JC: Harry and Shadow Chapter 3 By Lazlo Zalezac Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004 Ginger stepped out of the bathtub and put on the robe that Shadow had hung over the shower rod. The robe was soft and smelled like the outdoors. She smiled to herself at the thought that he must have hung it outside to dry instead of using dryer. Two weeks into her blindness and she was only now coming to grips with it. People had said that when one sense was removed that the others become more developed. She could honestly say that was true. Her senses of smell, hearing, and taste had all improved. Of all her senses though, it was her sense of touch that had been developed the most. An amazing revelation was how much her life depended on being able to see. Nothing in the house could be moved or she would trip over it. Dressing was far more difficult than she thought possible. Shadow made it easier by making sure that her clothes were right side out, but she still found herself putting on her panties backwards on occasion. She felt guilty about how hard Shadow worked to make her comfortable. He not only cooked the meals, but he cut them up and feed them to her as well. From sunrise to sunrise, her needs came first. He watched over her like a hawk, often anticipating her desires before she even had a chance to express them. Fumbling for a moment to find the belt of her robe, she tied it and reached out to locate the handle of the bathroom door. Finding it, she opened the door and went to step out of the room. Shadow's hand caught hers as he asked, "Where to?" "The living room," she answered. "I'm not ready to dress yet." Shadow led her to the living room while giving her a running commentary about what to watch out for as she walked. Watch out for the edge of the sofa, be careful not to trip on the rug, and other little warnings were standard fare while moving through the room. She smiled at the care he was giving her. She had come to enjoy the sound of his voice. When they reached her chair, she settled into it. For a moment, her robe opened giving Shadow a good view of her upper body. Catching a glimpse of the gentle swelling of her breasts, he looked away feeling guilty about his actions. Lusting after her body was tantamount to taking advantage of the fact that she couldn't see. It just didn't seem right to him. Adjusting her robe with a casualness that suggested she had no idea what had been shown, Ginger said, "You've never asked me what I did for a living. How come?" For a moment, her question puzzled him. He answered, "I guess I never thought about it. Living on the street, you just don't think to ask people what they do for a living. If you ask a wino that question, you'll be the subject of jokes all day." Ginger laughed as she realized that he was right. She replied, "I guess it would be a funny question to ask a wino or a bag lady." He liked her laugh. Even more than that, he enjoyed the chance to talk with someone on a regular basis. Now that Ginger was settled in her chair, Shadow sat down in the chair that he normally occupied when they chatted in the living room. After a minute, he asked, "So what did you do for a living?" "I was an exotic dancer," answered Ginger wishing she could see the expression on his face at her answer. Years spent living on the streets had eliminated the kind of judgmental reaction that most people would have to that announcement. The sex industry was just another business and one that hired mostly women. Men earned a living with their bodies by lifting and carrying. Women earned a living with their bodies by removing their clothes. He didn't see a difference between the two. He replied, "I tried to go into one of those places once, but the bouncer wouldn't let me in. He said I would scare the girls." Ginger had never heard of such a thing. Bouncers kept the men out only after they had spent all of their money inside the club, not before. In a strip club, money talked and all else walked. The fastest way to get the money was to get the man hard and the easiest man to get hard was an ugly man. She said, "That's ridiculous." It wasn't ridiculous and he knew it. He hadn't been turned away once, but a dozen times in a dozen towns. He looked out the window of the house, realizing that night had settled and he had not turned on any lights in the house. He debated turning on the lights and decided that it didn't matter. He was used to the darkness and she couldn't see the light. ********** "I'm getting fat." Shadow looked across the room at Ginger and shook his head at her announcement. She had gained five pounds over the past few weeks and they actually looked pretty good on her. It gave her a softer gentler appearance. Sighing, he replied, "No you're not." "I've got to start exercising. If my figure goes, I'll never make enough money when I get back to stripping," replied Ginger ignoring his denial of her weight gain. Ginger knew that if the average housewife understood how demanding of a job it was to dance on a stage with no clothes, that they would treat exotic dancers with much more respect. It was tough enough walking, much less dancing, in six-inch heels. The pole dance required muscles most people didn't even know they had. It took a very fit woman to do the kind of physical activities that the job demanded. Adult women were not meant to do splits and high-kicks. On second thought, she decided that housewives did understand how much work it was and hated strippers for the fact that they worked so hard to get money from their husbands. It was a pitiful amount considering how hard it was. In one night, they might be able to get a hundred dollars from a man, but the wife got the rest of the paycheck. More often than not, all the husbands received from their wives for their money was constant nagging to change for the better. Maybe that was what the husbands needed, but the strippers provided what the husbands wanted. Shadow was quiet as he thought about it, wondering what he could do so that she could exercise. Sit ups, push ups, and other exercises wouldn't be much of a problem. Jogging and some of the other exercises that required her to move would be a problem. He grunted and then said, "I don't see a problem with exercising. Let me see if I can clear a spot for you to work out." "I usually move all the furniture to the side of the living room," said Ginger. "I'll have to mark where everything is, so that I can put the room back to the way it was." "I'll change my clothes while you are doing that," suggested Ginger. Looking over at her, he asked, "What do you want to wear?" "My sports bra and gym shorts," she answered. That was all that she normally wore when working out around the house. A sports bra? Shadow stared at her wondering what a sports bra was and why she would wear only a bra while working out in front of him. Clearing his throat, he asked, "What's a sports bra?" With help, he managed to find the clothes that she had requested. The sports bra didn't look anything like a normal bra. It didn't look anything like lingerie, but more like a heavy-duty tube top. He could imagine her wearing that in front of him without being concerned by what he would see. While she changed clothes, he pushed the furniture in the living room to the side. He had marked the spots where the individual pieces had been set with some masking tape. At least he could move the furniture back so that she wouldn't have to learn where everything was all over again. He had just finished pushing her favorite chair over to the side when he heard the bedroom door open. Rushing over, he said, "Wait. Let me lead you to the area that I've cleared." "Thank you," she replied. Ginger waited for him and then allowed him to guide her into the living room. It wasn't a long trip, but if she had tried it alone she would most certainly have tripped over a piece of furniture. It only brought home how much she had come to rely on Shadow. He did everything for her, but asked nothing of her. Shadow watched as Ginger started her warm-up stretches. Since it had been several weeks since she had exercised, she was very stiff and it took her a long time for her muscles to stretch. He watched amazed at how limber she was. Her leg splits were the most extreme that he had ever seen. The workout lasted almost two hours. Through out, Shadow watched over her to make sure that she didn't move out of the cleared area. During little breaks, he provided bottles of water when she asked for them. The time flew by for Shadow. It was a great pleasure to sit back and watch her move her body. This was the first time that he really had a chance to see her body without it being covered by oversize t-shirts and baggy pants. Ginger enjoyed the workout. It was the first time since she had become blind that she had moved around. Her body reacted with more than normal complaints at being put through its paces, but that was countered by the sudden freedom that she felt. She had often said that she could go through her dance routine with her eyes closed. Now she knew that it was true. The end of her exercise period included major portions of her dance routine. Shadow had watched unable to believe that a woman could move with such an erotic grace. He was disappointed when she finally ended her workout. "That was amazing," said Shadow when she finally stopped her routine. "What? My workout?" "Sure. You move with so much grace that it almost takes my breath away to watch you," answered Shadow. Not only had her workout left him breathless, it had left him with a raging erection. "You liked watching me run in place?" "Sure. Now I imagine that you are ready for a shower," said Shadow. His erection was doing his thinking for him as the thought crossed his mind that it would be nice to watch her. His upper brain overruled the desire to make that comment. "That sounds real good," replied Ginger thinking that a massage would feel even better. Shadow went about the business of preparing the bathroom for a shower. He had to make sure that her robe was hung up in the right spot, fresh towels were in place, and all of soaps, shampoos, and body washes were set out. When all was done, he went back to the living room. "The bathroom is ready," said Shadow. "Thanks," replied Ginger while she stood and held out a hand. She noticed the slight trembling of his hand when he grasped her hand, but didn't think anything of it. Shadow led her to the bathroom and then returned to the living room to return the furniture back in its place. He thought about removing the tape from the hardwood floor, but realized that she would probably want to exercise every day. It would be best to leave the markers on the floor. She wouldn't see them. ********* The knock on the door took Ginger and Shadow by surprise. Standing, Shadow said, "I'll get it." Upon opening the door a crack and looking though the narrow space so that the person outside would not be able to see him, Shadow was surprised to see Harry standing there. He opened the door the rest of the way and moved so that the disfigured side of his face was not visible. Harry said, "Hello, hello, hello. I see that beauty and the beast are still living together." The comment took Shadow completely by surprise and he found himself laughing before he had a chance to react negatively to the joke. Stepping back, he said, "Come in Harry. I'm sure that Ginger will want to talk to you." "Don't mind if I do," replied Harry as he stepped into the house and handed a sack to Shadow. "What's this?" "Oh, just some things that I thought you might need," replied Harry with a smile as he moved into the living room. Ginger had heard Harry's voice and called out, "Harry! How are you doing?" "I'm doing wonderful. Life, when you take the time to experience it, is really a grand thing indeed," answered Harry with his typical upbeat tenor to his voice. Shadow stepped into the kitchen to leave Harry and Ginger alone. It was obvious to him that Harry had some news to deliver to Ginger. Rather than inflict his ugliness on Harry, he made a pot of coffee. Once it was done, he slipped into the living room and set a mug of coffee on the table next to Harry. With his normal care, he directed Ginger's hand to her mug. Ginger just smiled in his direction in recognition of his care. Harry said, "Shadow. I've got to take her to the doctor's office. Do you want to go?" As he slipped back into the kitchen, Shadow answered, "No. I hate doctors." Harry laughed and said, "I'll take her there and bring her back. You stay here." Shadow watched from the window as Harry led Ginger to roach coach. Harry was taking excellent care of Ginger. He frowned as he thought about what might happen when they returned. He wondered if her vision was returning. Once the vehicle disappeared from view, he straightened up the mess left in the house. He stocked the shelves with the supplies that Harry had brought with him. After that task had been completed, he packed his gear in case he had to leave. It was several hours later when the roach coach returned. After standing at the window for more than an hour, Shadow watched as Harry helped Ginger step out of the truck. A sigh of relief escaped his lips when he saw that she still had bandages over her eyes. He set his gear down in a corner of the room. Harry led Ginger into the house. Shadow, standing in the darkened room, asked, "So how did it go?" Ginger answered, "It went well. I still can't see, but the doctor said that my eyes were getting better." "I'm glad to hear that your eyes are getting better," answered Shadow. He wondered how much longer he would be able to stay here. Harry transferred care of Ginger to Shadow before pausing to look around the room. His eyes lighted upon the small collection of personal gear stashed in the corner of the room. He frowned and looked over at Shadow. The disfigured man wouldn't look him in the eye. Instead of commenting on the gear, Harry asked, "Why is it dark in here?" Ginger asked, "Is it dark in here?" "We don't need to run up her electricity bill. She can't see and I don't need the lights," answered Shadow from a spot across the room from Harry. Shaking his head, Harry stared at the man standing in a dark corner of the room. His features were hidden from view. Smiling, he replied, "So you say." "Yes. I say." "She's got a fusion battery powering this house. That means she doesn't have an electricity bill." "Oh," replied Shadow feeling as if he had made a fool out of himself. Ginger had listened to the discussion in confusion. She didn't understand all of the conflict over turning on the lights in the house. If she didn't need them and Shadow didn't want them, then why bother? She asked, "What's the matter?" Harry answered, "Shadow is standing in the dark so that I can't see his face. He doesn't want me to see how ugly he is." "He's not ugly. He's the nicest guy I've ever met," asserted Ginger. A month of living with Shadow had given her insight into his nature. He was caring and considerate. When she was frustrated, he held her and calmed her down. When she was frightened, he chased away her fears. When she cried, he wiped away the tears. Shadow knew Ginger well enough to know what she was thinking. A month of living so close together had made it difficult to have secrets. The only secret was the one that she couldn't see, even though he did his best to make her understand. A tear ran down his cheek as he thought about what would happen when she could see again. "I tell him that all the time, but he doesn't believe me," said Harry as he watched Shadow shift nervously in the corner. "Don't fill her with romantic nonsense," shouted Shadow. He turned and left the room far more upset than he should have been. Shadow frowned as he stared at the lawnmower. Harry had told Ginger that the lawn needed to be mowed and she had asked him to do it. Of course she had asked him to do it, she couldn't see to do it herself. Looking out in the front yard, he could see that there was no place for him to hide. The neighbors would see him out there. They would see that Ginger was living with a horribly disfigured monster. He swore as he pulled the rope to start the lawnmower. Mowing the lawn had gone well until he had almost finished the front yard. A boy that lived next door to Ginger came out and stared at Shadow, seeing the horrible purple splotch across his face and the hideous growths. Scared, he ran back into the house to tell his mother about the ugly man. Shadow had watched the boy with a frown on his face that further distorted his features. His expression had made him appear evil and threatening. By the time Shadow finished mowing the front yard, a patrol car pulled up to the front of the house. Disgusted, Shadow shoved the mower into the garage where the engine died and turned to wait for the police to question him. Being ugly wasn't considered a crime, but it depended upon how ugly you were. Spitting on the ground, he knew that he was ugly enough that it was a crime. He watched the other cop go up to the front door. The officer approached Shadow with his hand upon the handle of his gun. He frowned when Shadow spit on the ground. Stopping a few feet away, he looked over the man's face. It was hard to look at him. Gruffly, he asked, "What's going on here?" "I was mowing the lawn, officer," answered Shadow, moving so that his face wasn't visible to the policeman. The movement disturbed the officer. He wondered if the ugly man were hiding something or planning to do something. With a sharp bark, he commanded, "Turn and face me." Shadow slowly turned to face the officer. He glared at the policemen with his face twisted in anger, but knew enough not to make any sudden moves. He grunted, "If you really want to look at me, then that's your problem. God knows I wouldn't if I were in your place." "What's your name?" "Shadow," answered the ugly man knowing that it wasn't an answer the policeman would accept. It wasn't easy to explain that he had given up his name at the same time he had left home. "Your real name," demanded the policeman. "Shadow." "Let's see your identification." Shifting uncomfortably, Shadow answered, "I don't have any." The cop reached back for his handcuffs, deciding that it would be better to straighten this mess out at the station. His partner arrived at that time and said, "The woman inside said that he is watching over her." The cop asked, "Watching her? Have we got a stalker here?" "No. He's watching over her. She was blinded in an accident. He's taking care of her until she gets her eyesight back," clarified the partner. The first cop said, "He doesn't have identification and won't give me his name." "Shit," exclaimed the other officer. He didn't like what was happening. They didn't cover situations like this at the police academy. What did you do when an ugly man with no id was taking care of an attractive blind woman? Shadow held his arms out to his side and turned so that his back was to the cops. Knowing what was going to happen no matter what explanation he gave, he said, "I guess you're going to take me in." The first cop had the handcuffs on his wrists within half a second. He turned Shadow around to face them and said, "It's good that you chose to come in without resisting." Shaking his head, Shadow asked, "Could you call Harry and let him know that someone needs to take care of Ginger?" "Harry?" asked the partner wondering who this Harry person might be. "Yeah, Happy Harry." "Happy Harry?" asked the cop wondering if he had understood correctly. "Yes, Happy Harry the Druid. I'm sure that you know how to get in touch with him," answered Shadow staring down at the ground. "Happy Harry is mixed up in this?" asked the partner in surprise. "Yeah. I told him he was crazy to have me watch over her," grumbled Shadow. He wasn't looking forward to going to jail. The few times that he had been placed in a cell, his cellmates had not treated him well at all. The first cop turned Shadow around and removed the handcuffs. He knew that when a Druid was involved in something that it was best to lend support to the effort. Going against a Druid was the easiest way to destroy a career. Gruffly he said, "Stay here and take care of the woman. And for God's sake, get some id." Shadow stood in place rubbing his wrists in shock at the actions of the policeman. Confused, he stuttered, "Huh?" "You're one of Harry's projects. We won't interfere." Understanding what the cop meant, Shadow replied, "I'm not. She is." The cop chuckled as he turned to return to the squad car. His partner shook his head and said, "Right. Take care of her, she's a beautiful woman." As the partner walked away, Shadow swore the man had muttered something about a Druid reading Beauty and the Beast one time too many. Frowning, he stared at the police car wondering what had happened. He had fully expected to be hauled away to jail. Unable to make sense of the events, he grabbed the lawnmower and started it so that he could mow the backyard. It felt good to push the mower through the tall grass. The simple action helped ease the tension that he hadn't known had crept into his body. The activity, easy to perform, allowed his mind to worry over his situation. Putting away the lawnmower, he looked at the garage taking stock of the mess. Maybe he'd clean the garage before he left. He smiled to himself as he thought about how much Ginger would appreciate that. His thoughts immediately turned melancholy as he reminded himself that he wouldn't be here to see it. As he closed the door, he swore, "Damn, I'm starting to care about her." He entered the house and noticed Ginger sitting in her chair looking pensive. The tension in her shoulders spoke volumes. Sitting down on the sofa, he asked, "What's the matter?" "Why were the police here?" she asked. Her fears of being left alone with a stranger had reasserted themselves as a result of the police visit. From the way that the cop had acted, it seemed that Shadow was some sort of scary figure. She didn't see it, but then she couldn't see anything at the time. "They were afraid that I was here to harm you. One of the neighbors saw me mowing the lawn and got concerned about you," answered Shadow watching her for her reaction. "Why would they be concerned?" With more anger in his voice than he had intended, he answered, "Because I look like a monster." The puzzled expression on her face was almost humorous. If his appearance hadn't been at the heart of her confusion, he would have laughed. As it was, it felt as though a knife had been thrust into his stomach. He stood and said, "I'm all sweaty and smelly from mowing the lawn. Let me shower and change clothes, then I'll fix us something to eat." She nodded and hugged her knees tight to her chest. He glanced down at her wishing he could help keep her safe in this world. That wasn't possible. He sighed and headed to the bathroom. Her vulnerability excited him and he knew he'd spend half of the shower jacking off. It wasn't the first time and it wouldn't be the last. Shadow had watched Ginger go through her workout. Seated in a corner of the room, he had watched her bump and grind her way through her dance routine. His cock was so hard from watching her that he was surprised that it hadn't turned brittle and broken from the unnatural stresses put upon it by his pants. It seemed to him that she had put even more effort into her routine today. He couldn't help but think about how sexy she had been. When she had done the split and run her hand over her cunt, she had smiled in his direction as if she could see the reaction that she had upon him. He had to walk bent over to make room for his cock when he led her to the shower. As always, he had straightened the furniture in the living room before returning to the bathroom door where he would wait for her to finish so that he could lead her to a chair. When she opened the door, her robe had been twisted so that most of her breast was visible. With trembling hands, he straightened her robe before leading her to the chair. He tried to make a little joke about her needing to look her best, but his mouth didn't work. All that came out was gibberish. That didn't help him deal with the situation. His cock was hard and hurt. He thanked the Gods and Goddesses that Ginger was blind and couldn't see the effect she had on him. Ginger settled into the chair and said, "Thanks, Shadow. You take such excellent care of me that I don't know how to thank you." "No thanks are needed." She shifted to sit cross-legged on the chair. Her robe opened giving him a clear view of her panties. Shadow nearly gasped at the sight, but moved to where he wouldn't be tempted to look. Not for the first time, Shadow cursed Harry for putting him in this situation. There was only one result, he would be hurt and have nightmares about this for the rest of his life. Ginger said, "I'm sure that you can use a shower." In the shower, Shadow had to jerk off to relieve the pressure that had built in his cock. Watching topless Chinese girls walking around was nothing to the pure erotic nature of the dance that he had just watched and the simple sexuality of the woman at ease. Under the frantic movements of his soap-covered hand, he spilled his seed into the bathtub. Even as his seed struck the floor, he sank to his knees in tears at the frustration of being so close and yet so far from the one thing that he desired most in the world. Was what he wanted excessive? He didn't think so; all he wanted was what all men wanted, acceptance from a woman. As the shower rained water upon his crumpled form, he cried more than he had ever cried in his life. The pokes and prods of quack doctors didn't hurt as much as watching that sexy young woman perform her dance routine. The hatred shown to him by his siblings and father had been nothing to watching her dance. His cock, irritated at the tip, burned from the soap that he used as a lubricant while masturbating. The slight pain would help him keep his mind off her. Dressing in a clean pair of pants and shirt, he went out to make dinner. He did his best to avoid looking at Ginger as he put the ingredients together to make stew. From the living room, Ginger called out, "Are you making stew again?" Her question stung him. The only meal that he knew how to make was stew and he had made it every night. Over the past week, she had started to complain about the limited menu at Casa Ginger. He wanted to do something else, but he didn't know any other dish. He called back, "Yes." There was silence from the living room and then she called back, "Tonight, you will watch a cooking show." Despite his ignorance, he didn't ask what a cooking show was. He figured that he would learn soon enough. He grumbled, "Harry should have known better than to put her in my care. There are thousands of people that would do a better job." Ginger stirred the stew with disinterest. Meals had become monotonous with scrambled eggs for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, and stew for dinner. She was eating the same thing every day and she was tired of it. There had been makings for spaghetti, but he had used the noodles in the stew. She knew that Shadow tried, but he didn't know any better. He interrupted her thoughts, "I'm sorry." "Don't worry about it," she replied. She shifted and the robe opened giving a view of her breasts. It wasn't intentional; it was just that she wasn't used to having to pay that kind of attention to her robe. Having gotten used to having Shadow around the house, she wasn't taking the same level of diligence in making sure that she was always covered. Shadow glanced over and caught sight of her breast. He dropped his spoon. The clatter as it hit the edge of his bowl broke the silence of the room. Ginger asked, "What's the matter?" "Nothing. I just dropped my spoon," replied Shadow avoiding the real cause of his sudden clumsiness. He didn't want to sound like a pervert that was peeking at her breasts all of the time. Even as he thought that, his eyes flicked over at her breast. He shuddered at the perfection of her breast. "You seem to be getting a little more clumsy lately. Is anything the matter?" He swallowed heavily and, in a nervous tone of voice, replied "No, nothing is the matter." After dinner, they retired to the living room where he watched cooking shows for the next four hours. The shows had been a great revelation to him and he had watched them fascinated by the kinds of dishes that the cooks had prepared. His attention was so focused that he failed to notice when Ginger had made a solo trip to the bathroom. When the last show was finished, he turned to Ginger and asked, "Where I can find these recipes?" "On the internet." "The what?" "The internet," she replied as she pointed to the computer. That evening, Shadow learned about the internet and the information age. The first few hours were spent looking up recipes. Later his investigations turned to matters of a more personal and meaningful nature. He was still browsing the internet when Ginger woke the next morning.