Chapter Seven

by

Invisible Ink

                The journey home from the YMCA was long, but the afternoon at home was even longer. Once we were home Katherine dumped us on the coffee table as her Chelsea sat down on the sofa. A moment later we watched in awe as Chelsea's foot was lifted above us. This caused Samantha and I to scurry out of the way of Chelsea's foot which slammed down onto the coffee table.

                "Y..y..you get your foot off this coffee table." Samantha shouted back nervously unsure of how much authority she could really garner. I knew how much feet on the coffee table bothered Samantha. It was right up there with not picking up after yourself. It was enough to drive her crazy. Before today Katherine or her friends wouldn't dare think of crossing Samantha in that manner. However, things are clearly different now.

                "W..w..what are you gonna do about it?" Mocked Chelsea as she shoved her foot into Samantha and I. We tumbled over like a deck of cards. I groaned in pain for a minute before making my way over to Samantha who was even more upset but seemed physically fine.

                "Samantha honey, I know your upset, but right now isn't the time to be yelling at Katherine and her friends. We were just knocked over by Chelsea's foot of all things. Trying to enforce the rules are only going to make things worse. You know how irritable Katherine has been lately. She has made it abundantly clear that she doesn't view us authority figures any longer."

                "So what are we going to Greg? I can't live out another day like this morning. Running from giant people in a locker room, trapped underneath a pile of clothes. That's not a life!" Samantha shouted back at me before storming off towards the opposite end of the coffee table.

                "Not so fast Mrs. Hendricks." Chelsea said as she looked over at Katherine with a smirk.

                "You don't need to call them Mr. and Mrs. Hendricks any longer. Just call them Greg and Sam. They are my parents in name only now."

                "Katherine!" I said unable to believe that those words had just came out of my daughter’s mouth. She had been really pushing the boundaries lately but I had no idea she had fallen that far.

                "Shut it Dad, I don't have to listen to your shit anymore, in fact I won't have to listen to it ever again. You are going to be living underneath my thumb from now on. So maybe you should start showing me a little respect from now on." Katherine said cutting me off. I was completely taken aback. I had no idea how to respond to that. She clearly needed a intervention or a come to Jesus talk. I just didn't know who could get through to her.

                "Mrs...I mean Sam, why don't you waltz your little behind over here. I want you to apologize for what you did. Do you know that I had to listen to my parents rant and rave for three hours before they tore apart my room taking all my smokes." Chelsea said defiantly as her eyes bore down on Samantha.

                I could see it in Samantha's eyes. She wanted desperately to slap both girls across the face, but luckily she managed to restrain herself and begrudgingly took several steps towards Chelsea. The glee in Chelsea's eyes was nearly unimaginable as Samantha neared her. As she reached a acceptable distance Samantha begrudgingly spit out her apology. However, Chelsea didn't find it satisfactory and in her defense, if I was on the receiving end of that apology I wouldn't have been all that enthused about it either.

                "That's your big apology Mrs. hen..erm Sam. I think you need to prove to me that your apology is sincere. So why don't you walk up to my foot and give it a kiss. I want to feel your lips through my sock. I want you to kiss my foot like you would your husband and if you can do that. I just might believe that your apology is sincere."

                Katherine immediately cocked her eyebrow upon hearing this and turned her attention fully to her mother. I desperately wanted Katherine to put an end to this. As this was clearly going too far. I mean it wasn't exactly fun and games before this, but this is a step too far. Samantha, was and is a far stronger person then I. She wears her emotions on her sleeve where I try to bottle them up and remain even keeled.

                As I watched Samantha approach Chelsea's dingy white sock I could feel my stomach churn. It was ripe from the jog to and from the YMCA, and the yoga class in between. I could see little flecks of dirt and dust particles stuck to the sock. I desperately wanted to grab Samantha and run, or save from this anguish. I would have given anything to be able to do that, but I couldn't.

                My legs were like posts buried into the ground. My voice was nothing but a whisper even to myself. I could only look on as Samantha approached Chelsea's colossal foot. I was just too scared and to afraid of what might happen to me if I spoke up. I had myself convinced that no matter what I could do or say wouldn't change anything. The girls wouldn't listen to me. Maybe that was true, maybe it wasn't but it's what I told myself. It's what I needed to hear from my conscious to make this lack of action okay.

                I started to look away as Samantha pressed her lips against Chelsea's sock. I had barely looked away before Katherine ordered me to watch. She wanted me to see the humiliation that Samantha was being put through.  I could hear the sobs from  all the way over here as Samantha pressed her lips against the dingy sock.

                "I'm not feeling anything Sam. I'm starting to think you aren't sorry at all for what you did to me. It's like you think this kind of action is okay." Chelsea bellowed down. I couldn't take it any longer. My heart was breaking having to watch my wife be humiliated like this. I rushed to side her and pulled her away from Chelsea's foot.

                "You listen here! We are the adults around here and you, you should be...listening......to.....us?" I said with such fire at first before trailing off as doubt filled my head on what I just did.

                "Naughty, naughty, now is not the time to be growing a spine dad. I think maybe a timeout will do you some good. It will make you more aware of your new position in this house. You and mom will do what I say, when i say, for however long I say to do it and if you don't like it the punishment will be swift, and unforgiving." Katherine ordered as her hand was instantly around me. I shook nervously in her grip as I was pulled away from the coffee table.

                "Katherine, honey," I said but I couldn't finish what I wanted to say. I was at a loss for words over the fact that my own daughter could be doing this. You can't prepare yourself for something like this. As Katherine pulled me away from Samantha and the coffee table I could only watch as Chelsea rolled her sock up her foot and then flicked Samantha against her foot. Samantha body pancakes against Chelsea's foot. Almost simultaneously Chelsea begun to roll her sock back down her foot and over Samantha.

                I was then lowered towards the floor and unable to see Samantha any longer. Katherine pressed the toe of her black and white skate style shoes against the heel of the other shoe, thus allowing her foot to slip out. Katherine dangled me above the mouth of the shoe she had just slid her foot out of just a moment ago. I could feel the hot warm air escaping from the shoe.

                "no, no, don't do this" was all I could say before Katherine's grip on me was void and I tumbled into the mouth of her shoe landing hard on the insole. My battered ankle cried out as I landed and rolled over onto my back clutching it. I pounded against the damp black insole. As I looked upwards at Katherine who now appeared more powerful than ever.

                "You know dad, it doesn't have to be like this. You could be an obedient little man and not have to go through all this. I want you to think about that while you are in there." Katherine said as she tilted the shoe upright. I grasped my hand feverishly against the insole hoping to somehow slow my decent but all too soon I was sliding down the length of the shoe crashing into the toe end.

                The heat down in this end of the shoe was immense. Unlike on the opposite end where the mouth of the shoe allowed all the hot air a place to escape this end was enclosed and the damp muggy air just hung in the air. The rancid smell of sweat clung to everything. It was nearly pitch black but I knew I couldn't stay in this end of the shoe. I would much rather die.

                As I stood up it dawned on me how small I had become. I could stand fully upright without hitting my head on the top of Katherine's shoe. In fact if my ankle wasn't so hurt I could jump and I don't think I could reach the top of her shoe, which is much more like a cave.

                I hadn't gotten more than a couple of steps when Katherine's purple and green socks diamond checkered socks that she had been wearing all day thus far were shoved into the mouth of the shoe and towards the toe end of the shoe. I hobbled at a much quicker pace. As I approached the sock I could smell the sweat and grime emanating from it. I pushed my hands into the sock but it was no use. The sock was completely wedged into the shoe. I was trapped like a rat. The full impact of Katherine's words started hit me.  She literally put me in time out.

                "You can just stew in there till, well until I say so. When you come out, I expect some obedience and little respect. I run the show around here now." Katherine said with a laugh as I heard the clunk of her kicking off her other shoe.

                I screamed, I yelled, I pounded and kicked against everything I could. However my voice was completely absorbed by materials of the shoe and the sock.  As I finally started to give into the fact that I would really be stuck here until Katherine decided otherwise I sunk to the floor and pulled my knees in close to me and rested my head against them. A minute later the wet pattering of my tears begun to beat against my knees before rolling down my leg. How could this happen, how could she do this to us, her parents. Kept ringing in my head.