Brutality 3

The house sat atop a barren hill. When we pulled up, I heard the barking of unseen dogs. Robert turned off the car. The Gothic Girl faced forward in her seat and looked straight ahead. She said, “Clarence, don’t fuck up in this place. Be cool, don’t give them any problems and do exactly what you’re told. You’re strong enough to endure the tribulations ahead.”

“When will you be back?”

“It might be a couple months or so. This is the best place for you. This place is off the map. If there are any problems because of what happened tonight, it won’t effect you. I’m doing you a favor. Now return the favor by not embarrassing me in there. Watch yourself Clarence. There is a line here for you to walk. As long as you stick to that line, you will survive. You will emerge stronger, fiercer and more determined. But if you deviate from that line, they’ll chop you up, eat your liver and throw the rest of you out with the trash. If they don’t think that you’ll be of any use to them, they’ll castrate you, make you into a woman and sell you into slavery. I mean real slavery Clarence. So, I strongly suggest that you stay in line and make yourself seem useful.”

The Gothic Girl had me wait in the car as she went to the door. I saw a chubby white-haired maid answer. I watched the Gothic Girl enter the house as I pondered her words. My head began to throb and ache. My heart raced. There was an incessant high-pitched buzz in my ear. The Gothic Girl returned to the car, opened my door and told me to get out. She hugged me and gave me a deep, long kiss before saying, “Go inside. They’re waiting for you.”

I stood at the door clenching the handle. I took a deep breath, opened the door and crossed the threshold. There was a small foyer with coats and jackets hanging on the wall. All of the garments were black. The maid stood in a doorway on the opposite side of the foyer. She looked displeased. She said, “Hang your coat up there.”

“I’m not wearing a coat.”

“If you would open your eyes, you’d see I’m trying to help you child. I prepare all the food in this house. You give me anymore of that sass and you won’t eat.”

“I…I’m sorry…I wasn’t…”

“Never mind your smooth talk boy. Strip off your clothes.”

“Excuse me…”

“Take off your clothes. Everything. Down to your bare ass.”

It was the first time I’d ever been embarrassed to get undressed in front of a woman. I couldn’t process the situation. I took off my shirt, shoes, socks, pants and boxers. The maid never took her eyes off me. “Now hand me your clothes.” I gathered my clothes and handed them to her. “And your shoes.” I faced the maid, kept my back straight and bent my knees to pick up my shoes. I handed them to maid and she abruptly walked off, leaving me standing there naked in the foyer.

I don’t know how long I stood there waiting. It must have been at least a hour. Several times I considered hollering out “Hello” but I thought better of it. The nudity was taking a toll on me. I felt like an animal standing there naked in a strange house waiting to meet unknown and dangerous people. It wasn’t the way I liked to make a first impression.

I heard the sound of heels on a hardwood floor. Then a woman’s voice asked, “Where is he?” The heels approached the foyer. I backed up toward the door and covered my genitals with my hands. The woman appeared in the doorway. She was short, skinny and looked to be in her early-twenties. She had dirty blonde shoulder length hair, brown-eyes and wore a white silk blouse with a long black skirt. Her eyes widened and a look of disgust came over her face as looked at me standing there naked. She screamed, “What the fuck are you doing?!”

“The maid told me to give her my clothes.”

“Ira, the 65-year-old housemaid, told you to take off all your clothes?”

“Yes. And then she walked off with them.”

“Did you fuck her?”

“N...no…I…”

“Are you on drugs?”

“No.”

“You’re not high on PCP or anything like that?”

“No…Ira took my clothes.”

“Why would she do that?”

I shrugged my shoulders, “You’d have to ask Ira.”

“Ok. Here’s the problem. I have a shitty job right now. My job is to show you around, hold your hand and point you in the right direction. If you fuck up, I suffer consequences. Now, I come down here to bring you to meet Antonija and you are butt naked in the foyer.”

“I’m sorry…”

“Don’t waste my time with that shit. Hurry up and put on some clothes.”

“I don’t have any. I came here with the clothes on my back. The maid has my clothes…”

“Ira, do you have this man’s clothes?”

“No ma’am. I threw those nasty rags in the burn bin.”

“I’ll see if I can find something for you to put on. Please, for both of our sakes, don’t do anymore stupid shit before I get back.”

I stood in a corner hoping that no one else passed by and saw me. It felt like I had a huge rock in my stomach, painted on that rock in big yellow letters was the word ’HUMILIATION’. The young woman returned with a bag.

“Here. That’s all I could find. Hurry up and put it on, we have to go.”

I pulled the garments out of the bag; a pair of black spandex biker shorts and a florescent pink tank top with flowers and flamingoes on the front. I looked at the woman. She raised her eyebrows and shrugged her shoulders. I put on the shorts and shirt. The rock of humiliation grew larger, I could feel it pushing my heart up into my throat. She said, “Let’s go” and led me out the foyer into a large living room. Everything looked like an antique, even the walls and stairs. Everything seemed spotless and polished. She led me down a long hall and into a den.

Two women sat quietly in the room. They both wore long, black dresses. One was older, more modest in appearance with a black shawl and black scarf. The other one wore a black Victorian gown. She was younger with dark hair twisted in a bun and a long, shiny hairpin protruding out of each side. She didn’t look up from her magazine. The older woman set her tea down on the coffee table, rose from the couch and reached out her hand , “You must be Clarence.” I gently shook her hand and replied “Yes.”

Her smiling eyes and warm smile filled me with a sense of calm. She had an aura of benevolence, serenity and wisdom. She grabbed my hand in both of hers and squeezed. “It is a pleasure to meet you Clarence. I’ve heard a lot about you. My name is Antonija. Please, sit down.” Her voice was soft and gentle. She sat and gestured toward a chair. I said, “Thank you” and sat down. She just sat there smiling and looking at me. The younger woman flipped a page in her magazine. My guide took a seat in the chair beside me. Finally, Antonija broke the silence. “Our mutual friend seemed to be in a rush this evening. I love her dearly and am very concerned about her. What happened this evening that got her so upset?”

Her voice, the look her eyes, that motherly smile all made me want to let it all out and tell her everything that happened. Then I might be able to process the events of the evening and receive warm hugs, advice and a reassuring, “Everything will be okay” from this gentle, compassionate lady sitting in front of me. I looked over at the younger woman. She looked like she could have been the Gothic Girl’s older sister. The two hair-pins reminded me of the Gothic Girl, her ritual of placing them in her hair and her cruel use of them. Reality hit like a bucket of ice water. I looked Antonija in the eyes and said, “I don’t know what got her so upset?”

I heard my guide sigh. The expression on Antonija’s face did not change, “It’s okay Clarence, you’re in a safe place. If something happened tonight that scared you, it’s okay to talk about it here. We’re here to help you. But we need to know what’s going on in order to do that. You understand that don’t you Clarence.”

“Yes I do, and I appreciate…”

“Let me ask you something Clarence. Do you love the woman that brought you here?”

“Yes.”

“Well I love her too Clarence. I love her the same as if she were my own child. I love her as a daughter. If my daughter is in some kind of trouble, I need to know so I can help her Clarence.”

“I understand.”

“Something went wrong tonight, didn’t it Clarence?”

“N…No…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Clarence, you and I both know that isn’t the truth.”

I had a very ominous feeling. I remembered the Gothic Girl saying “as long as you stick to that line, you will survive.” I had already stated that I didn’t know what Antonija was talking about and I would stick to that “line” for better or for worse. I said, “I’m sorry Antonija. I really don’t know what got her upset. And I didn’t see anything happen or go wrong.”

She continued to give me her kind, compassionate look, and with her soft, sweet voice she said, “You’re a liar.” She stood up. I rose from my chair as she stood. She said, “We’ll talk later Clarence. Make yourself at home and have a pleasant evening. Lavinia wishes to speak with you, after that, Lenore will take you to your room. Goodnight Clarence.”

“Good night Antonija.” I sat back down feeling that things might not be too bad here. I still felt very uncomfortable in the spandex shorts and tank top. I turned to my guide, “Lenore, right? Is there any way I can get some different clothes?”

“What do you mean?”

I heard the magazine land on the table with a smack. I looked at the younger woman. She was the one I would come to know as Lavinia. She looked at me with scorn and asked, “What the fuck? Were you doing jazzercise before you came here? Why are you dressed like that?”

“The maid took my clothes.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

“What the fuck do you know Clarence? Nevermind, I already know your answer, ‘I don‘t know‘ huh? I cannot believe that you have the nerve to come into my Aunt’s den dressed like a gay prostitute and lie right in her face.”

“I wasn’t…” My guide nudged my arm with her elbow. I continued, “I would never do anything to disrespect your Aunt.”

“Since everything out of your mouth so far has been a lie, I’m going to have to find a way to encourage you to tell me the truth. Do you know where you are?”

“No.”

“Of course you don’t. But you have an idea. We’re going to go downstairs. You are going to follow and do exactly what I tell you to do. Do you understand me?” Her voice wasn’t soft and sweet. It was cold and hard. A voice in my head said, “Stick to the line.” I replied to Lavinia, “Yes, I understand.”

She rose and I followed her out the room. Lenore followed closely behind.