Box Of Rocks 2
Note: There is no underage sex in this story.
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Chapter 14
I was back, but I found out I really wasn't back. Mason had issues with trust, and viewed what happened in LA as a violation. He did talk to me about it a couple of weeks later, asking my feelings about what happened.
Over the weeks I had thought about it a lot. "Basically, I was raped. The saving grace is I don't remember any of it, so I don't have the trauma associated with such a violation of my body or mind. Still creeps me out, and I wish I could do something to pay them back."
Mason got an enigmatic look on his face and said he was glad I wasn't traumatized by the experience. Al filled me in later when I brought it up. "What's the expression I'm looking for from those old movies? Ah, right. 'You have been avenged.'"
"What does that mean?"
"It means the players in your little drama got payback. Everyone invovled, from the drug dealer to the lowlife who set you up. Bad things happened to them, things that in no way can be traced back to you. The drug dealer got caught holding, and it violated his probation, so he's back in jail and won't see the light of day for four more years. Slimeball got blacklisted, so he'll have a hard time finding gainful employment in his chosen profession. The woman got popped for solicitation and it's on her record now. Interestingly enough, they all claim they were set up."
"Wow."
"Wow is right. The moral of the story? Don't piss Mason off, or harm anybody close to him. He doesn't react well."
In the weeks afterward, I found myself being very careful around him, trying not to piss him off. Which, of course, pissed him off. "What the fuck are you doing with the Little Miss Goody Two Shoes act? I miss the Bitch, bitch."
Then he told me being naked would go a long way towards calming him down. I smarted off and refused, and the next thing I know my ass was in the air. He 'only' gave me twenty swats, and they weren't really hard, but they got my attention. After that, I would carry what I wanted to wear that day to him for approval. If he nodded yes I put it on, if he shook his head no I was naked the rest of the day. It didn't bother me much at all.
Chapter 15
I still went to the farmers market and he came along about every third time. I went one day and there was a young girl, busking on the little stage they provided. It was just her and an old beatup acoustic, but she had a really good voice, sweet and pure, and sang mostly love songs. I always put a five in her tip jar, and she got to me with one particular song, so I gave her a twenty. It was the biggest tip she'd ever got.
It shocked her no end and she thanked me about a dozen times. I just smiled and patted her arm. "Put it towards a new guitar."
She had a look of sadness on her face. "It's just me and my mom, and she's having a hard time making ends meet. Most of the vendors give me produce to take home, and I use the money to buy school clothes. it's one expense she won't have to bear."
"How old are you?"
"Sixteen."
I thought about that for a while. Now that I had money, I resolved to give her a twenty every time I came, but the season was winding down. I wondered what she would do when it was over. Then I came up with a plan.
I asked Mason to go with me the next week, telling him about the girl and how I'd like him to listen to her. He shrugged, but he was in the car with me Saturday. The little stage was right in the center of the market, and when we came up she waved at me and broke into my favorite song. Mason just stopped and listened with a look of pleasure on his face. I knew he wouldn't move for a while, so I picked up a few more veggies. When I got back he was gone.
I was wondering where he went when he appeared out of the crowd with a guitar in his hand. He hadn't brought one with him, and I wondered where it came from. He walked up behind her and tapped her shoulder. She looked up at this huge man who dwarfed her, taking in the hair, the goatee, and the handlebar mustache, and shrank back a little.
Mason gave her a gentle smile and held up the guitar. "Mind if I play a few with you?"
She stuttered through a yes, and they spent a couple of minutes syncing their instruments. She sang mostly standards, songs most everybody knew, and he had no problem playing along, adding a little fill in now and then. Then she started a song and Mason almost faltered. It was one of his, from the first Gutwrench album, the only ballad on the album. He played while she sang, and then joined her on the chorus, keeping his voice muted so he wouldn't overpower her. She jumped a little when she heard his voice, then sang even more powerfully.
By then a good crowd had gathered and she was glowing with the attention. About twenty people applauded while the last chords lingered, and one woman asked if Mason was her father. "No, he's..."
She turned around, and Mason was gone. What was still there was the guitar, lying on it's case. Madison looked at me with something like panic. "Do you know who that was?"
I shrugged. "Just a guy who liked your music, I guess. You two looked really good together."
"He left his guitar. What should I do?"