The Deadly Alphabets

Chapter 12

****L****

Mrs Lewis stumbled about her house looking for her reading glasses. She lived alone since her husband passed away three years ago, and that same year her only child went away  to college. She stayed to herself and never had company over.  She never attended any of the community functions, or even wave at people. Mrs Lewis never smiled, or even  handed out candy to the children on Halloween. She didn't notice that she was antisocial.  So she wasn't at all  aware that people in her neighborhood had dismissed her as just a crazy old lady. 

Her tattered robe was not tied around her waist, so the belt waved around her ankles. Whiskers, her black Persian cat, swatted at the belt violently and clawed her shin. Leaving a couple of deep gashes on her leg. Mrs. Lewis was used to Whiskers' "love taps", and didn't notice the blood creeping down her leg. She found Whiskers in her yard a few months ago and he's been hers every since.

" Where's mommy's glasses Whiskers?", she asked her Persian feline who was still trying to capture her belt. The tiny living room was cluttered with piles of newspapers, old TV guides, and other outdated magazines. The air was crowded with the rancid smell of the over flowing garbage in the kitchen,and cat feces , but Mrs. Lewis didn't notice. It was just another thing she had gotten use to over the years. She tripped over one of her cat litter pans in the living room floor. She only had one cat, but five litter boxes. Instead of cleaning one when its full, she found it more convient to just start new one.

"Damnit!", she yelled when tripped and fell to the floor. She punctured her right hand on a rusty nail by one of the older cat pans. The nail went a couple of inches into her palm. She snatched it out and sucked the blood drops that formed. Whiskers rubbed his body against her legs, while his fur covered the blood clotted wound. She rubbed his head as she got up from the floor. Whiskers continued following Mrs Lewis around the room while she looked for her glasses. Both of them were startled by the house phone when it started ringing.

"Hello?", she asked softly.

"Hey mom", the caller responded.

"Oh, Kayla. I wish you were here right now. I can't find my glasses anywhere."

"You check on top of your head?", Kayla asked. Mrs Lewis patted the top of her head and landed palm first on her eye glasses.

"Good heavens! They are here. Where would I be without you, Baby? How's school?"

" School is fine. I got finals this week."

"Did you hear about the neighbor boy? Frank, or Frankie?  Oh, he was so young... "

"Yeah, I heard he was ripped apart by some girls at school."

"I heard his best friend, the Beans' kid, stabbed him in the neck, and then beat him with a golf club. Sad.  I hate to say it, but it was always something strange about  that boy Frankie. You know I caught him kicking my Whiskers the day before he died."

"Mom"

"And he was always wearing those headphones on his ears. Strange."

"Mom"

"You know all that 'hip-hop rock' music alters the brain, and.."

"Mom! Will you just stop and listen for minute. I need to tell you something,"

"Well what is it honey?"

"I'm pregnant," Kayla sighed.

"Pregnant? How can you be pregnant? That would mean you're having...", she felt her hand throb. She wanted to punch the monster that got her baby girl pregnant.