The Woman with the Green Eyes

The Woman with the Green Eyes - Part 2

Ricky's eyes flew open at the sound of a knock at the door. He glanced over to where Ally was seemingly moments earlier to see Ally wasn't there.

"Ricky," she said gently from the other side of the room. She had been looking out the window into the darkness.

Squinting, Ricky reached for his glasses. "What time is it?"

"5 am." She said gently. "It's time."

Ricky frowned. Then it hit him. The contract from yesterday. "I don't want to do this." He said. Then, "Please."

Ally sighed and sat on the bed next to Ricky. "I know, but we don't have a choice."

Ricky was silent.

"We need those photos to go away. And if thirty days of this can make that happen, everything can go back to normal."

"But what about my job, my friends? How are you going to explain to them that I'm gone?"

"You have PTO saved up." Ally said. "And you don't need to worry about your friends, quarantine means they don't see you anyway."

"Point taken." Ricky grumbled as the knock came again from downstairs.

"Well, it's time." Ally said.

Then she vanished downstairs.

***

Terri and the woman with the green eyes sat in the living room as Ricky dragged his feet coming down the stairs. The contract had been clear, he wasn't to bring anything with him for this thirty day stay with those two. He couldn't even bring his cellphone.

What was strange however was when Terri demanded that he leave his glasses at home too.

"But I need them to see." Ricky protested. "How can I see without my glasses?"

"You'll need to rely on your mommy to see for you." The woman said sweetly. The sweetness was sticky. Almost as if it was done on command and made with artificial sweeteners.

Ricky was not happy at this news, but when Terri handed Ally a flash drive filled with photos, he resolved to do what was necessary.

"Time to go." Terri said.

So Ricky kissed Ally goodbye and suddenly felt this surging clingy-ness build inside his chest. He didn't want to leave her any more than she wanted him to leave her. But he trusted her. If this was the only way they could get this done, then he'd figure it out.

But in back of his mind Ricky thought over the contact. Nothing said he had to be a cooperative baby. He didn't have to make them like it. If anything, they'd grow tired of him if he didn't cooperate.

Ricky was shaken from his thoughts when a pacifier was shoved in his mouth. As if on autopilot, he started sucking.

Ricky was led to the car, holding the woman's hand and to his surprise, when she opened the back door, there was an adult sized car seat back there.

Ricky was too shocked to do anything other than cooperate.

He climbed in and the woman bucked him in, the double seatbelt clasping between his legs. Ricky didn't like the feeling. The seat was causing his basketball shorts to ride up.

The woman then pulled a pair of headphones from her purse and all the sound in the world vanished. Ricky shook his head. He couldn't hear a thing. He reached up, but the woman grabbed both of his hands and Terri put thick mittens on his hands. The mittens forced his hands into a fist, rendering them useless.

The woman tapped her headphones and suddenly Ricky could hear her calm voice in his headset. It was soft, sweet and so very calming.

"It's okay baby, these are just temporary, they'll come off when we get home."