Mom's Boyfriend - Chapter Fifteen

Maddox climbed down from the tree when dawn peeped over the horizon. She trudged across town to the Kent house. Rapping on Sailor’s window didn’t bring a response. Maddox tried knocking harder, but Sailor continued to sleep. Sinking into the grass, she curled up and went to sleep. Harrison Kent found her there in the morning when he stepped outside with his early cup of coffee. He lifted the sleeping girl and carefully carried her into the house.

“Sailor.” Her father gently nudged his sleeping daughter. Sailor woke up and ogled Harrison. “Come with me. You have a visitor.”

Sailor looked down at Maddox asleep on the couch. She knelt and brushed her friend’s hair away from her face.

“What happened, daddy?” the concerned girl asked.

“Found her sleeping outside your window,” Harrison remarked, standing awkwardly behind his daughter. “Let her rest awhile then we’ll find out. I’m sure you can stay home from school today.”

“Yes, daddy,” Sailor answered, rising. She sat in an easy chair watching her friend. Gabrielle and her mother joined her while Harrison continued getting ready for work.

“Was she out there all night, I wonder?” Matty Kent asked, her brow crinkling with concern.

“I doubt it, Mama,” Sailor answered, her voice far away. “I saw her runaway after she tore my costume.”

“What made her come back?” Matty questioned herself.

“She’s a strange mixed-up kid,” Gabby offered.

“She started acting strange after Jack showed up,” Sailor mused.

“Who’s strange?” Kennedy asked, appearing suddenly. The little girl wore a long flannel nightie and clung to her stuffed rabbit. “Oh, it’s Maddox. Maxi Pad.”

“Where’d you pick that up at?” Gabby and Sailor yelled together. Their little sister shrugged.

“Everyone calls her that.” Kennedy shrugged again.

“Not everyone, and particularly not you,” Gabrielle responded, looming over her younger sibling. “Show some respect.”

Kennedy shrunk back. She didn’t like getting reprimanded. She was only repeating what she heard the other children say. The young girl didn’t know the meaning of her words—only that they sounded funny.

Maddox moved in her sleep then began to wake up. She looked at the Kent family suspiciously, wondering why she was in their living room. Maddox could barely remember the events of the previous evening after Jack attacked her.

“Hi!” Sailor exclaimed, waving her hand. She sat on the couch and wrapped her arm around Maddox’s shoulder.

Maddox leaned her head against Sailor’s neck. Tears clung to her lashes. Her mind grappled with her mother and Jack’s behavior. She felt repulsed by it.

“What happened?” Sailor smiled encouragement. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Maddox shook her head. Her auburn curls circling her head. No, she didn’t want to talk about it. She wanted to hide her problem in her heart; she wanted to forget about it.

“How about some hot oatmeal?” Matilda Kent offered, smiling. “You’ll feel better after you get something into your stomach.”

Maddox nodded. She was cold and hungry after spending most of the night outside. It felt good to sit beside Sailor at the dining table while they ate. It always seemed different at the Kent house compared to the Kelley’s trailer. Everyone ate and talked comfortably with each other. Enola rarely prepared a hot breakfast, usually slamming cereal boxes on the table in the morning and grudging the little milk they had.

Maddox heaped sugar onto her oatmeal and poured milk up to the brim. Grinning, she dug in, shoveling hot cereal into her mouth one spoonful after the other. Oatmeal dribbled down her chin. Sailor felt embarrassed by her friend’s lack of manners and appalled when Maddox left the table without saying thank you.

“So, what’s up?” Sailor demanded. The girls had retired to the privacy of Sailor’s bedroom. Maddox took a long hot shower, and dressed in a borrowed nightshirt, sat yoga-style on the canopy bed.

“Jack loves me,” Maddox answered after a long pause. Although he’d frightened her the night before, she thought the situation through. The steaming shower water relaxed her and led her to new conclusions. “Mom’s okay with it. She wants us to further our relationship.”

Maddox dismissed the previous night’s implications. She didn’t want to wrestle with her mother’s prompting Jack to attack her. Reality wasn’t a part of her mindset. Maddox wanted to believe her own fantasies; she wanted to push aside the harsh events that led her to Sailor’s window.

“Oh.” Sailor opened her mouth to say more then declined to speak. Her relationship with Clyde moved forward steadily. Her parents neither encouraged her nor tried to persuade her against him. They accepted each other at their own pace.

“Jack wants more from our relationship. He’s ready to take the next step,” Maddox continued knowledgeably. “Mom’s pushing us in that direction.” She plucked at Sailor’s comforter. “I guess I didn’t understand that last night. I get it now, and I’m ready.”

Maddox stood, and squaring her shoulders, headed toward the door.

“I’m going back to Jack.” Maddox faced her friend. A determined look washed her face. “I’m going to give myself to him. I love him.”

Color drained from Sailor’s face. She understood the words but not the meaning. Stretching out her hands, she begged her friend to stay, to reconsider. They were both too young, neither of them ready for that kind of commitment.

“Don’t go,” Sailor called feebly. The door shut and Maddox disappeared.

Maddox ran along the sidewalk, her barefeet pounding the cement. She was on her way to her life’s next step. Once she gave herself to Jack, he would own her heart and soul. It was what she wanted.

The trailer seemed quiet when she entered. An eerie stillness surrounded her. Maddox called hello several times. Everything was in its place, the dishes unwashed in the sink. Laundry heaped up in its basket. The odor of frying eggs filled the air. Maddox wandered into the bathroom. Mist steamed the mirrors. Enola had probably taken a shower and returned to bed.

Maddox approached the bedroom door and knocked. She tried to knob; the door was locked.

“Mom?” she called, pressed her lips close to the keyhole. Squatting, she tried to peer inside. Maddox saw a lump on the bed. It moved and groaned. “Mom?” she called again.

After an intermediate time, the door swung open. Enola stood framed in the doorway. Maddox tried to look around her, but her mother blocked her view.

“Where were you?” Enola snapped, moving into the short hallway. She closed the door firmly behind her.

“I…I slept at Sailor’s.” It wasn’t completely a lie. She had woken up in the Kent’s living room. “I’m ready, Mom.” Maddox squared her shoulders. “I’ll do whatever you and Jack want. I love him.”

Enola studied her daughter for a long time. She hadn’t really looked at Maddox in ages. The young girl looked older. Her body had developed, her breasts rounded. Although she was still chunky, she appeared taller and her shape firmer. Perhaps it was time for her initiation.

Maddox’s mother nodded her approval and, swinging the bedroom door open, pushed her daughter forward. Maddox stood at the threshold, peering inside. Jack sprawled across the bed, completely naked. He seemed to take up most of the double bed with his expanding body.

Maddox moved forward to stand over him. Although she had seen Mikey without his clothes many times, Jack appeared different lounging against the propped-up pillows. His plump hanging stomach almost hid his manhood. He grinned up at her and, encircling his penis with his palm, began pumping it.

“Take your clothes off,” he ordered, continuing his masturbation. “Let’s see what you got.”

Maddox’s spine tightened. She hadn’t expected Jack’s bluntness. Somehow, she thought he would embrace her, kiss her. She wanted passion and romance—not the cold way he spoke or acted. Glancing toward the door, Maddox found her mother blocking her only exit. Enola shoved her in the back, forcing her further into the room.

“Take them off, Max,” her mom commanded. “He wants to see you.”

Maddox grasped the bottom of Sailor’s nightshirt and lifted it. It rose above her knees then her thighs. She stopped, hesitating. How far was she willing to go? she wondered. Jack sat up straighter, his eyes widening, his teeth showing behind his grin. Maddox pulled the nightshirt up, revealing her pubic hair.

“Stop.” Jack knelt on the bed, crawling toward her. His left arm encircled her waist and drew her closer. His right hand cupped her vagina.

Maddox squirmed. No one had ever touched her there. It felt uncomfortable. Jack’s arm tightened around her, trapping her. Her back became rigid.

“You’re hurting me!” Maddox scream came out as a whisper. She pushed against him.

“Take her.” Enola pushed her daughter onto the bed.

Maddox fell on top of Jack. His arms surrounded her, and he pushed himself on top. The nightshirt rose, exposing her breasts. Jack latched onto one, sucking it with his rubber band lips. Maddox pushed harder against him, seeking release. His hardened penis pressed against her thigh. It repulsed her. Her fingers dug into his wide back; she dug her nails in. He moaned with pleasure; his tongue playing a circle around her nipple.

“Let me go, let me go,” Maddox cried. “Oh please, let me go.”

What was happening? Maddox didn’t expect this. She thought love was a fantasy game. It was sunshine and happiness. Rainbows were supposed to appear in the sky and fireworks crackled in mid-air. What was happening to her was ugly and brutal. Jack moved above her and thrust his penis inside her frigid body. Tears trickled down Maddox’s reddened cheeks. She couldn’t see, couldn’t feel. For a moment, she saw herself above the bed, looking down. She despised what she saw.

Enola remained in the doorway, watching her daughter’s deflowering. It gave her pleasure, and she laughed.

Her mother’s laughter filled Maddox’s ears. The cruel sound bounced from wall to wall, echoing and growing louder. Jack ejaculated into her, and his warmth overflowed inside her virgin body. He rolled over and grinned at her like the Cheshire Cat.

Maddox leaped from the bed. Sailor’s nightshirt fell to her knees, covering her weakened body. She stared from her mother to her boyfriend.

“I hate you!” she screamed, capturing them both with her hate-filled glare. “Why, mom? Why?” Maddox covered her face with her hands and, without waiting for an answer, ran from the room.

Maddox sat frozen on her bed. She shivered, hugged herself and rocked. RAPE—the word formed in her brain and hovered. Jack had raped her, and her mother watched. No, her mother not only watched but encouraged it. Maddox couldn’t deal with the idea. She slumped onto her bed and rolled into the fetal position. Tears streamed down her face. Inside she felt contaminated.