her, “but in this area of the state there’s still quite a bit of construction going on.”

      “But you still prefer to teach,” she confirmed.

      “Of course,” he replied.  “I like it.  Besides, the paycheck is much steadier.  You don’t have to worry about the weather preventing you from working.”

     Janice nodded and thought about that.  It made perfect sense.  But it didn’t go along with her future plans for him… her new future plans.  “I’m afraid Mr. Brinkley, that I’m going to need you to tell the school that you won’t be able to teach summer school this year.  In fact, since I can’t tell yet how long Carol and I are going to be here, I think it would be best if you told them you won’t be available to teach next year either.  After that, we should be out of your hair and you’ll be free to do whatever you like.”

     Not teach summer school?  And not teach next year either?  Roger was shocked.  “Why?” he asked.  “What am I supposed to do?”

     Janice smiled.  “Now that is an excellent question.  I think, Mr. Brinkley, that you can make far more money doing repairs for people, than you can make teaching school.  So that is what I’d like you to concentrate on instead.”

     Roger thought about that.  It was certainly possible, but…  “But the work isn’t steady.  You never know what jobs are going to come along… or when.  And I’m not a well-known contractor, so nobody would call me with jobs that need to be done.  Besides, I’m not a licensed contractor.  I just handle things for people once in a while and I make sure that they’re all well aware of that.”

      “All that is fine, Mr. Brinkley,” Janice told him.  “And you let me worry about finding you work.  However, I think we can start by calling back that woman who called you a few days ago to fix her deck.”

      “Mrs. Whittaker?”

      “Whatever her name is,” Janice replied.  “Please call her tomorrow and see if the job is still available.”

      “But I can’t do contracting work and teach at the same time,” Roger argued.

      “You can at least give her an estimate for the job and do what you can until school lets out.  Then you can devote more time to it.”

     Roger thought about it.  “I guess it’s possible,” he replied rather sullenly.  He wasn’t exactly fond of the idea of not teaching school.  But could he get out of this somehow?  His mind started thinking hard about that option.  Could he argue further with her so he could continue teaching?  But another thought hit him first.  “I can’t,” he suddenly said.

      “Why’s that?” Janice asked.

      “I don’t have the right equipment!”

     That really surprised Janice.  “Mr. Brinkley, you have a whole workshop out there full of tools.  What more could you possibly need?”

     Roger smiled.  “A truck!  The little car I have now won’t hold the kind of tools or lumber I need to have with me all the time.  And while I’ve got a tow hitch on it and a trailer out back, it won’t pull the kind of loads I need to carry up the mountains around here.  So I can’t do it.  I’m sorry.”  He knew he shouldn’t have said that he was sorry, but it just kind of slipped out.

     Janice was momentarily angry… but she quickly composed herself.  He had come up with a very logical problem that would have to be overcome.  But that obstacle was only a minor one.  “Then we’re just going to have to get you a truck of some sort,” she replied.  “Cancel your teaching schedule, Mr. Brinkley,” she said much more firmly, “because you won’t be teaching this summer… or next year either!  Do I make myself clear?”

     Reluctantly, he gave in and nodded.  And he remembered something that she had mentioned earlier.  She and Carol would most likely be here through the summer… or longer.  Sometime next year they would be gone.  And that sounded like a very, very long time.

     Janice lowered her voice, and much more kindly said, “Now, Mr. Brinkley, listen to me please.  Sleep and obey, Mr. Brinkley, sleep and obey.  Sleep and obey.  Sleep and obey.”

     Roger suddenly felt like his head was spinning.  He tried to fight her words, but she kept telling him to relax and listen to her… and to sleep and obey, over and over again.  Even though much of her conditioning had worn off, he realized he was losing control again and all will to do anything but follow her commands soon took over… as did the total trance he quickly fell into.

     Janice was pleased to see him fall into the trance so quickly.  She saw him trying to fight it for a few moments, but there was still plenty of her conditioning left in him that he hadn’t managed to shake off yet.  And ambushing him by surprise with it this way didn’t give him any chance to mentally prepare to fight her.  The collar worked much better for this, but the conditioning with the collar was much more total brain-washing… something she needed to avoid right now.  Like it or not, for the future… at least until it was time for her and Carol to leave, she needed Roger and his entire brain.  But that didn’t mean she couldn’t control him at least somewhat.  Slowly and steadily, she coaxed him deeper and deeper. 

     When she felt he was ready, she said, “Stand up, Mr. Brinkley.”

     There was very little hesitation on Roger’s part as he stood up from his chair. 

      “Sit down.”

     Roger sat. 

     Janice leaned in.  “Mr. Brinkley, do you still see your impenetrable wall every time you stand or sit?”

     Surprisingly, Roger’s answer was somewhat delayed.  “Mostly,” he replied.

     That was what Janice had been afraid of.  He was indeed shaking off the conditioning.  She had gotten to him just in time.  “Mr. Brinkley, it is my will that you will continue to see that wall every time you stand up or sit down.  It is an impenetrable wall that has no end in any direction.  There is no way around it in any direction and it is totally impenetrable.  And it will grow thicker and thicker every single time you stand up or sit down.  All of your will to not do as I command is still locked behind that wall, Mr. Brinkley, and there is nothing you can do to stop it.  My will is your will, Mr. Brinkley.  My will is your will.”

     She sat back for a few moments and stared at his face.  Despite his trance, his face looked troubled.  Doing this with the collar would have been a better option.  He had a much stronger mind than most of her victims.  She would have to watch him closely in the future.  Deep inside, he was still trying to fight her.  But her small efforts tonight would definitely help.

      “Mr. Brinkley,” she said, “what are your primary concerns?”

      “To protect you and Carol at all costs.”

      “Very good, Mr. Brinkley.  Very good.  You will always protect us, no matter what.  You will do whatever either of us tells you to do no matter what.  And you will not try to run away or escape from us.  For now, Mr. Brinkley, our futures and lives are linked.  We must stay together, no matter what.  Do you understand, Mr. Brinkley?” 

     Again, it was a moment before his reply of, “Yes,” was heard.  And while she noticed that the command had registered with him.  He still had enough ability left to not like it.  Well, he could not like it all he wanted… as long as he couldn’t fight against it.

     But since she wasn’t going to work with the collar on him for a while and he was so head-strong, she decided on one last measure to help keep him in line.  “Mr. Brinkley, do you want to go to jail?”  She was rewarded to see him look startled.

     “No,” he replied with more sureness than anything else he had said so far.

     She leaned forward toward him again.  “Then I want you to think tonight about all those nasty pictures of you that Carol took and what would happen if they got released.”  She saw the troubled look on his face and continued.  “And I want you to think about all that nasty sperm of yours that I have as well and what they would do to you for raping my daughter.”  His troubled look became one of fear.  “And finally, don’t forget about all that money that you got your blood and fingerprints all over.  There’s no way you can deny any involvement with that money Mr. Brinkley.” 

     He was definitely scared now.  “Mr. Brinkley, remember this, if you don’t do whatever I tell you to do, or you don’t do whatever Carol tells you to do, then you can be sure that the authorities will find all that evidence against you, and you will end up in jail for a very, very long time.  Do you understand that, Mr. Brinkley?”  He didn’t reply, but she saw him nod his head.  Actually, it looked more like he was too afraid to reply.

     She sat back and smiled.  “Now, Mr. Brinkley, I have just one more question before we finish tonight.  What is your shoe size?”

The Housekeeper - Chapter 13 (Part 1 of 2)

The Housekeeper

By Karen Singer

Chapter 13 (Part 1 of 2)

     Confident!  Somewhat anyway.  That’s how Roger felt as he passed out the tests to his first class of the day.  Confident!  But only because he wasn’t wearing another of the huge bras like he had worn to work yesterday.  Instead, he was once again back in one of the smaller bras that he had been wearing for a while now.  But the difference was enough to bolster his ego… and of course, his confidence.  The fact that he had to eat his breakfast cereal this morning out of the dog bowl without the use of his hands didn’t even factor into how he felt.  That little episode was something he didn’t want to think about.

     He and Janice had talked for quite a while last night.  She had asked many good questions, but in the end, she had been happy with his plan.  Not enough to let him go without a bra completely… yet.  But enough that she had agreed to allow him to wear only the smaller bras… until the project was completed and she thoroughly approved it.  Only then would he be allowed to no longer wear the stupid feminine garment under his shirt… to work anyway.  But it was a start!

     He was still having his same problem with the cold invading his cock every time an overly pretty girl crossed his path, but even that didn’t seem to be as bad today.  About the worse case of that so far was when Jennifer White had said hi to him this morning in the teacher’s lounge.  But then, he used to have a thing for Jennifer.  He guessed he still did… somewhat. 

     Another thing he realized this morning, was that he wasn’t noticing the grey wall as much anymore whenever he stood up or sat down.  In fact, sometimes he wasn’t noticing it at all.  He worried the most about that one because that wall made not doing whatever Janice wanted almost impossible.  But in the last few nights he had managed to bargain with her over her hiding hole and just being able to do that much had seemed like a major thing.  Could he rid himself of her compulsions completely?  He was beginning to be hopeful about that… at least as long as she didn’t force any more of her “training” on him again.  If that happened, he had a feeling that all would be lost.  But today, he was hopeful… and confident!

     Janice hummed to herself as she opened the back door and stepped out onto the small deck.  The weather had cleared up and promised to be a beautiful spring day.  She was only outside now to find out if it was still too cool to go without a jacket.  The nip in the air answered that question quickly.  Jacket weather for sure!  But at least the sun was shining brightly. 

     After hearing the details of Roger’s plan to hide the money last night, she was feeling more confident about things… somewhat anyway.  The hiding place still had to be built, and from what Roger had told her, it wasn’t going to be something that could be done in just a few minutes.  In fact, he suggested that it might take two or three days.  Not only that, but since she wanted it in her bedroom she would have to put up with the construction in there until it was done.  But that was a small price to pay for what she would get – peace of mind.  And once the hiding place was built, she would feel much more secure and confident about things.

     But the better news was the one thing she hadn’t realized before, school would be on spring break starting Friday and they would be off all next week.  Roger would be able to concentrate on finishing everything… and he was fairly sure he could do that before the end of next week. 

     So with a smile on her face and her purse full of cash, she grabbed her light jacket and went through the door to the garage.  A few minutes later, she was heading out to go shopping again.  Yes, things were definitely rolling now, on many fronts.  Mr. Wu had been contacted, Carol’s new room was looking like it wouldn’t take much longer, and the hiding place would soon be in place.  It was now time for her to look into more pleasant things.  Today she was going shopping.  She had to buy herself a new raincoat… among many other things.  After being in prison for a year, her wardrobe wasn’t exactly what she’d like it to be.  Her daughter needed a lot of new clothes too, but she would rather do that shopping with Carol.  And since Carol was still stuck going back to that foster home every night and her room in Roger’s house wasn’t finished yet, that little trip was going to have to wait.  But there was no reason why she couldn’t get a few new things for herself first. 

     She just had one minor little stop to make before she could relax and enjoy the day.  She had to stop at the building supply store where Roger had ordered all his materials from and put some money on his account.  She wasn’t going to pay the entire bill now, especially not in cash.  Since his bank accounts weren’t overly large, it would look much better if she just paid part of it today and then the rest over several payments… most of which would come directly from his accounts now. 

     She just had to find the place first.  He had ordered from a company that specialized in providing materials for professional home builders instead of going to someplace like Lowe’s or Home Depot.  Roger had told her about where it was on the way back toward Gainesville, but that left a lot of territory to search. 

     Thinking about paying that money though, reminded her that she still had one big problem to solve.  If she was going to occasionally be using some of her money to supplement Roger’s income to cover her expenses, then everything had to look like Roger had the money to buy everything… when he didn’t!  Somehow, she was going to have to find a way to launder her money into his.  She had to come up with something that even if the FBI scrutinized Roger’s bank accounts, they wouldn’t find anything amiss at all.  That was going to be a bit difficult since he didn’t seem to make that much money as a teacher. 

     It was the truck loaded with lumber turning out onto the highway that tipped her off as to where the lumber yard was.  Once she saw the truck, she easily spotted the store.  She felt very out-of-place going inside.  It was like a foreign world to her.  She didn’t know the first thing about any of the equipment, or tools, or wood that was all around her.  Not far from the entrance, she found a desk with several cash registers.  She walked up to it and told them she wanted to pay some money on an account.  The man was polite, but since it was for a builder’s account, he sent her to the back of the store to pay the bill there.  It took her a while to find the place, and when she did, she was happy to see that it would be a woman that she would be dealing with.  Unfortunately, there was a man and another woman in line ahead of her.

     The man’s business was quickly finished, but when the woman ahead of her stepped up to the counter, instead of wanting to pay a bill, she asked if the store had any contractors they could send out to repair some storm damage to her house.  The woman behind the counter said they did, but all of them were very busy right now.  The best she could do would be to take her name and someone would giver her a call as soon as possible.  She also warned the woman that it could be several weeks before someone might be available to help her.  The woman seemed very disappointed, but she gave her name and phone number. 

     The woman left, and it was Janice’s turn.  As she stepped up to the counter with the paperwork from all the materials that had been delivered for the bedrooms, she asked, “Does that happen often… people coming here and asking if there’s someone who can fix things?”

      “All the time!” the woman replied rather emphatically.  We’ve got a few crews on staff for that kind of thing, but lately they can’t seem to keep up with the requests.  It’s all the storms we’ve had lately.  Too much damage that needs to be fixed.  Of course, even without the storms our crews seem to stay awfully busy.  If you need someone sooner, we have a bulletin board over there with contractor business cards on it.  But I’m afraid I can’t recommend any of them.  Store policy.”

     Janice smiled and pointed toward the account paperwork in her hand.  “I don’t need one, but thanks.  I was just interested.”  As Janice paid part of the bill, she also remembered the call Roger had gotten from the woman who needed her deck rebuilt.  And now it seemed that there were lots of people looking for someone with the skills to build or repair things.  Skills like the ones that Roger possessed.  From what little she could see, he might be able to make a lot more money doing that kind of work than by being a teacher.  So why didn’t he?

     She pondered that concept as she headed for the stores to do her shopping.  Was there a way that that might help her?

     Even Carol walking into his classroom didn’t faze him… not since she was only entering with the rest of her classmates.  When everyone was seated, he passed out the tests and did his best to not pay any more attention to her than to anyone else.  Then he sat down to continue grading the tests from the previous class.  He glanced up occasionally at the class, carefully taking in Carol each time as he did, but each time she seemed to be hard at work on the test.  He tried to put her out of his mind.  Confident!

     There was something different about him, and Carol wasn’t sure what it was.  He seemed to be… more sure of himself today.  Was he?  Before her mother got out of prison, she had worked hard to keep him “off balance” as her mother had put it.  But today he seemed more like his old self.  Of course, she couldn’t really tell.  Maybe he just liked giving tests.  She wouldn’t put it past him.  Some teachers really liked to cause nothing but misery for the students by giving them tests.  Why couldn’t her mother simply make him give her a good grade and that would be it?  She hated math… and algebra was the worst!  Not sure of anything… including the algebra problems she had to figure out, she bent her head down and concentrated again on the test.  Why did her mother insist she learn this junk?

     It was getting near the end of the class period when Roger started watching the kids in the room more seriously.  From what he could see, he figured that about half the kids had finished the test already.  And then he noticed another head look up… Carol’s head.  She looked straight at him, and he smiled, trying to show that he was glad she was among the students who had finished the test already.  They were the ones who usually did the best on the tests.

     Carol finally finished the test.  With an audible sigh, she looked up again… and locked eyes with him.  She was irritated to see him smile at her.  Damn the man!  He did like making kids suffer with his stupid tests!  Was this some way he might be trying to get back at her for the things she had done to him in the past?  She certainly wouldn’t put it past him.  She decided she would have to have a talk with her mother about it tonight.  As she saw things, if she had to be so miserable taking the stupid tests, then there was no reason he shouldn’t feel just as miserable!  Or worse!

     Janice was looking at shoes in one of the larger department stores.  She wasn’t having a lot of luck spotting anything she wanted, but the presence of a large “sale” table caught her eye.  She wandered over and began glancing through what was on it.  She found several pairs of shoes she was actually considering, but none of them were available in her size.  From what she could see, it looked like most of the shoes on the table were all in the larger sizes that the store couldn’t sell out of.  She kept looking though, hopeful that she might find something. 

     Near the far end of the table were several stacks of much larger boxes.  Boots.  All closeouts from the winter styles that the store was getting rid of.  She wasn’t interested in boots, not with warmer weather approaching.  But she glanced at them all anyway.  Her eyes lingered though on a rather plain looking pair in brown.  They were nothing really fancy, just a pair of women’s boots with a somewhat wide practical heel that was probably about two inches high. 

     There was no reason for it, but her mind immediately remembered the boots that Roger wore every evening when he was working on the bedrooms.  Ugly!  And then her mind pictured something, and she almost giggled out loud.  What if she replaced the boots he wore now… with these?  The man definitely needed to be put in his place again, and something like this just might be a good way to do that.  Besides, she had promised him that she would make his life more and more miserable the longer it took him to finish those rooms, and she hadn’t done much of anything yet toward that. 

     She looked at the sizes available for the boots.  Like most of everything else on the table, they were all in very large sizes.  But what size did Roger wear?  She had no idea at all.  She wanted to buy a pair, but she couldn’t unless she knew what size to get for him.  Frustrated, she decided it was another little thing that would just have to wait. 

     Roger noticed that Carol was silent as they rode home in his car.  But then, she was often silent.  He had graded her test during the class after hers, and despite himself, he was somewhat proud of how well she had done.  Not fantastic, but far better than any of the other tests she had taken so far this year.  He wanted to tell her that, but he decided he should wait and let her find out with the rest of her class. 

     He pulled up into his usual spot on the lawn and they headed inside.  He went directly to the bedroom where all his stuff was on the floor and changed into his work clothes… including adding the stupid socks inside of his bra.

      “How was your test today, dear?” Janice asked her daughter. 

      “Awful!”  Carol looked up at her mother as they entered the kitchen together.  “Momma, I think there was something… different about him today.”

     That surprised Janice.  “You mean Mr. Brinkley?”

      “Yeah!  He seemed… different today.  Like he was happier… or proud… or something.  And I’m convinced that he really does like to make everyone miserable with those tests he gives!”

     Janice’s lips pursed as she listened to what her daughter had said.  But other than the bit about the tests being miserable, the rest was more or less what she had been afraid of.  She suspected that somehow, Roger was managing to throw off all that conditioning already.  And that wasn’t a good sign at all.  Something would have to be done, and it would have to be done right away.  Her problem was, because she needed him to retain full use of his mind and work ability, she was reluctant to put him through any more of her regular “training” sessions just now.  So she needed some way to firmly remind him of how things worked while she was around.  She had plenty of ammunition, she just had to remind him of that.  And perhaps the best way would be to have him look down the barrel of that imaginary gun.

      “Momma… are you listening?”

      “Hmm?  Oh, sorry dear, what was that again?”

      “Mr. Brinkley!  I think we should come up with some way to make him as miserable as everyone else while we’re taking his tests!”