Chapter 2

Sherry wasn’t there when I woke. I wondered if she changed her mind and left with Sissy. She was in my spare room, asleep under five blankets. She was sweating from the excessive warmth. I pulled some of the blankets off and she moved a little in her sleep. I tucked her in with just two blankets and whispered, “Sleep well, sweetie.” I kissed her forehead and closed the door as I walked out.

My digital camera was sitting on the kitchen counter when I walked downstairs. I hadn’t used it in several months. Did Sissy think about stealing it and change her mind? On the counter I saw half of the $400 I put there earlier was gone, but two of the hundred-dollar bills remained. There was a note next to the camera:

“I’m not a thief. $20 a picture. Please don’t show anybody else.
Thanks for the food and stuff, Andy.
I love you so much, Sherry! Never forget your mama loves you!
Cecilia”

I checked the camera’s memory card on my laptop. There were ten pictures of Sissy in the bathroom mirror. The first was her face forcing a smile. The rest were nudes. Other than the nervous expression on her face, she was quite pretty without any makeup. I liked her high cheekbones, and small nose and ears. Her curly light brown hair descended a little past her shoulders. If she wasn’t so thin, she would have a very nice body. In most of the pictures she looked sad and afraid, which bothered me a lot. There were also close-up pictures of her vagina and butt.

In addition to the large surgical scars running across her lower abdomen and between her navel and vulva, there were multiple injury scars, too. Somebody had hurt her many, many times. I wish I hadn’t seen that.

I deleted the pictures and put the camera away, and tucked the remaining money in my wallet. I sat in the kitchen and sadly looked out the back door at the tool shed. I hoped Sissy would buy a bus ticket and go somewhere safe.

I considered how I would cheer up little Sherry. I hadn’t eaten pasta in a while. I’d have Sherry help me make lasagna. It would get both our minds off Sissy a little. I got most of the ingredients from the pantry, then had a beer as I watched part of a college football game, waiting for Sherry to wake up. I wasn’t a fan of either team, but it passed the time.

I tossed the empty bottle in the recycling and went to take a leak. As I started to piss, I saw Sherry in the hall staring. CRAP! I forgot to shut the door! My aim faltered and some urine splashed on the floor before I could recover from the surprise.

“Sorry, Sherry! You weren’t supposed to see!” I quickly put away my cock and zipped up.

As I turned to leave the bathroom she shouted, “ACK! Sorry! Don’t hurt me! Please!” She ran upstairs. I chased her a few steps trying to apologize but realized that would only scare her more. I stopped at the bottom of the stairs and called up to her, “It’s OK, Sherry. You’re okay. I’m not going to hurt you or do anything bad. I’m not mad at you. It’s my fault I didn’t shut the door. It’s okay.”

I cleaned up the floor and washed my hands, then went back to the living room and sat on the sofa. About a minute later, she timidly peeked around the corner at the bottom of the stairs. “It’s ok, I’ll just sit here. Please come talk to me. I’m sorry that seeing me scared you.”

She walked in and sat in the chair across from me. She played with her hair a bit, then put her finger in the corner of her mouth. She blushed and said, “No, it’s, um, um, (gulp). I liked seeing it. Yours is nice and smooth.” She blushed furiously. “When you turned, for a second I thought you were going to stick it in me and hurt me. I um ... I think it’s nice, but it’s too big for me.” She meekly looked down and sucked the tip of her finger.

“It’s alright, Sherry. I would never hurt you. Besides, you’re too young for sex anyway. You’re only, what, 14, right?”

She looked very offended. “Andy, I’ll be fifteen next month. She ran off so it doesn’t matter now, but my mom Sissy is 28. She’s not my sister. People call her Sissy because ‘Cecelia’ is harder to say.”

I’m a former jarhead, but despite the stereotype, I can do math. “So, your mom gave birth when she was only FOURTEEN! OHMIGAWD! That’s awful!”

“You didn’t do it. You’re so much nicer than my last foster parents. They were the awful ones. One night I peeked in their bedroom and they guy was doing the woman in the butt. He called her ‘Brian’. He kept telling her to keep her face down, he didn’t want to see her.

They caught me watching. The next night she held me down and he stuck it in MY butt! She kept pushing my face in the pillow and I could hardly breathe. The guy kept repeating how much he loved Brian and how hot Brian looked, while he had his weird little thing in my ass! I’m glad it was tiny, so it didn’t hurt much.

The next day they made a deal. She could play with my boobs and pussy, if he could use my butt. They didn’t even ask me! They made me do it for a year! It was horrible! It messed up my head so much! I don’t even like girls, and a fat ugly woman put her fingers in me every night. Then her ugly stinky husband fucked my butt! When they were done I wanted to puke, every time!

For a little while I thought I liked it just because she made me cum. I thought I was a freak too! The last month I was there, they made me lick her pussy! The couple times I tried not to, they whipped me with a belt. I HATE THEM! THEY WERE SO MEAN!” She rubbed her leg through her pants, where the bruises were. She started to cry.

“Sherry, it’s okay. You’re safe now.” She cuddled up to me begging, “Please don’t make me do disgusting stuff, like they did!” I kissed her cheek and told her, “I like you a lot, I would never.”

“They hurt me so much! It was so gross and weird!” I hugged her to my chest and patted her head gently. “I’ll never hurt you. I’ll love you and take care of you.” I blew a raspberry on her forehead and she laughed. I hugged her some more. When she settled down I asked, “Do you like lasagna?”

“I love lasagna!”

“Good, come help me make it.” We had a nice time cooking together. My mouth watered a little as I smelled the basil, garlic, and fried Italian sausage. Sherry sat beside me while we savored our delicious meal.

When we finished Sherry put the dirty dishes in the sink, and I set the leftovers on the picnic table by the back door. I explained, “In case Sissy comes back.” I sat on the couch looking out the window at the back yard, hoping to see her. I leaned on the arm of the sofa to get comfortable, and Sherry leaned against me. She was far, far better than a dog, or any other pet.

It was dark outside when I woke. The plate of lasagna on the picnic table was gone! I looked down at Sherry sleeping on my chest. She had her mouth open a little and a thin line of drool was going down her cheek. Somehow I thought that was very cute. My peripheral vision noticed something moving in the back yard. I watched closely for a minute. Was that a small orange light? Half a minute later I saw a dim orange glow again. It was coming from a crack in the shed door. Was something in the shed on fire? The only flammable items in it were the motorbike and lawn mower gas tanks. Other than the painted wood walls, everything was metal. I watched a few more minutes but didn’t see anything else.

I gently shook Sherry awake and smiled. “You have something on your chin. Go wash your face, and I’ll make some cocoa before bed.” I made a big mug of hot cocoa and glanced out the window occasionally. Sherry walked in the kitchen and sleepily asked, “Just one? You don’t want any cocoa?”

“Oh. I’m used to making things for just one person. Sorry.” I reached to get another mug. She smiled and said, “It’s fine. We can share.” She sat in my lap in the recliner, and we drank small sips until it cooled. I sighed contentedly. “This is really nice, a Dad and his new kid.”

Sherry blushed and said, “Or maybe like a really patient boyfriend, waiting for his girlfriend to be ready?”

“Uh? Um...”

Just then there was a knock at the back door. Sherry jumped up and ran to the door, dumping the half mug of cocoa on my belly and pants. She opened the door and Sissy stomped in, holding her knife out. “I saw you two! What did he do to you? Why is his crotch all wet?”

I exclaimed, “No! It’s not like that!”

Sherry stood between us. “NO! It’s all right, Sissy! He wasn’t doing anything bad! Cocoa spilled on him! I like him! He’s nice!”

Sissy looked Sherry’s over. I slowly walked forward and held out the bottom of my shirt, “It’s cocoa, smell it.”

Sissy touched my shirt and sniffed her fingers. She slapped the knife down on the kitchen counter, sniffling and starting to cry. “Dammit! Why does he always do that! Why is he nice all the time!”

“Because he is! He’s not going to hurt us! It’s really ok, Momma!”

Sissy looked up at me. “It can’t be! There’s always a bad surprise! What does he want from us? There’s gotta be something!” She took a deep breath, then asked, “Andy, if we let you, what would you do to us tonight? I’ll know if you’re lying! Tell me!”

I decided I should keep being honest with them. “After the cocoa mess I need a shower. I’d like somebody to wash my back, if that’s ok. Then I was planning to go in my room and jerk off before I go to sleep. Sherry is too young for sex, and you’re way too upset.”

Sissy continued her interrogation. “If we stay with you, what would you want to do to us next week? You probably want to fuck her cute butt, right? Or do something wild like crap on my face?”