Chapter 7: Guardianship

There were five of us in Penny’s SUV. We stopped in front of Wendy’s old home. There was a derelict pickup truck on blocks parked on the unmown grass with the hood open. We expected her mother to be home, even on that Friday night. Wendy slowly walked to the door next to me and I knew she was very nervous. I hugged her and kissed the side of her head. I told her, “Don’t worry, this’ll work out.”

Penny’s friend Bertram knocked on the door with firm hand. He was about as big as the door – certainly as wide in the shoulders and as tall. He was wearing a black Krav Maga t-shirt. He worked with Penny and because of his physique and conditioning had been coaxed into helping the cute runaway get a better life situation.

The man I assumed was Jack answered the door and sized up Bertram in one long glance from toe to head. He had to look up. Jack was small and wiry, about five-nine. He had no shirt on – only blue jeans, was barefoot, unshaven, uncombed, and his ribs showed. He had a beer in one hand and cigarette in the other. The TV was on in the background.

Penny stepped up next to Bertram and addressed him, “Wendy is Tracy’s best friend. I’m Tracy’s mother. We’re here, with Wendy, to collect some of her things and we have some papers for her mother to sign. May we come in, please?” Penny’s tone of voice left little room for noncompliance.

Jack eyed Wendy with surprise as she appeared beside Penny and also next to Monster Man. He would have to go through Bertram to get to her. I was also ready with some kind of karate chop to his neck if he made one false move on Wendy. Tracy was beside me. He asked, “Who’re you?”

I said, “A friend of these others. I’m here to help protect Wendy from you.” I tried to look fierce. Like Bertram, I’d dressed in all black clothing: shoes, socks, pants, and long-sleeve shirt. I tried for a ninja-like appearance, and I guess it worked – or just the presence of Bertram did.

Jack stepped back and opened the door wider. He yelled into the tiny house, “Mona, get your ass out here; some people to see you.” He backed away and indicated we should step into what passed as the living room. He turned off the TV and stood watching us the way a lion would watch a wounded gazelle. I wondered how Wendy had survived in the pigsty of an environment. The place was a mess with debris everywhere. The house was a health hazard and should have been condemned.

Wendy squeezed my hand and announced, “Please come with me while I get some of my other clothing.” She headed down a short hallway, meeting her mother coming to the living room in the process. The two looked at each other, but no words were exchanged. Her mother, Mona, looked surprised and then embarrassed. I made sure to appear as Wendy’s protector, as though she might strike her daughter. Mona was a small and frail looking woman.

I stood in the doorway of Wendy’s small room as she went inside. There was a cluttered desk, a small closet, a twin bed, and about four square feet to move around in. She stuffed every piece of clothing that she could find into one or the other of two black trash bags that she’d carried in. She put a few other things from her desk and the window sill in each of the bags, wrapping them in some of the clothes.

I moved out of the way to allow Wendy to carry one of the bags through the house to the back of the car. I adopted an evil-looking stance between the path Wendy took to the front door and Jack. I carried the other bag to the front door where I crossed my arms and looked at Jack. I hoped he didn’t do anything, otherwise I would have wet my pants.

I tuned into the speech that Penny had been delivering to Wendy’s mother. I’d heard some of it when we did a dry run in my living room. She led by showing her the pictures from Jack’s beating of Wendy that I had taken the morning that I found her hiding in my car. The part about hiding in my car was not mentioned.

“Mona, those were the pictures that were taken of Wendy about three months ago when she ran away from this household. You allowed her to be beaten and kicked. You are not fit to be protect her the way you should. This is why we are here.

Penny lay a single-page legal document in front of Mona on the cluttered coffee table, pushing some beer cans and an overflowing ashtray away to do so. She explained, “This is a legal document that will be filed with the court. It transfers guardianship of Wendy, a minor in this state, to me – Tracy’s mother. I have the right to worry about her safety, schooling, and health.”

She went into the legalities of guardianship and how this had been chosen as the ‘best alternative’ rather than having Jack and her – as a co-conspirator – arrested for abuse and attempted rape of a minor. Mona shuddered. Penny ended with, “When I sign the same document, I agree to take over all responsibility for Wendy – everything, until she is an adult at age eighteen. After that, she’s on her own as an adult. Bertram will notarize our signatures.” She nodded at Monster Man, who stood with arms crossed generally keeping Jack in one corner of the cluttered room.

Mona whined, “But what if I want to see her?”

Penny nodded, “Just call me and we’ll arrange a time and place.” She handed a business card to Mona. “Jack is NOT to be present at such meetings. According to the authorities and prior statements that Wendy had made to Child Protective Services and to others, he has accosted her multiple times and tried to rape her multiple times. There is proof of his last attempt in those photographs. I didn’t show you all of them, including some of her bruised labia.”

Jack started to complain, “The little tramp came onto me. I was doing what the bitch wanted.” I quickly held up a hand to silence him and then we ignored him, other than to keep a threatening eye on him. Bertram looked at Jack and gave him a smile that dared him to speak further.

Mona looked at Jack, “This is what you wanted, right? You didn’t want Wendy around.”

Jack almost yelled at her, “Sign the fucking paper, Mona. Get rid of the little lying cunt.” Jack looked pissed.

Penny emphasized to Mona, “Do you sign freely and without reservation or coercion?”

Mona said, “I do.” We were all witnesses. She looked longingly at Wendy. She picked up the pen and signed in two places that were indicated. Penny also signed in two other places.

Bertram produced a notary seal from a pocket and notarized all the signatures. As he did, we kept an eye on Jack, just to let him know that despite the distraction he could still be thrown head first out the window. I was still looking fierce.

Penny reiterated some conditions in the document. “You are not to try to visit Wendy without approval from me ahead of time. If you do, you will be in violation of this agreement and subject to the laws cited in this document.”

She turned to Jack, and presented a two-page document to him. “Jack Sprague, this is a restraining order that I present to you as a deputized officer of the court. For the period of time from today until Wendy’s eighteenth birthday, you are not to be within one-hundred yards of her. You may not contact her by any means. If you violate this court order, you will be breaking the law and will be arrested and placed in jail. Since you are a physical threat to her, based on past experience, major and deadly force may also be used to constrain you if you persist. Do you understand what I have just told you?”

Jack mumbled, “Yeah, bitch. Get the fuck out of here and take the runaway cunt with you – and your friends.” He tried to sound mean, but given the size of Bertram and even my threatening stance, it was just vocal posturing.

Wendy stood by the open front door with the last bag of her belongings. We turned to leave. Bertram blocked Jack from coming towards the door with a hand the size of baseball mitt planted in the center of his chest. Jack didn’t protest and backed away.

Penny had collected the papers from the coffee table and put them in her portfolio. She said to Mona, “A copy of the guardianship will be mailed to you after it is filed later today with the court.” She paused and said in a near whisper, “Mona, if you need to return to your single status – without Jack – let us know and we’ll help ensure your safety.” She reached up and lightly stroked the obvious bruise on Mona’s cheek.

Tears rose in Mona’s eyes and she pursed her lips. She shot a worried glance at Jack who was occupied with Bertram. She whispered to Penny, “He’d kill me. I want to, more than you’ll ever know, but I can’t. Help!”

Penny nodded in understanding at her plaintive cry for help, and we left. Bertram was the last out the door, closing it behind him. We put Wendy’s last bag in the back with the other bag, and drove away. Wendy, at least, was free.

Bertram told Penny in the front seat after an exchange, “I’ll take care of removing Jack from the premises. You don’t need to know anything else about that part of things.” Shit! Bertram was obviously a virtuous guy to know and have on your side.

We drove to Penny’s house. Wendy and Tracy carried in one of the bags to the house. Penny explained to me, “She has to have some stuff here, but she told me that she’s going to be living with you – if you don’t mind.” She gave me a conspiratorial wink.

I reacted anyway, “Mind? You’re kidding, right? Wendy, Tracy, and you are the best things that have ever happened to me. Suddenly, I have three serious girlfriends. I never would have expected that in my life – even one of you. You’ve all given me more self-confidence and esteem and love than I could ever imagine. I never would have tried to stare down Jack like I did today. Even at that, I hoped he didn’t see my knees knocking together.”

Penny laughed. “You we’re wonderful and obviously a great protector that helped keep a lid on things.” She kissed me, and then decided she liked doing that.

Bertram was standing nearby. He loudly said, “A HEM. I think my work here today is finished. I felt really sorry for Mona, so I’ll clean up that end of things, too.” After shaking my hand in his huge mitt, he got in his own spooky black SUV with highly tinted windows and drove away. I felt sorry for Jack, in a way – not!

After the teens came back to the car, the four of us drove back to my house. Supposedly, Jack had no idea who I was, let alone where I lived. He did know Penny and Tracy from prior contact before the runaway. If he were out for revenge of some kind, he might go to her condo first. At least that night, no one would be there. We’d also let Bertram know of our plans.

Wendy broke down in tears after we started driving. She was in the back seat with Tracy, who held her and wrapped her BFF in love and caring. All of us in the car tried to comfort her and tell her how great she was to have put up with what she did as long as she did. If she’d been an adult, she could have just walked away after the first encounter. Abused kids, even if they’re smart, don’t have that privilege.

I hugged Wendy as we got out of car together. Penny and Tracy joined in. I suggested a swim; the evening was perfect for it. We didn’t bother with bathing suits. As we got active, Wendy recovered a bit. We hadn’t had dinner, so I phoned in a delivery order.

We did have a game of chicken fight with Wendy on my shoulders and Tracy on her mother’s shoulders. I was hyper aware of her bare pussy on the back of my neck. After we’d overpowered Penny and Tracy, I took hold of Wendy’s legs as she held onto my head and rotated her body and hence her pussy in front of me so I could eat her. Her legs were over my shoulders still, but I held her ass and supported her as she held onto my head and I munched on her pussy and teased her. She was laughing, finally, and we were all screaming with delight.

I broke out a small bottle of champagne – a split, and poured the bubbly into four plastic flutes I had tucked in my kitchen cabinet. The four of us toasted to Wendy’s new freedom, her safety, and I added, “And to being loved by all of us.” We sipped and then went to my living room. I added, “And you’re no longer a runaway. You can go public.”

Dinner arrived. Of course, the naked teens answered the door and paid for our meals. We had pizza and subs, along with some salads. After that, we made love with each other, being sure that every mouth that could was on every pussy or cock, that every cock (mine!) had been in every pussy multiple times and that I, for one, had eaten every pussy. I noted how easily Penny and Tracy slipped into an incestuous time together as we swapped around partners. I found their sexual attraction for each other highly arousing, too.

I told each of the girls that I loved them. I hadn’t used the ‘L’ word too much before, but now that we could go public with our relationships – to a point with the teens, I felt that I could tell them all how I felt.

The four of us slept in my bed, our naked bodies intertwined as we each tried to be in touch with the others. Despite all that love, I thought we needed a larger bed.

Monday morning, Wendy spent some time in human resources closing some of the loops that had been left open when she went to work as an intern. Since she was no longer a runaway, she didn’t fear discovery because of her summer job. She used my house as her ‘local’ address. I liked that.

She left work early that day, and I drove her by the department of motor vehicles so she could also make an official change of her address to Penny’s condo. Officially, that would be her residence because of the guardianship.

The next morning, I drove Wendy by the nearby Bank of America office and she opened up a bank account in her name. I also co-signed to have a credit card issued in her name. As we drove, I talked to her about ‘adulting’ now that she was kind of emancipated.

We didn’t see Penny until Tuesday night. She’d been busy during the weekend days holding two open houses, and both of them had sold due her diligence that had included staging both homes. She’d spent a lot of her other time preparing and pushing through the paperwork for the home purchases.