Chapter 19: Todd Upsets Kay and Junior Comes to Take Care of Him.

After the visit by Kay's father things settled down for Kay and me. We got into a routine; I did my work and traveled when necessary. Kay gave up her Mondays at the restaurant but retained her weekends there. Her income did indeed go down, just as she thought it would once school opened. Her studies seemed to be going well, she found the speed of my internet connection made her work at home easier than she was used to. We played cards in the evenings at least twice a week and we kept jockeying for who was in the lead on our continuous score pad (a steno pad). As long as the weather cooperated, we would do a day sail on my boat every second or third weekend. Other weekends we swam together, usually on Saturdays. We became more comfortable with each other without even realizing it.

It was the week of Halloween when things changed. On Friday I had been out visiting one of my local clients and didn't get home before Kay left for the restaurant. I had fixed and eaten my dinner and was sitting in my chair reading when Kay surprised me by coming home early, very early.

"Kay what are you doing home?"

"The manager sent me home." Her demeanor was off and there was something in her eyes, fear?

"Why'd he send you home? Did something happen at the restaurant? You're not looking too good."

"Nothing happened at the restaurant, it was on campus. I ran into Todd."

"What happened? I thought you were avoiding him."

"I was avoiding him. I changed the paths I took moving around the campus to avoid him and the whole football squad. He came looking for me."

"What do you mean he came looking for you?"

"I didn't know it but Billy, the pizza delivery guy, knows Todd and a lot of the football squad. I don't know how my name came up or who brought it up but Billy told Todd he ran into me and knew where I lived. Todd knew I'd be somewhere around the air sciences building and he was waiting on the path for me when I returned after lunch today. It upset me for the rest of the day. I was going to talk to you about it earlier but you weren't here."

"What did he say that upset you or was it just seeing him that upset you?"

"Seeing him was unsettling. When I realized he had been waiting for me it was kind of frightening. His whole attitude was superior, dominating, threatening."

"What did he say?"

"He started with asking what I was doing, how I had been. Little things like that but he was looking all around while he was talking. It took me a minute to figure out that he was making sure we were alone and no one was going to come by while he was talking. When he was sure that no one was around us, he started making noise about not understanding why I jumped off the boat and wouldn't come back. That there was no reason for me to have jumped. He let me know he knew where I lived and basically told me he hadn't done anything wrong and that I couldn't prove anything different so I better not say anything. I was speechless and it scared me. I knew he was an asshole but I never considered him dangerous until today."

"Do you think there is anything to him or his threat? Do you want to call the police or campus security?"

"No, because what he said about not being able to prove anything is true. At this point it was forever ago. I don't know the girl who warned me or any of the others that were on the boat. He's part of the football squad and those guys are tight, they'll lie if anyone asks any questions. They won't keep quiet about it either. They'll smear me saying they've all been with me."

"Is it really that bad?"

"Yeah, I've seen them do it before with a girl at a house party. She claimed somebody did something to her but she didn't know who and wasn't sure what. She couldn't remember anything but when she woke up, her clothes were wrong and her underwear was missing. She reported it to campus security and they half-heartedly started an investigation. When they asked questions, the guys closed ranks and every one of them said they'd been with her over the preceding month. The investigation didn't go anywhere and didn't last long. It would be the same for me or worse."

"I told your father I made a mistake when I didn't insist you go to the police when it happened. Now I'm sorry I didn't force the issue with you. I should have turned the boat around and taken you straight to the hospital as soon as you told me what happened."

"I don't know that you could have done anything without my cooperation and I wasn't cooperating."

"You weren't in any condition not to cooperate, you were passed out, remember?"

"There was that I guess. In any case that's history and the question is what do I do now? I don't think he's going to leave me alone. I'm the one that got away from him, it hurt his pride. It's a power trip for him. He scares me."

"Well, he'd be foolish to pursue it. I don't think he's that foolish, do you?"

"Foolish, I don't think so, but he does have a stupid enough sense of pride not to let it go. He doesn't think anything can happen to him."

"Are you worried he'll come here? You know we have the alarm system and it's for more than protecting the house when we're not here. It protects us when we're here and we activate it. That's why I insist on it being activated when we close up for the night. You can use it during the day too if you want to, the alarm company monitors the system 24-7-365. Just remember it's active, don't forget to turn it on and off when you're transiting the boundary and don't give anyone your access code."

"I'd never do that. I don't know that he'll do anything violent here but he's malicious enough to T.P. your trees and house or something like that."

"That would be a bad mistake on his part. I have video surveillance and the cameras are camouflaged or hidden. If you don't know where they are, you never see them. I have full coverage of my property including the front, the back, the pool and the cabana. If he does anything here I'll have him and I won't hesitate to turn him over to the police."

"I'm going to have to work out something at school though so I'm not ever alone where he can get to me on campus."

"You have classmates don't you? Stay with them, keep them around you. If you have any you trust, let them know what's going on. You don't have to give them Todd's name unless you want to but I think you should, so whoever you talk to knows who they're dealing with."

"I have a couple of guys I can buddy with going and coming from lunch so he can't catch me that way again. The mornings and evenings may be a problem."

"Kay, if you want, I'll take you to campus and pick you up when you're done, as long as I'm not travelling. Does Todd know where you work?"

"That's sweet of you, Rob, to take the time to drive me. I don't think he knows where I work. I don't often see kids from the college in the restaurant, not many know I'm there."

"For this weekend, if you want, I'll drive you to and from work too."

"That won't be necessary. I'm not working this weekend. The manager told me to take the whole weekend off when he sent me home tonight."

"Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. It's probably for the best. I was at work for three hours tonight and I blew four orders. That's not like me. Todd really upset me."

"If you're not working this weekend, we can go for an overnight sail. I'll take us back to the cove I took you to the first time. Would you like to do that?"

"I've got some course work reading to do this weekend. If we go for the overnight sail I'll have to bring some books with me. Would you mind?"

"Not at all, I'll bring reading material too. We can both relax and spend some time reading. We can also get in our swimming while we're in the cove."

"Do we need to bring any food stuffs?"

"I'm sure we're okay with canned goods. We'll stop on the way to the marina to pick up some fruit, fresh cold cuts, cheeses and bread. I'll need to check the fresh water tank before we leave the dock, don't let me forget."

"Okay, Rob."

"You want to play cards to relax some before we go to bed?"

"I'll get the cards and score pad. I want to beat you tonight; it'll make me feel better."

"Does that mean you'll feel worse when I beat you?"

"In your dreams old man, in your dreams."

We played for a couple of hours, we split two three game sets. It seemed Kay started feeling better but it didn't last. She was looking sour again when we finished for the night. I made a show of setting the alarm before we went to bed.

I had read in bed for about an hour before I turned out my light and went to sleep.

It was late; I had been asleep for two or three hours when Kay got into my bed again. "Kay, what are you doing?"

"Rob, since we met you've always been good to me. You've been able to help me feel safe and secure. Today Todd shook me up; I need that safe and secure feeling again. I came to you for that feeling. Is that okay?"

"Kay, I told you, I'm man. I won't guarantee you'll be safe in bed with me."

"Then I know you better than you know yourself because I know you won't do anything if I'm not ready for you to or don't want you to. I won't stay here if you tell me to leave but I hope you'll let me stay."

"I'll never turn you away from my bed, Kay. You are a temptation though. You know that don't you?"

She cuddled up to me, putting her head on my shoulder. "Go to sleep, Rob. It's what I intend to do."

In the morning I woke before Kay did. Nothing had happened during the night but we had shifted around. We ended up with Kay rolled over so that she was facing away from me and I was up against her back, spooning her with my arm up under hers and across her chest. My hand was cupping her breast. It was a natural position and quite pleasant but I was embarrassed to be holding her in such an intimate manner without her knowledge and consent. I carefully opened my hand and extracted my arm from around her. I slipped out of bed and went into the bath to relieve myself, shave and take a shower. When I came back into the bedroom Kay was not there. I dressed and went to the kitchen for some coffee. As I passed through the great room I heard her shower running. Kay joined me about twenty minutes later. We made a pair, both in khaki shorts and tee-shirts, hers a pale yellow, mine a light green. I had some fruit and cheese for my breakfast, Kay had a yogurt for hers. We went for our weekend sail enjoying the solitude of the cove and had a good time. Kay completed the reading she needed to get done, I enjoyed my book. We had a couple of good swims and Kay perked back up to her normal self.

Kay had classes every week day but Wednesday and I both took her to and picked her up from the campus each day so she would feel safer. She also connected with a couple of guys she shared classes with so that she always had someone around her. Todd was seen, more than once, along her path but he never approached her. I suspect because she was never alone but he was a concern and he made Kay nervous. She returned to work the next weekend and I thought things were getting better. They were, until Billy caught up with Kay at lunch on Monday. He passed a message to Kay from Todd and it shook her up all over again. She didn't want to tell me what the message was but she let me know it was another veiled threat.

Todd was acting scared of what she might say. The idiot, if he had left things alone Kay would have let it all go. What he was doing was keeping the issue alive, sort of like picking on a scab, not allowing the wound to heal.

Kay was upset and Monday night paid another visit to my bed. What was different this time was she made no attempt to sleep in her own bed and just came to bed with me. I finally figured out her normal sleeping attire was a soft comfortable tee-shirt and her panties. She only wore her sleeping pants to move around the house before bed. There was a difference when I awoke in the morning. We were in the same position as the last time but I couldn't remove my hand from where it had wandered. She was clutching it to her breast. When I tried to free my hand Kay woke up and rolled over to me.

"I could get used to this, Rob. I feel safe and secure in your arms and I like it, even with feeling something poking me in my butt."

"I like it too, Kay. More each time I wake with you beside me. I'm not sure I'm smart to continue with this."

"Why wouldn't you?"

"Because I'm more than twenty years your senior and you are a big girl who should know the effect you're having on me. I don't think it's right for me to be caressing you the way we woke up but I'm apparently doing it in my sleep. You holding me in position isn't helping either."

Kay ignored what I said and changed the subject. "I'm not going to class today, Rob."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to face Todd and I'm afraid he will find some way to get me alone."

"You can't allow him to scare you away from what you need and want to do, Kay. If you do, he wins, even if he never comes near you again."

"I know that but I want to take today off and think about what I'm going to do about him. I won't miss anything today I can't make up. I'm going to sit by the pool, listen to my iPod, read and think."

"If that's what you want to do, I'll be here if you want something from me, including talk." I knew I had to give her time and allow her to work this out for herself. I'd help her if she asked me but it was her problem.

I went to my office to get some work done but I was distracted by my thoughts about Kay and how we were sleeping. I was still working away when Kay called me to the kitchen.

"I've made you a sandwich, come and get it or I'll throw it to the pigs."

She was doing okay if she was making jokes. I went to the kitchen. She had been sunning herself in her bikini but had put a tee-shirt on while she was in the kitchen. "That would be a waste wouldn't it?"

"The pigs wouldn't think so." Her patented smile was ear to ear. "I hope sandwiches are okay."

"They are. Have you come up with any idea of what you're going to do about Todd?"

"I think so, and I'm determined I'm not going to let him get to me. If I have to, I'll file a complaint with campus security. I'm going to start by telling my advisor what's going on. He may not be able to do anything about Todd but I'll make sure he documents it in my file and every time Todd does something I'll make sure my advisor adds that to the file too. If I document it each time, pretty soon they won't be able to ignore me or what Todd's been doing. I can't be the only one he's done this with; he's a big horn dog and a braggart."

"You're not afraid of what the team will do?"

"I'm not going to advertise what I'm doing and I'm not going to avoid him anymore. I won't intentionally set myself up but I'll stay in the open where he can't do anything but talk."

"I'll still be here if you want anything from me, Kay."

After lunch I went back to work and as far as I know Kay went back to the pool. At the end of the day I had gotten some work done on the program I was writing and I think Kay got several hours of sun. I offered to bring in pizza for dinner and Kay called in our regular order. I had an ulterior motive ordering the pizza that Kay didn't suspect, I wanted to see Billy.

Kay heard the car pull up and let me know. I went to the door. When I opened it I saw a typical kid, pretty average but maybe a little thick in the middle.

"Here's your pizza Mr. Lister, with the soda it's twenty-two fifty."

I took the pizza and soda bottle from him. "I'll be right back." I took them to the table then returned to the door.

"You're Billy, aren't you? You have some classes with Kay?" I was handing him a twenty and a ten as I asked him this.

"I did last year, not this year, but I do see her on campus though."

"Yeah, about that Billy, she told me you passed her a message from Todd."

"Unh, yeah, I did." Billy audibly gulped.

"Well, let me give YOU a message, Billy, and this is from me, not Kay. I think it would be a real good idea for you, Billy, NOT to be passing any more messages to Kay from Todd or from any other member of the football squad. If I hear you've passed her any more messages I'm going to pass a message of my own. A message to the owner of the pizza parlor and I can assure you he won't like it and neither will you. Do I make myself clear, Billy, perfectly clear?"

Billy gulped again. "Yes sir, Mr. Lister, yes sir."

"That's good, Billy. You can keep the change."

"Yes sir, Mr. Lister, thank you sir, and I'll remember what you said." He backed away and turned around to go to his car.

I went into the great room where Kay had plates and glasses of ice for us. I poured us each a glass while Kay slid slices onto plates for us.

"What took so long at the door, Rob? Billy had change didn't he?"

"Billy didn't need to make change; I gave him a good tip. I talked with him for a minute that's all." I didn't see any reason to let her know the conversation I had with Billy.

We slept in our own beds that night and in the morning went about our business as usual. I worked in the office and Kay cleaned house. I noticed though that later in the afternoon she seemed to be slipping into a funk.

We were having salads for dinner and sitting in the kitchen eating them.

"What's the matter, Kay? You've been going downhill all afternoon."

"I've got to go back to class tomorrow. I'm going to see my advisor before lunch and let him know what's been going on, all of it. I know I said I'm not going to avoid him and I know what I'm going to do but I'm still a little scared."

"Remember, your classes are what are important, not him. You can't let him upset your education. You have to keep your grades up to keep your scholarship."

"I know and I'm sure I'll feel better after I get my advisor involved. It will take some of the pressure off of me."

"If there is anything I can do to help, just let me know, Kay."

"Thanks, Rob. I'm going to call home now. It's Wednesday and they expect me to call."

Kay's phone call:

I took the phone into the great room and sat on the sofa to make my call. The phone rang six times before it was answered.

"Hello, Kay." I was surprised; it was Junior on the phone.

"Junior? How come you answered the phone? Where's Mom, is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, it's Fall Festival and Mom and Dad are at the field in town. They're having a good time visiting with everyone is all. How are things with you? Is that Rob fella' being good? He's not doing anything, is he?"

"Things are okay, Junior. My classes are going well. My schedule has me in class for two days then off on Wednesday and back to classes the rest of the week. I'm finding I like the mid-week break, it keeps me from getting overloaded on the weekends when I've got to be at work in the restaurant. How are things there? How's Tommy doing?"

"Things are good; we haven't had any problems, well not more than usual anyway. Tommy comes home at least once a month. Dad's getting a little put out though because one of us has to go get him and then take him back. Sometimes he catches a ride with a classmate but not often enough to suit Dad. Mom and Dad are talking about getting an old pick-up for him so we're not losing all that work time on the weekends. We can always use another truck for around here. What about you, have you gotten that car you were talking about yet?"