On the phone, Step-Mom seemed different from her usual self. She sounded
withdrawn, distracted. She had always been really perky, lively. People
said that Sue, my sister, had gotten Step-Mom’s personality. It’s why she
was so popular, why she was on the pep squad and almost every other
after-school group. I’d never been nearly that active – *or* popular –
in High School. Oh, I had dated some, and I even had a boyfriend I’d
had sex with, but when I got to college I was still a little shy.
From one week to the next, though, Step-Mom changed. And suddenly I couldn’t
get Sue on the phone or get her to return my calls.
“Is something wrong, Step-Mom?”
“No, nothing’s wrong. We’ve just had a few changes around here.”
“Like what?”
“Oh you’ll see at Spring Break. By the way, Sue quit the pep squad.”
“She quit?!”
“Yes. She quit all her school activities. She’s a real homebody these
days.”
“Step-Mom, that’s not like her! What’s going on?”
“Nothing’s wrong! Stop worrying. She has,” and Step-Mom made a short little
laugh, “*other* interests now.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ll see.”
It bothered me. I thought Sue must be depressed about something. It had
to be boy trouble. I couldn’t wait until I got home to talk with her.
If she and Step-Mom wanted to be coy, Step-Dad would tell me what was happening.
Oh Step-Daddiekins! I was his special girl and he was my Papa Teddy Bear. I
knew he loved me more even than Sue, though he would never admit
something like that. “Oh,” he’d say, “I love you both the same.” He
would tell me what was going on!
I thought about all this as I drove home. It made me drive so fast I
almost got a ticket, but the trooper let me off with a warning, I guess
because I go to A&M.
When I got to the house the cars were in the driveway, but no one
seemed to be home. I called as I walked though the rooms. There was no
answer.
Then I heard Step-Dad’s voice, coming through the basement door.
Was that Step-Daddiekins? It sounded like him, but there was something
wrong, something strange. His voice was deeper than usual, and
commanding. That wasn’t like him. There was something almost diabolical
about it. It scarcely seemed to be his voice at all.
I guess it sounds stupid, but I had to force myself to go into the
basement. I felt like it was one of those horror films. “Don’t go into
the basement,” I whispered to myself, to make a joke of it, but it
didn’t help.
I slipped through the basement door and crept down the stairs. It as
Step-Dad’s voice all right. He was saying terrible things: “Suck it, slut.
That’s right. Suck it.” There was a smacking sound and a woman’s voice
cried, as though through a gag. I almost turned and ran, but I had to
see what was happening.
I tiptoed to the landing. That’s where I saw it. Oh my God!
The first person I saw was Step-Mom, though I didn’t know it was her at
first. She was standing, slumped really, her hands stretched above her
head by chains connected to a water pipe! I couldn’t understand. She
was naked except for a black hood like they put on prisoners in Iraq,
and her breasts were crisscrossed with thin, pink lines .
I started panting. I couldn’t catch my breath! How long did I look at
her?
Then there was that sound again, like a slap. Another muffled cry. Step-Dad
was saying terrible things again. I knelt down on the landing, to peek.
Oh no!
Step-Dad and Sue were both standing there naked. Sue was bowing from the
waist, all the way down to Step-Dad’s penis, and she was sucking it!
She was wearing a blindfold. Her arms went straight along her sides,
almost level with the floor, though they weren’t tied, and her hands
were curled into fists. Step-Dad held her head with his left hand, ever so
tightly by her hair, and thrust himself into her mouth over and over.
He had a crop in his right hand. Every so often he would whip her ass
with it, and she would jerk and bleat around his penis, but she never
tried to get away and she never moved her arms. “That’s right, slut.
Suck it. You’re good. You’re better than your mother.” He hit her
again.
I kept staring.
I don’t know how long I was there. It seemed forever. At some point I
knew Step-Dad had seen me. How long had he known I was there? He was looking
straight at me, but not as though he was at all concerned. He struck
Sue extra hard and she quivered all over for a moment and cried louder,
but she still didn’t try to get away. She seemed to suck harder.
Step-Dad began to get breathless, like he was close, but he never took his
eyes off me. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t even look
away. Why wasn’t Sue struggling? What had he done to Step-Mom? Then Step-Dad
spoke to me in that guttural voice. Only two words. He said, “You’re
next.”
I just knelt there. I knew I wouldn’t leave.
