Ted Burdette and Jenifer
I don't remember Jenifer's last name.
These two were another pair of idiots. They had an on and off relationship.
I liked them both at first but I would soon grow tired of both of them.
I met Ted first. His family moved there from West Virginia I think he said. They were really poor and really whacked. The kids got head lice more often than not. Some were pale blondes which made it harder to see them. Somehow Tommy and I got them too. I was so disgusted. I was never sure if we got them from them or from other kids in school. I don't know why but Tom never got them. I had to de-louse us and wash all the clothes and bedding in scalding water with bleach.
I'm pretty sure some may have been left behind but we never got them again. How I found out that Ted had them is when he shaved his head bald. He said it was easier than finding them all. The teachers would send them home telling the mom to keep them until they were clean and louse free.
One day they were all in the basement with Tom and Jacque when Jacque came up and told me that Jenifer and Tom were kissing. I was shocked. He swore it wasn't true but in all honesty I didn't believe him. People would tell me afterwards in defense of Tom that Jacque was a chronic liar. I had seen other things that I never told them about.
I found her in Tom's bed one afternoon after he'd left for work. She claimed she was tired and he told her to take a nap there. I really didn't think he'd done anything then. I knew that she wanted him to but I didn't really think he'd gone that far with our without that kiss in the basement being real or a lie.
These people all seemed to get a delight in either embarrassing me or pulling my tail. I never knew what was the truth or not.
Tom let Ted stay with us for a long time. He slept upstairs in what was supposed to be Tommy's room but Tommy wouldn't sleep up there. I didn't know why at first. I'm not even sure if the reason was the same one as he gave me later. He told me he had gone up there for a toy and Ted and Jenifer were in bed together naked doing things.
I got Ted aside and told him he couldn't do that in our house. Tom told him later he could do what he wanted because it wasn't my house.
Ted came in one day and told me that Tom was at a bar with him and Tommy and Ray. While Tommy was playing the machines Tom was supposed to have asked them if they knew of a way to kill me with out getting caught. I didn't know whether to believe him or not but I was scared. Stuff kept happening.
It also kept happening with Ted. He started sleeping in the attic. I went up there to wake him up one afternoon and saw a coffee can on the floor with liquid in it. First I thought maybe he was just too lazy to go to the bathroom one flight down. Then the fumes hit me. I told him right there and then to get dressed and get out. He was putting all our lives at risk. What was in the can was gasoline. He was sniffing it to get high.
Tom dealt with the gasoline after he got home. I'd taken it out of the hot attic and it sat outside by the cool steps in the shade. Ted stayed away for awhile but he did come back.