Following some good advice, today I looked for a place where Mandy could stay. Because there wasn’t much time and I didn’t want to take any chances, I went straight to the non-straight: Antony. You may remember that Antony is a gay friend of mine. (Everybody should have a gay friend, it’s the politically correct thing to do, right?)
Antony and I hadn’t talked in a little while, but he’s reliable and trustworthy. I couldn’t tell him about the faerie issue I have, of course, so I made something up. Something with enough truth in it that he’d believe it. I told him there was this weird stalker who was harassing Mandy and I’d feel safer if she could stay elsewhere for a little bit.
“Wait,” he said, “is that still going on? You had some problems with a weirdo, back at the beginning of the year. Is that related?”
“Yeah, I think so. So you okay with Mandy staying at your place for a bit?”
“Sure, no problems. You sure you guys aren’t fighting?”
“No, man, we’re real good together. I just want to keep her safe while I figure this out.”
“Okay. No problems, she can come in tonight.”
So earlier tonight, when I got home and found Mandy already there, I broached the topic right away. I must have had this “we gotta talk” face, because she stiffened up immediately.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“I think… Minx’s gone crazy. I don’t think it’s safe for you here, right now…”
She didn’t say a word, but there was some hurt in her eyes.
“I called Antony today. You could stay there for a while. If you want. I don’t think Minx can reach you there…”
Still more silence. She nodded slowly.
“I’ll call you a cab.”
She walked out the door about half an hour ago. I know deep inside it’s the best thing to do to keep her safe, but I still feel like crap.
–Jaycee
6 thoughts on “Mandy’s Moving Out”
Gallstone
Wow, that really blows. But yes, you did the right thing. Hopefully in time, Mandy will feel that as well as know it.
…
Jaycee, this may seem like an odd question, but have you ever considered getting some hoodoo of your own? Like protective amulets or pest-wards or something?
Jaycee
Yeah, not sure there are such things against faeries. I’ve looked, by the way (I’m not completely useless), but I’ve never really found anything that works. I did, once, try one of those pentagram thingies on Attitude. It just served to upset her. She shrunk my penis to a stubby little thing smaller than my thumb. That lasted 2 weeks, and I learned my lesson.
–Jaycee
Gallstone
By Attitude’s standards, that actually seems pretty mild. Unless it hurt when you had to go to the bathroom, that is. I mean, it was a problem that didn’t broadcast itself to the world and that you could keep hidden without any trouble, right?
Jaycee
She let me off with a light warning, that’s what it was. She could have done MUCH worse, I’m sure. I really wouldn’t want to find out. As for doing it to Minx, well… maybe I’d get away with it, or maybe she’d inadvertently do something horrible to me. I don’t want to find out.
Not that I can, the little pest has just vanished, lately.
–Jaycee
Gallstone
When you say it ‘upset’ her, though… Upset her how? Upset angry, upset frightened (at first, anyway), upset indignant à la ‘pet owner whose usually harmless pet just tried to take a swipe at them’?
Gallstone
On a sidenote – if after all this, Minx pops up just to say “Can you see how much I’ve grown NOW?”, I will seriously start to dislike her and consider her no better than Attitude.