A few hours later, keys jingled again at the door -- Mother just came back from grocery shopping after work. Upon entering the living room, the bags fell out of her hands and she let out a loud scream as she saw the scene. Father had his hands tied with a rope hanging from the ceiling, hooked where the lamp used to be. He had a black cloth bag over his head. On the side, I was sitting on a chair, my back to the door, and thus to her. Further behind, a stranger in military clothing leaned against the wall, overseeing the scene.
The stranger smiled. “Good evening, Mrs. Santana. I’m… sorry about showing up like this. But see, I thought Carmen here could use some… help.”
The woman couldn’t hear, she rushed forward to the kitchen and frantically reached for the phone, trying to contact the police. … She frowned when she noticed the phone wasn’t giving the dialing tone, only to realize the cable had been pulled off the base, right as Kay entered the kitchen following her.
She casually leaned against the door frame. “Well, can’t have you calling the police you see, would make quite a big mess.”
Mother wouldn’t go down without a fight, it seemed. She opened a drawer and pulled out a chef’s knife. “NO! STAY AWAY FROM ME!”
Kay almost burst into laughter. “Look, I just want to talk, okay? Listen. I’ve come to help.” In two long steps, she was beside the woman, her hands firmly secured into Kay’s. Better safe than sorry. “I’m not here to hurt you. Your husband -- what he did, it’s not okay. Can you see that?”
Mother looked at her as if she had lost her mind.
Kay understood. No, she didn’t see it. At all. She thought it was… the normal thing to do. … to a degree, she was his accomplice. She needed a lesson too. Kay shifted around and knocked her out in seconds, long before Mother could realize what was happening.
She woke up a few minutes later, but was already tied up to a second chair, right in front of Father. She tried to scream, but her mouth had been taped closed.
I was now facing them, my mind racing but not stopping anywhere in particular.
Kay smiled softly. “Finally we can begin the lesson.” She pulled the hood from the man’s face, revealing his taped mouth. “Carmen here has something to tell you both, right?” She looked at me.
I stood up. “Yes. Father. You shouldn’t have done this to me. …. ANY of what you’ve done, actually. See, I thought Kay was a demon, but it turns out she’s my angel.”
Father tried in vain to scream at the heresy.
I continued, ignoring him. “She’s gonna free me from this hell. Because I hadn’t realized it, but that’s what it’s always been. And Mother. I know you too fear him. But you too need to learn to fight back.”
Mother started crying in silence, while Father kept trying to curse under the tape without much success.
Kay went away for a moment and came back with a small bag. Both Mother and Father closed their eyes when they saw it. … The damned clippers. The woman was a lunatic indeed. Kay offered me the bag. “Let’s start easy, shall we? I think ma needs a… lesson. An eye for an eye, if you will. I guess it’s a good thing you didn’t actually lose an eye, or this would get bloody.” She laughed at her own joke. “Shave her.”
I looked at her, shocked. … it wasn’t Mother’s fault. … this… no, this wasn’t … justice. I couldn’t do that to her… right?
Kay smiled at me. “Do it. … you see, this is as much of a lesson for you as it is for them. Things won’t change if YOU don’t change.” She paused, noticing I wasn't buying it. “Okay, I’ll make it easier. … if you don’t to it, I will. Same end result.”
I understood. Yes. I HAD TO.
