Cage Girl
Chapter 15
Debby’s one of those women who much prefer the company of men. Spending time with other wives would drive her crazy. That’s one of the reasons she fit in so well at the shop. So instead of spending time with the girls at the mall, Little Andy had dropped her and Susan off for a short visit while he finished up a job in the shop.
We’d come back inside after being out in the yard where I’d built a sandbox for Susan. The doorbell rang and Debby handed Susan to me as she went to answer the door. I heard voices and set Susan on the floor. Debby brought two people in behind her. The woman had short black hair, wore an open plaid shirt and short black miniskirt, torn stockings and black boots. The guy looked like just about every other guy in jeans and t-shirt except for maybe the cat whiskers on his face. They looked like tattoos.
“Hi, Andy.” It was Liz’s voice.
I was standing as Debby scooped up Susan.
“Andy just drove up.” She said to the woman, “I look forward to seeing you. Say bye bye to uncle Andy.” She waved Susan’s hand at me and left.
“Liz?” I said.
“You don’t recognize me?” She smiled and I could see two teeth were missing. “This is Simon.”
The guy nodded.
I stood there looking at the two of them.
“I wasn’t even sure you’d be alive.” She came to me, took my arm. “You feel real. I told Simon if you were here you’d show him the basement. Everything’s still there?”
“Nothings been changed.” I didn’t know what to say. “I was worried about you.”
“Andy, back then you looked like you were dead.” She let go of my arm and took Simon’s hand. “Let’s not talk about that, okay? I’m here.”
“You want anything to drink?”
Simon said, “We’re okay.”
“Dinner maybe later?”
He looked at her and shook his head. She said to me, “Debby recognized me right away. She still works for you?”
“She and Little Andy finally married a couple of months ago. June wedding. She spoils the wretch rotten. Want to sit?”
Simon looked at her. “Sorry,” she said. “This better be quick. Can we see the basement?”
“Sure.”
I no longer had the key on my key ring. I went to the kitchen and they followed. The key was in the clutter drawer and it took me a minute to find it.
“Where’s the cagemobile?”
“I sold it.” I opened the basement door, flicked on the light.
“Andy, you didn’t?”
“Everything’s the same,” I said.
“I can’t imagine you without the cagemobile.”
“Junior’s dead.”
“I heard.”
“I’m sorry.”
She was halfway down the steps, turned and looked up to me. “Why do you say that?”
“I don’t know where half of what I’m saying is coming from, Liz. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”
“That’s my cage,” Liz said to Simon who was walking across the room to it. She went down the stairs and followed him.
I went down after them. I hadn’t been here for almost two years. “Sorry about the dust.”
Simon opened the cage door and bent to look in. Liz put her right hand on his back. “No one believed me.”
I smiled, though I’d never thought to lose her this way, to a kid with cat whiskers.
Simon was sitting in the cage.
“Meow,” she said and he smiled up at her. She turned to me. “How are Derek and Mary Sue?”
“Doing well. They’ll be glad to hear you’re okay.”
Simon got out of the cage and stood.
“Isn’t this neat? Just like I said.” She turned to me. “Many girls down here after me?”
“None.”
“You’re not going to go Bogart on me, are you?”
It took me a moment to get the reference. I was Rick, of course.
“I haven’t been entirely lonely.”
“That’s good. It was bad enough what I put you through when Mary Sue was here. Remember that?"
“I remember.”
She said to Simon. “I kept throwing myself at him and he wouldn’t bite. I was shameless. Running around this place without a stitch on. I was getting worried until Mary Sue set me straight.” She looked to me. “You’re a monster. Indescribable acts of perversity.” She winked.
Simon gave her hand a tug and shot her a pointed look.
“Oh yes.” She said to me, “I need a twenty if you have it.”
I took out my billfold and took one out. “Just twenty?”
“Twenty’s perfect.” She let go of Simon’s hand. “We’re going upstairs for a minute and then I want to be in my cage.” She said over her shoulder as Simon led the way, “I’ll be right back.”
I sat on the bed. She looked great. Had a few knocks, but great. It sounded like they’d be leaving in a few minutes and I didn’t know what to say.
She came back down. “Simon’s a great guy.”
“Are those tattoos?”
“Yes, isn’t that brave?” She started to shed clothes, talking. “So any girlfriends or something like that I need to know about?”
“Nothing right now.”
“But with Mary Sue you’ve been getting some? I sure hope so.” She tossed her boot on the floor and pulled off the panty hose and then the skirt. She turned to me, laid the shirt on the bed. “You have that lock? I want you to lock me in.” She laid the tank top on her shirt. “I got a tattoo, see.” She pointed to a bit of art by her pelvic bone on her right side. I’d never thought I’d get to see that sweet expanse of skin again. Cage Girl it had in script above an image of a naked girl in a cage. She grinned at me, patted the tattoo and walked to the cage, stroked the top edge. “Okay, where’s the lock?”
I got up and looked in the drawers. She was in the cage, kneeling and smiling at me. I wasn’t used yet to the missing teeth. “You need to lock me in. You never did that. You keep the key.”
I snapped the lock closed.
“That means I can’t get out unless you let me, right?”
“Right.”
“We need to talk, don’t we?”
I sat on the bed facing her.
“You know we’re getting married, don’t you?”
I nodded.
“You’re not talking much.”
“I’m overwhelmed.”
“Remember that last night? In bed together?”
“I remember.” I had tears in my eyes.
“I couldn’t have made it without that. I want to thank you, Andy.”
I looked away.
“You talked about me dropping out of high school and then you talked about me going to college. Because I’m smart. That’s what you said. Remember?”
I nodded, turned back to her.
“I got my GED, took some tests and they accepted me at the university here with a scholarship. I start in a couple of weeks. That’s okay, isn’t it?”
“You don’t have to ask. That’s great. Just a second.” I got up and went to the bathroom and blew my nose.
“I wasn’t sure what I’d find when I got back here. I’d hoped, but God, Andy, you looked like you were dead. They’d planned on shooting you if they had to. That stupid Junior and my dad. Brain dead.” She looked up at me. “I want to be able to do stuff down here, like Derek and Mary Sue.”
“Sure, no problem. You and your friends can come over any time.”
“Shit, Andy, what are you talking about?” She rose up on her heels. “Haven’t you heard a word I’ve said?”
“You’re marrying Simon, you’re going to school. I’m happy for you. You’re welcome over here any time.”
She started laughing. “Andy, you dope. I bet you’re not even thinking that means I can get some. Come over here.” She held out her hand.
I sat by the cage and took it.
“Andy, Simon’s gay. He was at the same place I was, where I got my GED. He’s meeting the other band members, the twenty was for gas. They have a gig in Columbus.”
I was holding her hand hard, looking into her eyes. “You said you’re getting married.”
“To you, you dope. I’m eighteen, getting close to one third your age. If you don’t want to get married, I don’t care, but I meant it about doing stuff down here.” She shook her hand free and moved further away. “I sure hope you didn’t lose that key. Did you?”
I held it up, was standing.
“Well, Andy, we have some catching up to do but you have to catch me first.”
I opened the lock, then shut it. I sat on the bed watching her. “What if I don’t want to catch you?”
“You do and you know it.”
“I think I left something on the stove upstairs.” I stood.
“You have me simmering, you monster. Come back here.”
I went upstairs and called Derek and Mary Sue. I could hear her laughing downstairs. I’m not sure I made much sense to them. Then I opened a beer and went downstairs. I was going to watch some TV.
For maybe five minutes.
Cage Girl Page
Chapters 1 and 2 | Chapters 3 and 4
Chapters 5 and 6 | Chapters 7 and 8
Chapters 9 and 10 | Chapters 11 and 12
Chapters 13 and 14 | Chapter 15
