She smiled triumphantly while fishing a piece of gum from the candy drawer. Mission Accomplished she thought. Erica headed out of the kitchen and into... the living room on her way to the stairs. She had nearly reached the bottom step when a noise behind her made her jump nearly out of her skin."You must think I'm an idiot." said a familiar voice.Erica, now pale as a ghost, turned to see her husband Victor sitting in his recliner in the corner of the unlit living room. "I..." "I..." she. "She described some of the frightful things visited on her person and it was a wonder her experience did not make her frigid for life, anti-sex, and a man hater."They made me watch while they did things to that man with injections and other things. In the end the poor man broke ... and agreed to everything they demanded. But the chemicals they injected into him and the torture he suffered also broke his mind. To my shame, I agreed not to pursue the matter any more." That man in the coffee house. They decided that maid's work would be the perfect training for ourunderstanding of what 'women's work' entails. We had to attend a week'straining at Miss Johnson's School for Girls and now we get to practicemaid duties until Mother and Miss Robins feel we understand that housecleaning, laundry, and cooking aren't really women's work but required byeveryone.I don't consider it punishment at all because I just love to wear thepretty clothes that girls get to wear. Jackie doesn't seem to mind. I wanted to believe that he felt it, too - that he was as drawn to me as I was to him - but to him I was probably just another patient. Or so I thought... "That's a lovely dress, " was the first thing he said to me that day. I shrugged off the compliment with some deprecating remark ("This old thing?"), even though I'd spent all weekend searching the malls for the perfect outfit for seduction. The dress I settled on was a clingy affair, high cut here and low cut there. Though I knew he'd notice.