The Housekeeper - Chapter 10 (Part 1 of 2)

The Housekeeper

By Karen Singer

Chapter 10 (Part 1 of 2)

     All night long Roger dreamed about her giving him the same constant series of commands.  It was so stressful that he barely got any sleep.  The dog collar was still attached to his neck along with the shock box.  He never once reached up to touch it… despite how much he would have liked to remove the whole collar.  Once again he had slept naked, chained to the toilet with only his bath towel for a blanket.  But the collar around his neck felt just as heavy and cumbersome now as the chain attached to his ankle… as if he now had a chain attached to both ends of his body.

     The night darkness had already turned fully to dawn when through his troubled slumber he heard his alarm clock going off in his old bedroom.  He woke immediately and fully.  A minute later she was opening his old bedroom door.  She came out with a light robe wrapped around her.  “Time to get up, Mr. Brinkley.  We have things to do today.”  He stood immediately, the grogginess in his brain equaling the grogginess in his body.  He was surprised when she came fully into the bathroom.  She removed the collar from his neck – thankfully, and then she unfastened the shackle on his ankle, freeing him completely.  “Get washed and dressed now, Mr. Brinkley.  And hurry up about it.  As I said, we have things to do.  I suggest that you wear one of the suits that you wear to school.  The clothes you had on yesterday should be good enough… that is, unless you want to wear some of your work clothes and have those darling little breasts showing when we go out later.”  She turned with a mischievous smile still on her face and left him.

     Roger shook his head.  He was still trying to come to grips with how she could possibly have so much power over him.  First she had Carol set him up – brilliantly.  Then last night she had tricked him into getting his own blood all over that stolen money.  But it was the ordeal she had put him through last night with the collar that was mostly running through his head.  Obey!  Obey!  Obey!  And… protect.  But as he thought about it, or tried to think about it, he didn’t pause once in the task she had set him to get washed and dressed.  After all, her will was really all that mattered.

     He showered and shaved and dressed as if for school, bra and panties included.  When he finally got to the kitchen, he heard her on the phone talking with someone.  A bowl of cereal was out on the table and waiting for him along with a cup of coffee.  She motioned for him to sit down and eat while she spoke to whoever it was.

      “Yes, thank you so much dear,” she finally said into the phone.  “We’ll be there later this morning.”  She hung up her phone and made a mark on the page of her notepad.  Only then did she turn back to Roger.  “Please try to hurry with your breakfast,” she said.  “We have some banking to do before we can pick up Carol.”  Then she grabbed her notepad and left him alone while she went to get herself ready for the day.

     Before they left the house, she handed Roger his wallet.  “You’re probably going to need this today,” she told him.  He didn’t even bother to look in it before he put it into his pants pocket. What would be the point?

     A short while later, he drove them out towards his bank – the only branch of his bank in the area that had Saturday morning hours.  “I need you to have me added to your checking account, Mr. Brinkley.” She said as he drove.  “After all, I can’t very well pay your bills for you if I’m not authorized.”

     Roger wasn’t at all sure why she wanted to handle that little chore, but she seemed to now be thoroughly in charge of every other aspect of his life, so why not that too?  Besides, there was still something in the back of his mind that told him she was after his money.  What little there was.

     Arranging for her to be authorized and included on his checking account was a simple matter, it just involved both of them signing on a few lines.  Janice then “suggested” that maybe they should order some new checks that included both their names, just so there would be no questions.  Of course, the checks were ordered. 

     Roger thought they were finished, but Janice had more business to take care of.  She reached into her purse and extracted a stack of hundred dollar bills.  “If you don’t mind,” she told the bank officer, “I’d like to deposit this in the checking account right now.”

     The man seemed a bit surprised at the stack of bills, but he took them and counted them.  “One thousand, five hundred dollars,” he declared.

      “That’s correct,” Janice confirmed.  As the bank representative was depositing the money into the checking account, she turned to Roger.  “What do you think,” she said, “perhaps it would a good idea to move an equal amount from your savings account into the checking account as well.”

     Roger’s eyes went wide at that for a moment.  He only had about two thousand in his savings account… if that money was even still there.  Since Carol had ruined his life, he had no idea of what money he had where.  But what choice did he have with anything?  “Of course,” he replied… having no other option.

     Janice turned to the bank representative, “And would you please move an additional fifteen hundred from the savings account into checking as well.”

    Three minutes later, Janice was holding a computer receipt showing that all the additional money was now in their checking account. 

     Roger was now completely bewildered as to what was going on with his money… or was it really her money?  Who was he kidding?  She owned him!

      “Finally!” Janice exclaimed as they left the bank together.  “Now we can pick up Carol.”

     Carol was already outside the foster home and was waiting for them.  “What took you so long?” she asked the moment they drove up. 

      “We had some business to take care of dear,” Janice replied as she hugged her daughter dearly.  Carol got into the back seat. 

      “Head for the interstate, Mr. Brinkley,” Janice ordered in a happier tone of voice.  “You’re getting another car today.  I’ve managed to locate a dealer that I think has exactly the kind of vehicle we’re going to need – at a rate you can afford.”

     A rate he could afford?  He could barely afford the junker he drove now!  But he headed his little car for the state highway that would eventually lead out to the larger interstate.  

      “If you’ll pardon me for asking, Mr. Brinkley.  I’m surprised that someone who does so much work on his house doesn’t have a bigger vehicle than this.”

      “I used to have a pickup,” Roger replied.  “But it died.  This was all I could afford.  He turned his head to look at her slightly.  “I don’t know how I’m going to afford buying another one.”

      “You let me worry about that, Mr. Brinkley.  That’s part of my job now.  Your job is to just finish those rooms as quickly as possible.”

     What Roger wanted to say, but didn’t say, was that – how could he finish the rooms quickly if she didn’t let him work on them!  Today, a day when he would have had the time to do a lot of the work, she was dragging him off to who knew where – to buy a car of all things!  And last night… last night had been a total horror!

     Once they reached the interstate, she had him drive towards Atlanta until she spotted the exit they needed.  As advertised, they could see the car dealer from the highway.  “I think we need to make a small adjustment here,” Janice announced as they were still on the exit ramp.  “While we’re here, Roger, I am going to be your wife – and you will refer to me as such.  And you Carol, are our daughter.  Got that?”

     Carol giggled.  “Yes, Mom… and Daddy.”  She giggled again.

      “Do you understand that, Mr. Brinkley?”

     All Roger could think about though was the fact that he’d never marry someone like her!  “Yes… dear,” he replied.

     Carol giggled again as Janice replied, “Good!”

     A few minutes later, Roger pulled his small elderly car into the lot full of big bright expensive Cadillacs.  Before any of them could get out of the car, two different salesmen were already hurrying in their direction.

      “Can I help you?” the first one asked with an overly broad smile on his face.  The second salesman slumped off in another direction.

     Before Roger could answer, Janice replied for him.  “We’re looking for Andrea.  I spoke with her on the phone this morning.”

     The salesman looked somewhat crestfallen, but he very politely directed them inside. 

     Roger realized that he should have known in advance that she’d insist on a female saleswoman since she hated males so much.  “Dare I ask what kind of car I’m buying?” he chanced asking as they headed to the door.

      “That’s a fair question,” Janice replied.  “I spoke with the saleswoman earlier about a SRX model.  And technically, you won’t exactly be buying it, you’ll be leasing it.”

      “Oh,” Roger replied softly.  But even leasing it, how was he going to afford it?

     Andrea turned out to be easy to find.  She immediately led them back outside toward a row of the small crossover vehicles.  “I believe you said you were looking for an all-wheel drive model?” she asked as they walked.

      “And plenty of comfort,” Janice added.  “As many of the nice add-on’s as possible.” 

     Andrea smiled.  “I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that with any of these.  And I think you mentioned that you wanted it in black?”

     “Yes, definitely!” Janice replied.

     It was all Roger could do not to grunt.  A black car?  In Georgia?  Didn’t she know how hot black cars got in the summer?  They absorbed way too much heat!

     Andrea led the way past several different vehicles in the row and stopped in front of a black one.  “I think you’ll find that this one has everything you’re looking for.  It has all-wheel drive, heavily tinted windows, all the power you said you wanted, Bluetooth, GPS, leather seats, everything you could possibly want.”

     Janice smiled and turned to Roger.  “What do you think dear?  I think it’s beautiful!”

     Roger couldn’t disagree with that.  But then he had never owned a new car in his life.  He walked up to the window and peered inside.  He couldn’t really see inside very well since the windows were so heavily tinted – which was a good thing in the Georgia summer heat.  He glanced at the sticker price and felt a bit queasy.  Very expensive! 

     Andrea unlocked all the doors and they all began looking at everything.       

     “Would you like to test drive it?” Andrea asked.

      “Could we?” Janice replied excitedly. 

     Roger just did his best to smile.  Andrea held out the keys to Roger and he took them, then he looked at Janice who just smiled and climbed into the passenger side seat.  Carol was already in the back seat looking around at everything.  Just like a family, Roger thought… a family of monsters though!

     Andrea climbed into the other side of the rear seat with Carol and Roger carefully drove it off the lot.  It was a distinct pleasure for him to test drive the vehicle.  At Andrea’s suggestion, he turned and followed the short route that seemed to lead around in a big circle. 

      “Maybe it would be a good idea if I drove it too,” Janice suggested.  “I have to make sure it will fit me.”

     Something in Roger felt a bit disappointed as he realized that he probably wouldn’t get to drive the thing very much.  “Good idea… dear,” he replied as he pulled over to the side of the road so they could switch places.

      “Can I try it too… Daddy?” Carol asked from the back seat.

      “Not today,” Janice answered for him.  “We don’t want to take up too much of this nice lady’s time.”

     Daddy!  She had actually called him ‘Daddy!’  The monster!

     Janice seemed delighted with the vehicle.  “I think we should take it!” she said to Roger. 

     Roger, already knowing that it was a done deal, agreed.  Shortly afterwards, he was signing paperwork like crazy while the new car was being prepped for them to drive it home.  At one point, Janice and Andrea were talking about a three thousand dollar deposit that would bring the lease price down to where she wanted it, and as required, Roger wrote out the check.  Well, that money didn’t last in his account very long at all.

     Once all the paperwork was signed, Andrea got the keys and handed them to Roger and shook his hand while Janice looked on approvingly.  Once outside again, Janice suggested that Carol drive the old car while she and Roger rode in the new one.  Carol wasn’t too happy about that, but she did as her mother requested.  “I noticed there’s a Burger King just a short way up the road.  Why don’t we all meet there,” Janice suggested.  Carol immediately brightened. 

     Roger got to drive the new vehicle just the few blocks to Burger King and park it in the lot before Janice took the keys from him.  “You’ll be driving your old vehicle home,” she told him.  “And most of the time too, for that matter.”

     Roger was a bit resentful at first, but he quickly reminded himself that the more time he spent away from her, the better!  Once they finished with Burger King, he got into his old car and headed home.  He really would have liked to drive himself in the opposite direction, far away from his house, but since she had told him to drive home, that’s exactly where he went.  He really had no choice.

     Since the garage was still full of construction materials, both vehicles were now parked on the front lawn.  “How much longer till I can park this in the garage?” Janice asked as soon as she got home.

      “I just need to make a few more trips with the sheetrock and then there will be plenty of room,” Roger replied.  “I got most of it in the house last night before…”  He paused, not wanting to add any more.

      “We had other things that had to be accomplished last night,” Janice finished for him.  “Please see to it that space gets made in the garage as soon as possible.”

     A short time later, Roger was once again clad in his work clothes, prominent little breasts and all.  He felt totally ridiculous having them sticking out of his chest as he worked.  It was a good thing that nobody could see him… other than Carol and her mother of course. 

     He finally got the last three sheets of sheetrock moved inside.  Roll after roll of insulation followed.  By mid afternoon, he was installing insulation in all the walls, working happily alone and totally in his element.  His pert little breasts were only a minor nuisance as he focused on the job he was doing.

      “Mr. Brinkley,” Janice’s voice interrupted him as she walked into the room where he was working.  The difference in the room surprised her and she immediately stopped to look around.  “Oh, I must say, things are looking very different already.”

      “I’ve just started,” Roger replied as he shoved more insulation into a wall cavity. 

      “Well, it’s already an improvement,” she replied.  “Mr. Brinkley, I gave you your keys back earlier.  I’m afraid I need them again.  Since Carol and I will be living here now, I need to have duplicates made.”

     Roger barely thought anything of handing over his keys once again.  At least she didn’t ask for his wallet back too.

      “Where do you recommend I go to have the new keys made, Mr. Brinkley, the building supply store?”

      “You can,” Roger replied, “but it’s a little out of the way for something so simple.  There’s a hardware store that’s closer and they can do it a whole lot quicker.  Carol should know where it is.”

      “Thank you, Mr. Brinkley,” Janice replied with a smile.  “We should be back before long.  Pork chops for dinner tonight.”

     Roger raised his eyebrows.  She might be his absolute worst nightmare, but she could certainly cook.  He had never eaten so well in his entire life!

     He had managed to fill most of the wall cavities of both rooms with the insulation when Carol poked her head into the room.  “Dinner time, Mr. Brinkley.  Don’t forget to wash up.”

     Roger looked up from the wall outlet he was currently cutting around and just nodded.  He got to his feet and looked around the room.  He had only a little to finish up on the wall he was working on, which only left the stud wall between the two rooms and the ceilings that still needed insulation.  The insulation made the rooms look darker, smaller.  But at the same time, it represented a lot of progress.  He felt his usual sense of accomplishment as he headed out to wash up for dinner.

     Once again, he sat and waited through their usual prayer before he even thought of touching any of the food. 

      “Carol tells me that you’ve made a lot of progress already,” Mr. Brinkley, Janice said as they all started eating. 

     Roger just shrugged. “Some.  I’m almost finished with the wall insulation.  I’m going to wait to put any in the stud wall until after I get most of the sheetrock in place.  That way I can move the materials easier between the two rooms.”

      “In this case, I take it that easier is the same thing as faster?”

     Roger nodded as he stuffed a large forkful of mashed potatoes into his mouth.  “Actually, much faster.”

      “Faster is good,” Mr. Brinkley.  The sooner you get done with those rooms the better – for all of us!”

     Roger got the point immediately.  She had aimed that last statement directly at him.  “I’m trying, Mrs. Stokley.  Believe me, I’m trying.”  But all he could think about was how much further along he would be if she wouldn’t keep preventing him from working on it!

     As soon as dinner was over, Roger once again spent a few minutes tutoring Carol with her math.  As they were just finishing, Janice came back into the kitchen and set his keys back on the table for him.  Then, surprisingly, she set one of the keys to the new Cadillac down next to them.  Roger looked up at her, totally surprised.  “I don’t want to have to give you my key every time you need to drive it,” she explained.  “Besides, technically, it is your vehicle, and like it or not, you’re going to have to be seen driving it… occasionally.”

     Roger wasn’t sure if he was grateful or not that she had given him the key.  But he picked it up and attached it to his key ring along with the rest of his keys.

      “Now Momma?” Carol suddenly asked, sounding very hopeful.

     Roger had no idea what she wanted, but Janice merely replied.  “No dear.  Right now, you have dishes that need to be done and we’ve got to let Mr. Brinkley get back to work.

      “Aw Momma.  Dishes again?”

      “We’ve got to earn our keep dear,” Janice told her.  She looked back at Roger.  “I hope your work continues to go quickly.”  

     Roger took the hint and headed straight back to the rooms where he was working.