PART TWO f – the Bad Thing

  "Feel better?"

  "Technically, yeah. Uh… what do we do now?"

  "What. I don't get horsewhipped for making suggestions?"

  "Not with our daughter in the bedroom, honey. Show some parenting. What would we be teaching her."

  "Ha ha ha. Suggestion number one? Leave me here, to gently rock the baby to sleep. I guess I got this for now. We might be coming in for a nding soon."

  "What… do I do, you think?"

  "Well? Entertain kid number two. So she doesn't walk in here again, and see this, would you? Take your keys, and lock the door behind you."

  "What… should I tell her."

  "Well, let's ball the truth up and toss that out the fucking window. Pretty much anything else is better."

  "Yeah. Well. Daughter number two is waiting patiently for her breakfast. I'm not exactly mom of the year myself, I fed her coffee for a te breakfast. I'll feed her, and see if I can get anything to stay down in me."

  "Maybe, get her out of the house, go work out. In case she cuts loose again. I'm not the expert you are on that prediction."

  "Best guess? This is… looks like some kind of a state of shock, profound depression, some kind of temporary fugue state. I think it'll pass. Shouldn't take forever."

  "Is it risking anything, not to have medical care?"

  "Eh. They'd just sedate her. Ride it out."

  "You have a little hand cash. Enough to take daughter number two into town? Pizza for te breakfast, at lunchtime."

  "Yeah."

  "Best option. I'm trying not to think where number three is, and what the hell she's up to, and with who."

  "Lord only knows. I… don't feel up to running in the summer heat. Not fair to ask number two to run, while I stand around and shout do more ps."

  "Yeah. Pizza for lunchtime breakfast. Go."

  "I'll tell her Light came down with some kind of a flu bug or something. Sudden thing."

  "Any lie is better than the truth."

  "You need anything?"

  "Uh… if I get her in for a nding? You said they'd sedate her. Home remedy for sedation, to take the edge off her nervous shock…"

  "She's not a big drinker. Small juice gss of room temperature brandy. Follow that up with a joint about as big around as your dick."

  "Can I get a prescription for that?"

  "Shit's on the nightstand. I'll bring the brandy up and leave it before I go."

  I turned to leave.

  "Hey…"

  "Yeah?"

  "Put some pants on, before you go into town?"

  "Oh. Good call…"

  I went out and took the other remaining "daughter" for breakfast, and some junk store shopping. When I got back, I left number two watching TV and went back to my room, where ostensibly Wiz was seeing to Light. While she was sick with her sudden flu. That left the image of a girl puking and dizzy, hence the needed care in a closed room. Somehow? That image I provided, gave Right the idea that it somehow "expined" her talking to us te and not feeling well and in so doing, fell asleep and we didn't want to wake her.

  Anything but the god's truth was preferable to it.

  I was prepared for anything as I went back in, and locked the door once I was inside. Light had during the intervening period discovered that Wizzy would not, in fact, float away if she let go of him. She was humming to herself, like a little kid. One hand out and on his midsection, her knees to her ankles up against him. Otherwise in a more or less loose curled up fetal position. I asked if it was okay to touch her as I got onto the bed to join them. She nodded. I id down behind her and hugged her. She had regained the power of speech, and though it was dull and bnk it was a welcome sign.

  "I didn't… fuck him while you were gone."

  "Thanks. Its fine if you did though."

  "Its not fair."

  "I know its not fair what happened to you, dear. Not at all."

  "No. Not fair. You and Wizzy taking care of me."

  "Its fine, Light. This will pass."

  "I'm a little better."

  "That's good."

  "What did I screw up today, I wonder."

  "Oh. You didn't screw anything up. You? Haven't done a thing wrong. Nothing is your fault, in my book. It shouldn't be at all your fault, in your own book, either. I'd say forgive yourself? But, there's nothing to forgive."

  "I still shouldn't have wore the dress. There's that. It makes them do it. Which is okay, as long as you wear it for the right guy. You… need to promise me, Hurry. Don't… let this stop you. From wearing a… get lucky. If its for him? Its… a good thing. The same thing that's bad? Is good. Just like rape is bad, and sex is good, but they're both the same."

  "I'm gonna burn that damn dress."

  "I have more. Its fine."

  She made a forced, stale giggle come out.

  "Mom buys me plenty. Closet's full of them. More? Just get delivered. Hell, I bought them, when you think about it. I can give them to whoever I want. Take any one you want, anytime you want. I don't care. I wish you could wear my shoes. I have some cute ones. You'd look hot in some of my boots, Hurry. I saw you in the farm girl boots. I'm sure of it."

  Talking about cute clothes? Safe subject. She's a young kid, talking clothes is her hand touching home base. Talking clothing, is hiding under the covers, where the scary monster can't get you.

  "Hmm. What kind of boots for me, you think?"

  "Uh. Six inch fuck me heels, those high leather ones, up to the knees or over? You'd look hot as fuck. You're taller than me, and you got those legs. Your calves are big enough to shape them out, and your thighs? Out the top? Yeah… you'd walk around, looking 6 foot 6… those muscles… I bet Wizzy would just drop to his knees when you walked in with a wham bam and those bad bitches on. Something that showed your tummy muscles? Mm. He'd beg you to spit on him, I guarantee it."

  "Yeah. I'll look into those."

  "Or…"

  "Yeah?"

  "Elf boots."

  "Huh?"

  "Thin heels, even fts. High leather, but soft suede. He'd love those, too."

  "And the wham bam."

  "Fuck yeah. You'd be the man-eater you always wanted to be."

  "We'll look at boots on the internet for fun when you're feeling better one day."

  "Is this… getting better? Cause I felt better, when I was still all fucked up, to tell you the truth you know."

  I sighed.

  "My daddy? Got hurt once. Wrenched his back. Working. Something real heavy. Went to the chiropractor. Every time he went, twice a week? He hurt from the adjustment. But it hurt a little less, every week. Couple months ter? Adjustments felt better and better. That's how this will go. Every session? This… gets less and less, till it goes away. Then? Sessions get better and better."

  "And… I can start not being… 14?"

  "Yeah. By the time you graduate? You'll be… 17, pushing 18. Then? No one will know. I think you were an adult 14, so… an adult 18, will be a sight to behold. You… pull it off damn well, working 14 for all its worth. Lots of people can't tell."

  "I feel bad. Using you, like this. Its not fair to you."

  "Its fair."

  "How could it be?"

  "I'm… kind of using you, dear."

  "How. What do I do for you…"

  "I feel like… I'm using you, to get my ring. You and Right both. I'm not good enough to py up there full time and get it? And you two can. So, I need you."

  "Hmm. So, its a little bit fair?"

  "Its a lot fair."

  "Don't sweat it."

  "What…"

  "Don't sweat using me for that. Its fine."

  "Well, thanks."

  "It doesn't hurt. Mom? Used me, and it hurt. You using me, your way? Feels good. And it gets me a ring too."

  She whispered.

  "Use me all you want. Everyone else does. All I'm good for."

  He shushed her.

  "You shouldn't talk like that."

  "Okay. Wizzy?"

  "Yeah, Light."

  "Was… that love?"

  "What."

  "What we did. You… made me feel better. We didn't fuck. So… that makes it, what isn't sex, is love because its left over. Right, Hurry?"

  "For your first description? Yeah, that's a good one. Want another example?"

  "Sure."

  "Sex. Is when you… make yourself feel better. Right?"

  "Yeah. Feels good."

  "Well… its love? When it makes you feel better, only when you know you're making the other person feel better. Then, they do it back the same way. They make themselves feel better, by making you feel better. You each do for the other, not for yourselves."

  "Hmm. But, if sex makes me feel good, and he's having the same sex making himself feel better… both feel better. Isn't that the same thing?"

  "Its… sort of the same? But trust me, love is better. The first time you make yourself feel better, only by making the other person feel better? You'll feel it. And you'll never want to go back, to just sex."

  "Wizzy?"

  "Yeah, Light."

  "Did… it make you feel better, to make me calm down?"

  "Uh… well, let's see here. Seeing you like that? Makes me feel, kind of a pain in my stomach. Like I'm being stabbed, and the knife is being twisted around. Then, when I got you calmed down? Yeah, it made me feel better. Because… the pain, of seeing you go through that? Went away."

  "Aw. You loved me. Just a little bit, then."

  "Yeah, Light. I did."

  "Thanks."

  "You get some brandy and some smoke into her?"

  "Yeah. Couple fingers of brandy. I did it the way she's used to."

  "Which is?"

  "She's out of it. So? I just poured it into her mouth, and held her nose. It went down. It really does work."

  "Stop it!"

  "Its… a little funny. Let him go."

  "I'm gonna let him go all right, I gonna let him go and beat him with a stick, he keeps saying shit like that."

  "You can't beat people with a stick, for making someone feel better, Hurry. My mom used to kick me for trying to be good. You can't do that."

  "I know."

  "God. I wish my mom would just die already. I'd kill her, but if I have to go to jail for it, then she wins. Only reason that bitch sucks air, I swear I could do it. I know I could."

  "Light?"

  "Yeah, Wizzy."

  "You? Don't have to hurt your mother. Or that rich guy, or his asshole son. Even though they deserve to be hurt, for what they did."

  "Why… I can't, but what if I could, why shouldn't I."

  "Because… people like that? They take care of themselves."

  "They… hurt themselves?"

  "In a way? Yeah, they do."

  "Really…"

  "Oh yeah. You know Buddhism? Karma."

  "Not really."

  "See, I was raised with a religion. A religion that says, that people are all basically good. That they want to do the right thing, if only everyone tried… and… I don't believe all people are good. Your mom, for instance."

  "Yeah. What about her."

  "To me? She's bad. So bad, she's just pin evil. An evil person. Now, my religion I grew up with? Says, its not my pce to judge. I have to forgive and forget, and let people like her keep fucking everyone over, because some piece of paper says so. Well… I ended up believing in Karma."

  "Tell me about it."

  "Oh, I will. See, this makes more sense. Everyone, is neither good nor evil. They just… are. You have a choice, every time you do anything, to do good or to do bad. You just know right from wrong, and I can't see any way your mom could figure she was doing anything right, anything good. Same goes for the rich guy and his son. They know they're doing bad, doing wrong. I'm just sure of it."

  "When does Karma kick in?"

  "Well. You pour out energy. Every day, every way, everything you do. Whatever you throw out there, it comes back on you. Double. Now… if you do good things most of the time? Then, more good things come back to you. I can prove this works."

  "Okay."

  "See. You're going to get better. You're going to wanna work out. You… will want to run farther and faster, than ever before, right?"

  "Probably."

  "Now, that's going to make your legs hurt, your feet hurt. Even your shoulders are going to hurt, from the way you jump and kick, and nd on the ground. Sore, right?"

  "Oh yeah."

  "Now. You know what I'm gonna do for you?"

  "What…"

  "I'm gonna do for you? What I do for Hurry here."

  "Bang me silly?"

  "No. I'm going to do another thing I do for her. She likes it, more than me banging her, I think."

  "What's that… sounds like it must be great…"

  "Well. I get her in the tub after she works out? And… I rub her shoulders. I rub her legs, I rub her feet. I… file all her nails and use a stone on her. Then? I put her on a towel, and I give her a full body rubdown. With hot liniment, then oil, the works."

  "Oh. She talked about that. She… kinda brags…"

  "Yeah. Well… if she allows?"

  "Hmm."

  "I'm gonna do that for you, too."

  "Oh."

  "Yeah. You get to y next to her, and you can talk about whatever girl shit girls talk about, while the spa guy gives them that. Now… I do that… I'm putting good karma out, right?"

  "Oh. That, would be, like… awesome karma…"

  "Right. So, one day, when someone does something good for me? That, is my positive energy, my good karma, coming home to me. I attract good karma, by putting good karma out. Doesn't mean I get all good karma all day every day. But over time, I put more good karma out, I should tend to get more back."

  "I like that. It sounds nice. The rubdown, and karma too."

  "Now. Bad karma? It works the same way. Imagine someone ran around, punching people in the nose. That's their thing. Hi. Punch in the nose. Hello. Punch in the nose. Goodbye? Nose punch. Now… one day? Someone comes along and wants to punch someone in the nose. Guess who they're gonna do it to? The guy that puts that bad karma out, attracts the bad karma back. Usually double. You put good karma out? You get twice as much good karma back. You put bad karma out? You get twice as much bad karma back. That's how the universe works. Pretty simple."

  "So. My mom, the guy, his son. Someone will just come along, and they'll get their bad karma one day."

  "Oh. Definitely. I promise it'll happen. I'm just sure of it. Because that's how the universe works. It will happen eventually. See, they did what they did? Because they figured they could do whatever they wanted, to a sweet but helpless 14 year old girl. That's… horrible karma to throw out there. Man, when that kind of karma finally comes back on them double? They'll be done for. One day, they'll screw around, like they always do. And… they'll piss off the wrong person. And when that day comes. Karma comes home to roost."