Warning: This story contains coarse language. You know the drill!
(C) Copywritten 2003
����������� Jason just sat there, staring at the lamp on the other side of the couch, like he always did. He had sat through a dozen of his father's lectures before.
����������� Both men lived in a small little townhouse that made up a tiny corner of a puny town. Marvin worked on and off as a construction worker when the work could be found.� Jill, his wife, moved out several years before. Jason never knew why, but he eventually concluded that it was because his the two of them just didn't meld together any longer--or she was seeing someone else. Either way, he couldn't really blame her.
����������� Jason Geller was much like his father: stout and stubborn. He wasn't round like Marvin was though. He was slim, like his mother. He was, in fact, a small boy for a seventeen year old. The kids at school used to pick on him when he was younger. They never would have taunted Alex Harwood, or Mike Williams or any of those other guys, who were always shooting their mouths off at teachers and getting picked first for the sports teams. However, a good time could always be had if you just simply took a shot at "Tiny Jason Geller".
����������� Suffice to say, Jason had experience in being attacked, and when his father felt it was time to barrage him once again with his frequent lectures, Jason was quick to just try and tune him out.
����������� "Fine dad, I'll go looking tomorrow." Jason said.
����������� "Yeah you better" Marvin commented, "because if you don't you can just forget about your little trip to the coast next month."
����������� Jason's eyes darted towards Marvin's and widened. Jason had always traveled to his uncle's house during the early summer months. He loved getting away from the little town he lived in, and going to somewhere that had beaches and nice clean air to breathe. "What?" Jason cried, "You can't be serious. I always go out to Uncle Richard's place."
����������� Marvin grinned as he saw his victory begin to show on Jason's face. "Well I guess you are just going to have to get your lazy ass out and get some work done for a change now aren't you?"
����������� Jason's tolerance began to fade. "Why do you have to be like this, old man?" He always called his dad "old man" when he wanted to hurt him. He knew that Marvin hated being called old. "Just because you can't stand your life here doesn't mean you have to take it out on me!"
����������� Marvin's grin vanished and he roared at the boy "Hey! Don't you talk to me that way! How'd you like to spend the rest of the summer working in the plants? I am sure I could persuade my old boss to find a lot of work out there for someone like you with all this free time!"
����������� Above all else, Jason didn't want to end up working at a job like the ones his father worked at. He hated the idea of being mixed in with those old, messed up men who couldn't add up the price of two six-packs in their heads if they tried. They were all losers, and Jason didn't want to end up like them--or like his father. However, he couldn't think of what to say. He wanted desperately to be away from Marvin at that moment. Finally, Jason broke down and rushed to the door. His shoes were on already--he always wore them around the house. His dirty leather jacket was lying on the floor near the door, and he scooped it up and threw it over his shoulders as he shoved the rusting screen door open.
����������� Marvin wasn't quick enough to grab him or block his way, but Jason could hear the bull of a man charging after him screaming. "Where are you going boy? You get back here or you're never coming back, you hear me?" Jason ignored him and just walked into the night filled streets. He could still hear his father hollering like an animal at his back. "You are worthless! You better not come back, you worthless bum! You're no good to anyone." Marvin slammed the door as he went back inside.
����������� Jason had heard the words many times before, and they always put a sting on his ego. In most cases, he was able to shrug them off, but tonight they stuck to his mind, like all the taunts of his youth.
The rain that was lightly sprinkling downward onto the streets and sidewalks was refreshing in the late May season. Jason never minded it when he had to walk around in the rain, and he found it especially nice this evening. He still wasn't happy though. He knew he couldn't go home, at least not tonight. Marvin would have the house locked and even if he were to bang on the door all night his father wouldn't let him in. Jason figured he would visit one of his friend's places and see if he could stay there.
����������� He walked with his head down, cursing his father with nearly every step he took. "That fat old man can't boss me around" he thought to himself. "What have I ever done to him? I never cut classes or did drugs or anything. It's not like I drink my life into the sewer every night either" he began to speak out loud without realizing it "unlike some fucking rejects!"
����������� Jason turned onto Smith Street. The two convenience stores that rested on the corner were silent as he passed them. His mind continued to battle with the memories of his recent, as well as many since passed, confrontations with his father. He didn't hate his father. He hated his father's hypocrisy. "How could he talk to me about being lazy when he hardly has the motivation to go to work himself?" He asked the question to the sidewalk over and over. It seemed to him to be the best way to block out Marvin's hurtful insults.
����������� You're no good to anyone.
����������� "Yeah well neither are you, old man" he said in the most hateful tone he could muster. He stopped suddenly. Something caught his eye, and he turned towards the small health food store he was now standing in front of.
����������� He couldn't see what it was in the poor light offered by the nearby street lamp, but something was moving against the wall of the store. He looked more carefully--it was a girl.
����������� She couldn't have been more than seven years old. Jason could see her damp wet hair, which strung around her head and down onto her knees. She was holding them tightly against her chest.
����������� "Sure is a crappy world" Jason thought, "when kids don't have homes to be in and guys like me are called worthless on a daily basis." He shook his head in disbelief. The images of his father began to once again float into his mind.
����������� You're no good to anyone!
����������� He stood staring at the little girl. She didn't look up at him. Jason could see her trembling as she sat soundlessly. It was as if she was trying to hide from some unseen monster, but was too petrified with fear to attempt to so much as lift an arm in a n effort to try and scurry away into the shadows.
����������� Jason suddenly didn't want to look at the girl. He turned away and walked on. She disgusted him. "No, that's not true" he thought. The fact that she is there and not at home in some little pink pajamas, surrounded by furry animals was what really disturbed him.
����������� Jason continued to splash through the puddles until he found himself on the opposite side of the street from his school. The building seemed somewhat different during the night, when Jason was not accustomed to seeing it. It resting hushed and abandoned in the misty air. The illuminating streams of white trailed out from the windows where the florescent lights were being kept on. Jason noticed that one of the rooms featured a light that flickered quite regularly. "Boy I am sure glad I don't have to be in that class" he said to himself, cracking a smile for the first time that night. The mental image of some poor student having a seizure in his seat at the sight of the pulsing tubes of glass made Jason chuckle.
����������� The rain had stopped and Jason was beginning to feel better. He bid the school farewell and starting walking back the way he came. He wasn't going home--that was the last place he wanted to be. No doubt Marvin would be waiting there for him.
����������� �Jason came to where he had noticed the little blond girl. She was still there, only she was now lying down, her head buried in a pile of filthy, soaked towels. Jason again felt an icy trembling creep up the back of his neck. "Did she really intend on sleeping there all night?" he thought to himself. He stopped once again and stared at her.
����������� Panicked thoughts began to rush up from the ground towards his head. The little girl's stillness was making Jason feel uncomfortable. He wanted to just walk away and put the poor sight he beheld behind him, but he couldn't. He could only gaze at the child.
����������� He stepped towards the little girl, and then hesitated. Finally he found the courage to approach her. As he neared, his heart began to accelerate. The little girl appeared to be in rougher shape than Jason had originally thought. Her eyes were closed and they looked to have very dark rings circling them. Her hair was clumped and stringy, and as Jason felt the child's forehead, his eyes widened in fear at how cold her damp skin felt.
����������� "Shit, this girl is nearly dead!" Jason cried in alarm. He looked around at the empty street surrounding him for some kind of aid. Most of the stores were closed and the sidewalks were bare save from the orange light beaming down from the street lights. Jason grew more and more disjointed from reason as he turned back at the collapsed child before him. "She's going to die! I have to--" his thoughts tumbled one after another through his mind.
����������� Finally, Jason realized that the kid couldn't remain on the streets in her condition. He began to gather the little child's body into his arms. Her arms and legs were drenched and her head flopped and bobbed as he lifted her from the ground.
����������� He could see her face now. Her lips were trembling and her skin was pale even in the deep colored that spilled from the lamps standing tall behind him. Jason stole another quick look around the street, attempting to gather his thoughts. Again he found the road empty and quiet.
����������� "I have to get her somewhere--" he thought rapidly. There were no hospitals in the area of town that he knew of, and there would be very little open this time of night that would have anything or anyone that could help him.
����������� He started running. It was difficult for Jason to move quickly with the small blond-haired child in his arms. His mind, however, continued to race as quickly as his feet hit the ground. Jason was running back home--to his father's house. He couldn't think of anywhere else to go, and the trembling infant in his arms was blocking out all reason left in his mind.
����������� "I'll get her into a warm bath" he was telling himself. "She needs to get warmed up." His arms were beginning to ache, but the sight of his father's townhouse brought forth more and more determination as he turned down what he felt was the twentieth street in the night. The girl in his arms was still trembling, and Jason could feel her entire body shaking periodically as he held her.
����������� Jason wrestled with the wooden gate, finally knocking it open violently and rushing towards his front door. The screen door was propped open, but the wooden inside door was closed. He reached from beneath the girl's back and twisted the brass doorknob, wishing desperately that it would turn and not be locked.
����������� The knob twisted stubbornly, as it always did, but Jason finally shoved the wooden obstruction aside and entered his house. He quickly looked around the living room that the front door opened into--searching for any other signs of life. Marvin was nowhere in sight, and Jason looked down at the floor to notice that Marvin's dirty old boots were gone. "He must have gone out" Jason thought, and an eruption of relief pulsed suddenly through his mind.
����������� He rushed upstairs and into the bathroom, not bothering to even remove his own damp black boots. Kneeling slowly on the white tiles of the tiny bathroom, Jason let the petrified body he held fall gently onto the floor.
����������� In the light, he could see her face much more clearly. Jason figured that, had she not been in such a rough state, this little girl would probably be as cute as could be. He had always fancied the idea of having a younger sister--someone he could look out for and give advice to.
����������� Jason turned her head gently, inspecting her face and neck for any bruises or cuts. He checked her arms next. She didn't look like she was hurt in anyway, but she was defiantly very dirty, and her skin was still cold to the touch.
����������� White water rushed from the rusty facet into the tub as Jason frantically twisted the red and blue handles. The crashing sound of water churning through the old pipes of the small townhouse was nearly horrific. Jason spent a few minutes running his hand under the stream, testing the temperature. He wanted to make sure that the water was warm enough, but not too hot. He figured a child this small might not take well to scalding hot water, unconscious or not.
����������� As the tub continued to fill, Jason looked back at the child. She wore a dirty child's t-shirt and small cotton shorts, both of which were soaked. He knew he had to get them off of her, and couldn't help but feel somewhat perverted at the idea. Regardless, he peeled the shirt off her, taking care to see that her head was well supported as he did so. Her chest and back were pale and also chilled due to the prolonged exposure to her damp shirt. Jason tossed it aside, and began to tug at her shorts. "I am sorry" he said in his mind, both to the girl and the girl's parents, wherever they might have been at the time. The shorts stubbornly resisted, and Jason had to life her thighs up to finally get them off. He felt vile and very sleazy the whole time. "If Marvin caught me doing this--" he said to the girl, sounding nearly terrified.
����������� The blonde little girl wore only a small pair of white panties, covered in small red hearts. They were stained brown with dirt and rainwater. Jason looked only briefly at them, tearing his attention away as quickly as he could. He knew he couldn't bring himself to take them off. "She'll be fine in just those" he thought.
����������� The tub was filling up quickly, and Jason cranked both knobs until the rush of water was just a drizzle. The small bathroom felt humid and musty. Jason could see that the dirty mirror above the sink was fogging up quickly, as it always did.
����������� Dipping his hand into the water, Jason was glad to find it just the temperature he wanted. He lifted the girl up and into the tub. The water rose as her cold arms and legs sank into it. Jason propped the girl up, leaning her back against the edge of the tub and resting her head on the edge.
����������� She was still breathing--in fact she was breathing harder now that she was in the water. Jason found himself beginning to sigh in relief. He felt better than he had all night at that moment. The little child was safe now, he thought to himself. She would be warm, and clean, and safe here. Jason brought his forehead down on the edge of the tub slowly, letting it rest on its smooth surface. The recent events of the night were shuffling through his mind in a frantic, unorganized fashion.
����������� The girl began moaning softly. Jason sprung to attention, startled at the break in silence. "Hey" he whispered, "hey there. You okay?"
����������� She moaned again. It seemed to Jason that she wasn't completely awake. She looked as if she was having a very bad dream. She began muttering incomplete words and sounds.
����������� Jason was frightened by the child's sudden activeness. He wasn't sure if he should try to get her to snap out of it, or try and calm her down more. He wiped the sweat that was beading on his upper lip away and put his palm on the girl's cheek. She was beginning to feel warmer than she did before.
����������� The girl shied her face away from his hand in a slight sense of disgust. "Hey, it's okay, sweetie" he said softly, trying his hardest to sound comforting and non-threatening. "I'm not going to hurt you."
����������� The girl finally opened her eyes slightly. She had what Jason thought were beautifully blue eyes, though he could only just see them, for the girl only opened them slightly. She looked so very tired.
����������� "Uhh..." she managed to utter.
����������� "Shhhhh. Take it easy there, kiddo." He whispered, holding a finger to his mouth. "Just relax. You're okay."
����������� She closed her eyes again. "This kid must not have slept in the last few days" Jason thought to himself. "No wonder: poor thing lying out on the street in the rain like that? What kind of parents would let that sort of thing happen to such a young daughter?"
����������� Jason tried to keep the child awake. "Hey, how do you feel? Are you hurt?" She said nothing. She simply sat breathing, as if she was swallowed up in some disturbing coma of some type. "Hey... stay with me here. What's your name?"
����������� The girl opened her eyes again. "Fffff"
����������� "What? What did you say?" Jason repeated, unsure he heard anything at all. He could feel his pulse quicken.
����������� "Fee..." the girl uttered once again. Her voice was distant and weak. She looked as if she would collapse into an overwhelming unconscious fatigue once again at any moment. Jason cupped his hand in the warm tub water and poured it over her forehead.
����������� "Fee... what? Is that your name? Tell me your name!" he was speaking hurriedly.
����������� The girl whispered, "Phoebe" and then fell silent, her eyes closing once again.
����������� Jason sat for seconds staring at the little child. "Phoebe" he repeated. Her name was Phoebe. He had never heard that name before, or at least he had never heard of anyone with that name.
����������� He brought his watch up, and glanced at it. The little digital numbers were displaying 11:04 pm. Jason realized at that moment how tired he was. His arms felt strained after carrying his new little friend home in such a hurry. His knees ached from his sitting on them all this time, waiting anxiously at the side of Phoebe. He looked back at her. Her shivering trembles were calmed at this point, and she seemed to be sleeping soundly.
As he stared at her, terrifying ideas of what might have happened to her if he had just kept walking along that street began to come to him. He started to envision a pair of police cars and an ambulance, coupled with a group of wondering strangers all huddled around this poor child, who had died there on the street that night due to the lack of food or because of some disease. Jason cringed and such a thing.
He looked at her once again. The site of the little girl warm and comfortably resting in his bathtub made him feel somewhat better. "Don't you worry, Phoebe. You're going to be just fine here. I promise."
Jason spent the next half hour bathing the child. He was careful not to scrub too hard on her arms and legs, and eventually her skin became a nice pink color once again, thanks to the warmth of the water and his efforts. He drained the water and carefully dried Phoebe's hair and body.
Afterwards, Jason carried her into his room. His bed was never made, and he placed Phoebe on it. He grabbed a large T-shirt of his from his closet and dressed her in it. On the small child, his black shirt came down past her knees. Jason wrapped her up in the covers of his rather small bed, and left her there to sleep. As he shut off the light in his room, he slowly drew the door to a close.
Jason stood there staring at his bedroom door for several seconds. He began to wonder if he was doing the right thing. "Maybe I should call the police and report her as a missing person or something."
The fatigue returned to his legs. Jason slowly strode down the stairs and into his living room. The stagnate air of the room rested silently and Jason felt drained and weary. He collapsed on the dark couch and sighed in relief.
Phoebe was sleeping soundly in his room, and Jason once again swelled with feelings of pride and respite. He had saved the little sister that he had never had from the darkness and cruelty of isolation and abandonment.
The swell of contentment relaxed his mind, and Jason soon fell asleep.
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The room snapped into focus immediately as Jason's attention returned to him. He couldn't be sure how long he had been lying there on the couch with his boots still on.
He could hear the wooden gate collapsing shut, as he had heard it do so many times in the past. He rose in fear, realizing that footsteps were approaching his front door, which he had forgotten to lock. Before he knew what was happening next, Marvin stepped into the room.
He was wearing his dirty grey jacket, which was sprinkled heavily with rainwater that dripped from its various folds. He sniffed loudly as he stepped into the room, and then froze as his eyes spied Jason. "You... what are you doing here?"
Jason knew that Marvin would soon erupt into a fury of shouting and lectures. His frightened thoughts soon turned to Phoebe, who was still up in his bedroom. What would happen, Jason thought, if this monster--this beast of a man found out he had brought home a little stray infant he found on the street?
"Dad... please" he began.
"Shut up you! You think you can just walk back in here after the way you talked to me?" he roared. Jason feared that Phoebe might wake up. He didn't want that to happen. He didn't want Phoebe to come anywhere near this dirty old man.
"Shhh, listen to me. I'm sorry" he cried.
"I should have sent you with your mother, you lazy bum." Marvin sounded hateful, and drunk.
Jason stood in shock at his father's remarks. The old flame of bitterness and detestation that had driven him to run away earlier that night return and he could feel it biting its way up his throat. "Fuck you, old man" he screamed.
Marvin's eyes widened in rage. Jason knew what was coming next, and he stood awaiting Marvin's eventual charge. They had danced this dance in the past, and Jason had walked away from it with a bit more than a few bruises. In his furious state, he sought now to avenge his former humiliation.
Both men stopped as a crying sound pierced through the room. Marvin turned and stared at the stairs where the sobs and sniffles were coming from and stared in blank perplexity. Jason seized in horror as he realized that his confrontation with his father had woken the young girl sleeping in his room.
Marvin finally turned back at him. "What the hell is that?" Jason couldn't find words. Phoebe continued to send loud and terrible shrieks avalanching down the stairs. Finally, Jason rushed past Marvin and darted for the stairs. Marvin was quick to follow him and quicker to begin once again tearing into him with his violent interrogations. "Jason, goddamn it who the hell is that up there?" he shouted as he chased his son noisily up the stairs.
Rushing into his room, the boy found Phoebe, who's hair was still wet and in need of a good combing, sitting upright in his bed, sobbing and still wearing his shirt. Her face was read and moist, and she clutched the blanket to her chest. "Shhh, it's okay" he said hurriedly, before she had a chance to have another outburst. "Nobody is going to hurt you. It's okay." He repeated himself over and over as he approached her cautiously, as if she were some kind of animal that might spring forward and attack him if he made any sudden move. The child sat in fear, staring at Jason cautiously. "Don't worry, Phoebe, you'll be okay."
Marvin stomped into the room, and Phoebe clenched her bundle of blanket closer to her. The old man stepped back as he noticed the girl. "Who... who the hell is that, Jason?"
"Dad, please. Her name is Phoebe. I found her out on the street. She was unconscious and nearly dead..."
Marvin interrupted him quickly. "You did what? Are you stupid or something? You could be arrested!"
Jason felt irritated at his father's lack of compassion. "Jesus Christ, dad, what the hell was I suppose to do? Let her sit there in the middle of the street and die?" He was speaking loudly again. Marvin felt surprised that his no good son was trying so very hard to defend his actions. Normally he never bothered to try and explain himself when Marvin found out about some prank or stunt he had pulled.
"I want you out of here now, Jason" he said. "Get your shit and get out. I'll look after this."
Jason looked at him in horror and anger. "No, I'm not leaving her here."
"Yes you are. Now get out. In the morning I'll call the police and get her back to her parents."
"Bullshit" Jason cried at him. "There is no way I am leaving her here with you."
"Listen to me you little--" he fired back at Jason. Phoebe once again began to whine and cry.
"Jason..." she muttered, sounding very needing.
Marvin grew confused and dumbfounded once again. He struggled with his thoughts, and Jason could see him arguing with himself in his mind. Jason just sat there and stared at him sternly. He wasn't about to lose this fight to his father--not this one!
"Fine!" Marvin screamed, silencing Phoebe. "You stay with her tonight. But in the morning, I want you gone! I never want to see you again, you hear me?" He stormed into the other room and slammed the door, rattling the walls of the entire house.
Jason sat there with the girl on his bed. He turned and looked at her. She was scared. He could see the fear in her eyes. Her hands were tight around the blue comforter she had clasped to her chest. He face was soaked in tears, and her nose was running. "You okay, Phoebe?"
She sat there for a few more minutes, not moving. Finally, she leaped forward and hugged Jason tightly. He held her close to him as he heard her softly begin to cry again. "Shhhhh, it's okay Phoebe" he said. Her body felt warm against his, and he sat there looking at the doorway. "Nothing is going to happen to you."
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Marvin awoke the next morning late. His head was storming with flares of pain and unease. The old worker looked at his clock. 9:18 am. "Aww, shit." He would be late for work again. His boss, Mr. Allen, would undoubtedly call him into his office again and chew him out, as he always loved to do.
Marvin changed his shirt, and suddenly the image of the little blond girl flashed in his mind. "Oh yeah" he said in irritation.
The sun was streaming into the silent hallway as Marvin walked through it. He came to Jason's room. The door was shut, and he slammed on it with his fist. "Jason! Get up. I want you out of here now. Get that little girl of yours up too." Silence followed. Marvin couldn't hear anything. He turned the knob and entered the room.
The bed was empty. The whole room was vacant. Marvin stood confused. He raced down the stairs. Jason's shoes were gone, and there was no sign of the little girl he had brought home with him.
Marvin called throughout the entire house. "Jason? Are you here?" No answer. Marvin was alone in that townhouse. He gave up his search and left. Climbing into his rusty pickup truck, Marvin couldn't help think about the little blond haired girl that he had seen. He kept trying to understand why Jason had brought her home. Why had that no good kid of his done such a thing?
Marvin never did come up with a reason he could believe. He never saw Phoebe again, and he didn't hear from Jason for a long time.
