Kitten in a Cage

Kennedy pulls the U-Haul up in front of her new home, a freshly painted forest green and brick bungalow in a quiet, shady neighborhood. After an ugly divorce, Kennedy decided a fresh start was in order to regain some clarity and find her true self once again. The house is charming with a large front porch where she can see herself taking in the cool night's air as she reflects on her writing. The house sits walking distance from the touristy sea front town with its shops and cafés that she absolutely fell in love with while her and her now ex-husband were vacationing.

Kennedy drops out of the truck’s cab, a long way down for a woman of five-two and feels the impact on her ankles and knees. She takes a moment to stretch after the long drive, breathing in the salty ocean air that is less than a mile away. She unhooks her car and parks it in front of the white detached garage, figuring the garage will mainly be used for storage. She saunters back to the truck and rolls up the steel door to find everything where she left it – thankfully. She stacks a couple boxes and carries them to the porch where she sits them down to unlock the door. She carries in the boxes and sets them in the kitchen.

The house is old, but well maintained with several updates. The kitchen had been remodeled with new cabinets and granite countertops. The sink is modern. There’s a dining area. The living room is spacious with a ceiling fan and arch entryways and hardwood floors throughout. The banister to the staircase looks original but refinished. There is a second living area with a fireplace that she visualizes as her study.

She is making her second trip outside when she unexpectedly hears a voice behind her. “Can you use some help?”

Kennedy turns to see a man a good foot taller than her, his t-shirt clinging to his well-defined body. His curly hair is trimmed short, and he has bright blue eyes that stand out against his tan, weathered skin. She brushes a loose strand of strawberry-blonde hair back behind her ear and smiles.

“I’m Sam. I live next door. I saw you pull up and thought I’d offer some assistance.”

“Yeah, yes, that would be great,” she says, glancing down non-conspicuously at his left hand. “I’m Kennedy, and you’re a life saver,” she laughs. “I have so much to unload, and I have to have the truck back tomorrow.”

“Does that mean it’s just you,” Sam asks as they grab more boxes.

“Yep, recently divorced.”

“I’m sorry or congratulations?”

“Neither. I’m just glad it’s over and ready to start the next chapter of my life,” she says, smiling as they set down their boxes.

“Any women in your life,” Kennedy asks as they head back to the truck.

“Just my sister. She suffers from Agoraphobia and won’t leave the house. That’s actually my childhood home,” he says pointing to the three-story white Victorian next door.

“That’s sweet of you to care for your sister like that. Life must be hard for her.”

“She’s happy as long as she stays inside. With the internet and everything you can do with it these days she’s entertained and social.”

Kennedy and Sam continue to get to know each other as they work together, occasionally squeezing in some playful banter. They talk about their careers; her a writer, him a carpenter. They both come from small families, her being an only child, both of them losing their parents far before their time.

They enjoy the same type of music, modern country rock, and get the truck radio to blaring. They both love barbeque and seafood, going outdoors hiking and playing in the water, watching baseball during the summer and football during the winter.

By the time they are done, they are crushing on each other. Kennedy can’t look at Sam without her green eyes glowing like two vacancy signs in the night and a smile that scrunches her little freckled nose. Sam can’t help but look at Kennedy adoringly, so petite, flushed cheeks that make her hair look more blonde than strawberry.

Once they get everything done, Kennedy orders pizza and Sam gets a six-pack of beer from his place. They spend hours talking and laughing before she makes the first move. He penetrates her in front of an unlit fireplace.

#

Kennedy wakes the next morning to soft white sunlight and cool fresh air sifting in through the open windows in her study. The day is beautiful, my house is beautiful, last night was beautiful. Less than twenty-four hours into my new life and I’m happier than I’ve been in a long time, Kennedy thinks to herself, lying in bed stretching. Coffee, she tells herself, her hair falling into a jumbled mess atop her head as she sits up. She pushes the hair from her face, maybe a shower first.

Showered and perfumed, in sundress and sandals, she returns the truck to the local dealer and walks into town. There she finds a little cafe where she orders a blueberry Danish and a latte. She takes a seat on the patio and watches the cobblestone streets of the shopping district come to life with curious tourists and loyal locals. This is the life. I’m so glad I moved here. What inspiration, she thinks as she looks out over the ocean.

She finishes her breakfast and strolls down to the wine seller. There she picks up a few bottles of Zinfandel and a cheese sampler and makes her way home. The sun is warm on her face, but the breeze coming off the ocean is refreshing. Once she turns down her street, large trees that line the street provide ample shade for a delightful walk. As she walks up her driveway, she hears Sam calling her name.

“Kennedy, hold up a minute. I want to talk to you.” Kennedy stops and looks at him with questioning eyes. He smiles rather shyly, a different side of him than she saw yesterday. “Would you like to come over for dinner. I have some steaks I can grill with baked potatoes and asparagus. How does that sound?”

“That sounds wonderful, Sam. That’ll give me a chance to meet your sister too. And look, I’ll bring the wine. What time should I be over?”

“Let’s eat at seven.”

“Seven it is. I will see you then.”

Sam smiles a wide, excited smile. How sweet. It was like he was asking out his high school crush. I must have made some impression on him yesterday, Kennedy thinks as she makes her way into the house. Changing into shorts and a tank top, she busies herself unpacking.

#

Kennedy showers and puts her hair up. She picks out a beige and floral spaghetti strap dress that hangs down to her knees and a matching pair of wedges that give her a couple additional inches in height to wear for the evening. She feels elegant and beautiful without feeling too formal or scandalous. She checks her make-up one last time to ensure it is blended lightly and grabs the wine before heading next door.

 Before she can knock on the door, Sam answers with a welcoming smile. “You look stunning tonight,” he compliments, taking the wine from her and kissing her on the cheek. “Let me grab the corkscrew. Dinner is already on the table if you’d like to have a seat,” he says, pulling out a chair for her.

As she takes a seat, Kennedy says hello to the anxious looking woman sitting across from her. She isn’t wearing any make-up, and her long brown hair is tied back in a tight ponytail. Her complexion is pale, lips are dry, and her eyes are lightly bloodshot as if she has been crying recently. All Kennedy can see is that she is wearing is an old Nirvana t-shirt.

“Where are my manners. Kennedy, this is my sister Rebecca. Rebecca, this is Kennedy. She just moved in next door. Let me get that corkscrew and we’ll eat.”

“Rebecca, it’s so nice to meet you. Sam told me about your condition. I hope we can become friends and spend some time together.”

“N-n-nice to meet you too, Kennedy. You are very beautiful. I can see why he chose you.”

“Okay, who’s thirsty,” Sam asks, returning to the dining room.

“I sure can use a drink,” Kennedy says with a smile, holding out her glass. “This looks amazing, Sam. These steaks are huge.”

“No, you’re just little,” he says playfully. Sam sits down and raises his glass. “To new beginnings.”

“To new beginnings,” Kennedy echoes, tapping his glass with hers.

Rebecca raises hers to meet theirs, but her hand is trembling, and the wine is sloshing. She manages to clank their glasses. Kennedy finds her behavior odd but chalks it up to her disorder and meeting someone new. She puts her napkin in her lap and picks up her silverware which she immediately drops in the middle of her plate making a loud clanking sound. The sound startles Rebecca as she sips her wine, and it goes all down the front of her.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to. It was an accident,” Rebecca says in a panic.

“It’s okay, Rebecca. It’ll clean up. Here, I’ll help you,” says Kennedy.

“No,” Sam says firmly, “she can clean it up.”

Kennedy sits back down, looking at the intensity in Sam’s stare, not taking his eyes off Rebecca as she hurries into the kitchen to get some rags. Sam continues to eat while Rebecca cleans, so Kennedy picks at her food, feeling slightly uncomfortable. Sam gets up, heads into the foyer, comes back in and asks Rebecca if she’s done. Her lips quiver and her eyes squint as she nods her head.

“Good, let's get you cleaned up and changed,” he says helping her to her feet and up the stairs.

Kennedy follows them to the foot of the stairs. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“No, we’ll be back down in a minute. I’m sorry about this,” he says kindly.

Kennedy stays at the bottom of the stairs listening. She hears them go into a room and close the door. It is muffled but it sounds like he is yelling at her, berating her. Silence soon follows and Sam comes down the stairs.

“She’s incredibly embarrassed and refuses to come back down. I was hoping for you two to hit it off so she would have a friend.”

“Sounded like you were overly harsh with her. What was all that about, not letting me help her? And why is she so scared of you?”

“It’s just her condition. She gets anxious. Come on, let’s finish our diner before it gets cold.”

“I’m suddenly not so hungry. I want to talk to Rebecca.”

“She doesn’t want to be bothered Kennedy. Kennedy,” he shouts after her as she pushes past him and runs up the stairs.

Kennedy calls out for Rebecca, popping open doors as she progresses down the hallway. The third door she tries, she finds Rebecca on the bed, her head hanging off, her neck bright red from strangulation. Kennedy covers her mouth to repress her scream and backs up out of the room right into Sam’s arms.

Sam squeezes Kennedy tightly with his head resting on her shoulder, speaking at ear level. “She wasn’t really my sister. She was someone I didn’t want to leave me, my first girlfriend. I thought she was all I ever wanted until I saw you. Let me show you to your new room. You’ll be very happy here.”

Kennedy stomps on his instep and elbows him in the ribs. Sam lets go long enough for her to run for the door. It’s locked from the inside. She runs past Sam, who is almost down the stairs, to the back door. It is also locked from the inside. As Sam closes in on her, she runs to the opposite side of the kitchen island and grabs a knife.

“Come on, Kennedy, we had a great night last night. Every night could be like that. I just have to be certain you won’t leave. Everyone leaves. First my mom, then my dad, then the foster parents toss you around like a hot potato. Then girls think they can treat you like your feelings don’t matter. No, it doesn’t work that way. Not in my world. Not anymore.”

“I’m sorry you have abandonment issues, but I’m getting out of this house one way or another,” she says as they cat and mouse around the island counter.

Kennedy decides to charge him, knife held high ready to stab him, but he catches her by the wrist before she can bring it down. Sam slams her hand against the edge of the stove several times until she releases the knife. Grabbing her by the throat, he picks her up over his head with ease and slams her to the floor, knocking the wind out of her. Sam hoists her up on his shoulder and takes her down to the basement, kicking and screaming, pounding on his back.

In the basement Sam pulls on the shelves on the south wall, revealing a soundproof room he constructed himself. There is a mattress on the floor next to a couch and a TV mounted on the wall across from the mattress. A toilet sits cattycorner from the mattress. Sam drops Kennedy on the mattress and starts to undo his pants. Kennedy’s eyes look past him and grow wide. Sam turns and Rebecca brings the knife down straight into his chest. With pent up fury she repeatedly stabs Sam as he falls back on the mattress, Rebecca on top of him, a chorus of rage escaping her throat. Kennedy calms Rebecca, assuring her that he is dead and that it is over. The two women embrace, Rebecca sobbing heavily on Kennedy’s shoulder.

#

Once Rebecca was free, she went to see her family and friends. It was a joyful, tear-filled reunion. She let them know that she would be moving in with Kennedy where the two collaborated on a novel based on Rebeccas traumatic life with Sam called ‘Kitten in a Cage.’ The two women also rented out store front property in the ocean front shopping district. There they started a little bookstore where Rebecca works full time. Kennedy helps out while working on her next novel.