My hand strayed to the chain; I gave it a desultory tug.My hand strayed to the chain; I gave it a desultory tug. Hopeless. My shoulders sagged. As I say, a mess. And that thing in me. In the mirror, over my own shoulder, I caught sight of him looking at me. He had his shirt off. With both hands, I covered my ... self ... and the thing. "The chain is silver-soldered around your waist. It's as strong as a weld. It won't come off." As if I might think it would. My hand dropped to my side again. "Come and undress me," he said. The List Column 1 Item 7 This was something new. Remember, I hadn't even seen him naked yet. I hobbled over to him, still holding both hands in front of myself (don't ask me why, after what he had just seen). He had a small gold key on a chain around his neck. I knelt, undid his belt, and unzipped his pants. He stroked my hair gently, then left me kneeling there and sat on the bed. I knee-walked to him and went to work on his shoes while he lay back on the bed. When I was through, I sat back carefully on my heels with my hands covering my lap. Without rising, he said "Start the shower." Despite the age of the house, his bathroom is a large modern one, I think added to the house recently. It is much larger than the other (my) bathroom. There are two windows and a third one inside the walk- in shower. The shower is huge, tiled, with a glass door. The walls of the bathroom are tiled part way up and stucco the rest; there is an old cast-iron claw-foot tub, a modern john and sink, and a small table and chair. I ran the water until it was warm, and told him it was ready. He walked in, past me. I waited. He said, "Take off your shoes and come in here." I did, still covering my front. Gently, he washed my face, chest, and stomach. I didn't think anything would ever make me forgive him for putting that thing inside me, no matter how gentle he was afterward. |