Renting Ginny

I came to as the soft, gentle cooing of my mother’s voice roused me back to consciousness. My eyes fluttered open, and I saw that I was now lying on the living room couch. I rubbed my eyes and sat up. “I’m sorry.” “It’s okay, sweetie,” said my Mom. “Drink this and tell us what happened.” I took the glass of water from her and drank thirstily as both my parents watched me with concern. My Mom sat at the edge of the coffee table in front of the couch while my Dad sat on a stuffed chair nearby. “No matter what happened – whatever it is – we’ll never love you any less.” “Oh, I know that,” I said with assurance. That’s when I realized that they may have feared I was raped or something like that. “Relax, I wasn’t raped in the traditional sense. But things were still bad enough.” “Tell us,” my mother urged softly. I looked at them and smiled. I was lucky to have such a caring family. “Last weekend I went to a client’s home on a street called Woodsy Boulevard.” My Dad’s brows creased for a moment. “Never heard of it,” he said. “The client told me her name was Anina Hahn and she was from Munich, Germany. I don’t know what she did for a living because she wouldn’t tell me. When she started getting overly demanding and controlling, I told her I wanted out, but she wouldn’t let me leave.” I then went on to tell them of how I had to smash a window to get out and how she had me arrested for breaking in and how the cops had believed her. “Good lord,” my mother said with a roll of her eyes. “But honey, why didn’t you call us from jail?” “Because before I got a chance to call anyone, I was told I was bailed out. I didn’t know by whom until I saw Anina on the way out. She told me that if I promised not to tell anyone about what happened, she would have a lawyer friend of hers get my case dismissed in court after being summoned for arraignment. She claimed she tried to tell the cops that I didn’t really break in, but that they wouldn’t believe her. Personally, I don’t see why it wasn’t blatantly obvious to the cops. The glass was shattered outward and not inward, and one doesn’t usually burglarize houses the way I was dressed. They also usually run when they hear sirens approaching, don’t they?” My mother’s voice was soothing as she assured me that they’d take care of the situation, and then I told them about the dark dungeon I was chained in and how the guys had broken in with the intentions of burglarizing the house, found me, and came to my rescue.” “Oh, my God,” my mother muttered, too stunned to say much more. My father listened calmly but with a mix of emotions evident in his eyes. “Where did you go after they got you out?” “To one of the guy’s aunt’s houses.” “To his aunt’s house?” my Dad asked with surprise. I nodded. “His Dad called on his cell and asked that he go over and fix her clogged drain. Ironically enough, she too, was from Germany. A place called Tübingen.” “That’s a little suspicious right there,” said my mother. “How many Germans are in this country as opposed to Mexicans, Puerto Ricans or Chinese people? And in the same area.” “I can see where you might think that, but you could just tell she had nothing to do with anything that happened and that she was completely clueless that her nephew was breaking and entering houses, in this case, condos.” “We’ve got to go to the police,” said Mom. “No! We can’t do that. I promised never to snitch on the guys. What they did may have been wrong, but they saved my life. I may very well be dead right now if it weren’t for them.” “And you said the aunt gave you her number?” “Yes. Her name is Barbara. She teaches German at a university.” “But we have to at least find out what’s going on with your own so-called breaking and entering case,” Dad said. “How do we do that?” I asked. “Well, we go to the jail, I guess,” said Mom. “Let me give Christoff a call first. He would know what to do.” I thought of my Dad’s friend Christoff. Christoff had actually been a family friend for quite some time. He had once been a neighbor as well until he and his wife moved to a retirement community several miles away. He was also a criminal attorney. “But you gotta make him promise to keep the guys out of it,” I urged. “Those guys may actually be of help to us as material witnesses, in which case they would probably be given immunity in exchange for their testimony.” “If we could find out their last names,” I pointed out. “We may have to go through the aunt to get some information, but for now, we do nothing until I call Christoff because you’re what’s most important.” I smiled, and then I got up off the couch and hugged my Dad. My Mom stood up after I hugged him and we hugged, too. “I love you both so much,” I said. “How about a nice dinner first, then your Dad will make the call and you can relax in a nice hot bubble bath?” “Oh, I would just love that,” I said, never believing how something so simple would come to seem like such a luxury to me. Mom and I whipped up a casserole in under an hour. During dinner, we talked about things like the weather, the news, and my brothers and sister. It seemed like I hadn’t seen them in years. Alexa was the only one living at home at the moment but was currently staying with her boyfriend. After enjoying chocolate mousse for dessert, Dad went to call Christoff as I started to help Mom clean up. She insisted, however, that I go upstairs and just relax for the rest of the night. “In the morning, we’ll discuss what to do about your situation and finding a new job for you.” I was soon soaking in the tub, never thinking I’d find the feeling so soothing. Inhaling the fresh scent of honey-vanilla, I sank down into the foamy water until it lapped against my chin. After I was dried off and in an old but comfortable nightie, I blow-dried my hair and left the bathroom. The hallway was dim as not much light spilled up into it from downstairs. I could hear the faint drone of the TV coming from below as I passed the darkened and empty bedroom that had been the boys’, and then my sister’s. I stepped into my own room next to my parents’ room and flicked on the light. I stood there for a few minutes just studying everything. It felt like I hadn’t seen it in years, and my belongings almost felt like someone else’s. I passed my full-length mirror and studied myself. Looks were one thing I was lucky with. I was unlucky in love and I was presently jobless, but I had a nice appearance. How lucky indeed I was for at least that much, along with what was almost the perfect family. Yes, I did look okay if I did say so myself. Even with the bruises that were still visible on my face and slender body. Sometimes I wished I were attracted to guys as often as I was attracted to women, but I knew that wouldn’t change anything. Men could be abusive as well. As long as you found someone you loved and that loved you in return, did it really matter what they were? I slunk down under the covers, turned on the bedside lamp, and got lost in a romance novel until I felt I could no longer keep my eyes open. I glanced at the clock. 11:34 PM My parents had gone to bed half an hour ago. I put the book aside and turned out the light, plunging the room into complete darkness. Normally, I found the darkness relaxing, but tonight it seemed to have a sinister air to it, even though I was home and my parents were just a wall away. I yawned in my sleep as the bedroom door opened. I just barely heard it moving on its hinges, but I was pretty sure of what I heard. I rose up on my elbows. “Mom?” I whispered loudly. The light snapped on, blinding me with its sudden and unexpected brightness. “Uh-uh,” Anina said with the evilest of grins I ever did see in my life. I screamed and screamed as she yanked me out of my bed. “Bet you sure wish I was your mommy, don’t you?” “No! No! No!” I screamed as I was dragged across the room by my hair and out into the hallway. I screamed for my parents but the door to their room remained shut tight. “Your time with me isn’t up yet, bitch!” snarled Anina. “You think I’m gonna let you rip me off?” I screamed. “Do you?” I screamed some more. “Well, I’ll show you who’s boss!” “Please help me! Mom, Dad, don’t let her take me!” “Shut up, Ginny. They want me to take you. They’re sick of being burdened by you.” “That’s not true!” I screamed as I was dragged toward the stairs. “They hate you and they can’t afford to take care of you anymore. They don’t have what it takes to deal with you.” “That’s a lie!” I shouted. “My parents are good, hardworking people! My Mom’s a nurse and my Dad’s an eye doctor. They love me. They love all their kids!” A burst of evil-sounding laughter that reminded me of the wicked witch that Dorothy and Toto had so greatly feared pealed from the beautiful but deranged German woman. I bounced painfully down the stairs as she dragged me over each of the risers. I thought my ribs would crack by the time she had me at the foot of the stairs. It was when she was pulling me to the front door that I bolted upright in bed, sweating, breathing so heavily you’d think I’d just run a marathon. “A dream,” I told myself as I plopped back down on the pillow. “Just a silly old dream.”