Unusual Circumstances

Mayani began to set up what little she had. Once her laptop was booted up, she tried to concentrate on writing but found herself glancing down the hallway quite often, half hoping to catch a glimpse of Kaylin as she moved about the house. Given her position in the room, she could see straight down into part of the kitchen. An hour later, Kaylin came to her room. “One other rule.” “Yes?” Mayani asked. “This door is to remain open at all times.” “Ok.” Kaylin entered her office. A few minutes later, Mayani approached the doorway and waited for Kaylin to notice her. “Yes?” Kaylin asked abruptly when she did. “This is for you,” Mayani said, handing her the disk she’d copied her stories onto. Kaylin glanced at it curiously, then, remembering that Mayani had said she was going to copy the stories, took it and said, “Ok.” At 5:00, Kaylin approached Mayani as she sat at her computer. She surveyed the room for a moment, then asked, “Was the glass of juice all you’ve had today?” “No. I had a package of cheese crackers this morning at the jail.” “Well, I think it’s time you had a little more than that. Why don’t we share a pizza?” Mayani thought about it for a moment, then said, “Sure. That’d be fine.” “I’ll get a medium pizza for us to split. What do you want for toppings on your half?” “Just mushrooms.” “Ok,” Kaylin said, turning to leave the room. “Thank you,” Mayani called after her. Kaylin said nothing as she headed for the kitchen wall phone to place the order. Mayani felt Kaylin’s eyes on her as she did. When the pizza arrived, Kaylin said, “I’m going to eat mine in the living room in front of the TV. You can eat yours wherever you want.” Mayani took a slice of pizza, placed it on one of the plates Kaylin had set on the coffee table, and sat in a chair across from the couch. She watched the sitcom Kaylin had on while she ate. When she was finished, she stood and said, “That was good. I’ll wash my plate now.” “That’s it? Just one slice?” Mayani nodded. “I don’t like to eat much. I don’t want to get fat.” “You’re far from fat. Come on, Mayani. I hate mushrooms. Dig in.” “Ok, one more slice. But then I’ll refrigerate what’s left that has mushrooms on it.” “Deal,” Kaylin said flatly. Kaylin came to Mayani’s room again in the early evening as Mayani was doing her usual routine of abdominal crunches on the floor. “Mayani, if you need to use the bathroom, do it now, because I’m ready to take my shower.” Mayani looked up at her but kept exercising. “I’m ok. You can go ahead.” “Yeah? You gonna be here when I get out?” “Unfortunately.” Kaylin flashed a quick, sarcastic smile and headed off to shower. Poochie came to see Mayani while Kaylin showered, and the two soon became engaged in a game of fetch. Mayani tossed the dog’s rubber ball down the hall so he could chase it and bring it back. The dog barked and Mayani laughed just as Kaylin threw open the bathroom door, her long, slim body wrapped in a towel. Mayani admired the ripples of muscle visible in Kaylin’s calves. She wanted to reach out and touch the smooth skin, to feel the strength in her legs. “Hey! What’s going on out here?” Kaylin demanded. “We’re just playing catch.” “Look,” Kaylin said sternly. “You’re not here to play catch. You understand? Now get back in your room and leave the dog alone.” Mayani was fast-growing sick of Kaylin’s attitude. She slowly rose to her feet as Kaylin towel-dried her hair. She clenched her fists and eyed Kaylin as meanly as she could manage. Yet with her soft, delicate features, she doubted she could look mean even if she tried. “The fucking dishes are done,” she growled. She turned to go to her room, but Kaylin caught up to her and spun her around. Mayani trembled at the sight of Kaylin’s ebony eyes blazing down at her. This was someone who looked mean. “Listen here, little lady,” Kaylin said loudly, almost shouting. “You belong to me now. Like it or not, I own you, and if I tell you to do something, I don’t want to hear any shit about it! You understand me?” Mayani locked her gaze with Kaylin’s, struck by how someone could look so attractive and so intimidating at the same time. “Your dog came up to me. He wanted attention. All I did was—” “It’s not your responsibility to tend to my dog.” Mayani turned, stomped into her room, and slammed the door shut. It burst open half a second later. “What did I tell you about this door?” “I forgot.” “Then put something in front of it so you don’t forget again. Especially if you want to stay out of jail.” Mayani stuffed a wadded T-shirt under the door as a makeshift stop. Kaylin headed to her own room and pulled on a sleep shirt that fell to mid-thigh. Mayani lay on her bed on her stomach, facing the exterior wall. Depression threatened to envelop her. After a while, she got up and took a shower. Then she called both her grandmother and her grandmother’s longtime friend, Bella. Bella assured her she would check on Nana regularly. “Bella, you’re the best. I don’t know what I’d do without you. Thanks so much.” Kaylin appeared as soon as Mayani switched off her phone. “Just so you know, I don’t have a set schedule. I’m in and out at all hours, sometimes day, sometimes night. Tomorrow morning, I have to leave early, so be prepared to be woken up to have the ankle bracelet put on. I’m turning in now, so if you’re going to be up a while, keep it down.” “I’ll be crashing soon enough. Good night, Kaylin.” Kaylin nodded once and went into her bedroom, closing the door. She expected sleep to come instantly after such a long day, but it didn’t. When she tried to focus on the interviews she’d need to conduct the next day, all she saw was Mayani—hair like liquid gold, firm, perky breasts, flawless tanned skin. She lay on her side facing the door for about ten minutes before the strip of light beneath it disappeared, signaling that Mayani had turned off her light. Again, she wondered if she’d made a mistake. “Mayani. Mayani!” At first, Mayani wasn’t sure if she was dreaming, but the insistence jolted her awake. She opened her eyes as Kaylin yanked the blanket down, exposing her nearly naked body. Kaylin snapped the electronic monitoring device around Mayani’s left ankle, then pulled the covers back over the body clad only in silky pink panties. “Listen to me before I go,” she said sternly, bending over her. “Yeah,” Mayani muttered groggily. “If you even think about messing with that thing, I’ll know immediately. The minute you do, cops will be on their way. You got it?” “I’m not going to mess with it,” Mayani said, sleepy and annoyed. She rolled onto her side, listening as Kaylin moved through the house, followed shortly by the slam of the garage door. Unable to fall back asleep, she got up and poured herself a glass of water. The anklet felt awkward and heavy around her delicate ankle. With the dog following her, she returned to her room and booted up her computer, straightening the bed while it loaded. Once ready, Poochie curled up at her feet as she checked her email. “No wins today, Poochie boy.” The dog didn’t move. Throughout the morning, Mayani focused on her novel, though thoughts of Kaylin kept intruding—disrupting the plot about an evil woman who spites an equally evil coworker by having her uncle, a powerful figure at a mental hospital, commit her, before she escapes with a therapist who falls in love with her. Just before noon, she heard the garage door open. Her heart jumped. Nervous? Excited? Probably both. Poochie raced down the hallway, barking. Mayani heard Kaylin greeting him, then her footsteps approaching. Her breath caught when Kaylin came into view. She looked stunning in a white cotton jacket over a light blue silk blouse, a matching skirt, gold chains and bracelets, gold hoop earrings, and white strappy wedge sandals. “Good afternoon, Officer,” Mayani said with a smile. “Hello,” Kaylin replied, nodding briefly. She pulled out a key ring and bent to unlock the anklet. “Thanks. It was starting to weigh on my ankle bone.” Kaylin straightened and gazed down at her, almost resenting how adorable Mayani looked in her tie-dye sundress. Cute. Sexy. Irresistible. “I couldn’t keep the dog away from me,” Mayani said. “But I didn’t mess with the anklet, as I promised.” “Uh-huh. Now come with me to the grocery store.” “You look nice,” Mayani added as she stood. “I didn’t ask you,” Kaylin snapped. “Fine,” Mayani shot back, drawing a look of contempt. Kaylin filled the dog’s bowls. “We’ll stop at your bank first.” They spoke little during the withdrawal. At the grocery store, Kaylin grabbed a cart. “I need a few things too.” They wandered the aisles, selecting items. “You like salty things,” Mayani said, eyeing Kaylin’s ham slices. “It’s better than the bland shit you’re getting.” Mayani giggled, expecting at least a flicker of amusement. None came. A few aisles later, Kaylin grabbed seasoned French fries. “Those are definitely salty.” “Can we shop without you picking on everything I do?” Kaylin snapped. “God, Kaylin, calm down. I was teasing you. Why are you so sensitive?” Kaylin froze, eyes shooting sparks. “You want to go back to jail?” “Lighten up.” “That’s where you’re headed if you don’t knock it off.” “But I’m not even doing anything!” Mayani gathered her cans. “I’m checking out.” “You’ll do no such thing. Put that back. I don’t need your shit.” “And I need it from you?” Kaylin’s eyes burned. “Again, I’ll remind you—the jail’s not far from here.” “I’m not going to jail for saying you like salty food!” Mayani shouted. An older couple nearby turned to stare. Kaylin looked beyond angry now. She looked absolutely pissed.