|
SirRajah2 -> Coming of Age chapter 1 of 32 (3/10/2015 5:26:12 AM)
|
COMING OF AGE
“The unwanted journey to dominance”
Chapter One, the Beginning
Treasure sat in the study curled up on the sofa, her feet tucked under her, a light grey woolen shawl was tucked around her shoulders. A year had passed since her Masters death. Seven years and four months earlier, he collared her. She was the property of Phillip Dubois from the House of Dubois, a Grand Master in the Society De Sade.
Treasure, lost in her daydreams, she toyed with a strand of her long red hair, she wrapped it lazily around her fingers then she let it go and she would wrap it again. Treasure was reliving old memories some were from her childhood.
She remembered, a time when she was a happy 6-year-old living in Kenner Louisiana a small town across the River from New Orleans. She was playing in her yard, one hot summer day, when her mom and dad came out of the house her father picked her up and kissed her. Heather, he said, baby we are going to go to the store. We will be right back. Go in the house. Watch TV. If you get hungry there is peanut butter and jelly, and the bread is in the breadbox. “Okay daddy, bye mom.”
The day turned to night. Heather sat waiting for her mom and dad to come home. She had already had two sandwiches. Heather closed the front door. She sat in her daddy’s chair watching TV, waiting for her parents to come home.
When she awoke, it was light out. She called out for her mom and then her dad, no one answered. She looked out the windows her patent’s car was not out in the driveway. Where could they be? Heather began to cry; she left the house, and ran to the neighbor’s house and banged on their door. “Please help me.”
“What’s wrong child?”
“My mommy and daddy did not come home.” Heather cried.
“Come in here child.” She called her husband.
“What is it you want old lady?”
“Don’t old lady me.”
“I said come here.”
“Ok, ok.”
“Go next door find this girl’s mommy and daddy.”
“But Ma’am, they aren’t there.” Heather cried out. He went next door looked all around there was no one home. “Hon, there ain’t no one there.”
“Go down the corner and get the Constable, tell him to get up here.” She whispered in Cletus’ ear. He left in a trot to fetch the Constable.
Cletus caught the Constable as he crossed Hatcher Street. The Constable listened to him. “Where is that child now?”
“She is with my wife.”
“What’s the address?”
“2110 River Road.”
“Ok. I’ll call the station and get the detectives over there.”
The blue and white police car pulled up to Heather’s house. The Constable got out of the car. One asked, “Who was Heather?”
“I’ am.” She replied.
“All right honey, come here tell us what went on here last night.” Heather told them her name and that her patents did not come home.
The Constable told his partner to call the detectives the first Constable took Heather into the house and they searched it. “Let’s wait on the porch awhile ok.” Heather nodded her head, she was telling the Constable about her dolls, and toys when the two detectives a man and a woman arrived, the woman said, “Well, aren’t you a pretty little girl.” Heather smiled. “Come here honey,” she said. “You two go pack her clothes and toys, and put them in the back of my car, and boys lock up the house. Heather, you will have to come with us.”
“I can’t leave; I want my mommy and daddy.” Heather began to cry.
“Heather, you mommy and daddy were in a real bad accident last night, they won’t be coming home.” The detective picked her up. “Come on honey, we will take you some place safe.”
“I want my dollies.” Heather cried out.
“Ok, sweetie, let’s go get it,” He put Heather down, and held her hand while they searched the house.
Heather found her two dolls. “Here they are,” she said. Heather clutched them to her chest. “Oh boys, if you find any pictures pack those too, ok?”
The detective carried Heather to the car, the woman was writing a report, and he put Heather in the back seat. The woman turned around looked at Heather sitting all alone in the back seat, she said, “Come here girl.” Heather climbed over the seat and she clung to the woman for dear life.
The detectives arrived at Saint Paul’s; a nun was waiting at the door to take her. The detective told the nun that the court would decide what to do with her, but for now, she was their responsibility. Sister Teresa shook her head; she knew the drill. “Come Heather, let’s get you situated,” the sister, said. Sister Teresa took her to a room with five other girls. Heather was shy she lay on her bed, hugging her dolls, and crying. The other girls gathered around her. “What’s the matter?” a little brown-headed girl asked.
Heather cried, “My mommy and daddy are gone.”
The little brown-headed girl said, “So is mine they left me here.”
“Really,” Heather said.
“Yea, so did mine.”
“Mine too.” The other girl chimed in.
“Shhh, we have to be quiet, that sister will punish us if we talk too loud.”
Heather became very sad and cried herself to sleep. Heather spent several months at St. Paul’s she learned to be quiet and not speak until spoken too. The nuns threatened to punish the girls harshly if they disobeyed. Heather became more and more withdrawn and submissive.
Six months had passed since Heather came to stay at Saint Paul’s orphanage. The courts declared her a ward of the state and had her transferred to an orphanage next to the city market. One day, two matronly women picked her up with her lone suitcase and her dolls, and took her to the state orphanage.
After they arrived at the orphanage, the women took Heather into a room, stripped off all her clothes, then an old doctor examined her; he looked her all over, listened to her heart, and lungs, and then told the nurse, to give her the three shots in her arms. Another woman gave her a blue sack dress and ugly black lace-up shoes. Heather received a cloth sack with three blue gingham dresses, three pairs of white socks, three pairs of white underwear, two dingy white sheets, and a pillowcase. She silently watched them sort through everything in her suitcase separating it into two piles, one pile she kept the other pile she would never saw again.
The woman grabbed her arm, “grab your stuff come with me,” she scowled. Heather held on tightly to her things. The woman took her to a long narrow room, with one row of twelve beds down each side of the room, a narrow aisle down the center separated them; and a small white cabinet separated each bed. The woman took her to the third bed on the left. “This is your bed; that is your cabinet, you sleep here; you put your stuff there. Now hurry up, you’re late for dinner.” The mean old woman stood there, her hands on her hips, tapping her foot waiting for Heather to put her stuff away.
Heather put her stuff in the cabinet; she was still holding her dolls.
“Leave the dolls,” she said to Heather, put the dolls in the cabinet. Heather tried to hide them as best she could. “Now come on child.” Heather followed the old crone to the dining room.
“Hey you,” another voice said. “Come here.” Heather turned to see a woman in a white apron; she was holding a cup, a bowl, and a spoon. Here take this and go find a seat and eat. When you are done, bring the bowl spoon, cup back here, and put them in the trays. Spoons here, “look at me,” cups here, bowl there; “you got that?” Heather nodded and began crying. She walked to the closest table, and sat down. She tasted the food in the bowl. Heather made a face, “yuck,” she said.
“Hush, they will beat you for talking,” the girl beside her whispered. “You better eat some.” She put her hand in her pocket and took out a napkin, wrapped up in the napkin was some brown sugar. “Put this on it, “she whispered. Heather dumped the sugar in the bowl then stirred it, tasted it, the stuff still tasted awful, she didn’t know what it was.
“Quiet.” a voice boomed. Heather jumped. “There is no talking in the dining hall, now hurry up.” The woman walked around the room. The girls ate faster; the noise of the spoons on the metal bowls grew louder and louder until there was silence. One by one, the girls got up from the tables, put their dishes in the dishpans, and scurried out of the room. The girl beside her said, “Hurry up, come on.” Heather got up took her dishes up to the window and put them in the pans.
The new girl and Heather left the room. “Hurry run,” the girl said, they ran down the hall to their room. The girl grabbed Heather pulled her into the bathroom, “Shhh, my name is Kate, what is yours?”
I’m Heather.”
Kate ran to the end of the bathroom and into a stall. She poked her head around the stall motioned for Heather to come. Heather walked down to the stall. Kate pulled her in, “ok, listen to me and do as I do, don’t talk, don’t look at them, and don’t let them touch you ok. Now go to your bed and stand at the end of it like I do, ok.” Kate took off running. Heather followed. Heather could not find her bed. She ran to the end of the room, another girl said, “You’re up there,” and pointed; “better hurry.” Heather ran, stood at the end of her bed just as the other twenty-three girls did.
A woman Heather hadn’t seen before walked into the room, she walked down the aisle she stopped and looked at Heather, “Why isn’t your bed made?” Heather was terrified she just looked down at the floor. “Answer me.”
Heather said softly, “I just got here today.”
“Well, make it up now.” Heather took out the sheets and tried to make the bed. The woman yelled at the girl beside her, “you; help her.” The older girl next to her helped Heather make her bed. Heather with tears in her eyes looked at the girl and said softly, “I’m sorry, she yelled at you.” The older girl smiled and touched Heather’s hand and mouthed the words, “It will be alright.”
The woman walked to the end then back to the door. Odd numbered beds will take a shower tonight. She unlocked a great white cabinet took a pile of towels out and put them on the table. “You have one hour. The rest of you clean the room.” The woman locked the cabinet and slammed the door behind her. Kate ran to Heathers bed, “you’re odd like me. We have to hurry, come on.” There were two showers. Kate and Heather got in the line. The girls washed quickly, they knew the hot water would run out soon, some of the girls showered together to get done quicker.
When it was their turn to shower Kate pulled off her clothes and hung them on the hook she looked at Heather who was still dressed “Come on,” she said, she pulled Heather’s dress up over her head and pulled it off her.
“Hurry up or get out of the way you’re holding up the line.” Heather kicked off her shoes and pulled off her socks and underwear. Kate and Heather showered together, they dried off ran to their cabinets and got dressed. The even numbered girls were still cleaning, “come on let’s help them,” Kate said. “If we help them clean we will have some free time before bed time. The girls worked, and they spoke in whispers. When they finished cleaning the old witch, as the kids called her, came in and inspected the room. She pointed out a few things and said, “Fix those then you can have free time until nine o’clock.”
Kate and Heather sat beside Heather’s bed on the floor. “I have been here for two years,” Kate said. “You have to do as I do so you won’t get punished.”
“How do they punish you?”
“They put you in a closet.”
“How long are you in there?”
“All day long, it is dark and wet and very creepy. You can’t get out to pee or nothing.” Heather shivered, “oh yuck,” she said, “I will be your shadow, I will be just like you.”
“Yea,” Kate, whispered, the girls talked until the witch came back.
“Girls; in the bed now, it is nine o’clock.” The witch closed the door, turned off the light. The girls whispered in the dark to each other, until one by one they fell asleep. A couple of the girls tiptoed down to Heathers bed to say hello and to introduce themselves.
Heather could not sleep, she was terrified, she tried to sleep all she could muster from her body were tears, she lay awake all night.
Morning came early, another woman came in “wake up, wake up, let’s go, and get dressed go pee, wash your hands and face, and go to breakfast.” She turned and left the room. The girls scurried around. Kate grabbed Heather and handed her a small handkerchief, “Take this, and do what I do.” They slowly walked to the dining hall. They waited in line, took a bowl of mush, picked up a spoon, cup, and found a seat at the table.
Heather thought there must be 100 girls here, from her age to girls almost grown. Kate took the sugar dish poured some into her handkerchief then Heather did the same they would save it for later. The girls finished breakfast, went to their room, and hid the sugar. “Its Saturday let’s go out,” Kate said. Heather followed her into the play yard, “Come on,” Kate said. Kate pulled the fence open and squeezed through, “come on Heather.” They ran down the alley into the city market. Kate snuck up to a vendor’s stall and picked up two oranges, the girls ran giggling all the way back to the alley to safety. Kate leaned up against the iron railed fence that surrounded the cemetery, she handed an orange to Heather. “You had better eat that it’s the best thing you’ll have to eat all day.”
The girls filled up on fruit and the other things they could steal or beg. One old man threw them a candy bar. They grabbed them and ran. “Hey, we got to go.” They ran back to the alley, back into the yard, and walked into the building. “Where have you been?”
“Outside playing,” Heather said
“What were you playing?”
“Hide and seek, I am a really good hider.” Heather skipped off to the room followed by Kate.
“Wow, That was neat you, fooled the head crone.” Kate giggled.
Heather smiled.
Heather and Kate became thick as thieves, every day after school they would sneak off to the market or go down to the levee. They would sit, talk, and watch the river and the ships go by. Heather and Kate dreamed of leaving that horrid place. They dreamed of going home. Heather dreamed of going home to her mommy and daddy.
The girls even thought that running away to any place, any place was better than here. Early one morning when it was still dark, the old crone woke Heather. “Come with me child, get your dolls.” Another woman cleaned out her cabinet packing her belongings in a bag. Heather looked for Kate. She was down in her bed. Heather went from the room to the front hall; the old crow introduced the sleepy eyed girl to Mister and Mrs. Jordene. “This is Heather Richards. Heather, you are going to go live with the Jordene’s.” The old crow opened the door, the cool morning air rushed in. Thomas Jordene picked up Heather and they walked out into the still dark morning. Heather looked back; she looked at the windows, where was Kate? Thomas put Heather in the back seat. Heather pressed her face to the door glass, where was Kate? Heather began to cry as the car pulled into the darkness.
|
|
|
|
