A Step Off the Path

The Velvet Touch

Chapter 1: my sacrifice

There were four of them - they had essentially shoved their way into our house - a man of around fifty of medium build and with a neatly trimmed beard; a woman in her mid-to-late thirties, impeccably groomed with long black hair and rather exotic looks, and two oversized thugs.

They confronted my family: Mum, Dad and we four kids.

My father just stood there, his eyes cast down. Mum looked at him puzzled and then turned to the 'visitors' demanding, "What do you want? Just what the hell do you think you're doing barging in like that?"

The beard spoke, smoothly, easily, "I'm afraid your husband owes me a great deal of money, madam."

Mum flared up. She instantly understood and swung towards Dad, yelling, "You've been gambling again, haven't you? You promised me you'd stopped. You bastard, you stupid bastard."

She started hitting him on the arm and back, but Dad just kept staring at the floor muttering, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Taking a breath, Mum turned back to face the bearded man, this time demanding brusquely, "How much?"

"Rather more than the equity you have in this house, its contents and your cars are worth, but I'll take what I can at this stage and chase up the rest later."

"You can't turn us out of our house."

"I can, and will."

"No!" pleaded Mum, "Please, my children . . ."

The beard just shrugged.

The dark-haired woman had simply stood there scrutinising us. Now she leaned over and whispered in the bearded man's ear. She had a clear voice and I had good hearing.

"We could use a new maid, my darling."

He answered quietly without turning his head, "But those girls are too young."

"Yes, but not the eldest boy."

He turned to gaze at her quizzically.

"From looking at him, I think he could be trained and developed quite nicely. It would be a project for my amusement. Do you know what I mean?"

He laughed and said, "I believe I do, and how can I refuse you."

The beard spoke directly to Mum, "My dear Camelot is offering you a lifeline. The boy (he nodded at me) comes with us; he will be trained as a maid . . ."

"But, he's a boy," Mum interjected, confused.

". . . trained as a maid and converted into a girl to fulfil the role."

"No, no, no. You can't."

"Provided yourselves and the boy remain completely cooperative, I will not seize your assets. The debt will remain outstanding, but will not increase. Once the boy begins to carry out his duties, his earnings will be used to reduce the debt."

Mum was shaking her head, staring in disbelief at the man, "This is crazy, this is just completely crazy."

I stood there feeling stiff and cold on a warm day. I thought I understood what the woman was proposing: that I would, by some strange means, be made into a girl so that then I could become a household maid or something. But . . . but, how would they do that? Of course, they'd dress me up in girls' clothes, wouldn't they . . . but how far would it go? What? things like lipstick and hairdos I suppose . . . and for how long would it go on?

I glanced over at my little brother and my two young sisters; they looked confused and frightened.

I looked across at my father - a good man in so many ways, but a weak man in many others.