Event 6A: Uh, oh, here it comes . . . The next two and a half hours that passed after Cherry Chase left have been torture. I am sitting in Kerwin's office with orders to sit perfectly still or else. My hands are wet with sweat, my panties are wet with urine, and my heart is racing. Am I going to get yelled at or spanked for endangering my safety or possibly my life by coming to Del Trabajador Enterprises alone at night? Out the corner of my eye, I could see Kerwin as he descends from his hideaway and turns a key in a lock on the elevator shaft. Kerwin then walks over to his big comfortable chair and seats himself. "Okay, young lady, what do you think should happen to you?" Kerwin asked me coldly. "I'm probably going to get yelled at, Papa," I replied nervously. Kerwin stands up, reaches over his desk, and slaps me across the face. "I owed you that for that time you stormed off in anger to burn Dr. Mizuno's house down, Claribel," Kerwin said as he sits down. "Claribel Mei'ou, I taught you better than to just storm off like some crazed maniac!!!" "Oh, and what did you just do to me and Mama?!?!?" I snapped at Kerwin. "Don't you take that tone of voice with me, young lady!!!" Kerwin snarled at me, jumping up from his chair. "I can control my temper quite easily, thank you very much. I should be dragging you back home right now. Your mother is probably worried sick about you right now." Kerwin then reaches for his phone and punches in some numbers. "Hey, Sharon; Kerwin here. If you're looking for our daughter, she's right here in my office." Kerwin winces and holds the phone away from his ear. I could hear Sharon yelling and screaming loudly through the phone. "Papa, what are you going to do to me?" I asked. "Please don't send me back to Mama; she hates me." "That's not true, Claribel; your mother and I love you very much," Kerwin told me as he returns the phone to his ear. "Sharon, listen. We had a really bad fight over Claribel. Why not let Claribel spend some time with me for a while?" While waiting for Sharon's response, Kerwin pulls a ring out of his pocket and hands it to me. "Thought you might like to have this back," Kerwin says to me. "My transformation ring!!!" I squealed. "Shhhh, Claribel!!! People are trying to work here," Kerwin hissed, putting his hand over the receiver. "Okay, Sharon, just leave the clothes with my secretary. Thanks a lot. Bye-bye." Kerwin hangs up the phone and says to me, "Claribel, you can stay here for now, but if you do, you will have to make yourself useful. I want you to sort those reports," Kerwin points to a pile of fat books stacked by his desk, "by month and company while I go to a board meeting." "Papa, please don't leave me alone up here," I begged Kerwin. "What if somebody breaks in here and gets me?" "I'll lock the elevator and tell Security to keep an eye on you and occasionally call up here to check on you when I leave, Claribel," Kerwin replied. I look up at Kerwin. Oh, that's real comforting, security down there while God knows what is happening to me up here. "Not good enough; take me with you," I told Kerwin firmly. "I can't take you with me, Claribel," Kerwin said, shaking his head. I grab onto Kerwin tightly. "Claribel, let me go!! I'm going to be late to the board meeting." "Papa, I beg you not to leave me here in your office by myself," I sobbed as I drop to my knees. "Please take me with you to your board meeting. I'll be a good little girl. I promise." "Claribel!!! I said no," Kerwin said firmly. "There's nothing for you to do at the board meeting except sit there and be bored, hon." Kerwin then gets some tissues so I can dab my eyes and blow my nose. Now I have to admit that although Kerwin is not afraid to lay down the law with me if he sees fit, he doesn't like seeing me in distress. "Come on, Claribel, cheer up!!" Kerwin laughs as he hugs me. "You're much too pretty to be crying all the time. My office is a hundred stories in the air and there's no way that anyone can break in here to harm you unless . . . they're Spider Man." I giggle at this remark. Kerwin is good at making me laugh which helps me not to be so down about whatever's bothering me. Kerwin then stops laughing and looks at his pager and cellular phone thoughtfully. "Papa, I'm scared that if you leave now, you may never come back to me," I whispered into Kerwin's ear. Kerwin disengages from me and looks at me with a big stupid grin on his face, the same big stupid grin that began my relationship with him ten years ago. "Claribel, I have an idea!!!" Kerwin smirked as he holds up his pager. "How about we do this?" I give Kerwin a blank look as he clips his pager on the waistband of my black shortalls. What twisted scheme is cooking in Kerwin's head? "I'll give you my pager and I'll use my cellular phone to send codes to it. When I get out of the elevator, I'll let you know with the code 265. When you see that code, just know that I just got out of the elevator. When the meeting begins, I'll send the code 2879 to you and I'll send the code 65 every fifteen minutes to let you know that I'm okay. But bear in mind this, Claribel: during a board meeting, I will be busy listening and paying attention to what's going on and I may forget to send you a 65 every fifteen minutes like I said that I would or I may get a respite and send the 65 earlier than expected. Try not to be upset if you don't hear from me for twenty to thirty minutes or the pager gets two 65's in a five to ten minute period. At the end of the meeting, I'll send you the code 34653 to signal that I'm leaving the meeting and am on my way back. When I get to the elevator, I'll announce myself with the code 4663. Okay?" "I still want you to take me with you, Papa," I insisted. "What was my answer to that, Claribel?" Kerwin asked me sternly, exasperation beginning to show. I gulp; Kerwin is especially good at letting people know that he means business. I'd better not push my luck anymore. "You said no, President Del Trabajador," I replied humbly as I slink off to the pile of books and start looking through them. In thirty minutes, Kerwin comes out dressed in a double-breasted three piece business suit and I hand him his briefcase. Kerwin shows me how to work the pager and goes over the codes again to be certain I understand them. He then unlocks the elevator and steps in. With a solemn final bow, Kerwin leaves me to sort the pile of reports that are now a big mess all over the office. God, this is going to be a LONG night.