by Alexie Aaron
“Okay, lesson learned.”
The doctor walked in. “Mr. Garrett, your bones are all sound. The swelling should go down in a day or so, but it’s going to hurt like the devil to walk on them. I’ve written you a note to get you out of work.”
Cid took the note and frowned.
“The nurse will be in with your discharge papers,” the doctor said and walked out.
“I may call Mia for a second opinion,” Cid said. “I can’t take two days off.”
“Call her. I’d like to meet this God’s gift to men,” Jesse said.
“Hand me my phone,” Cid said.
Chapter Six
Kiki allowed Walrus and Gut to baby her. She had everything she needed within arm’s reach. She sat back with her computer and was scrolling through movies when there was a light tap on the door.
“Come in,” Kiki called, expecting it to be one of her crew.
Two small, beautiful women entered. One was a dark Native American, and the other was Nordic in all but her size. She was a petite woman with a rounded belly.
“I’m Mia Martin. I’m a friend of Cid Garrett. And this is Judy. Cid asked us to come and look in on you. He said you’d fallen into a well,” she explained.
“Yes,” Kiki answered.
“I fell in a well. There’s more than broken bones you have to be careful about,” Mia said with concern.
“The atomic wedgie?” Kiki asked.
Mia turned to Judy and explained, “Her underpants ended up inside her.”
“You poor dear,” Judy said.
“My friend here is a healer,” Mia explained. “Cid’s feet were a royal mess, and he climbed down most of the way. Would you be opposed to us examining you?”
“Well…”
Mia handed her phone to Kiki. “Cid’s on the other end.”
“Kiki, I know this sounds weird, but these two have a way to cut out a lot of the healing time. Trust me.”
“Alright,” Kiki agreed and handed the phone back to Mia.
“She’s got a very bruised spleen, and her intestines are a little high but no tears,” Judy reported as she moved her hands along Kiki’s stomach.
“You’ve torn your rotator cuff,” Mia said. “Lie back and be very still.”
Mia nodded to Judy who isolated the tear while Mia started the healing process. It took a few minutes, but Kiki hung in there. She was used to healers where she grew up, but they were primarily dispensers of strange herb-based tonics and salves.
“You should start to feel stronger in a day. If you can refrain from lifting anything more than that laptop, then it may heal correctly,” Mia said.
“Thank you. How did you get here so fast?”
“Judy flew me,” Mia answered. “I have to get back. If you experience any strange pains, you can call the PEEPs number or Cid can help you get in touch with me.”
“That’s where I heard your name before. You’re PEEPs’ Mia, the demon expert.”
Mia blushed and Judy laughed.
“Not an expert, but I’ve had a few encounters with them.”
“I have a house demon.”
“They aren’t normally a problem. My advice is to leave it be unless it comes to you.”
“That’s what Jake said.”
“Jake? Our Jake?”
“Yes, he’s been a wealth of information. I was checking out Cid on your website, and Jake asked if he could help.”
“He’s good that way. Tell me, did he give you a straight answer?”
“Yes.”
“Hmmm, that’s good to know.”
“He said that he was new to PEEPs.”
“He was the last one in,” Mia said. “He’s very valuable. An excellent researcher.”
“He also knows his movies.”
“Movies?” Mia questioned.
“We watched 50 First Dates together.”
Mia smiled uncomfortably.
“Oh, I hope I didn’t get him in trouble.”
“No. I’m just a little surprised.”
“What Mia is trying to say is that Jake is very shy and rarely gives anyone the time of day,” Judy filled in.
Kiki nodded. “He was most helpful. Is it a problem if I continue to talk to him?”
“That’s between you and Jake,” Mia said oddly.
Kiki watched the two women leave. She already started to feel better. Perhaps it was all in her mind, but Kiki swore she had never felt healthier.
Mia stopped back at Cid’s cabin. He was gathering his clothes to take to the complex’s laundry. “I might as well get some chores done. My truck is up at the site. Jesse is going to have one of his guys bring it back after work.”
“Don’t overdo it,” Mia warned. “Judy and I aren’t miracle workers.”
“You’re the closest things to what are,” Cid said. “What did you think of the boss?”
“She’s cute, smart, and dating Jake,” Mia said with a wry smile.
“Wait, run that last bit by me again.”
“She watched a movie, a date movie, with Jake last night.”
Cid closed his eyes. “You and Judy I can explain, but Jake?”
“I’d leave it to Jake. Maybe this is what both of them need. You said that Kiki didn’t want a relationship with a worker, and Jake could use the human contact.”
“This could blow up in our faces,” Cid said.
“Unless she asks directly things about Jake that would involve telling her that he is a dead, good-natured twenty-some ghost who prefers to live in our computer system, I think we’ll be in the clear.”
“It’s just cyber dating,” Judy said. “Many people do it according to what I’ve read.”
“We have to get back. Naptime is almost over,” Mia said, looking at her watch.
“Jesse is going to be upset he wasn’t around to meet you,” Cid said.
“Tell him I regret I couldn’t stay, but I have an important meeting,” Mia said. “I’ll stay longer next time.”
“Next time?”
“You have a house demon in that mansion and a violent ghost. There will be a next time.”
“Mia, I’d like to handle this myself,” Cid said.
Mia looked at him, studying his serious expression, and finally nodded. “There is no one more capable than you, Cid. But if you get in over your head, call. Remember all the times I had to call for help,” Mia said. She planted a kiss on his cheek and walked into Judy’s outstretched wigs. Judy wrapped them around both of them, and they disappeared.
Cid smiled. He finished collecting his laundry and left a note for Jesse and walked out.
~
Walrus and Gut found Jesse and Holy Shit in the back of the mansion digging around the well.
“She had to be standing directly on top of this thing,” Jesse said, pulling out the remaining rotted wood planks. “A foot in either direction and she may have skinned a shin, but she wouldn’t have fallen all the way in.”
“The boss is lucky that way,” Walrus said. “So what’s the plan?”
“We’ve taken measurements to have a cap made. Until then, we’re going to put that old piece of iron fencing down and secure it with cement blocks here and here.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Gut said. “The boss asked us to seal off the basement until Cid is mobile enough to work on something down there.”
“I’m not going down there. I’m still working on getting rid of rot in the attics,” Jesse said.
“Not the west attic?” Walrus asked quickly.
“Don’t worry, I’ve been warned off the west attic by Cid. I’m working on the first set of dormers on the east side,” Jesse told them. “It’s creepy in there. I’ve found scratch marks on the insides of the doors, and the windows have been nailed shut. I’m pulling these monster long nails out of the sashes.” He held out his hands so the others could see what he was talking about. “First thing I did was take off the door.”
Walrus laughed. “Good move. I wouldn’t want to
get locked in there.”
“Hey, just in case, don’t you guys leave here tonight without me,” Jesse said.
“We hear and obey, oh master of the hammer,” Gut said, backing away.
“What an ass,” Jesse commented.
“Speaking of asses, what the fuck did you buy for the boss to wear?” Walrus asked.
“I know nothing about women’s clothing,” Jesse lied. “I had a cashier help me.”
“She looked like a creepy pastor’s wife. All that was missing was a bible in her hands and an ugly black handbag.”
Jesse laughed.
Walrus fumed. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you did it on purpose.”
“Come on, does that sound like me?” Jesse asked.
“I’m not sure how to answer that.”
“Well, since you’re going to bend my ear all day, help us carry that fencing over here.”
Walrus relented.
~
Long slender fingers moved in the grooves of the window. “Did I do this?” she asked herself. “I was asleep for such a long time,” she said to the empty room. She moved from window to window, but the scenery was so much different. Gone was the closely-trimmed grass, the tennis court in the back, the greenhouse where she had her first kiss. There were all these men in the place of the servants. They were pulling things apart. How long had she been gone?
Anger, hate, and the need to break something filled the apparition on the stairs. Noise from sunup to sundown. Try as he might, he could only escape his perch by the stairs for a few hours at most. They would pay for their actions as soon as he was strong enough. The time of reckoning was coming…
~
Kiki woke with a start. She had dozed off and fell into the most awful of dreams. There she was, one half of a person. Mimi stood on the other side of a mirror. She was the other half. Kiki pounded on the mirror. “I am here, let me out, I am here!” she shouted. But Mimi could only see her own reflection. She stood there and combed her long black hair, smiling.
Kiki felt around and found the light switch. She flipped it on. It took her a moment to recognize the room she was in. Kiki was used to hotel and motel rooms. When she was home, in the condo she’d invested in, she felt out of place. Here, she lived out of three suitcases. If the truth be known, she didn’t have any other clothes - maybe a warmer coat and a skimpier bikini, but they weren’t needed by a contractor. Not here, not now.
The laptop lit up, and she could see she had a message.
Clicking over, she saw it was from Jake.
Kiki,
Heard you had an accident. I hope you feel better soon. I will be available to chat or watch a movie after my shift ends at ten. Message me at [email protected] if you want to hang out.
Jake
“Alright,” Kiki said, looking at the digital time in the lower right hand corner. “I have two hours until then. Time enough to check on the crew and get something to eat.”
Jake,
I might be a little late, but I would love to tell you all about today. This way, you’ll get my story and not Mia’s.
Kiki
She eased herself out of the bed and went into the bathroom. Her face was pale, but her eyes were bright. She unbraided her hair and tugged a brush through. Kiki pulled on some yoga pants and a big sweatshirt. She grabbed her wallet, after she found her shoes, and ventured out of her room. She caught the door and ducked back inside for her keys. “That would have been a bad move. Kiki, get your head in the game,” she scolded.
“Where are you going?” Walrus asked.
“Yikes! You scared the crap out of me. I’m going to that little diner before it closes.”
“Not alone, and not driving.” Walrus put two fingers to his lips and let out a shrill whistle.
A dozen pairs of feet answered Walrus’s signal. Most of the crew bounded over from the horseshoe court.
“Kiki was sneaking out,” he claimed. “Okay, who was in charge of her from six to eight?”
Pete, also known as What the Fuck, raised his hand.
“I came here at eight, and where were you?” Walrus asked.
“It was after eight by my watch,” Pete answered.
“Fix it,” Walrus ordered. “What if she needed us…”
“Hold on, hold on!” Kiki said, raising her hands. “I don’t need a babysitter. I just fell down a well. I’m hungry, and I’m going to go and get a burger before they close.”
The cabin door opened down the lane and Jesse stepped out, wondering what the commotion was about. He walked over and saw Kiki facing off with the crew. “Did you come to your right mind and fire those losers?” Jesse asked.
“No, they won’t let me go and eat alone.”
“I was just going to get a cheeseburger for Cid. He can’t drive yet. Wanna come with me?”
Kiki ignored the ooooooooooh sounds from the immature bunch and said, “I’m paying. Oh, by the way, who else saved my butt? I remember Walrus, Cid, and Jesse?”
Gut and Holy Shit raised their hands.
“Okay, I owe you guys a meal. You want it now or later?”
“I just ate,” Walrus confessed. “Later.”
Gut and Holy Shit said the same.
“Alright, let’s go and get some grub, and whoever is on watch can shove off. I’ll call one of you if I need something. Is that understood?” she asked, looking at the men.
Jesse smiled as the testosterone-charged men became ten-year-olds being dressed down by mommy.
“Take care of her, Jesse, or you’re toast,” Walrus warned.
“Aye Aye, Captain,” Jesse said. He strode over to his truck. “Your chariot awaits fair maiden,” Jesse said, opening the passenger door.
The group started to ooh again, but one look from Kiki stopped them mid-breath. She climbed in the truck and waited until Jesse had pulled out of the motel drive to start laughing.
“You’ve got them wrapped around your little finger,” Jesse commented.
“But not you.”
“Not me. I’m not sure about Cid. He plays his cards too close to his chest.”
“He sure turned out to be Superman today, didn’t he?” Kiki commented.
“It’s hard to explain, but Cid is the guy that’s always there when you need him. He’s like a guardian angel.”
“Tell me more about him?” Kiki requested.
“I met him at Heritage Homes. They were a group of designers who took old buildings and brought them up to date while upscaling the neighborhood. They bit the dust when the mortgage situation happened. Cid didn’t want to spend any more time in his parents’ basement, so he took the opportunity his best friend from his school days offered him. He became a PEEP. He lives over the office in a renovated barn. There he invents stuff and works the odd renovation job when he can fit it in. He takes care of most of the family’s meals and lives rent free.”
“So all this knowledge he has about demons and ghosts…”
“It comes from firsthand experience and from Ted’s wife, Mia. He doesn’t talk too much about her, but she’s not normal.”
“I’ve met her. She came over with a healer named Judy.”
“You mean I missed her? Damn.”
Kiki laughed. “She’s a beautiful, petite, pregnant lady. Looks like the Ice Queen got knocked up.”
Jesse pulled into the diner’s lot and escorted Kiki to the takeout counter. After they had given their order, he directed Kiki to an empty booth with their soft drinks.
“Where were we?” Jesse asked.
“Mia.”
“Ah, I think she’s like a sister to Cid. He said when she and his friend Ted were having marital problems, he was faced with a dilemma.”
“Worried about getting kicked out of the room over the office?” Kiki asked.
“No, he felt for the first time that he wasn’t going to take Ted’s side of things.”
“Ah. But he’s not in love with the lady?” Kiki asked for clarification.
“No. They became family.”
“He does have a family,” Kiki confirmed.
“Yes. His parents are alive, and he has a bitch for a sister living a few blocks from them. It’s one of the reasons Cid left home when the opportunity presented itself.”
“All siblings have problems.”
“This sibling has flying monkeys,” Jesse said. “She had the nerve to come on to me. I went on one date with the shallow creature, and that was enough for me. She’s one nude video away from a reality series.”
“Ah, I know the type.”
“In high school, she was so embarrassed that Cid was her brother that she told everyone he was a foster child.”
Kiki stopped fiddling with her straw and looked at Jesse. “Now that’s cold.”
Their order arrived, and the two walked back out to the truck. Jesse helped her in and handed her the food order to hang on to. When he got in the truck, he stopped a moment before starting it. “Cid’s not going to thank me for telling you all that personal stuff.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t say a word. Jesse, I feel for the guy, but I can also see that he’s made a good life for himself. Sometimes we aren’t born into the families we should have, but we manage to find them along the way. Seems to me, Cid has found two brothers and a sister so far.”
Jesse laughed warmly. “You’re very wise.”
“That’s why I get the big bucks,” Kiki said.
Chapter Seven
Jesse texted Cid that he was bringing Kiki to dinner. Cid managed to put away his clean laundry and air out the bathroom before the couple walked in the door.
Kiki frowned at the small cabin. She assumed that all the people that worked with her had the same sized rooms as she did. This made her more and more driven to get all the contractors over to the house. Why should she pay a premium for the cramped quarters her guys lived in?
Cid was propped up in bed with a pair of very fat socks on.
“Alright, I have to ask about your feet,” Kiki said, sitting down in one of the kitchenette chairs.
“I didn’t break any bones, but the connective tissue is bruised. Mia and Judy put together a poultice and have me eating fresh pineapple every hour. It’s supposed to quicken the healing properties.”
