An Untitled Work in a Slightly Skewed Dimension pt. 3 by Brak
Over the next few weeks, it became obvious that Hector had no intention of changing his mind. He moved a full suite of living room furniture into Kay's room, and although the room was enormous, it could not accommodate her bedroom furniture as well, so Kay and her things were forced into the corner. Happily, Kay didn't need to fear any more unwanted advances because Hector never joined her in the bed. He had an odd habit of simply falling asleep wherever he was whether he was standing or sitting or laying down, mid-sentence or mid-meal, he would suddenly lose consciousness and not awaken for hours. Presumably because of this, Hector didn't have a job and instead stayed home with Kay in her room all day. Despite the cramped conditions, it wasn't so bad; as long as Kay didn't stand in front of the television, Hector barely seemed to know she existed. He only ever called on her to bring him a cold beer or another bag of corn chips: the two staples of his diet. Otherwise, Kay continued life just as before. She spent most days on her bed amidst her furniture pile reading, or painting (she'd hidden her easel in the closet) and, even though she could no longer watch the Happy Trees painting show because Hector despised it, her technique was improving.
Other days, she would wander down to the music room and practice various instruments her father had collected but never played (he was far too busy) or into the home gym her father had had custom designed, but hadn't yet gotten around to trying out, or into the magnificent library which was also untouched. The only danger in wandering the house was that she would meet someone else, either one of the household staff who always tried their best to be rude, or one of her parents who would scold her for leaving her husband alone for too long and admonish her to go make grandbabies immediately! She much preferred her little pile of furniture to that risk, so usually took what she needed from other rooms (corn chips, dumb bells, books, or violin) and hurried back to her cozy jumble in the corner.
One day, in the middle of fall, when Kay knew her parents weren't home, she dared to stay out of her room for nearly five hours. She thought it would be a nice vacation from the usual monotony if she treated herself to a longer stay in each of her favorite rooms and finished the day relaxing in front of the screen in her father's home theater, the only one of his rooms that he actually frequented. Kay enjoyed her full day of leisure and didn't even run into a cook or a maid or a butler once. She returned to her room in high spirits which were quickly dashed once she opened the door.
"Where are my things?" Kay yelped, for all her belongings had vanished from the room.
"Threw them out," mumbled Hector from around a mouthful of corn chips, "Had to make room for this."
"And what is that?"
"Its great isn't it?" Hector beamed proudly at her from a pool-side lounge chair he had planted in the middle of a wading pool filled with corn chips. All his furniture had been pushed back to make way for this abominable snack food container in front of the television. Kay was debating whether she should shout or try to appeal to his sense of reason (if he had one at all) when Hector, once again, passed out.
Kay, sighing deeply, went to take refuge in a long bath. The hot water was only comforting in theory and Kay emerged from the bathroom just as frustrated as she had been when she entered. Since it was late and there was nothing else to do, Kay curled up on one of Hector's sofas and fell asleep. After what seemed like only minutes, she was awakened by a sharp slap to the face. "What the..?" Kay exclaimed, bolting up. Her bleary eyes were confronted with an incensed Hector who shouted, "You can't use my couch, you big retard!"
"Why not? You took my bed away."
"That still doesn't mean you can sleep here! This is mine! You have no right to even touch it, stupid pig-faced woman!"
"Where am I supposed to sleep then?"
At this, Hector clenched his jaw, scowled at her, picked up a throw pillow, tossed it into the closet, and gestured after it. "You need to learn to respect the possession of a person's personal belongings!" Hector spat as he lifted Kay up and threw her after the pillow. The door came slamming shut before Kay could even make a move towards it. She heard the lock her mother had had installed to keep the maids from snooping click followed by an unearthly howl, "I NEED MORE BEER!" and Hector's heavy footsteps as he exited the room in search of his foamy friend. Kay was consumed by despair. She knew she was too small to try beating down the door and that it was useless screaming for help. Who would hear her? Her parents weren't home, and the cruel servants would be only too glad to find Kay in such a vulnerable position. No, Kay thought, better to just go to sleep and try to sort things out in the morning. She curled up on the triple plush carpet with her goose down throw pillow and was soon in dream land.
Hector came to wake her up once again, but with a kick instead of a slap this time. Kay gasped awake and scurried back from the source of her pain. Hector stood glowering over her. "Get out of the closet, bitch." he sneered. Kay, terrified, scrambled out on hands and knees. She tried to stand, but Hector pushed her down again, gripped her leg with his hairy hand, tore off her socks as she struggled, and began slashing at her feet with a bread knife. "You must learn about possession!" he cried, obviously drunk. "Hector, what are you doing?" Kay inquired, but Hector was already asleep. Kay kicked herself free of Hector and ran down to the front room to wait for her parents to return. She would just have to tell them that the marriage wasn't working out. She knew her parents would be disappointed that she wasn't enjoying their latest gift, but surely, a week spent with Dr. Lackhanger, or any other punishment they could devise, would be less distressing than a lifetime spent with Hector.
It didn't take long for her mother and father to arrive and, after they'd given their luggage to the butlers to be unpacked and put away, Kay nervously approached them. Before she could even get a word out, her mother was already shouting, "Where is Hector?! Don't you know he needs you? You must go! Go now and find him and make grandbabies! You can't be down here with us! Shoo!" But Kay, for once, stood firm against her mother, "No, Mother, I'm not going back to Hector. I'm sorry to be so rude, but I really cannot spend the rest of my life with him. I want this marriage annulled and I want him to leave. Please." As Kay's mother listened she grimaced and scowled, but when it came time for her to respond, her face broke into an enormous grin and she said, "Don't worry, honey! I'll take care of everything. Go shower and get dressed and when you come back, I'll have it all done."
"Really?"
"Of course!"
Rather than go back to her room and confront Hector, Kay stopped by the laundry room to pick up some of her clothes and used the downstairs bathroom to shower. She sang out her jubilation under the warm waterfall. Finally, she would have her old life back! The household staff would no longer torment her, Hector would be gone, and maybe she'd be allowed to take another ride to the park with Art once she didn't have to spend her days pretending to make grandbabies and fetching endless beers and bags of corn chips. Kay practically sashayed back into the front room, her wet hair swishing happily behind her. She walked around the great chair, expecting to find her mother seated there, but was instead startled by Dr. Lackhanger. He leapt up suddenly, grasped her by the shoulders and began shaking her emphatically. "You ungrateful little bitch!" he snarled, "This time you have truly gone too far! Rejecting a Barbie Dream House, an object any girl would throw herself on knives for is evil enough, but to scorn such a loving, wonderful husband you must have a terribly hate-filled soul! You are coming with me to my experimental residential program. There we will give you all the ice it takes to cool your repressed anger and subject you to as many aesthetic alterations as you need to get a firmer grip on your self worth. For it is only once you love yourself, that you can begin to love and appreciate others!" Kay struggled mightily, but she was no match for the doctor. He pushed and pulled and finally, carried her right to the front door, but he couldn't drag her out of her house because she gripped the bronze door handle and would not let go. "But I don't want plastic surgery!" she cried, "I like myself just the way I am!"
"Nonsense," Dr. Lackhanger countered," your behavior betrays your insanity. Perhaps once you have larger breasts and a smaller nose, you will come to understand what it means to be a good wife." As Dr. Lackhanger repositioned himself to get a better hold on Kay, her leg slipped down and she kicked him hard. He collapsed with an "Oof!" and Kay ran away from him, and her home, as fast as she could go. Her mother, who had been keeping a respectful distance during the struggle, suddenly ran forward and called after Kay, "We only want what's best for you!"
...and that's all i wrote
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