Chapter 6: Jenny Moves In

My dad was waiting for me in the kitchen when I came into the house with Jenny. “Dad, this is Jenny Fargo, you know, the girl I took to the prom. She had a bit of bad luck and needs a place to stay for a while. Do you mind if she stays here until she can work things out?”

Jenny offered her hand to my dad, “Nice to finally meet you, Mr. Paterson.”

Dad shook her hand as he answered my question, “I don’t see why not. We have the room, and she doesn’t look like she eats too much. It will be good to have a woman around the house again. Show her the guest room and give her a quick tour so she can settle in.”

Jenny gave my dad her winning smile and told him, “I really appreciate you and John taking me in. I will try to stay out of your way and make myself useful if I can.”

The house is a small three-bedroom cape with two full baths. There are two bedrooms up and a guest room on the first floor with a bathroom on each floor. We were standing in the kitchen, so I just pointed and said, “Dining room for 6, living room with TV, that way, and guest room at the end of the hall with a bath right next door. The laundry room is in the cellar. You really can’t get lost. If you meet anyone in the hall, you may have to turn sideways to get by. Dad and I sleep upstairs.”

I picked up Jenny’s suitcase, and she followed me, carrying her dress. I put the suitcase on the bed and showed her two empty drawers in the dresser and the closet for her things. It was a pleasant little room. There was just enough space for a double bed and a dresser, and it got the morning sun.

Just as I was about to leave, Jenny hugged and kissed me, “I will make this up to you.”

I told her not to worry, she was my friend, and I looked out for my friends.

I left Jenny to unpack and went to the kitchen. I followed dad outside to the backyard when he motioned me to step outside. Dad looked at me and asked, “What happened to her son? It looked like someone was beating on her. Her eyes are dilated like she is in pain, there are bruises on her arm, and when she moves, she favors her left side.”

I never lied to my father, and I was not about to start now, “Will you let her stay no matter what I tell you?”

“Of course, she can stay. You know I would never turn someone away who needed our help.”

I lowered my voice, “Her pimp beat her up because she refused to have sex with one of his clients.”

Dad started to whisper to make sure Jenny would not hear him, “You’re telling me that pretty little thing you took to your prom is a prostitute?”

“Yes, Dad, she is. I needed a date, and she said she would go with me. We became friends after that, and we kept in touch. She is the only girl I feel comfortable talking to. And if your next question is, are we having sex, the answer is some heavy petting on prom night, and we did not go all the way. We meet once a week at a diner and have something to eat and talk. That’s all.”

My dad put his arm around me as we started back to the house, “It looks like we have a house guest. Do you think she can cook?”

I checked on Jenny and found her curled up on top of the bedspread, asleep. Her suitcase was open but not unpacked. A 5” x 7” framed picture of us was sitting on the dresser. I went to the hall closet and got a blanket to cover her up. I left the room and shut the door.

In all the time that Jenny stayed with us, dad never questioned what she did for a living. I could tell that dad liked her and enjoyed having her around, and he gave her passing marks on her cooking.

Two weeks after she moved in, I took Jenny back to the hospital for her checkup and x-rays. The same nurse was on duty when we arrived. She recognized us and came over to check Jenny in. She looked concerned and told me, “It’s a good thing you got here when you did last time. An hour after you left, a goon with tattoos on his arms and neck came in looking for her and made a scene when we told him she had already been picked up. He wanted to know who you were, where you lived, and what you looked like. Of course, we did not tell him anything, and he left when we called security.”