Chapter 17: Introductions and Explanations

When Jared got back to the lounge room he plonked hard down onto an easy chair and just stared at the two lovely creatures now inhabiting his home. He also looked all around the room still in disbelief at the total transformation that had taken place there.

Very slowly Jared looked back to his two guests and slowly asked, “So ... did you ... did you two ... did you two do all this? Did you two girls tidy up all my mess and make it smell all so fresh again?”

The mother and daughter looked at each other then turned to Jared and just smiled before the mother said, “Yes, yes we did! But look, before we go any further let me introduce ourselves. I am Gloria Benson and this is my sixteen year old daughter Vanessa. And ... and ... and thankyou very, very much for what ... whatever it was you did yesterday. We both owe you a huge debt of gratitude - probably even our lives!”

Jared just stared quietly back then asked, “So just what the hell is going on!? And oh ... I am Jared Reznik by the way - a currently out of work math teacher and newly separated from my girlfriend of two years. But that’s another story. Right now I want to hear yours.”

“Well,” began Gloria Benson, “I am 36 years old and I am district health nurse and, until recently, happily married to Blake Benson ... the man that was chasing us yesterday. We were a happy little family until two years ago when I discovered my husband had a gambling problem and had racked up thousands of dollars of debt on a secret credit card he had obtained. Rather than get any help he just became abusive and started hitting the bottle every night when he came home from work. You probably heard some of our rows spilling out onto the street.”

Jared nodded quietly as Gloria suddenly blushed at the embarrassment of it all but she still continued.

“Well, just this last weekend Blake got so abusive and frightening that I just had to call the police. We were advised to stay with friends for a few days which we did. We came back when I thought Blake had calmed down a bit and was in a better frame of mind for some very serious discussion. Those talks went well and I really thought we were getting somewhere. Then just yesterday morning he came back home from his night shift in a terrible rage about something - and he wasn’t even drunk. He started smashing things up all over the house so I just grabbed Vanessa and went and hid out in the garden shed. We were still just in our nighties because we were both enjoying a nice long sleep in after being out at a friends birthday party until late just that night before. In our panic and rush we didn’t have time to even grab our dressing gowns or anything like that. We hid out there for ages in the cold listening to the storm outside the house as Blake created his own storm inside the house. Eventually he made his way outside and found us hiding under his work bench in the little shed. He was about to lunge at Vanessa when I hit him hard over the head with a bit of two by four I found. He was stunned just long enough for us to race past him and down the street. I had no idea what I was doing. I just knew we had to get away. I saw your little hedge and threw Vanessa down under it them slithered under it myself as Blake came past and bashed on your door. He must have thought we had gone into your house. After that I don’t remember anything else until I woke up in your bed this morning.”

Jared looked at them both and asked, “What, don’t you even remember coming out here and having some soup last night?”

Both Gloria and Vanessa just shook their heads. Neither of them could recall even that.

“No,” said Gloria, “I don’t remember a thing until waking up this morning about 5:00am and going to the bathroom and having a heart attack when I saw myself in the mirror. Vanessa came in at the same time and freaked out as well. We both used your shower and got all cleaned up. When we found you fast asleep in that bean-bag we both quickly dashed back home in those other clothes and got a pile of our own stuff and raced back here. Then we just quietly cleaned this place up for you while you slept. You must have been really tired because we did bang about a little bit but you didn’t stir an inch even when we got you into your own jarmies. You just snuffled and talked away in your sleep while we fussed about but you didn’t wake up.”

Jared didn’t really know what to say to all this so he just asked, “But weren’t you scared your husband might be back at the house or come back while you were there?”

“Yes, we were,” replied Vanessa looking at her mother and with still just a hint of that fear in her eyes before continuing with, “So we checked very carefully first then I kept a sharp look out while mom got our clothes and things and I guess it was just lucky for us he wasn’t around anywhere.”

“Very lucky!” murmured Jared.

“Very lucky, indeed!”