Whisper 02: Housekeeping

Monday, March 7, 2011

District Attorney Mary Katherine "Kit" Vicari-Hightower stepped into the 90th District Court late Monday afternoon. It was "pots and pans day." In other words, child support, child custody, divorce, property settlements and all the messy parts of life which impact families oftentimes in the worst of ways -- especially the children.

Kit took notice it was Andrea Forest. Her daughter Sommer was one of the backup guards on Tiffany and Christina's basketball team. A senior who was best described as "tough nosed" and "fearless" who wasn't the most talented, but probably was the most consistent of all of the players in getting her best each and every play.

At five foot-four and a solid 130 pounds, she would throw her body around diving for loose balls, trying to win every 'fifty-fifty battle' on the court. And she won more than others did. A lot more. Appreciably more.

God didn't give the girl loads and loads of talent. But She gave the child loads and loads of heart -- and it was infectious. The coaches had learned to send her in with the sixth girl, an offensive weapon, knowing the child would 'stir things up' and create havoc on the floor. And her tenacious defense would offset some of the shooter's shortcomings in that part of the game.

"Mrs. Forest," 90th District Judge Gregory Henderson, Kit's mentor and friend, said.

"I am sorry your attorney is not here, but the papers are in order. Your daughter turns 18 a year from March, and by statute the child support stops then."

"The best I can do is order that child support continue through graduation. There's nothing I can do about ordering her father to help with college expenses. I'm sorry," the judge said, glancing up at Kit with tired eyes. Greg had been battling cancer off and on for years. And the latest round of chemo had taken its toll on his body, and his spirit. She, and he, and many others feared the worst -- it was just a matter of time.

"But your honor," Andrea moaned resigned to the fact that once again Life had bitten her child in the butt.

Andrea's ex smirked. Kit knew he had been buying stuff under his wife's name, a new boat, a pickup for him, a car for his current wife's 15-year-old daughter -- the cops were laying in the weeds on her as she drove like a bat out of hell. Both Kit and the county attorney had agreed when that case came before the bench, whichever court it might be, they would be dropping the hammer on the teen before she killed someone else.

Yet the man wouldn't spend one penny more than the court ordered for his own daughter. His own flesh and blood.

Kit got up to walk up to the bench and was passing behind Andrea when her ex hissed, "half-breeds don't deserve college anyway."

Kit reached out and firmly grasped the half-Hispanic woman's shoulder to keep the anger from resulting in something even uglier, more violent.

Andrea had a well-earned reputation for never backing down from a fight. She might have suffered broken ribs at the hand of the bastard, but she kicked in his left knee and broke his jaw with a well-placed right cross and a hard kick during on their donnybrook battles before she finally moved out and filed for divorce.

The bastard had fought her every step of the way until the judge finally laid the law down.

"Don't!" Kit hissed. "He's not worth it."

"And you, get out of this courtroom before I call an exterminator you cockroach," Kit said then glaring at the man's attorney who was just shrugged 'what can I do?'

"Make that two cockroaches," Kit snarled as she stared down the attorney sending him scurrying after his client worrying that representing this ass might cost some of his other clients, his criminal clients. Kit had a well-earned reputation for exacting retribution -- especially if she thought an attorney had needlessly harmed another.

"Andrea, stay! I want to talk to you," Kit said getting the despondent woman to nod her head 'yes' as her shoulders sagged as the stared unseeing at the floor.

"What's up sexy?" Judge Henderson teased.

Judge Greg, as many of the attorneys called him, knew it made Kit livid that judges and attorneys, the worst of Alpha Males, saw her as a sex object and not as a very competent attorney. So, he teased her because she knew that was far down his list of 'what's best about Kit.'

"Just need some bonds approved," she said.

"What just happened there?" the judge asked softly nodding towards Andrea.

"The cockroach told her that 'half-breeds' don't deserve to go to college," Kit said.

"Bastard!" the judge said, not realizing Andrea heard it and wondered whom he was referring to.

"Kit I'm getting cantankerous in my old age. He better pray he doesn't appear before me again," Greg snarled making a mental note to himself that the either/or calls should go against the man. All of them, and judges had a lot of latitude within certain boundaries as long as they stayed away from the things that trigger the appellate jurists.

Kit patted the judge, her mentor and friend, on the hand and went to collect Andrea taking her into her chambers for a long mother to mother talk while wondering how much was in the Whispering Winds Scholarship Fund.

Sommer was not only a good kid, but levelheaded. A solid student who would have to work hard at it, but would not only survive, but devour college. She, and her mother deserved a break.

"Andrea quit being hard-headed," Kit said the topics of student loans and local scholarships came up.

"I'm not," the brunette, who realized she was really, really tired from fighting the bastard for more than 15 years. "Sommer's got her heart set on college and being a nurse anesthetist. She can probably get some scholarships, but I wanted him to help," Andrea moaned finding a friendly court in Kit to voice her complaints.

"Besides Mrs. Yeager keeps telling Sommer there's no way she'll maintain a 3.0 and keep any scholarships after the first semester and to just go to trade school or enlist!" Andrea said.

"The bitch is telling a lot of the juniors and seniors that," Kit said. "Sometimes I think she pushes that so there will be more scholarship money for her pets, and the children of her friends."

"Guess I need to find some part-time work," Andrea, a lab technician at the hospital and clinic, said as Kit saw the woman visibly deflate.

"You up to doing some house cleaning?" Kit asked, realizing there might be a golden parachute for the woman, and her spunky daughter.

"Yeah, I guess," Andrea replied in a monotone. "Does it pay any good?"

"Well Carroll Henderson's lost his housekeeper. He was telling me at the spring league game Saturday," Kit said.

"What's the deal there? With him anyway? He sure hangs around the gym and the kids a lot," Andrea asked without saying out loud what many of the mothers had wondered as the widower watched the kids, especially the girls, shouting encouragement and gently needling the officials.

Kit explained how the man's late wife was a basketball junkie, having played on an AAU national championship team at Louisiana Tech. And she had taught her husband about the sport as they watched their daughter and son play the sport.

"He told me going to the games it feels like she is there next to him, squeezing his arm and squealing in excitement when some kid has an 'ah ha' moment and accomplishes something new," Kit said softly, a widow herself married to a widower, she understood the holes in a person's heart.

"Well, that makes sense. Some of the mothers, the worrywarts, were wondering if he was a pedophile," Andrea snorted.

"Far from it. He likes his girls, mature and adventurous -- according to some of the hints his wife used to drop," Kit said as the two women snickered.

"And since then?" Andrea asked realizing the man's wife had died more than six years ago; and that Kit would know more about the man than most seeing as he was the judge's baby brother, and Kit was being groomed, appropriately, to step onto the bench when the cancer finally won its battle..

"Honestly, I don't think he's touched a woman since she died of skin cancer. And I'm not positive he's even given any woman 'that look,'" Kit responded. "Just like someone else I know," she said, looking at Andrea who was reputed to be totally celibate.

Kit picked up her phone, scrolling through her contacts and then dialed. "Carroll, Kit.

Don't you start that Kitty Kat shit with me mister!" Kit snarled at his response, but smiling at Andrea confirming that some people, some few, could get away with the intimate nickname. Kit was notorious about how she responded to the casual use of the name.

"You still looking for a housekeeper. Visiting with Andrea Forrest. She's looking for some part-time work that would fit her schedule in the lab so she can have money for Sommer's incidentals at college. Yeah, she's a planner. Okay I'll tell her. Love ya too you ole galoot," the auburn-haired beauty said smiling.

"Carroll said for you come by. Is about 6 okay? He wants to talk to you about it," Kit said.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

"Mr. Henderson, I hope you don't mind. I brought Sommer with me," Andrea said as she arrived at the man's home at 6:30 to clean.

They had reached an agreement. She would come in twice a week, sweep, mop, change the linens, wash clothes, dust, general housework. She would split the work between Monday and Thursday evenings.

After walking through the 4,200-square foot five bedroom, four and a half bath home, Andrea had hesitantly asked for $100 a week.

Carroll growled in response a stern look on his face, "Nope. Too much," he said watching her eyes fall as a hint of a smile graced his lips which rarely smiled except in response to a hustle play on the basketball court -- something Sommer was guaranteed to do at least a dozen times a game.

"Too much work. $200 a week," he said growling when she started to protest. And he paid her cash openly telling her he would provide quarterly statements showing just $100 per week 'for cleaning services' which she would need to report on her income tax.

In the intervening year, Andrea had banked over $11,000 into a college fund for Sommer breaking out only a little bit of the money for special items, such as a prom dress. Not that Sommer dated. She didn't. She thought the boys, at least the ones not already attached at the hip to one of the girls, were all "childish and or just flat horny interested only in finding something firm and wet to jack off into!"

Carroll looked up from his desk. His eyes 'scrunched' as, seeing red eyes, swollen faces and bruises on both woman's upper arms he growled, "What happened?"

"It's, it's nothing. I just don't want to leave Sommer home alone right now," Andrea replied kicking herself for not just calling in 'sick.'

Carroll uncurled his 6-foot-2, 210 lb. frame from the chair and marched over, firmly grasping the woman he had come to realize was 'a good person who has had shitty luck' and demanded, "What happened? Why the tears? The bruises?"

Andrea shook her head 'no' in response only to see the salt and pepper headed man shift his gaze to the teenager and demand, "Spill it kid! What happened?"

It took him almost an hour to pull out from the two women that the three younger brothers of Sommer's father had surrounded her and roughed her up accusing her of "badmouthing" her cheapskate daddy at school causing the other students to turn on her two half-sisters, a freshman and junior.

When Andrea had gotten home she found the trio shaking Sommer like a ragdoll resulting in a loud, angry Momma Bear confrontation.

"I was asked by Tiffany and Christy if my daddy was going to help with college, and I told them he had gone to court last year to make sure he wouldn't have to,"

Sommer meekly told Carroll but still maintaining eye contact with the man.

"I guess they got tired of Sylvia bragging about all the stuff daddy bought her and tried to put her in her place," Andrea said.

As Carroll contemplated the situation, his phone rang.

"Yeah Jim. Yes she, yes they are. What?!" the man said as anger swept across his face and he growled.

"I'll bring them over. But you might see where Casey Baker's three younger brothers are. Andrea came home to find them roughing Sommer up over something some of the other senior girls might have said to Sylvia about her deadbeat dad," Carroll said. "I'll have them fill you in when we get there," he said hanging up.

"That was Jim Hoffbauer. Your neighbors reported finding your front door kicked in. Your place has been vandalized," Carroll said softly as Andrea shouted expletives in reaction.

Two hours later the trio returned to the home, along with Tristan, Tiffany and Christy bringing two additional pickup loads of personal belongings.

Jim Hoffbauer thought it was interesting to watch Carroll suddenly go all dominant on the normally domineering Andrea informing her that it was no longer safe for she and her daughter.

"Damnit woman! You're moving in tonight, and if you don't stop arguing with me, Jim's going to have to consider arresting me for assault and indecency after I bend you over my knee, pull your pants down and blister your obstinance butt!" he growled as Sommer's eyes got big, and then mischievous.

She had seen the looks each had given the other when they thought no one was watching. More times than not Sommer accompanied her mom, either working on homework at the kitchen table, or helping with the chores, or just talking with the man. She hoped they were as attracted to each other as she thought they were, hoped they were. Carroll was a good man, and he deserves a good woman.

"At least until repairs can be made, and measures taken to ensure your safety," Carroll said, almost pleading with the woman while throughout a compromise.

"I've too much house to rattle around in. The two of you can have the east end all to yourselves. Now move it woman and start gathering up your stuff!" he said ending the matter as surprisingly Andrea caved.

Tiffany and Christy had come into town to explain to the chief what had happened at school.

Two of Jim's officers had found the three Baker brothers, 23, 21 and 19, and after explaining to them about the assault charges, and the fact that neighbors had identified the pickup, and two of them knew two of the brothers on sight, that they were facing burglary, felony criminal mischief and assault charges.

It took Andrea, Sommer and the teens about an hour to strip the house of what hadn't been broken and ruined.

The landlord had been called; he was out of town. But as soon as Jim uploaded photos of the place, he demanded full restitution as punishment, and he insisted there be full restitution for Andrea and Sommer as well as covering their expenses.

"Andrea's too nice a woman for anyone to do that to, Jim. Ream their asses, please," the landlord said making a mental note to contact the three's employer, Cuthbright Drilling, and let his second cousin know what had happened.

The students were out of school the next day, an unused bad weather day, and Carroll said he would help get estimates for the repairs for the landlord, and document damages to Andrea's and Sommer's belongings.

Kit and Lynn met everyone at the house, with a platter of enchiladas, bowls of rice and frijoles to feed everyone after the woman's belongings were unloaded.

Andrea walked Kit to the car while Lynn and Carroll talked quietly about security.

Looking back at the 58-year-old widower and father of three, two girls and a boy, Kit snorted, "Girlfriend if you don't take advantage of the situation and at least get yours and his rocks off I'm gonna kick your ass!"

"Kit!" Andrea exclaimed, blushing in fear that Kit had been reading her mind.

"I saw how you were looking at his butt -- and it's a nice butt by the way," Kit snickered.

"Promise me you'll at least let him know the topic is on the table. Promise me that. You both deserve some play time with someone nice," Kit said, leaning over to give Andrea a peck on the cheek -- and to brush the back of her hand against one of her 34C breasts. When she looked and saw Andrea's nipples had hardened Kit chuckled.

It was shortly before midnight when Andrea wandered back into the kitchen-den-great room area. She had been comfort Sommer who felt this was her fault.

"Oh, I didn't expect you'd still be up," the woman said realizing that she, too, had showered and put on her thin flannel sleep pants and pullover sleep shirt, her breasts moving freely no longer restrained.

"I'm riled up," Carroll said. "Jim has texted me three times reminding me not to thrash the Baker brothers."

"Don't do that!" Andrea exclaimed. "Like Kit reminded me in court the day Jason got rid of any obligation to helping Sommer with college. They aren't worth it, regardless of how pleasing it would be to do it!" she snickered.

"There's part of a pitcher of margaritas on the bar, help yourself," Carroll said.

"Why sir, are you trying to ply me with strong liquor to have your way with me?"

Andrea teased him, then blushed and ducked her head. When she was nervous she often got cute with her mouth -- usually getting herself in trouble.

After pouring herself a glass she did not look at the man until she had taken a seat on the loveseat across from his recliner only to see a stern look on his face.

After a long, harsh silence Carroll broke it. "Andrea, my offer of a safe haven is opened ended. And there are NO, repeat NO, stress ABSOLUTELY NO strings attached," Carroll growled.

"I respect the strong, competent, capable woman you are too much to belittle you by thinking overwise," he said gently.

"Thank you," she replied softly taking another sip and then realizing she had almost killed what was a large glass of now half-frozen liquor.

"That is not to say I don't find you attractive, because I do. But we have become, I hope, friends, and I don't want to screw that up," Carroll explained.

"As for Sommer's father and their clan, I am determined that no more evil comes your way. And if that means shouldering the burden of old maid gossip because an attractive 'younger woman' is staying in my house, so be it," he said smiling.

"Now finish your drink and go to bed young lady," he smiled. She saw his eyes were twinkling.

Over the coming month the trio adjusted to the new arrangement while the landlord found a myriad of 'issues' that needed attention in Andrea's house -- including the discovery that the holes hammered into the walls found old asbestos insulation which had thus been disturbed.

"I'm sorry Andrea, it's going to be late summer before all the repairs are made," the landlord told her, "And everything else I have is already leased."

Carroll simply rolled with it saying, "Let's go get the rest of your stuff. We'll convert two of the bedrooms for you and for Sommer. I had been contemplating redoing all four."

The three Baker brothers all made good money in the oilfield. Jim had impressed upon them that their only prayer of avoiding prison time -- and losing their CDLs and thus their well-paying jobs -- was full and complete restitution.

It was the other bad weather Friday off when Andrea got up at 7:30 and found Carroll fixing breakfast for all three of them. She worked four 10-hour days a week in the lab taking rotation once every other weekend on-call. This was to be a nice, three-day weekend with no concerns about being called in to work.

Carroll had spent the week getting the pool in shape, and Andrea had toyed with the idea of sun and sin -- now what to do about her daughter who had suddenly grown a precocious streak now that her athletic career was winding down.

"Go kick Little Bit out of bed and come eat," he said, using the nickname he had settled upon for Sommer.