KENNY
                 Chapter 4

Ken was moving the last of his stuff into cabin 6 when his
stomach reminded him that he had missed lunch while wandering the
grounds and that supper was due any time. If he had had any money
he would have run into town for Mickey D or something. He would
need to keep some ramen or something in his cabin for times like
these. There was some food left in his apartment and he would
have that tomorrow night, but for now there was no hope but to go
to dinner and maybe he could avoid having to talk to Consuela.

While he was making his last trip Marta and Selena were talking
to Consuela.

“What happened honey, why did you get angry with Kenny?”

“He said that he wanted to be friendly, I thought that he was
just like the boys in school. When I said that to him he backed
off and said that was not what he meant, but by then I was
already mad and I wasn’t really listening. I knew by the time
that he left that I had overreacted, but it was too late. I’m
sorry Mrs. Horne, but I saw how you and your sister were with him
and I know what you have in mind. I wish I could have someone
too, but living out here there is no way to meet anyone nice.
Every guy I have met for a long time only wants one thing when
they find out I have a child.”

Selena spoke up then, “I know sweetie, I never did find anyone
after my Rafael was killed. The men up here did not want to raise
another man’s child and I wouldn’t take any less. Maybe we should
start going to some dances or something to give you a chance to
meet someone.”

“That might be nice momma. I will apologize to Mr. Jacobs when I
see him again, he really didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I’m glad that is taken care of Connie,” Marta said. “I didn’t
think Kenny would have done what you thought; Marcia says that he
was always very shy with the girls at school. From what she says
that bitch of a wife he had is the only woman he has ever been
with. He was helping her with what he knew was another man’s
child and the only time she let him sleep with her she complained
all through it.

“Yes, Marcia and I intend to have him scratch our itch, but he
will benefit from it as well. The boy needs to feel wanted. All
he has ever known is derision and rejection. You don’t have to be
friends with him Connie, but please be polite.”

“Yes ma’am, I understand.”

When Ken stepped in the door of the main house he was surprised
to see Consuela waiting for him.

“I am sorry Mr. Jacobs; I had no reason to be angry with you when
you were just trying to be nice. The boys at my school would say
much the same thing as you did when they were being nasty to me;
but I know that you did not mean it that way.”

“That’s okay Consuela, I’m sorry that you got upset. Let’s just
make believe it never happened.”

“Thank you sir, you are too kind.”

“Please Consuela, I guess I can live with you calling me Mr.
Jacobs, but please don’t call me sir. I am nobody special, just
the maintenance man.”

“Okay Mr. Jacobs, if you insist. Shall we go to dinner now?”


Saturday morning Ken was awoken by a polite tapping on his door.
When he opened the door he confronted Consuela.

“You are missing breakfast Mr. Jacobs. Did you move down here
because of me?”

“I’m sorry Consuela, I forgot to set the alarm in this cabin; it
won’t happen again. I’ll be there in a few minutes. I could have
missed breakfast; hell I could miss a bunch of meals and it
wouldn’t do me any harm.”

“Mother and Mrs. Friedman say that if you are going to lose
weight you should eat all your meals with us, and not to miss
any; it causes your body to hoard calories. You didn’t answer my
question Mr. Jacobs.”

“Yes Consuela, I moved down here to avoid bumping into you all
the time. I didn’t want to cause you any more distress.”

She looked up at him, “You didn’t have to do that, but it
probably was a good idea. Mother and I get up very early
sometimes and we may have disturbed you. Stefan wakes up in the
night crying sometimes too and I would hate for him to disturb
you.”

“I would almost welcome the sound of a child crying Consuela, it
would remind me of Mallory.”

“Well, it still is probably for the best.” She then turned around
and walked away.

Ken left right after breakfast and had all of his clothing and
what items he wished to keep packed into the back seat of the
truck before he had to go to work. The complex manager came by to
complain about the large truck being in the parking lot and Ken
informed him that he wouldn’t be back after that night. Actually
it was that afternoon; he had been right about the mall
management tossing him out when he gave his notice.

Having no intention of gifting the apartment complex with any
worthwhile furniture, Ken loaded it all into the back of the
truck and figured that on the way out to Carmel he would drop it
all off at Goodwill. He didn’t need anything more than what was
already in the cabin. His last act on the way out of the complex
was to clean out his mailbox. He would submit a change of address
at the post office Monday. He didn’t even look at the mail until
after dinner that night.

Mixed in with the bills and advertising were two sour apples. One
was a letter from Belinda saying that his visitation rights to
Mallory had been revoked, and he was being reported to the State
for not sending support checks. Also in the mix was a notice from
the State of California that he was being entered onto the rolls
as a deadbeat dad and that garnishment proceedings were underway.
Apparently Belinda had told them that he was 6 months behind on
payments. He worried about it for a while, and then took the
letters to see Marta.

She and Marcia met him in the study. “Is this correct Kenny, are
you that late with your child support payments?”

“No way, I have sent her money orders every month since the
divorce was final 8 months ago. I am about a week late now, but
that is all.”

“Do you have any receipts to show this?”

“I have the stubs from all of the money orders. I made them out
to Belinda and we should be able to show that they were cashed by
her.”

Marcia asked, “Why did you use money orders, why not checks?”

“Belinda cleaned out the bank account when she left and once I
paid off the bounced checks I closed it out to keep her from
accessing it again. Now I have to cash my paychecks at Walmart.”

“Get me those receipts Kenny,” Marta said. “I’ll have my
husband’s firm take this up on Monday. They have already been
looking into your situation, but there hasn’t been time for any
answers yet. You relax honey; I’ll make sure that this is taken
care of. On another front, how would you like to accompany Marcia
and me to an auction tomorrow? I’m looking to get some new stuff
for the cabins. The auction is at a resort that failed. We can
use your opinion and strong back.”

“Do you want to take the truck?” Ken asked.

“Does the air work in that beast? If it does, then yes, if not
we’ll take my Mercedes.”

“It works fine Marta, I used it today.”

The next day they drove up to San Jose to the auction and bought
new beds for all of the small cabins. Marta would have to buy new
mattresses as well as the new beds were larger than those in the
cabins now. The small cabins had always been meant as single
person units and were supplied with twin beds. There was room in
them for double beds and that is what Marta bought. She couldn’t
help but think that she or her sister would not be very
comfortable in a twin bed with Kenny. There was not enough room
for a queen sized bed, but a double was possible. She was also
able to buy comfortable recliners for all of the units and some
night stands that would look good with the present decor. She
wanted some more continuity between units, right now each one was
decorated individually and the result looked like a hodge-podge
of design. Overall it was a successful day.

They stopped and got some fresh fruit and vegetables on the way
back and Selena crafted a fantastic salad from them.

After dinner the sisters had Ken in the family room playing cards
with them. Marcia noticed that whenever it was not his turn, Ken
was looking out the glass doors. When she turned to look, she saw
Consuela and Selena playing in the pool with Stefan.

“She is very beautiful, isn’t she Kenny?”

“Hmm?”

“Connie, you keep watching her in her swim suit.”

“Yes, yes she is nice. But I’m not watching her so much as I am
Stefan; he is having so much fun. I used to play with Mallory in
a wading pool in the back yard. She sounded just like he does. I
miss my little girl; I miss playing with her and I miss holding
her when she cried and when she slept. I can forgive Belinda for
everything she did or said, but not for taking my baby girl away.
I miss her so much.” Ken reached into his back pocket and pulled
out his wallet. As he opened it he said, “Here is a picture of my
little Mallory. See how pretty she is?”

Both women looked at the picture, “Oh my, she is a cute one.”
Marcia said. “Is that her mother, Belinda there behind her?”

“Yeah, that’s her. I have been tempted to cut her out of the
picture, but at the same time, she is Mallory’s mother.”

“How can I say this Kenny? Isn’t she a little plain?”

“Say it how it is Marta, she is overweight and homely. That is
one reason I went ahead and married her. I thought that maybe if
I treated her like a princess and took care of her, she would
learn to like me and to enjoy being with me. I know that this is
the only kind of woman I can get, so I took a chance. I certainly
would never expect an attractive woman to stay with me after she
got what she wanted, I just didn’t know that Belinda was such a
bitch. I was lonely enough that I was willing to try it, and I
failed. I wish that she had been willing to leave Mallory with
me, or at least stay close enough that I could see her.”

“But, you know that you are not really the child’s father. Don’t
you want to get rid of the responsibility for her?” Marta asked.

“Don’t ever say that. I am her father. I do not give a damn whose
seed got to Belinda, I am Mallory’s father. She bears my name and
I want to have something to say about her life. It would have
been nice for my mom to know that she had a granddaughter and to
be able to meet her. I didn’t want to tell mom about Mallory
until I was sure that the marriage had a chance to work, and then
it was too late.”

The intensity in his voice left no doubt in either woman’s mind
about their young friend’s intentions toward his daughter. The
statement basically put an end to the evening’s activities. No
one was in a mood to continue.

___________________________________________________

Monday morning Ken found out about the exercise program his
employer had in mind for him. There was nothing too strenuous,
just enough to use up more calories than were going into him with
the wonderful cooking of Selena. This was the same basic program
the sisters had used to such effect, and indeed they were
continuing with it. They had gotten into the habit of being
healthy and could see no reason to stop.

Ken established a routine. In the morning he would work on the
landscaping, in the afternoon the cabins got his attention. When
the furniture from the auction arrived on Wednesday there was
room to put it because he had moved the old stuff to the barn
preparatory to calling a veteran’s organization to pick it up for
charity.

Ken was tired enough at the end of each day that he was able to
pick up reading again. Before then tensions had been so much that
he was unable to concentrate on a book; now he could once again
enjoy a good read.

Tuesday Marta heard from the law firm. They had caught Belinda in
the lie; all of the money orders had been cashed at her parent’s
bank. They had an investigator looking into her finances to
determine whether or not any of the money was going to Mallory.
They were also working at getting Ken a visitation set up. When
he told Marta that he could not afford a trip to Boise, she
informed him that they were going to bring Mallory here, with or
without Belinda. It would be their treat, and he was not to
object. End of subject.

Thursday night Ken was lying in bed dreaming of seeing his little
girl again, when he heard something outside of the cabin, it
sounded like voices, male voices.

Ken had taken to wearing shorts and a T shirt to bed in case one
of the women woke him up in the morning. He didn’t want them to
see the flab of his belly. Ken quietly sat up and slipped on the
sandals he used as house shoes. He stepped over to the window and
peered through the curtain. The voices were moving away from him
toward the main house, and he could just make out what looked to
be three shadows in the partial moonlight.

He quickly went out the back door to where his car was parked,
and took the police baton out of the back seat. Stepping around
the end of the cabin he approached the intruders via a round
about path keeping within the shadows and behind bushes whenever
possible. As he got close to them, the intruders stopped by the
door to the main house and crouched to talk.

“Okay, I’ve got the key I snatched for this door. I was going to
rob the bitches one night when they were gone, but now that they
got me fired, I’m going to do a lot more. You guys can have the
Mexican slut, but I’m going to get me some Milf pussy. Once we
get in the door, you help me subdue the old ladies, then there
should be a key ring in this mud room that will let you into the
cabin the spics use. I already cut the phone lines so they can’t
call for help. The fat boy that was here before was staying in
the cabin next to them, but it looks empty now, so it’s just us
against 4 women; nothing but fun. Let’s go.”

Ken thought that he recognized the voice as belonging to the
landscaping supervisor, but he couldn’t be sure. It didn’t matter
though; there was no way any of these thugs was going to leave
here without help.

With the pow-wow concluded, the leader turned back to the door
and held out a key to unlock it. Ken stepped up between and
slightly behind the other two men and slammed his hands together
as hard as he could, catching each man on the ears and banging
their heads together with a loud THUNK. As they fell away from
him on both sides, he brought the police baton up and jammed it
into the right kidney of the man standing in front of the door.
The man immediately stood up straight and turned slightly to the
right trying to grab hold of his suddenly painful back. As he
tried to see behind him to discover what had caused this pain,
the night stick came around and connected soundly with his jaw.
He collapsed in a boneless heap.

The thug on the right was trying to sit up, but the baton to the
jaw changed his mind the same as it had his leader’s. The
leftmost would be rapist was up on one knee before a firm strike
on his temple dropped him back to the ground permanently.

Ken then moved to the door and used the baton to knock on the
jam. He stood watching for movement from the three on the ground
as he waited for one of the sisters to come and investigate the
noise.

A few minutes later the light came on and Marta stuck her head
out of the door. “Kenny? What is going on, and who are those men
on the ground?”

It didn’t take much explanation before she was calling the police
with her cell phone. The crooks of today are going to have to
face up to the fact that it will be almost impossible to keep
their victims from calling for help. The days when you could
isolate someone by cutting their phone lines are gone. Today
almost everyone has a cell phone, and some households don’t even
have a landline system, considering it to be an obsolete and
unnecessary technology.

When the police got there, the fools tried to say that they were
the victims of an unprovoked attack. They were only trying to get
help when their car broke down. The facts were against them
though. Their car was found hidden in the trees part way up the
driveway; and it started immediately. The bag tied to the
leader’s belt was stuffed with ropes and gags and that didn’t
help either. Each bad boy had a large knife as well. The leader
proved to be the supervisor that Marta had fired the week before,
and the key to her back door that was still clutched in his hand
when he was searched sealed the deal. These boys were going away
for a long time.

None of this was enough to keep the police from treating Ken as
if he were the crook. They took him away to the station in
handcuffs to be questioned.