An Untitled Work in a Slightly Skewed Dimension, pt. 2 by Brak
Indeed, Kay spent most days on her own since the departure of her "friends" as her mother called them, who were actually household servants her parents had bribed to spend extra time with Kay. There had been a tutor, Mr. Leftwig, who was delighted whenever Kay made a mistake in her lessons because it gave him license to smack her with his unusually hefty ruler, a practice her parents believed would build character. Of course, after being maliciously attacked with a ruler, which more resembled a cricket bat than an actual ruler, Kay would often be so frightened that she would forget whatever she had just learned and make even more mistakes and be beaten even more severely.
In fact, on one occasion, Mr. Leftwig had thrashed her so brutally that a doctor had to be called. When the doctor arrived, he addressed Kay as a "tempestuous little cow" and ordered her, with much profanity, to overdose on narcotics. Kay, being a mere child at the time, soon lost consciousness. When she woke up, she found herself in her bed, but even though her head was bandaged, her ankle splinted, and her arm in a cast, she discovered she had even more bruises and aches than when she had passed out. Furthermore, she reeked like a barnyard.
There had also been a maid, Lee, who tormented Kay by safety pinning live insects and small rodents to Kay's freshly laundered clothing. Lee also found it hilarious to lift the long skirt of her uniform and show Kay her pimply rear at any given moment. Mr. Leftwig, and the butler, Carter always seemed quite pleased when Lee behaved in this way around them and clapped and cheered to encourage her, but Kay found the whole spectacle distasteful. She said as much once, but Carter taught her to hold her tongue by dangling her out of her third story window by her shoes. Yes, some friends they were. "Bunch of creeps and lunatics." muttered Kay as she wandered among the trees on the far side of the park.
"Who are creeps and lunatics, darling?" inquired Kay's mother as she appeared from behind an ancient oak tree.
"No one mother." Kay stuttered in shock, "I said 'bears munch creeks and arithmetic.' What are you doing here?"
"They certainly do, darling. I just stopped by because Art called and said you had a little trouble with the locals."
"No, Mother. It wasn't trouble. It was just… it was nothing."
"It's all right sweetie, I understand. It must be difficult for you trying to get along with others when you've had such a fine upbringing and they've been living in squalor with druggies and whores. They must be awfully jealous of your fortune at having two adoring parents, and jealousy often expresses itself as rage."
"I don't think there was any r…" Kay began, but her mother interrupted her, "No, dear, don't try to protect them. They aren't your friends and they never will be. But don't worry, that's no reason for you to be lonely and blue. Come home with me now. I've got a surprise!"
Kay very much wanted to continue wandering among the trees, smelling the green air and enjoying the solid security of bark and branches, but her mother was very insistent and it was no use arguing with her. As soon as Kay moved towards her mother, Art burst out from behind a thicket of vines, tackled Kay, forced her to the ground and bound her wrists behind her back. Kay's mother, kneeling before her perplexed face, slipped a blindfold over Kay's eyes saying, "Its not a surprise if you peek!" Kay's mother kept up a constant excited twittering as Art helped Kay to her feet and escorted her back to the car.
In stark contrast with the exhilaration Kay had felt during her first drive out, the drive home felt like a defeat. Instead of being enraptured by the colors and motion of everyday life, Kay could only make out shadows at the bottom of her blindfold. Kay was still in this spirit of bewildered despair when her mother and Art led her into the front room and sat her on the suede couch.
"Dear Kay," sighed her mother, "You have been such a lovely daughter to me and I cannot bear to see you moping around in such a lonesome way any longer."
'When have I moped,' thought Kay, 'and when have you been around to see it?' but, of course, she didn't dare say anything.
"Take off her blindfold!!" squealed Kay's mother, and the light hit Kay's eyes like a lost bird hits a window. She tried to raise her arm to shield the glare, but her wrists were still bound, so she made do with squinting. Through her halogen-tortured eyes, Kay could barely discern her mother and father standing together with something… someone? between them. A man? Art? Who else could it be but Art? As Kay's pupils adjusted, she realized that the man was a stranger. Her mother, who was practically vibrating with excitement, rushed forward and screamed in Kay's face, "Your new husband!! Surprise!!" The feeling of bewildered despair intensified as Kay's mother continued, "I know you aren't even 18 yet, so it's a bit early, but I asked a favor of the Judge and he allowed me to sign the marriage certificate for you."
Kay's mouth opened and closed in shock as she fumbled for the appropriate thing to say. She just wanted to run away, so she stood up, planning to seek refuge in the kitchen, but before she could move was embraced by her father. He had never so much as shaken her hand for her entire life, but now he was pulling her close and playfully swatting her bum. When she was released from that supremely awkward hug, Kay stumbled and fell back on the sofa. Apparently misinterpreting her prone position as an invitation, her New Husband fell on her like a starved wolf and began slurping at her face.
"Oh goody! Grandchildren!" squealed Kay's mother as she hastily ushered Kay's father out of the room and followed him, giggling. Kay squeaked her protests through mouthfuls of tongue and tried her best to defend herself without the use of her arms, which were still bound. Fortunately, defense proved unnecessary because the New Husband suddenly fell asleep mid-lick and rolled off Kay to snore loudly on the floor. Kay cautiously got to her feet and, discovering that her restraints had loosened during the excitement, carefully slipped her hands free of the knot. Kay began a hasty tip-toed retreat, but stopped when a paper on the coffee table caught her eye. It was a marriage certificate, apparently legitimate, signed by herself and a Hector Marmont. Kay dropped the paper in disgust and hurriedly resumed her stealthy exit.
Kay locked and barricaded the door of the downstairs bathroom with the armchair and end table her mother had insisted on placing in that oversized room to make it more comfortable. Kay curled up, fully clothed, in the immense Whirlpool bathtub and wept. What was she to do? She didn't want to be married, especially to a stranger, but to go against her mother's wishes was unthinkable. Her mother would certainly call Dr. Lackhanger right away for another therapy session, and that was bad enough, but Kay feared that the severity of her disobedience might force them to take extreme measures. The rejection of her husband would assuredly be viewed as a larger offense than the rejection of a wristwatch or a designer gown, and Kay couldn't even begin to imagine what her parents might deem an appropriate countermeasure against such a travesty. The only way she could avoid punishment was to leave her home entirely. This option produced an equal amount of anxieties because Kay had barely even been outside her house since she was born. She had no friends or even acquaintances outside the walls of her home, no allies to call upon for help. To think that a naive girl like Kay could find her way all alone in an unknown world was preposterous. Kay concluded that her only option was to go along with the marriage and try to make the best of it. Perhaps Hector was a reasonable man and she could simply explain that she wasn't ready to be married and ask him to leave.
Kay washed her tearstained face, took a deep breath and walked back into the front room. Hector was fully awake and sitting up on the sofa when Kay returned. "Hector?" she ventured, "Its been very pleasant to meet you, but seeing as how I'm underage and we barely even know each other, don't you think perhaps it would be best if we annulled this marriage?"
"I was promised a wife and that's what I'm going to have. Now get me some corn chips, I'm hungry!" retorted Hector.
"But don't you think marriage is a big decision that should be carefully considered beforehand by both people?"
"No." replied Hector and that's all he would say no mater how Kay pleaded with him.
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