George Perry - The willing wife

"Did she give you any trouble?" the woman interrupted.

"Naw," Al answered for Tom. "We took her by surprise and she didn't let out a peep."

The man and woman eyed her from head to toe as the boys continued to tell about the adventure, and Jan felt as though they saw her as an object on a shelf. There was a critical, almost angry look on their faces and it never seemed to change. Good news, bad news, it didn't matter, Jan told herself. They were suspicious people and didn't show their emotions to anyone.

"I'd like to use the bathroom," Jan said softly, directing it at the woman. For a moment she wondered if the woman heard her, the way she seemed to ignore the request. A noise distracted Jan from repeating the request and she turned to see a group of young children in filthy clothes gathering alongside the car.

"Did you have enough money for gas?" the man asked Tom, still staring at Jan.

"Made it there okay," Tom said. "But we had to use her money to get back."

"And eats?" the man asked.

"Got hamburgers last night, like you told us," Tom answered. "Cost a dollar and a quarter each. Ask Al. That's why we needed her money for gas."

"Don't matter," the man said. "Just as long as everything worked out right."

"Sounds awful dear for chopmeat," the woman added.

"Ask Al… or Mike… we didn't even have enough to get something to wash it down."

"You mean they charge for water too?" the man asked.

"Naw. I meant coffee or…"

"Water's just as good," he said, cutting Tom off. "At least you had meat. We had potato soup again."

"The bathroom is inside," the woman finally said to Jan. "No sense standing out here. It's getting dark."

As they led her toward the house, Jan noted how run-down the place was. The whole scene sent a cold chill through her. There must have been close to thirty children, she, told herself, still unable to understand what kind of place it was.

"Don't expect nothing, fancy," the woman was saying over her shoulder as they entered the almost dark house. "Can't afford electricity… but then we usually go to bed when the sun goes down and don't notice it anyway."

Someone lit a kerosene lamp and Jan realized they were in a room that resembled a living room, but without all the furnishings of a living room. Candles were being lit in the next room and Jan followed the woman's lead toward the fuckering lights, while someone brought up the rear with the kerosene lamp. It was a larger dining room and she couldn't see much more than the large table, surrounded by an assortment of wooden chairs. Then the woman turned and started to untie Jan's hands.

"Bathroom is in the hall," she said. "You'll need a candle to see."

A young boy stepped up with a candle. "Think I should keep an eye on her?" he asked the woman seriously, handing Jan the saucer that held the candle.

"Just leave the lady be," the woman said. "Ain't nothing she can do and no place to run… so give her some breathing room."

The boy backed off without comment, though Jan could see a look of disappointment on his face. Then he led her out into a large hall and down to a door at the end of it, which he opened for her. Jan found herself giving him a slight smile as she walked into the dark bathroom. She closed the door and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the door had a hook and eye to lock it closed.

She lingered in the bathroom for as long as she felt she dared, not wanting to do anything at this point to aggravate her situation with the old couple. When she opened the door her little admirer was standing there in total darkness, waiting patiently. He led her to the kitchen, where the others were gathered.

"You must be hungry," the woman said.

"Yes. I'm famished," Jan answered politely.

"We don't have any of that fancy food," the woman said from the stove, where she was preparing something. "But you're welcome to eat the same as we eat."

Tom indicated her place at the kitchen table, while Al and the old man began shooing the younger children off to bed. Then the woman placed a bowl before Jan which contained a thick, white, lumpy mush. Jan swallowed hard, trying not to display the sudden rejection her knotted stomach was signaling.

"Potato soup," the woman announced flatly. "Cheap but filling."

"Won't kill you," the man said, seeing Jan's apparent reluctance to try it.

Then Tom added his encouragement by saying, "Tastes pretty good. Especially when you dunk the bread in. Ma's bread is delicious all by itself… and dunked in the gravy it's really great."

Jan ventured a taste, taking just a little on the tip of the tablespoon they had given her. It wasn't too bad, and she ate with more confidence. As she ate, they offered her some of the facts leading to her abduction.

"Ma" and "Pa", as they referred to themselves, were trying to operate an orphanage for these "poor young things". However, they ran out of money and couldn't get aid from any outside source. They got the idea from the newspapers that the best way to get what they needed was to kidnap someone. "They're all doing it," Pa added. "All them Commies and weirdos are doing it for causes that ain't right to begin with. All we're asking for is enough money to feed and clothe these young children."

However, whenever Jan asked a question to probe a little deeper into the problem, they cut her off by telling her they'd already said more than they should. But one fact was made very clear to her. Regardless of whether the plan worked or not, she would be released unharmed.

"We never planned to hurt nobody," Ma said. "That's why we picked someone connected with a bank. The bank can afford to lose money because nobody gets hurt. We even feel bad about the inconvenience we caused you and your husband… but we just had to do what we did. When you get home, though, you'll still have a house and all your money."

Shortly after she finished eating they showed her to her room. A small room on the third floor, with a bed and two wooden chairs. In the dim candlelight it appeared to be clean enough, she noted, grateful for small favors. The door didn't have a lock, but they warned her that it was useless to try to escape. Then they left her with a candle, some wooden matches and a large aluminum pot that was to serve as a bed pan.

Once alone, Jan checked the room more closely. She wasn't the least bit tired, she realized, remembering the long sleep she had had in the trunk of the car. But the room didn't offer anything to pass the time, not even a book or magazine to read, and she finally decided to get undressed and climb into bed. She knew she'd have to live in the clothes she had on for the next few days, so she carefully folded them on one of the chairs. As an after-thought, she took off her bra and panties too.

As she climbed into bed she wondered if she shouldn't go back for her underwear. The bed only had one sheet over the mattress and she wasn't used to sleeping with a rough blanket against her soft skin. She sat up straight, tucked the pillow behind her back and tried to think out the dilemma she was in. There was a sound at the door and she saw it open slowly, and she quickly pulled the blanket up to her chin to cover her naked breasts.

"Who's there?" she called out.

"Me," a low voice answered, followed by the appearance of her little admirer.

"What do you want?" she asked softly but sternly.

"I couldn't sleep," he answered, closing the door behind him so the others wouldn't hear them. "I wanted to see if you needed anything. I brought you a glass of water… just in case."

"Thank you, but I'm fine," she said as he put the glass of water on one of the chairs. "What's your name?"

"David," he answered, standing beside the bed and looking at her with sad, puppy-like eyes that seemed to be begging for some attention.