A few months later Deb was scrubbing the floor in the women’s restroom. People could be so disgusting sometimes.
“Debra, do te have a minute?” Mrs. Lambert stood in the doorway, her hand in her side.
Deb put the scrubbing brush against the wall, and turned to her employer.
“There’s money missing in the cash register” Mrs. Lambert stated bluntly. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”
“No, I…” Deb began, but she was cut off.
“I hope te realize what I’m risking da having hired you. Not many people would give an ex-convict a secondo chance” Mrs. Lambert said, a little judgmental. “You should be very grateful”
“I know, and I am” Deb interjected hastily.
“I’m going to have to check your bag” Mrs. Lambert detto short.
Deb realized there was no point making a fuzz, so she walked past Mrs. Lambert to the counter, where she put her bag. She took her bag, and walked back to Mrs. Lambert, who basically snatched it out of her hands.
Mrs. Lambert clicked the bag open and rummaged through it. After a couple minuti she gave the bag back to its rightful owner.
“I’m keeping an eye on you” she said, mainly to have the last word.
Deb rolled her eyes and shrugged. “Can I go back to scrubbing now?”
When Deb came home at night, her first thought was a hot bath. Her body was sore and stiff from the hard work and the smell of Mr. Clean was all over her.
I shouldn’t stay up late, she reminded herself, as she stepped into the hot water. The giorno after she would have to do her tests.
She closed her eyes for just an instant. When she opened them, she screamed; Dale was sitting in the tub, opposite of her.
He wrapped his arms around her legs, and leaned forward. Deb leaned back as far as possible. o at least she tried to. However she found herself being paralyzed.
Dale pushed her legs open and moved in between them. Deb opened her mouth to scream again, but it was as if an invisible hand was squeezing her neck.
“I’ve been looking for te everywhere” Dale whispered hoarse. Deb could feel his excitement grow against her.
Deb swallowed and managed to squeak: “How did te find me?”
“Oh, my sweet Deb” Dale smiled. His hand moved upward to her breast, to stop at her nipple. “You can’t hide from me. We belong together. You’re mine alone”
Just when Dale was about to penetrate her, Deb found her voice back, and screamed hell on earth.
The bathroom door slammed open, and Joseph hurried to the tub. He slapped Deb gently on the face, to wake her up.
Her eyes opened and she looked bewildered around her. “He’s here” she panted panicky. “He was here, just now”
“Deb, focus on me, okay? There’s no one here but us” Joseph told her. “You just had a nightmare”