Lost in the Wind Ch. 02

"Good enough for now. I will let you know exactly how to do it later." Cassy looked around the kitchen a little puzzled. What did she miss. The kitchen looked gleaming clean.

"Come into the library."

"Yes Sir."

He sat in his chair and gestured for her to kneel facing him. "You are here to learn. When I am speaking to you, you will not interrupt me. You will speak only when asked a direct question. If you have something very important to ask you may raise your hand just like at school. But I caution you to not badger me with too many questions. I am not a patient man. Do you understand?"

"Yes Sir."

"I will expect a hundred percent obedience. You will do everything you are directed to and do it promptly. If it is beyond your ability I expect to watch you struggle to do it anyway. You will struggle until you succeed or I release you from the direction."

"OK, communication... You will always refer to me as Sir. You will always be polite. Ask permission to speak by raising your hand. I will either tell you to speak or tap you on the shoulder. You should always speak in a soft voice but no whispering."

"I will not tolerate deception. Don't ever lie to me. You will find me very strict about that."

"When we are in the same room, you will learn where you will be expected to sit or kneel. Here in the library you will sit on the pillow next to my chair. In the kitchen you will sit in your chair to eat. You will learn more as we get more used to being around each other."

He stood. "That is enough for now. I spend most of my mornings in my office. I think it will be a good idea for you to keep busy cleaning in the mornings. Downstairs in the utility room you will find wood polish and a stack of clean rags in a basket. Go down and get the whole basket and come back and I will tell you what I want you to do."

Cassy turned and hurried to the door.

"Stop!" Again that sharp crack of his voice shattered her fragile confidence. She froze, a long shudder of fear shaking her. She turned, her eyes huge and confused.

"You forgot something."

Cassy's eyes darted around the room as she struggled to think of what she had done wrong. Suddenly she grimaced and sank to her knees. "I am sorry Sir. I forgot to say yes Sir."

"I understand it is hard at first to remember everything. But I will need to see improvement. If you didn't hurry, you will have more time to think, more time to remember your duties. Walk slow, hold your head high, be graceful."

"Yes Sir." Cassy stood and did her best to move the way he had directed. In the utility room she found the items he described and started to hurry back. She stumbled on the steep stairs and she remembered his words, 'don't hurry, slow, graceful' and forced herself to take one step at a time.

She stepped into the library, trying to walk slowly and gracefully. She felt a little silly, naked and carrying the basket of cleaning stuff, trying to be graceful. She felt a tiny giggle bubble up. She gulped it down.

He was looking at the book shelves that covered all four walls of the room. "Its been a while since this place has had a good cleaning." He pulled a heavy wooden ladder from its hooks in one corner. "Use this. One shelf at a time, clear all the books. Dust and polish the wood. Put the books back in exactly the same order. I know where all the books are. I can't read the titles very easily and I don't want to have to look for things. I arranged them so I can find them. Don't fuck it up."

"Yes Sir."

Cassy hesitantly raised her hand.

"Do you have a question?"

"Yes sir."

"Go ahead."

"How much can you see?"

He pressed his lips together. "Up close, I can see almost as good as you can. I have to wear my glasses. The light has to be bright. At a distance things get a lot worse. I can't drive or tell people apart easily. Wearing my glasses and being in bright light is very fatiguing. I get terrible head aches if I do it too much. Did that answer your question?" His voice had a soft bitter edge to it.

"Yes Sir, thank you Sir."

"I answered one of your questions, answer one of mine. You mentioned that you had a case manager, that you lived in a foster home. Why?"

Cassy looked thoughtful. "I always lived in foster care. I can't remember my parents at all. One of my case managers told me that my parents were declared unfit and I was put in state custody. I lived in a lot of different foster homes, Sir."

"You have no family at all?"

The memories of the endless loneliness, her repeated inability to feel at home in any of the places she had stayed, her tendency to forget to come home, to forget where her home was, filled her mind like a rushing wind. She could feel the bridge railing under her feet and the wind pushing at her. She swayed slightly, leaning into the wind.

"I asked you a question!" Once more that whip crack tone cut into her. She jumped and realized her eyes were closed.

"No Sir, no family."

"Learn to answer more promptly. I will take a shower and then be in my office. It is down the hall past my bedroom if you have any questions. I will leave the door open, but knock before you come in. I don't like to be startled. Now get to work." He gave her light swat on her bare bottom and Cassy squeaked in surprise. He had not touched her since she had taken her clothes off.

"Yes Sir." Cassy pushed the ladder over to the far corner and climbed up to the top and began carefully remove the books.

"Don't hurry. While you work, think about how you can do it quietly, gracefully. Pretend that you have an audience judging you on how you move. I will be looking in on you from time to time. And for god's sake don't fuck up the order, the last time I had someone do this I couldn't find anything for weeks."

Cassy's voice was soft and automatic. "Yes Sir."

"Oh and don't touch the piano."

"Yes Sir."

Cassy worked on cleaning the bookshelves through the morning. It wasn't easy. The books were not in any predictable order. If he had a system she could not figure it out. She would climb up and remove the books and carefully stack them on the floor, dust and polish the shelf, carefully polish the wood, dust the books and put them back in identical order to how she found them.

Twice through the morning she looked up and found him standing in the doorway watching her as she worked. Each time she would remember his words and strive harder to move gracefully. He would give soft directions, "It is more graceful to bend at the knees to pick up the books rather than bend over at the waist. Shoulders back. Keep your back straighter. Don't try to carry so many books at one time. Hold the books away from your body." He would watch for a while and then disappear just as silently as he appeared.

The third time she found him watching he smiled, "You are doing very well child. Finish that shelf and come clean up for lunch."

"Yes Sir." She raised her hand.

"Yes child?"

"Sir, will I be cleaning in here after lunch or should I put away the rags and stuff?"

"Put the polish and clean rags back in the utility room. Any dirty rags put in the laundry basket by the washing machine." He smiled and said. "That was a good question child. I like your attention to detail."

"Thank you Sir." Cassy felt an unfamiliar rush of happiness. She felt a quick smile cross her face. She covered her mouth with her hand.

"Don't hide your smile child. You have a beautiful smile." Cassy dropped her hand. He reached and touched her lips. Cassy could feel her lips quiver against his finger tip. He dropped his hand to her shoulder and spun her to face the door. "Go on." Again he gave her a gentle swat to get her started.

"Yes sir." She spun around and slipped under his arm and grabbed the polish and rags, dropped them into the basket and walked toward the door, a happy grin on her face.

She washed her hands, arms and face. She ran the comb through her hair. She felt a rush of accomplishment when she noticed that one of her fingernails had grown out long enough for the ragged edge to snag in her hair. She resisted the urge to scamper up the stairs, forcing herself to walk.

The table was set with two plates. He was sitting on one end of the table and he stood when she entered. "You hungry?"

Cassy hesitated. She wasn't really hungry, she wasn't sure if she ever felt very hungry. "A little, I guess, Sir."

He looked at her and frowned. "OK, a little." He put a plate in front of her. It held a salad and a grilled sandwich. He put a can of diet Coke down in by her plate. Cassy's eyes lit up and she reached for the soda. He put his hand over hers before she could take a drink.

"Wait until I sit down. Its polite to wait for other people before you start. Use good manners. And you can have the soda only if you promise to eat the whole lunch."

Cassy eyed the salad cautiously. She hated vegetables. "Yes Sir." The sandwich was really good, crispy soft bread, with melted cheese and ham. The salad was a challenge. It had lots of green leaves in it and chunks of peppers and tomatoes. The dressing was sour. Cassy felt herself gag several times as she forced herself to eat the unfamiliar food. She couldn't have done it if she had not had the Coke to wash it down.

He watched her eat. "That bad?"

"Oh no Sir, it was good. Thank you."

"Remember the rules about not lying."

Cassy gulped, "I am sorry Sir, the sandwich was good. I really did like that. I am sure the salad was good too, if you like salad." A tiny impish grin turned up the corner of her mouth.

He gave her a measuring look. "Its nice to see a little humor from you. Just don't get impertinent on me. Anyway, get used to eating salad. I eat it nearly every meal, and what I eat, you will eat."

Cassy's smile evaporated. "Yes Sir."

"It won't be so bad. Come on get up. I cooked. You clean up."

"Yes Sir."

He sat in his chair and softly gave her direction, his words guiding her. "Stand straight. Don't hunch your shoulders up like that. Move more slowly, remember graceful. Don't put the knives in the dishwasher, wash them by hand. Rinse the rag out when you are done. Sweep the floor. Sway your hips more as you walk." Cassy liked the the soft voice steering her through the work. It was like a gently hand leading her from one step to the next. Her soft 'yes Sirs' an echo soothing her.

When she was finished he told her to come and kneel before him. "When you kneel down, lower yourself slowly, gracefully. Rest your bottom on your heels, rest your hands on your thighs, palms up." He gently reached out and smoothed her hair away from her face.

"Yes Sir."

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Please don't be shy about giving me feedback and rating my stories. I am such a feedback slut.

Xantu