Sheep Herder

Chapter eleven

Another month went by, another boring afternoon and another boring lunch. Despite such a lazy day I had grown comfortable living here, much better than how I used to live. Yes, I am trapped like a caged dog but at least I am away from my old life and that's more than I can ask for.

My thoughts wandered back to my days in the city. After barely passing college with a worthless degree in carpentry, I was on my own. After a series of bad luck and stupid decisions I had to get a boring job that had no chance for promotion just to survive. Nobody liked me and I liked nobody. There was nothing in my old life I wanted anything to do with.

Suddenly, just as I had placed my plate of burger and fries on the long table, there was a loud knock on my front door. I turn to the door with a puzzled look. "I'm not expecting anything today?" I thought as I approached the door. I opened it slowly and looked between the cracks.

"Hello?"

Spontaneously the door was pushed open and a dark skin woman came barging in.

"Jerry, It's been too long!" Cried out the ebony woman as she gave me a huge hug.

I was surprised by the sudden forwardness of this woman as I was being crushed by her hug. "Who are you?" I squeaked out.

"It's me Martha! From retail, I was your boss," the woman said excitedly.

"Martha?! Why are you here? How did you find me? I didn't tell anyone where I was moving or going," I asked as I attempted to pry this woman off me.

"Oh, I have my ways," she teased. She then spun me around and walked into the living room. "What a grand place you live in." She gushed.

"Um, thanks, wait, hold on, why are you here?" I asked with a little more aggressiveness than what I was going for.

"Oh can't an old friend come and visit," she said as she walked through the large kitchen.

"Old friend? You barely noticed me," I grumbled under my breath. Just before I could say another word to my "old friend" another knock at the door distracted me. Confused, I turned to the door and walked over. Opening just a crack again and looking in between the door, "yes?" Suddenly the door was pushed open, again, throwing me back.

"Howdy, Jerry!" Yelled out a blonde hair woman with a novelty cowboy hat and was in a tube top, a pair of short shorts, and a tacky knee high boots.

I rubbed my head as the door just missed my cranium. "Um, who are you?" I looked up at the cleary bimbo cowgirl.

"Jerry? Have you forgotten your college roommate?" She pouted, giving me puppy eyes.

"Jessie?" I said with a mix of surprise and annoyance. Yes she was my college roommate but only if you count being forced to be in the same dorm. She would always refused to let me out of my room while she was in the main room when she was hosting a party. I remember clearly that she once locked me in my bedroom for three days as she partied all day and night.

"You remember, oh those were the good old days!" She stated in a fake southern accent as if we were college buddies as she strolled into the house without an invitation.

I was a bit too stunned to protest as she almost danced in and up the stairs, checking out the place. As I regained enough sanity I was just about to speak up when the door knocked for a third time. This time I tried to ignore it but the person on the other side was relentless. With a heavy groan I opened the door.

"Hey, long time no see nerd," said a punkish looking girl. She had short black hair with red and green strands of hair, a dirty tank top and a pair of skinny jeans and smelled like week-old beer.

"Karen?!"

"In the flesh, nice digs you got here," she said as if she didn't care as she pushed the door open to let herself in.

"Hey," I shouted but she didn't listen as she walked to the couch, put up her dirty boots on the coffee table and turned on the TV. Karen or who we called in high school, the shark, was my bully. Tormented me all the time for being a loser and a string bean. On graduation day she dumped orange soda all over me just before I reserved my high school diploma, the most embarrassing day of my life. I turned and saw all three of these girls, going about my home as if they lived here, asking like they are old friends and not people who tormented me.

"Okay, everybody stop!" I commanded. To my surprise they all listened and froze in place. "What's going on here?!"

"What do you mean?" Said Jessie, clearly acting stupid. She does this when she's trying to act innocent and flirt with - I froze, all the pieces came crashing down on me like a ton of bricks.

"Oh no, oh no no no no! Out everyone out!" I yelled, pointing to the front door.

"Aw Jerry, we just arrived," called out Karen, flipping through the channels.

"Yeah, you act like we are the devil himself," added Martha as she looked at herself in the mirror.

"You're close enough, you all made my life miserable and now you're here because now I'm going to be rich!"

"Rich, I don't hear anything like that," cooed Jessie, clearly acting like her IQ is 50.

"Ugh! I don't have time for this. I'm going to tend to my sheep, by the time I get back I expect you all to be gone!" I said gritting my teeth. I stomped my feet out of the door before slamming it behind me.

After I walked a couple of feet away from my house I stopped and took a deep breath. And I thought my life was finely becoming nice, now three of my old tormentors are back and want my money. I then thought about my flock, if these girls didn't leave then I better make sure they didn't interact with each other. I don't want my girls to be associated with those monsters. With another huff I walked to the barn.