Chapter 2

I threw out the half-decade-old frozen turkey, and wondered what to do about the fibrous blue mass on the middle shelf of the fridge. It looked like it might grow arms or legs at any moment.

I discovered my lawyer brain had a sense of humor: 522.13 Improper storage of hazardous waste - class E misdemeanor - jail term up 15 days and fine up to $5,000, plus investigative and cleanup costs for Environmental Protection Agency and/or Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

I took a cookie sheet from a cabinet and a spatula from a drawer to dispose of the toxic mess. Spatula, pan, and all went in the trash. I poured bleach on the blue slime that remained and wiped it up with thick wads of paper towels. I held the trash can as far from my body as I could as I carried it downstairs. I left the whole mess by the curb. A new trash can would be a cheap price to pay to avoid that terrible odor.

Yet more fun from the lawyer brain: US42.85 Clean Air Act - see pages 9 through 7,154

Now the half jar of peanut butter was the ONLY food in the house. I got my second shower in the last few hours, then crawled back into bed. I was startled. I had forgotten Elly was in my bed while dealing with the kitchen. In her sleep she mumbled, “I wuv you, Erik.” I put my arm around her and quietly said, “I like you too, Elly.” I quickly fell asleep again.

When I woke I was laying on my back nude and felt a little chilly. I usually slept naked and had fallen into my habit of showering and climbing in bed without dressing between. The blanket and comforter were crumpled up on the other side of the bed. I saw Elly in her fuzzy robe, staring at me! As she turned three shades of red she shyly said, “You look nice! Really good!”

My brilliant response was, “EEEEP!” I grabbed the sheet and covered myself. “You shouldn’t see me like that! I’m a man, and you’re a little girl! If anybody found out I’d be in a lot of trouble!”

My lawyer brain kicked in again: 245.03: Lewdness in the first degree - class A misdemeanor - jail term of up to 1 year, probation up to 3 years, and fine up to $2,000.

She turned away saying, “Sorry!”

“Go to your room and get dressed.”

As she walked out I heard her say to herself, “But I’m not that little.”

I dressed and got my cell and keys. I asked her, “Are you ready yet?”

“I need some help.”

I looked into her room and she was trying to put on a pink corset!

“Can you tie it for me, Erik?”

“Ah ... that’s not something you wear in public! Put on a dress instead.”

“But it’s so pretty!”

“Your green dress is nice, wear that. A corset is for women that want to squeeze their body, to make them look thinner. They wear it under other clothes and you don’t need one.”

“Oh. Ok.”

She slid it off in front of me! I quickly turned around. “I don’t want to have to tell you again, you and I shouldn’t see each other naked.”

“But you helped me with a bath and that was nice, right?”

“I did that because you needed help with your hair. If anybody found out, I would go to jail for a long time!”

Her disappointment was audible, “Awhhh, ok.”

We took the subway to my car and on the way to the grocery store, we stopped for breakfast. She had pancakes and wanted to try my eggs Benedict. I gave her a bite. “WOW! MMMM! That’s so delicious! I want that next time!”

I wiped a bit of sauce off her chin with a napkin. “Try chewing with your mouth closed, maybe?” We chuckled together.

As we got in the car I had a thought and asked her, “Do you need to pick up clothes or anything from your old place?”

She suddenly got sad. “No. Mom didn’t pay the rent. The landlord threw all our stuff in the trash and changed the lock. Rex was so mad he followed us to one of mom’s appointments. When we finished and walked out, he...” She started crying and leaned to hug me. I held her and patted the back of her neck.

“It’s ok now. Nobody will hurt you.” I wondered, ‘Jean took her kid when she slept with her Johns? Damn! What a terrible parent!’

When she settled down I asked, “At the appointments, did anybody hurt you or make you do bad things?”

“Some of the guys would pay mom extra if I would watch them fuck. One guy gave her double just to see me lick a lollipop while they did it.”

Illegal and wrong, but I could understand the attraction. 245.03: Lewdness with a minor in the fourth degree - class A misdemeanor - jail term up to 1 year, probation up to 3 years, and fine up to $2,000.

“Did any of them do other strange things while you were there?”

“One guy said he would pay an extra hundred bucks if I would smoke a cigarette instead of just watching. Mom kept saying no until we really needed the money one time. I didn’t want to, but I smoked for him a few times.” That hit close to home, very close.

“The last time we were there he paid three hundred to watch the two of us take our clothes off and smoke. He just jerked off and didn’t touch us.”

An unwanted idea struck me, ‘I’d pay a LOT more!’ I had taken thousands of pictures of women smoking, including my mediocre masterpiece, Elly’s sexy mother Jean inserting a cigarette holder into her pussy while blowing out a stream of smoke. Seeing the sucking motion of women’s faces and watching something white come out their mouths ... did something powerful to me. I tried to stuff my dark side back into its box. I knew I was playing with fire, but there was something I had to ask. “Did you like smoking? Do you still want to smoke?”

161.25 Purchase of tobacco by a minor - class F misdemeanor - fine not to exceed $250. Repeat offense requires referral to Family Services.

“I didn’t really like it at first, but after a few times it was ok. A few of my friends smoke sometimes. I kind of want to, sort-of, but I know I shouldn’t. You have to be eighteen to buy cigarettes.”

The dark side snuck out of its box again. ‘I have four hundred in cash plus credit cards in my wallet! I could get her SO MANY!’

Elly asked me a very difficult question, “Do you want me to smoke?”

I struggled with the annoying beast in my mind. After thinking for several seconds, I reluctantly told her, “Like you said, you have to be eighteen to buy them.”

“You’re right. What should we get for dinner tonight?”

The beast snuck out for the final time of the day, ‘CIGARETTES!’ I mentally slapped it away and said, “I haven’t had pasta in a while. How about spaghetti?”

“Cool, I like spaghetti. I’ll show you how to make pasta sauce from scratch. We need a lot of tomatoes, and...”

She knew how to cook? I was impressed! As I finished paying for our groceries I told Elly, “Show the bagger where the car is.” I passed her my keys as the boy turned the cart to follow her.

I saw a cigarette display behind the cashier, and nearly gave in to temptation. I gave in to temptation of a different sort, and got a large lollipop instead. To mask my intent, I also got one each of three varieties of candy bars. If she wanted to sit in my lap with the lollipop, so much the better. With clothes on, she probably wouldn’t think anything of it.

146.52 Improper contact with a minor - third degree - class E misdemeanor - jail term up 15 days, probation up 6 months, and fine up to $500.

I had bought just enough groceries for the five days I expected Elly to be with me. I hoped my meal after that would be a schnitzel and a beer at a ski lodge in Switzerland. I checked and the website said the snow there should hold out another ten to twelve days. After that, I’d have Mai Thais on a beach somewhere and hopefully a pretty bed warmer or three.

I was starting to like Elly, as a nice kid. I was also starting to like her far too much in another way, but she still felt like an anchor. When the food had been put away, I opened the studio windows to let it air out a little. We had soup and sandwiches for lunch, then I showed her the small child-safe part of my photography hobby. I had a few dozen pictures of fully clothed women, or only their faces. Elly looked longingly at a photo of her mother with a long white cigarette between her pretty lips, and another of her mother in a one-piece swimsuit holding a cigarette. There were tears at the corners of her eyes when she said, “I miss her so much! I didn’t notice she was so pretty.”

“How about you have a seat on the stool, and I’ll get some pretty pictures of you?”

I took a few dozen shots of her in her long green dress and yellow high heels. She was mostly cute, not sexy yet, but I was sure she would be in a few years. I had her pick her favorites and printed them for her. She asked, “Can I put this one of my mom on the bedroom wall?” It was the one of Jean in a swimsuit. I framed it and put it above her bed.

I held up one I had just taken of Elly and said, “Before long, you’ll be just as beautiful.” I kissed her on the forehead and asked; “I know spaghetti only takes a few minutes to cook, but how long for the homemade sauce?”

She thought a moment. “Um, around two hours. Once it’s simmering on low, you just need to stir it once in a while.”

She showed me how to cut up the tomatoes and other vegetables and get it started. I wanted to double-check a few laws and details of my grandfather’s will, just to be sure. I told her, “You can watch a movie or something. I’ll stir the sauce in between some lawyer stuff.”

I picked up a few of my law books, hopefully for the last time, and double-checked that everything was in order. I set a timer to remind me to stir every 5 minutes.

I couldn’t wait to enjoy my wealth! By Friday I should be in the Alps! After a day of skiing, I’d be sipping Swiss cocoa at a Swiss ski chalet, watching Swiss cows outside, and maybe eat some Swiss cheese. I was suddenly sad. Swiss cheese reminded me of how many times Jean had been stabbed. I’m glad the spaghetti would cheer Elly up a little.