Killing Time

by Thomas A. Damron

house. I clicked the flashlight on and focused it on my foot where I saw a hand with chipped red fingernail polish holding my toes. Moving the light upward, I saw Tina looking down at the light and saying, "Rory, I didn't mean to take your bed. I'm sorry I fell asleep earlier. Trade places with me, please."

  I was shaking my head, but then realized she couldn't see my face so I said, "No, Tina. You stay there. I'll be fine here on the couch."

  'But you don't fit the couch. You're too tall to be comfortable. Come on, change with me."

  "No, I'm okay, really. This'll do for me."

  "Rory, if you won't trade with me, at least come and take to other side of the bed and be comfortable. If you don't I won't go back."

  I thought about it and decided that since it was a Queen sized bed, there would be enough room for both us without creating a problem. I glanced at my watch and noted the time as two-fifteen and figured she might be hungry. I relented, stood and asked, "Do you want water or something to eat before we go to bed?"

  "Thank you, but no, I'm all right for now. Give me your hand so that I can follow the light."

  I took her hand and was leading her to the bed when she asked, "Rory, how old are you?"

  "I'll be twenty-five in three weeks. I'm getting old, Tina. I can feel it in my bones with all this rain," I laughed and tugged her up closer to me, stopped in the doorway and put my arm around her shoulders and asked my question, "How old are you, Tina?"

  "I'll be twenty in November. I hope to go back to school in February."

  "Why did you drop out? And where do you work?"

  "My parents were killed when our house in Avondale burned in April. I dropped out to attend to their burials as I have no brothers or sisters that could help. I moved here to live with my grandmother. She is very old and was alone as was I, so it has worked well. I work at the Outlet Course, LTD. I do stocking work and sometimes run a register when we're busier than normal. I wanted to stay there tonight, but the manager said he couldn't allow me to stay alone in the building. Company policy and such."

  She edged closer and was pressing herself against me as I had my back to the doorframe. She put her hand on my cheek and whispered, "If not for you being my guardian angel, I would be lying dead in the muddy street, Rory. May I kiss you, please?"

  I lowered my head, she put both hands on my face and I felt her lips touching mine. It was a very nice gesture and her lips were inviting me to engage again. I put both arms around her and held her tightly as I gave her a deep, meaningful kiss. When I released her, she sighed longingly for more. For the third time today I picked her up and carried her to the bed, laid her on the right side and crawled over her. I turned and put my arm over her and turned her head to mine and kissed her again, this time with an easy push of my tongue against her teeth. She

  slowly opened her teeth and touched my tongue with hers. I sucked her lips and held hers harder against mine.

  When I broke the kiss, she whispered in my ear and asked me, "Rory, can I ask you a personal question? A really personal question?"

  "Of course you can, Tina. What do you want to know about me?"

  "Today in the shower when I woke up I was staring at you. You looked at me with a puzzled look. I was staring at your body because I've never ever laid eyes on a naked man before today. I was stunned. Will you allow me to look again later?"

  "Of course, Tina, if that's what you want. When I do, would you like to take a much closer look? I'm willing to show you what it is like."

  "You don't mind? If you really don't mind, I would love to see it up close."

  The thoughts running through my mind were: is this for real? Can a nearly twenty year-old girl in today's world not know what a man's body looks like? Is she shitting me or is she really that innocent?

  She continued saying, "I grew up in a stringent and sheltered home. I never went to a prom, never had a date, and the college I attended is a strict girl's school with no boys allowed. You have probably guessed that mine was an authoritarian religious upbringing that I lived under. The store where I work has only two male employees, both in their fifties, married, and fat. I've had no opportunities, Rory. Will you give me some lessons?"

  "What lessons do you have in mind, Tina? Yes, I'll give you guidance and teach you a few things if you want. Tell me if you think I can help."

  "I heard some of the girls in the dorm talk about having sex, sex with their high school boyfriends. As I told you, I've never had a boyfriend before." She hung her head as if in shame.

  "Tina, If you're absolutely certain that you want to learn and not just be curious then I'll give you lessons. Do you want me to do it now?" She eagerly nodded, took hold of my hand and squeezed when she said, "Oh, yes, Rory. I'm ready. Do what you need to do."

  I rolled to my back, lifted my hips from the bed, jerked the shorts off and tossed them to the side of the bed. I took the flashlight, clicked it on and said, "Tina, take a close look." She scooted down, rose over my abdomen and eyed my genitals with her mouth gaping open. She looked upwards toward my eyes and said, "I think I have affected it, Rory. It seems to be growing larger. Is that what it does?" I could only grin and nod as I moved the light away.

  I had her sit up, pulled my dress shirt over her head and left her lying naked before me. I tenderly laid my head on her Mound of Venus. I didn't look at her but I began telling her, "Tina, those girls you heard talking had crude boyfriends and I'll tell you why. I have my head on the greatest gift a girl can give to a man. What a man should do is relish and savor that gift by treating it with respect and honor. Are you positive you want me to continue?"

  "Your description was beautiful, Rory. What you do has to be better than they ever thought that their boyfriends did to them. Yes, I'm certain that I want to learn from you."

  I turned my head and gave her navel its first ever kiss. She sighed, moaned that it felt divine and that she was dying in anticipation for me to continue. I lay there, a grin on my face as I concentrated on the sounds of the rainfall on the roof. I wanted her to know she had a lifetime of learning and enjoyment ahead of her. I let her go on and on before I told her that we would continue the lessons after we had had our critically necessary sleep. I wrapped my arms around her and snuggled while the rainfall beat a rhythmic tattooing that rocked us swiftly to sleep.

  The wind woke me at ten. We were still naked and I lay quietly admiring her gorgeous body shining in the morning light. I eased to the side of the bed, stood and went to the kitchen to brew the coffee and scrounge for breakfast. I tried the lights but no luck. It would either be cold cereal and bananas or scrambled eggs for breakfast. I was fortunate to have a gas stove and an old aluminum coffee percolator or we wouldn't have had hot coffee to wash the choice of breakfast down. I took a second cup and went to the bedroom. I gently shook her awake. She stretched her arms, smiled and said good morning. I handed her the coffee and told her cereal and bananas or scrambled eggs was the special of the day and she vowed that she loved cereal and bananas, so that would be our choice of meal. On the way to the kitchen, we went to the window in the living room and watched the heavy, mucky reddish mud flowing steadily over the curbing and piling higher in the yards, including mine. I asked if she needed to call her grandmother and she panicked when it dawned on her she hadn't called to tell her she was safe. I got my cell and cautioned her to make it quick as we had no way to recharge. She nodded and called. I smiled as she excitedly told me that her grandmother was elated to hear that she was safe and sound. She put the phone down near her bowl and we ate.

  Over the second cup of coffee, she smiled and said, "Rory, as long as it's still raining, could you give me a few more lessons?"

  I smiled back and said, "Class will start as soon as the banana digests. In the meantime, I'm going to look for you some clothing to wear."

  I left her at the table sipping coffee when I went on my search. I was scrambling around in the floor of the bedroom closet looking for anything that might fit her when I heard the door
open. I knew it could only be her so I didn't turn around. I kept digging through the box I had split open. I wasn't paying close attention to her as I screamed once before I pitched forward over the clothing when I felt the knife enter the right side of my neck. In desperation, I slapped my hand on my neck when the blade was removed. My blood was spurting through my fingers and splashing everywhere. She put the second entry point between my shoulder blades on the left side, puncturing through near my heart. I fell farther over the box, and sensed that she had a grip on my feet. I felt myself begin to move and realized she was dragging me across the wooden floor toward the bed. Her third chosen entry was near the kidney on my left. I was gradually losing consciousness; the light in the room was dimming as I realized I was fading from the rapid loss of blood.

  She had my cell phone at her ear and I faintly heard her saying, "Doug, it's me again. It's done. When it's safe, come and help me put his body in the sluice so that the mud will cover it. We can strip the house once the rainfall stops. Yeah, I snooped around last night while he was sleeping and found his office. It has a Mac Pro laptop and a Mac desktop. He has a Bose stereo rig, a flat screen Samsung Smart TV, the new i Phone 5-S I'm using and a number of other electronic gadgets that should bring us great piles of cash. I also