Chapter 170: Katrina IV—Dirty Shoes
“Good eh?”
Katrina looked up from the plate, the sticky sweetness on her lips, her stomach far from angry at her and she felt a smile. It was a real smile. Pancakes! She had never had those before. She nodded, looking at the pretty lady with the blue eyes. “Really good.” She said.
The shaggy man, Larry, began to laugh. Katrina didn’t like it when men laughed, they always laughed before they were mean. “She’s just being polite, Mimi,” he said in English. “I’m still not having a bite.”
“Ooo,” Michele growled and stalked back into the kitchen. “I don’t understand a word of what you just said Larry,” she said in French, “But I’m sure it wasn’t nice.”
Katrina wrinkled her nose and glared at the shaggy man, showing him the depths of her anger. Larry’s eyes widened but his smile didn’t leave. “Damn,” he said, “Mimi come lookit the girl. She looks like an angry pussy cat with those green eyes.”
“I am not a cat!” Katrina yelled. “Stop saying that!”
Inwardly Katrina cringed. She had just yelled at a man, and that meant she was in trouble and she would feel his hand hitting her bottom, hurting her. The man’s smile disappeared but he didn’t look angry. He just sniffed and said calmly, “Easy kid,” he said in English. “You have pretty eyes. Don’t get your claws out.”
“Stop teasing her,” Mimi said coming out of the kitchen, her blue eyes narrowed as she stared at Larry. “Be a gentleman.”
She felt the nice lady’s hand slide over her back and Katrina renewed a glare at Larry as she took a long swallow of cold milk. This lady would not let Larry hurt her, she understood that now. It was OK to be mad at him. He was so scruffy and messy looking that she wanted him to leave anyway.
Larry grinned through his mustache and he stretched, “OK Mimi,” he said. “I’m smelling that and the kid’s still alive. I guess I’ll have a little bit, to tide me over.”
“Good!” Mimi said with a delighted giggle and she went back into the kitchen.
Katrina stared at Larry again. He looked right back at her. She couldn’t see any meanness in him, she decided. His eyes weren’t glittering black. Maybe he wasn’t like the man who wasn’t Daddy, maybe he didn’t lose his mind and have funny smelling breath and scream like a drooling loony. She wasn’t sure yet.
“You blinked,” Larry said in a dull voice.
Katrina frowned. “What?” she asked.
Larry leaned forward and whispered with a twinkle in his eye. “We were having a staring contest and you blinked. I win.”
Katrina felt her eyes widen. They played staring contest at school, all the girls did. They invited her and it did look fun but she would never play it with them. She felt a twinge of excitement. She had just played staring contest, with a grownup! “You win?” she asked, feeling suddenly shy.
He nodded. “Yup, I win.”
Katrina felt confused, shaky. What happens now? “What do you win?” she whispered.
“What have you got?” he asked.
Katrina felt the panic now. He won and to be fair she would have to give him something. All she had was Teddy and he was NOT going to get him. How could she have been tricked into playing this stupid game! “You can’t have Teddy,” she said. And then she looked quickly at Teddy as he was sitting on the kitchen table where the lady had also served him pancakes.
“Can I have a kiss then?” he asked, unperturbed.
Katrina felt her mouth open but she couldn’t say a thing. A kiss? She swallowed and looked towards the kitchen where the nice lady was cracking eggs into a pain. All of the breakfast food smelled so good. She wanted to run to the lady now, hang onto her leg. She looked back at Larry, “Um,” she said feeling her cheeks redden. “OK.”
She slid out of her chair and glanced again at the kitchen and then holding her breath she leaned into him and kissed the cheek he was offering her. It was warm, and dry but not prickly like she thought it would have been. He smelled nice too, almost like perfume. That wasn’t so hard!
“See,” he said, “That wasn’t so bad sweetie, and cause you’re so sweet, here’s a ten.”
Katrina looked down in shock at the money he had crumpled into her hand. Ten dollars? She was rich! She looked back at him. “You’re stupid!” she said.
His eyes widened and that smile returned. “What?” he said.
“You gave me ten dollars cause I gave you a kiss, and that wasn’t even a real kiss,” Katrina said. “And I still got to keep Teddy.”
Larry nodded. “I didn’t give you ten dollars cause you gave me a kiss, any little girl can do that. I gave you ten dollars cause you’re pretty. Take advantage of that.”
Katrina sighed and looked at the money again. “Men do that?” she asked.
“Men do stranger things than that,” Larry said. “You’ve seen it.”
Katrina squeezed the money in her hand and then bent over and slipped it into the sock she was wearing, it was itchy against her ankle. It would be safe there until she decided what she wanted to do with it. She looked back at him and nodded, backing into her chair.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Katrina’s skin went cold and she felt herself pee on the chair, but she didn’t scream. The wrong thing to do would be to scream.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
She hated Mommy. She always got them into big trouble when none of it was her idea. Now since Mommy wasn’t here she would be the only one in trouble. There was only one man she knew that banged on the door like that, three loud, trembling bangs. She felt herself trembling and was embarrassed to feel herself pee again.
“My God!” The nice lady said. And Katrina could feel her hands on her arms. “Patrick doesn’t bang like that.”
“Dammit, Mimi,” Larry said. “I told you it was a mistake. It’s Volanges.”
Katrina looked at Larry, curling her toes in fright. “Don’t let him spank me,” she whispered, he thought she was pretty, maybe he would protect her. “Please!”
“DAMMIT BITCH I KNOW YOU’VE GOT THEM!”
Katrina couldn’t depend on anyone. The second the door cracked and fell through, the little girl bit her lip and fell under the table, curling on her stomach and praying that he hadn’t seen her.
“How dare you!” The Lady yelled, “How dare you break in like this!”
“Volanges, calm down,” She heard Larry say calmly.
Katrina saw his heavy, mud covered shoes. Fat shoes and dirty pant legs. That’s all she ever saw of him. She never saw anymore than that. She never wanted to see anymore.
“Dammit Robinson,” he yelled, “They stole my family. They’re hiding my wife and my child! How would you fucking feel?”
“Please,” Katrina whispered and she closed her eyes momentarily. “Please go away.”
“Go away,” Mimi said. “Before I call the police.”
The dirty shoes turned around and she saw the pretty feet of Mimi back away a step. “You’re hiding my family,” he said.
Why wasn’t Larry protecting her? Katrina thought. Wasn’t he her friend?
“I am not hiding anyone here, much less a family,” she said in a calm, icy voice. It was a voice full of a power she never knew her mother ever to use. Katrina felt a small amount of encouragement.
There was a silence.
“You’re Patrick’s girlfriend?” Dirty Shoes said.
“Get out,” Mimi said, “Now.”
Katrina closed her eyes again. Her stomach hurt now, she wanted to throw up and forget that she had ever eaten. Teddy shoulda eaten her…. Katrina’s eyes widened and she held back a squeak and she looked up at the table making a ceiling over her head. Teddy was still on the table.
“Go on,” Larry said. “Get outta here Volanges.”
“What kind of stupid fuck do you think I am?” Dirty Daddy Shoes snarled. “Think I’m blind? KATRINA! Where are you fucking BRAT! Get outta here before I make it worse on your ASS!”
“No,” Katrina whispered and she covered her ears, she willed Teddy invisible.
“Stop it!” She heard Michele yell.
“Fine!” Dirty Shoes yelled. “Have it your way, brat.”
There was a loud heart breaking rip and Katrina pressed her hands over her mouth and felt the tears pour from her eyes when she saw Teddy’s helpless head fall onto the floor, spilling white stuffing from the ripped part of it. His body landed next to it. Teddy was dead.
“You PIG!” Michele yelled. “You pig!”
“Volanges get the hell out will ya? You’re fucking up my breakfast,” Larry said. He still sounded calm and almost bored.
“Heh heh,” Dirty Shoes laughed. “I’ll catch up to them anyway.”
He turned away from Michele and she watched him take a few steps. She was biting into her hand now, not wanting to look at Teddy’s poor, helpless dead eyes. Then he stopped and turned around. “Hey,” Dirty Shoes said, “Whore, you look a lot different when you’re not flat on your back. You should keep your legs closed more often.”
Katrina heard the insulted scream from Michele and faster than that she saw the movement of Larry’s legs as he leaped from his chair and she heard the unmistakable sound of a fist hitting a mouth. THUD! Dirty Shoes hit the ground, she heard the nice lady scream and she saw his big bulky body. His back was to her, dark hair, he would be able to see her now. Katrina didn’t move.
He tried to stand back up but she saw Larry’s feet kicking him once, then twice in the stomach and there were the sounds of the man wheezing and coughing. “Like that?” Larry yelled, leaning over his prone body and grabbing his hair and screaming into his face. “How does it feel you son of a bitch?”
Dirty Shoes coughed again and Larry pulled at his hair, standing up and dragging him to a standing position. There was the sound of another punch and Dirty Shoes was again lying on the ground and he wasn’t moving anymore. Katrina pressed her chin into the floor and stared at Teddy. He was murdered.
“Larry,” Michele gasped. “Larry… my God…”
Katrina saw her sit on the carpet and her hand was shaking as she pressed it to Dirty Shoe’s throat and then pulled it back, blood dropping off the fingers. “You haven’t killed him Larry… I think you’ve killed him…” she muttered.
Katrina frowned. Was he dead? She could see the pool of blood spreading and soaking into the carpet coming from Dirty Shoe’s face. She was glad he was dead.
“I can’t take anymore death, Larry,” she whispered. “I just can’t.”
She saw Larry as he sat next to her on the carpet and hugged her, kissing her face, the top of her head, and he grabbed her hand and kissed that too. “No I haven’t killed him, little girl, you’re safe. Don’t think about it.”
He pressed her cheek into his chest and Katrina saw her eyes close.
“You don’t have to worry anymore,” he whispered, “I’ll always protect you my love.”
“Bullshit!” she yelled and she scrambled out of his arms, she could see his face crumple as if he’d been slapped. “Bullshit Larry! Protect me? Where were you a month ago eh? Two months ago? I’m taking the child out of here and when I come back I want that piece of shit gone and you with him. You hear me?”
Katrina saw Larry’s eyes sparkle with tears and one of them fell down his face, sparkling in his mustache. She felt her own bottom lip trembling because she looked at Teddy and she saw that he was dead.
“My precious, little one,” Michele said and Katrina looked into the woman’s sad face, into her pretty blue eyes and that smile that didn’t want to belong. She was reaching her hand out to her and Katrina grabbed it, squeezing its smooth warmth.
“Teddy!” Katrina squealed and then she fell into sobs, “He killed Teddy!”
“No, no,” Michele cooed and Katrina allowed her to slide her out from under the table and hug her to her steady heartbeat. “No my love he is not dead. He cannot die.”
“But his head!” Katrina wailed and Michele stepped away from her and picked up poor Teddy’s remains, wrapping them into a place mat from off the table.
“He will be fine, you’ll see,” Michele whispered and picked her up, squeezing her to her body. “Don’t look at him.”
“I don’t wanna look,” Katrina said, “I peed.”
“It’s OK, we’re going.” Michele replied.
Katrina looked over her shoulder as she was carried through the broken doorway and she looked at Larry who still had tears running down his face. Dirty Shoes was a monster, and Larry had fought that monster for them. She decided that she wasn’t mad at Larry so she waved her little hand at him, just to say goodbye. He held up his hand as well and that made her feel a little better.
In Michele’s car, Katrina squirmed in her seatbelt, peering at Teddy’s corpse wrapped and silent in the backseat. Were they going to have a funeral for him? She didn’t have any flowers. Where was mother? She didn’t care. She hoped that Mother missed Teddy’s funeral and was sorry forever. This was all her fault.
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