by L L Shelton
“No, no. I’ll come to get it.” Brittney’s words rang out in the familiar bossy tone.
“You clarified that you didn’t want to see me again. So, why would you want to come over?” Carly’s frustration was tipping and she released a sigh. “Fine, but not tonight. I have company coming over.”
“Really? Does she know about your problem?” Brittney blurted out.
“Shut the fuck up! I will let you know when you can come over.” Carly hung up. It was times like this she wished there was a landline so she could slam the receiver down. After snatching a beer from the fridge, she found her way to the kitchen table and took a long draw from the brown can as her mind wandered off to the past. She met Brittney at a local bar. She was tall with golden hair — a woman the devil himself would fear. Her body movements were hypnotizing, like the flames of a fire. Carly fell hard. Life was perfect. Her fishing business was thriving as she brought in twenty thousand a month during the peak seasons. Life was a fairy tale, as long as Brittney was happy and catered. The evidence of the one-sided relationship went unseen for years, but everything came into view after Carly lost her sight, when Brittney packed up her stuff and left. The only one that saw Brittney for the bitch she was, was Jewel. Jewel hated Brittney from day one. She picked her out as a gold digger from a mile away. High maintenance, diva, and self-centered were sample words to describe her, and Jewel let Carly know it from the start, but she never saw it. Dumb and in love, Carly defended Brittney repeatedly. Then she showed her true colors.
She tipped the beer and let the last drop slip past her lips before placing the can on the table and rubbing her temples. The throbbing pain grew. She jumped when her phone rang again.
“What the hell do you want now?” Carly screamed into the phone.
“Carly? What’s the matter?” Jewel’s voice, on the other end, was filled with concern.
“Shit. I’m sorry. Just got off the phone with Brittney.”
Jewel knew this could not be good. Nothing could deflate Carly’s spirit faster than a conversation with Brittney. “What did that whore want?” A beer opened in the background. “How many beers have you had?”
“This is the second one.”
“Well?” Jewel repeated.
“Well, what?” Carly whispered into the phone. She rubbed her temples in search of relief from the building pressure.
“What did she want?” Jewel asked. Carly was silent. “What’s the matter? You have another headache?” It was common for Carly to have migraines. They started when she came down with the eye disease, and Brittney never helped them. The headaches crippled her for days at a time.
“The headache is a little one. Brittney wants to come to the boat and get something she left here. I told her I would call when she can stop by. I needed to shut her up.”
The sound on the other end let Carly know Jewel was not happy. Somewhere between a sigh, a huff and a groan echoed in her ear. Carly sighed herself and waited for it. She pulled the phone away from her ear before the loud voice released.
“Have you lost your everlasting, cotton-picking mind? Why would you let that gold digger come on the boat? That bitch has nothing to claim. I will fuck her up! Why did you tell her to come over?” The question was a waste of breath because Carly didn’t answer before Jewel set off with the next round. “I swear, I’m headed over to her apartment. That’s right, I know she is living downtown in those luxury apartments. Probably fucking every rich whore for rent money that will touch her. That stupid—” Jewel’s words cut off by Carly saying her name.
“Jewel. Jewel. Calm down before you get angry wrinkles on that pretty face. You are not helping my headache. It’s no big deal.” Carly loved this woman that was so protective over her. Standing at barely five foot two, she could see Jewel kicking Brittney’s ass. Carly laughed.
“I’m glad you find this humorous,” Jewel said with a huff.
“She isn’t worth a fight. How will it look with an elementary teacher mug shot on the news?”
“Please tell me when she’s coming so I can be there.” Silence filled the other end of the phone. “Carly, promise me.”
“Fine. I promise. I have to go get ready for my date,” Carly announced.
“What time’s she arriving?” Jewel asked.
Carly ran her fingers over the watch wrapped around her wrist. She found the tiny button and pressed it. A woman’s voice rang out. The time is one-fifteen pm. “Shoot. She’ll be here soon.”
“Are you going to screw her?” Jewel’s voice dropped into a sultry tone.
“Don’t you want to know? Bye! Love you.”
“Take something for that headache.” Jewel squeezed the words in before the phone went dead.
It was a lazy Sunday around Bailey’s household with David and Bobby glued to the Xbox. A clown game played on the screen, and the two boys laughed out loud as their fingers hit the controls with determination. Bobby remained on restriction for less than twenty-four hours before Lily Ann relinquished to those cute dimples. Suzy laid in the recliner lost in a cookbook.
She leaned on the doorframe and watched her family. Her long, strawberry blonde hair lay down her back, and she wore white jeans with a blue- and white-striped shirt. Her canvas shoes completed the boater’s look. At first glance, she looked like a woman headed out for a day on the bay. But underneath the everyday girl was a woman dressed in white thigh stockings and French lace panties. A hidden treasure, if her new woman caller wished to claim.
Client #300 was a new client named Carly Hutch. The location, Shallow Water Marina, was all the office disclosed. Gayle, the owner of G’s Nightly Escorts, always screened new clients, so she was sure the office screened this lady. Still, the lack of information caused an uneasiness. Knowledge of her clients was the best offense. It gave her an advantage of what they liked, or better yet, what they needed. This time, Lily Ann would have to get exposed to her client’s quirks as the evening developed. The exact reason she dressed for a leisure day on the outside and rendezvous underneath. The sheer bra and panties with thigh stockings tickled her skin with an arousing touch.
“Hey guys, I’m headed out. Do you need anything before I leave?”
“Can we have some money for pizza later?” Suzy called out from inside her cookbook.
“Yay! Pizza!” Bobby screamed out before hurling himself over the couch and wrapped his arms around Lily Ann’s hips. Lily Ann ran her fingers through his untamed, fire-red hair. She made a mental note to schedule a trip to the mall for a haircut.
Fingers entangled in the thick strands, she gently yanked his head backward. Big blue eyes looked back up at her. She smiled. “You would eat pizza every night if you could. Going to call you Pizza Bobby.” He giggled at his sister’s name-calling.
She wished their parents could see him grow up. To see how they’ve all have grown. Why her parents’ lives got snuffed out so early bewildered her. If they had not gone to that office party and taken a different road, they might not have hit that patch of ice; if that eighteen-wheeler wasn’t coming toward them when they lost control . . . If, if, if. The inner sigh so loud she worried her family heard. Suzy’s voice pulled her back into reality.
“Money?” Suzy’s voice rang closer as she stood inches from Lily Ann.
“Sure, come to my room and get it. I’ll be back later tonight, so save me a few pieces if this garbage disposal doesn’t eat it all.” She rubbed the top of Bobby’s head, which received a protest.
“Hey, I am a growing boy!”
“Yes, you are a growing young man with a birthday around the corner.” Her hands grasped both sides of his face before she leaned over and kissed his forehead. Another protest followed.
“Ewww, girl cooties.” He wiped his forehead with his arm.
“I can’t have girl cooties. I’m your sister,” Lily Ann called out as he jumped back over the couch, where David was playing a new army game on the Xbox. She motioned with her head for Suzy to follow her.
After they entered
the room, Lily Ann turned to hand Suzy a twenty and a five. She pulled it back quickly in hopes the withdraw of the money would bide a few more minutes with her younger sister. Lily Ann sat down on her bed and patted the mattress beside her.
Suzy stood there, arms crossed, for a minute before she joined her on the bed. She picked at her palm. A nervous habit she’d started after her parent’s death. “Don’t ask me what’s the matter. Nothing is wrong. I am close to graduation, and I’m tired.”
“You’ve lost weight. Is it over a relationship? Maybe that boy, Zeke?”
“No,” Suzy whispered.
“Another boy?” Lily Ann asked.
Suzy shook her head to the question.
“A girl?” Lily Ann questioned.
“God, Lily Ann. There is no boy or girl. I am not interested in anyone. All I want to do is graduate and get out of high school. I’m tired of the adolescent bullshit that floats around the school. There’s so much pressure on me. Excuse me if I’m moody.”
“What can I do to help you? Please, talk to me.”
“Give me some space. Let me figure out things on my own. I’m fine.” Suzy stood and turned to face Lily Ann. She glared down at her with her hand out. “Can I have the pizza money?”
Lily Ann placed the money in her hand and held her in a tight grasp. When it got yanked away, she sighed. Her sister closed the door behind herself.
Lily Ann leaned on her knees with her elbows and placed her face in her hands. “Help me, Mama.” She interlocked her fingers behind her head and sent out a private prayer. “You will figure this out,” she said out loud. With a deep inhale and a slow exhale, she pushed off the bed, grabbed her favorite jacket from the closet, and headed to meet client #300.
5
“Hello! Carly? Hello?” Lily Ann called out as she stepped onto the boat to announce her late arrival.
“I’m in the kitchen,” a voice rang out.
Lily Ann looked over the fishing boat as she walked toward the voice. She couldn’t help but admire the beauty of the vessel and the cleanliness. “Where is the kitchen?” She bellowed.
“Come through the wooden door. There are three steps, and when you reach the bottom, there will be a slight dip in the floor, so be careful with your footing. Come down the hallway, and the kitchen’s in the back.”
Lily Ann followed the directions, jumped over the dip, and stopped at the door of what appeared to be the kitchen. A tall woman with spiked bleach-blonde hair stood by the sink with her back turned. Dressed in jeans that highlighted an apple ass and a tight black shirt that clung to her body, her height was beautiful at six feet. “Hi. Are you Carly?”
“Yes, come in and have a seat at the table. I am making us smoothies. Would you like alcohol in it?” Carly asked. Her body remained turned as she fumbled with the ingredients.
“A smoothie will be wonderful. The same as yours will be fine. Thanks.”
“Then a splash of Mount Gay silver rum it is,” Carly responded.
“Perfect. I’m sorry that I am late. The office didn’t give me the name of the boat. A young man helped me find the ship after I mentioned you.” Lily Ann found her seat as the blender came to life.
“Oh, I must have forgotten to fill that section out on my application. Sorry, I hope it didn’t cause too much trouble,” Carly screamed as blades crushed the ice.
“No trouble. His name was Tony. A nice young man, but he hit on me,” Lily Ann screamed back. The last words were loud as the blender halted its assault on the mixture.
Carly laughed. “That’s Tony. Young hormones and all. He’s the only teenager around here.” She poured two tall cups of the smoothie mixture and turned in a 180 degree. Her arm was straight as she held out the drink for her company to grab. “And, by now, I am sure you are staring at me because you just realized that I am blind.” She leaned in toward the center of the table and whispered. “But it’s okay because I can’t see you staring at me.” She flashed a toothy white smile.
Lily Ann let out a chuckle. “The way you smell gave the blindness away.”
Carly returned a chuckle. “I knew I should have changed soaps. I think we will get along just fine.” She held out her hand. When Lily Ann took hold, she gave it a shake.
“I’m Lily Ann. Nice to meet you, Carly.” She sipped on the smoothie. “Oh my, this is delicious. What’s in it?”
“I’m not sure. I couldn’t see what I grabbed from the fridge. At this moment, hoping I didn’t put my medicine in it.” She lifted a shoulder in a shrug.
“You are joking. Right?” Lily Ann examined the drink in her hand, followed by a glance at Carly’s face. She repeated this a few times.
“I am.” Carly smiled again. “Will you describe yourself to me?”
“Sure. I’m five foot two and a strawberry blonde. My hair is long and reaches to the middle of my back. I was a size zero, but in the last few months, the dress size went up two sizes. Should I tell you what I am wearing?”
“No, not really,” Carly answered. Carly sat back and got quiet for a moment. She contemplated how to bring up the reason she called for an escort, but held off. She asked another question, instead. “Can I hold your wrist?”
“Sure,” Lily Ann answered. She brushed her hand against Carly’s fingertips. Long fingers wrapped around her wrist before they drifted up the forearm with soft squeezes. They slipped back down and inspected her fingers. “You want to touch my face.”
Carly’s response was the same as before. “No, not really. I can tell a person by their hands and wrist.”
“I’m intrigued. Tell me what my wrist tells you.”
“You are thin. A little too bony, and that tells me you worry too much about your weight. You’re not nervous. Meeting clients comes second nature to you. Before you came here, you got upset. There is turmoil in your life. Your muscles are tense.”
Lily Ann sat.
“And by your silence, I believe I am right,” Carly claimed.
“I’m impressed. What are you looking for in my service?” Lily Ann asked, trying to reroute the conversation. Thoughts of Suzy flashed about her brain, but she needed to concentrate on work.
“For now, to talk. Is that okay?”
“That’s perfect. I love your boat. Do you live here year-round?” Topics flopped around like a fish out of water.
“Yes. I used to fish for a living, but haven’t in many years. I do odd jobs around the marina since I went blind. Let’s move up to the top. The weather is beautiful today. There is something that I want to ask you.”
Above deck, Lily Ann slipped onto the couch with the smoothie in hand. She turned her body sideways, faced Carly, and propped herself up on her elbow. “So, you mentioned that you wanted to ask me something?”
Carly raised her face toward the bright orange ball in the sky and inhaled. “This is my favorite time of day. The heat of the sun is fighting for that last glow, the last ray of hope before the darkness swallows light. Close your eyes and find the sun.” Carly laid her hand on Lily Ann’s thigh. She waited in silence until Lily Ann’s body relaxed. The tightness in her company’s muscles slipped away like the sun on the horizon. “You can feel it, can’t you? The calm?”
“I do.” The intoxicating warmth smothered her worries, if not for a moment. Lily Ann took in a few deep breaths of the salty sea air, and when she opened her eyes, the hand on her thigh gone, and Carly was smiling.
Carly placed her smoothie on the table. “Place your drink down?” she asked. With a twist, her knee pulled up, and she faced Lily Ann, both hands lowered with palms up. Hands fell into them, and she embraced them. “Lily Ann, I don’t want sex from you. I’m sure you are beautiful and desirable, though bony for my taste.” Both giggled. “No, I want you to give me something more than just your body.” Her words stopped as if afraid to say anymore out loud.
Lily Ann tightened her grip on the fingers that held her. “It’s okay. Please, I want you to talk to me.”
Carly shook her head.
“It’s ridiculous.”
“Let me be the judge of that? Trust me.” Lily Ann slipped one hand free and placed it on Carly’s knee, patting it a few times. “Talk to me.”
“I want to spend time with someone like me.” The words blurted out so fast that Lily Ann needed to replay them in her head.
Lily Ann leaned forward until her mouth was next to Carly’s ear. “I know nothing about fishing, but I can try.”
Carly laughed and pushed her shoulder. “Smartass. You know what I mean.”
“I think so. I’m once again intrigued. Tell me how you want to do this?”
“Your next visit. We will blindfold you for the entire visit. If you are okay with that.” The reason for Lily Ann’s visit revealed. Carly wanted to spend time with another person whose sight was missing. Carly wasn’t sure what she expected from the experiment. Jewel was brilliant, but some things she just didn’t understand. Carly needed a stranger.
“I think we will have an amazing time on our next visit. I look forward to it,” Lily Ann responded.
A voice rang out from three boats away, “Bait. Get your bait.”
Carly sat up straight. “Shit. I need a favor.”
“Sure, what is it?” Lily Ann sat up with her.
“The girl with the bait cart. She will be here in a minute. Can you tell me what she looks like?”
Lily Ann squinted her eyes and looked down the dock to find the girl talking to another fisherman. She leaned forward to get a better view. “She is of medium height. You are taller. A femme. Yeah, one hundred percent a femme.” Carly shuffled in the seat next to her while Lily Ann continued, “She has curves, but not too many. Not a sack of bones, like me.” Lily Ann received a soft slap on her thigh. “She has a wide smile with perfect teeth. A tinge of lipstick covers her plump lips.”
“What color?” The anxiousness in Carly’s voice clear.
“It’s not red, but it’s not pink, it’s a pleasant color. I can’t see the eye color. She is still too far away. Her hair is very long, but it’s in a bun on her head. It’s the color of dark chocolate.”
