A Little Bit of Trouble

by A. E. Murphy

  Cay sat up, drawing her heels into her rear. Her silken hazelnut locks were dampened from her misted brow. She pushed her newly cut, bob-length waves behind her lobes riddled with metaled piercings. A swirl of dust was serenading the wind in the distance depositing, wisps of heat cooling her exposed thighs as she reflected on the information received.

  “University of the Virgin Islands? Where exactly would we be staying again?”

  “So I am hoping that is a yes? As far as the location, a liaison from the campus will meet you two at the airport to present your accommodations. You know your cousin loves you and is looking forward to you joining him. Plus, I know you will look after my baby.”

  “My car? What about my Camry and my materials?” Cay questioned rubbing on the automobile for effect.

  “Just make your way back home and we will talk over the details. Oh, and Cay, thank you for this.”

  “Okay Lulu. Give me a day or so to reach Los Angeles.”

  Her aunt agreed to the estimated time of her arrival and they disconnected the line. Cay laid her phone down on the weather-worn hood. She fingered the metal curling her lips in a grin. To Cay, her car was her first and only love. She sold a lot of meaningful artwork at low rates in order to buy her Camry from a small family five years prior. Her baby had seen a lot of horizons and sunsets since their union. Cay felt so attached to her car that she refused to let any filthy mechanic molest her mobile companion consequently making her a self-proclaimed grease monkey, willing to get oily to make her baby healthy again.

  With the realization that she needed to get on the road to L.A. soon, she slumped over, resting her head on her knees already exhausted from the trek. “Phoenix, you are a hot son of a bitch. But it’s been real. Time to venture from the desert to the tropics.”

  Cay arrived in Los Angeles in record time only stopping to relieve herself and wink at a sunset or two. It had been almost two months since she had left for her explorations, and she was sure that Lulu would take notice of her physical changes. Her thinner, toned body was something unheard of for Cay, but her thickened thighs that she like to think of as her baby fat had disappeared due to all the walking around she was doing. Lulu would have a fit over that, she knew. Lulu would probably sign her up for some type of eating disorder camp; even though, eating was not an issue for Cay who ate like a grown man. But the biggest change to her look, was the long, straight, milk chocolate strands that cascaded down her back was chopped off, shortened to ear length. Cay’s mother had hair that fell to her lower back, so her aunt loved to see the image of Cay growing her hair out which was the reason Cay cut it off as soon as she got out of the city limits on the journey to discover who she was outside of her family.

  Just as expected, Lulu was livid, pinching at Cay’s thin thighs, speaking on cooking hefty meals that Cay was sure to devour happily. But the look on her face when she circled Cay to see her hair gone was heartbreaking. Lulu had to excuse herself to her room for a few hours making Cay feel a slight guilt to her motives for relieving herself of someone else’s memory.

  After she gathered herself, Lulu returned to go over the arrangements for the trip. Her aunt had everything prepared exceeding the baseline level of normalcy, because in her eyes money was for the living to live. She spared no expense making cushy arrangements for her only son and wildflower of a niece. Cay got lost in the details itching to get out of the city life. She found it annoying living in the metropolitan city of angels. It just did not speak to her nature. When younger, she would imagine that she was born to a group of Gypsies who stowed her away in a basket, dropping her at her mother’s doorstep.

  Her aunt promised that while they were away, she would take Cay’s car for a spin every Saturday to see The Hills - the only place Cay found peace amongst the glitz, noise, and crime of L.A. When it came to packing, Lulu turned her nose up at Cay’s sack of dingy sundresses and pieced together sandals, but Cay refused to leave without her personal items she had collected over the years. It was bad enough she was leaving her codependent metal roommate, moving her to tears with every thought. Knowing Cay’s independent personality, Lulu assured Cay that an adequate vehicle would be provided for her exclusive use in Saint Thomas, lessening the sting of leaving her car behind. After hours of protest, she did agree to the weekly stipend offered as well. Cay was not positive of the quality of drawing materials or their price so she would allocate her allowance to the purchase of an easel, pencils, pads, and a camera.

  Leaving Lulu to construct some emails, Cay went to check on her cousin. Malcolm was a brilliant kid, graduating high school one year early as the valedictorian. There was no question in Cay’s mind that she would travel with her pseudo kid brother. Malcolm was just as excited as his mom to be leaving the stateside. He was overjoyed that his big sis was joining him too. Cay and Malcolm talked every single night while she traveled. Him being only a few years her junior fueled their bond even more. They had an agreement that each week she would send him a small trinket from the city she was visiting at the moment in exchange for keeping Lulu off of her back.

  Cay stepped in his room to chat, astonished at the sight of poker chips from Vegas, a red cardinal feather from St. Louis, a Statue of Liberty figurine from New York, and many more souvenirs sitting on his bed. “What are you doing with those kiddo?” She asked looking at his pile of novelty items.

  Buried deep in his closet, he found the object of his search. Malcolm surfaced from the depths with a Louis Vuitton carry-on bag. “Oh. Those? I am taking them with me. Found this bag just big enough. I do not plan on checking those bad boys at baggage claim just for them to be ruined on the flight over.”

  Cay laughed at his notion. “Kiddo, you should leave those here in L.A. In your room.”

  “Are you psycho. I am not leaving these. My most valuable possessions? Um, no,” he argued.

  “A shot glass from Atlantic City is not really a thing of value.”

  “It is to me,” he said shaking his head at her.

  “Since these things are so important, why take them? Leave them here kiddo for your mom to look after and clean like the mad woman that she is. You see I am not taking my car, and if I can leave the Camry, you can leave these treasures.”

  “These things, Cay, are part of me. I like to look at them everyday. They remind me of you.”

  “Aw kiddo. I know you miss me and all that, but remember I will be there everyday with you. Okay? So the reminders will remain here. You can pack the real Cay away in your luggage. It might save some money on airfare.” She joked expanding her arms out welcoming Malcolm into an embrace. He chuckled hugging her back, “Save money on a ticket? You know how much mom likes to spend cash. I saw her adding photocopies of the travel receipts to the family album.”

  Cay held her cousin at arm’s length, “Seriously?”

  He nodded ‘yes’, and they both fell out laughing.

  “I know you both are not laughing at my expense.”

  The two jokesters turned to see Lulu standing in the doorway. “Well it depends on if Malcolm’s last statement was true. So, Lulu, did you truly photocopy the travel arrangement receipts and affix them into the photo album,” Cay inquired.

  Lulu shook her head, shooting a glance of death in Malcolm’s direction. “Hell yes I copied those receipts. Those tickets cost a pretty penny and you cannot blame me for being proud of the fact that I can afford the cost.” Cay reached out a hand for Lulu to take. “Lulu, it has been ages since we were financially destitute. You have sent us on plenty of trips before with no problem.”

  Looking into Cay’s eyes, she kissed her niece’s brow. There was a time where Lucinda Winters was on the bus line with a rambunctious five year old and a newborn, heading to drop them at daycare while she attended class or worked as a legal aid. “I know we have been well off for quite some time, but this trip represents a milestone of my babies growing up and leaving my nest.” Her eyes glistened with tears.

  “Oh mom, don’t cry. Cay and I
will both promise to do well by you. And, as a bonus, Cay promises to provide daily video conference updates. So no worries.”

  Cay nudged Malcolm in the side. “I will most definitely call you every night with a video chat every two weeks. It is important for Malcolm to cut the cord and find his independence don’t you agree?” Lulu smiled and nodded.

  “Speaking of cords, Cay may I talk with you alone for a second?”

  The two left Malcolm to finish his packing while they chatted over ginger tea. Lulu swooped her salt and pepper hair back into a clip, sitting down at the oak kitchen table. Cay blew the steam from her mug, “So what’s up?”

  “I want to let you know that I am upset that you cut your pretty hair. We had been doing a lot to it over the years to keep it long and healthy.” Cay could see the disappointment in her eyes, but she did not understand the issue of keeping her hair long. It was hot and she wanted to cut it off, so she did just that.

  “It is just hair Lulu; it will grow back. Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?” Cay said with an almost flippant tone.

  “Well, I want to thank you again for going with Malcolm to Saint Thomas. You know he is still impressionable, and it might be a little overwhelming for him being so far away from family.”

  “He will do fine Lulu. He might not have many street smarts, but kiddo is mature beyond his years. I know you want to mommy him forever but he has worked hard to have his pick in life.”

  “I know and I appreciate your words of insight. But I want to talk to you about your mother - my sister.” Cay rolled her eyes needing a strategy for ending the conversation. “Now don’t you roll your eyes at me little girl.” Cay knew then, there was no way out of the discussion. Lulu continued on, “Since you guys are leaving the city for so long, and you have been on the road for months, I think it is important that you visit your mom before you go.”

  Cay gasped, “Visit my mom? You always talk about her as if she is alive. She is dead Lulu. Dead. I have not been to her burial plot since the funeral, and I planned on keeping that tradition. It just isn’t my thing.”

  With a direct tone, Lulu stated, “I am well aware that you have never visited her. And yes I talk as if she is alive because she lives in my heart. I remember my sister singing to me as a child, braiding up my hair, making iron-grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup. But I also remember seeing her strung out, riding around with different men, stealing. But you have to know while my mother - your grandmother - slaved away cleaning homes at night and teaching third graders during the day to put food on the table, my big sister was my parental figure. I owe a lot of my accomplishments to her raising me. When she had you, she was such a compassionate mother even being addicted to the fast life. I am not asking you but telling you to visit her and that’s the end of it.” Cay watched Lulu collect her mug, kiss her on the forehead and leave the kitchen. Cay released all the tension she was holding in her neck, sinking down into her chair.

  She turned in for the night soon after the talk with Lulu. Cay planned on getting a few maintenance items for her car early in the morning; then, she would venture to the cemetery after lunch.

  That night Cay dreamed of a little girl running in a field of marigolds, laughing and playing with an adult male and female. The interesting part was the two adults had no faces; they were blurred. The faceless expressions did not take away from the child’s glee and peaceful joy though.

  The next morning after Cay finished her errands, she drove in a trance to the grounds where her mother’s plot was, parking on the road just a few feet off from the site. Her sunglasses formed almost a barrier between her and the inevitable. Even though she had not seen the site since childhood, oddly enough she remembered the exact location. The sight of the deceased woman’s name ‘Jasmine Nicole Winters’ made her face twitch. Cay looked away shutting out the surfacing feelings she had bottled away for decades.

  Needing to regain a sound mind, she spotted a grove of trees nearby with a bench underneath for her to gather her thoughts. She gazed at her mother’s final resting place with fire coursing through her veins. She hated her so much for being the shell of a dream with blank insides. They were nothing alike she thought. Cay was filled with so much anger, dripping like acid, that she did not notice the breeze stirring around her.

  Her mother’s gravesite was the last place she wanted to be in the world. The thought of being so close in proximity made her stomach tighten, fueled with hatred. The faint breeze became stronger and cooler, finding its way to her spine, sending chills down her arms. She was not one to believe in spirits, but she glared at the tombstone wondering if she aroused the dead. Not waiting to receive an answer to her morbid question, she rose, walking briskly to her car. It was something about the touch of the coolness that let her know that it might have been deliberately created for her acknowledgement. Slamming her car door shut, Cay took one last look at the site refusing to ever return. No matter the guilt trip her aunt placed on her, no matter the threat, Cay was not going to enter through those iron gates again.

  When she arrived home her aunt could not part her lips to talk about Cay’s day before Cay stalked down the hallway slamming and locking her bedroom door. She was not one to scare easily, but it was something about feeling her mother’s presence that made her uneasy inside. That evening Cay did not eat dinner, choosing to go to bed early resting up for the long flight in a couple of days. The next morning she woke up relaxed and subdued having yet another dream filled with a child running in a field of flowers.

  Over the next day Cay finished packing with the day of the departure arriving in a flash. She had been distracted for the good part of her brief stay in Los Angeles but the move to Saint Thomas was an intriguing welcome. Her skin prickled with goosebumps tantalized by the thought of interesting adventures in new haunts. Of course Cay would never know that her whimsical premonition would soon bite her in the ass, literally.

  ~~~

  ~ William Gatling ~

  William flanked himself on the roof of his home thinking on his current situation. His routine was to complete the same reflection of his life everyday for an hour since he was a child. He thought of how his mother would scream at him to get off the top of the house, but he could not help but to wake up every morning during the early A.M. hours to scale the wall of his domain, greeting the dawn light. William always found pleasure in the contradictory habit of what ignorant persons believed of creatures like him. Lately, after laying in the confines of a humid bedroom with numerous willing victims and supporters to his habits, he yearned to feel the expanse of the pre-dawn air sweep the beads of sweat from his reclining form while the golden ball spied through the trees. Tropical flight patterns ready for retreat, dew drenched leaves called to him every morning. He was a lethal creature of beauty absorbing every nanometer of his enthralled environment.

  “Hey. Are you returning to bed?” An angelic voice sang in the distance. Just another nuisance that he drew in to play around with then discard.

  The fiery star continued to rise creating new forming patterns on his bare chest. He yawned reaching his hands above his head releasing every tense fiber of his being. Boredom was an unwelcome roommate and it was time for an eviction.

  “William?” Again sang the angel. He uprighted himself, shaken from something hitting him like a ton of bricks. A revelation had changed his course. A scent of something sweet, something new, not of his norm was on the horizon and it gave way to tingles over his body.

  “William?” Nuisances made his skin crawl and that was the last thing he needed before his desire would behold his presence. It was time to answer the bad taste that she put into his mouth.

  “Gather your things and leave please. I am done with your services.” Even though his baritone utterance was direct, he knew suspicion and confusion would soon follow.

  “Why would I leave? Are you kicking me out? I thought we had a connection. William?” She was a whining little speck.

  “I am a
bout done with my morning meditation. There is coffee on the stove but you must leave before I return inside.” Before she could respond, he continued, “No arguments are needed. I am sure you are a thing of gloriousness and I am grateful for your time, but I have received what I needed and I am done with your offerings.” With that final statement he closed himself off to all human words only listening to nature calls and looking to the north. Something had his hairs standing on end and he was ready for her soul to dance with his.

  Shaking off his excitement, William dropped down from his area of deep thought. He felt refreshed with the soil soft under his feet from a rain bath that happened a few days prior. The softness of the earth always made William feel alive and one with nature. He had an obsession with wet things like the ocean, the mud, and women, but soon his obsession would be focused on something of more importance. Her.

  His overnight guest was wise to follow his instructions because he was not in the mood to repeat himself. William under most days was a mild-mannered man who found positivity in every situation. But of late, he was on edge with agitation. He did not know how to remedy his annoyance with his living habits but if something did not change and soon things would make a dire turn for the worse. William retrieved a mug of coffee heading to his room to start his day. He had to prepare like an animal answering a mating call. The shift in flow was approaching and it was exactly what he needed to survive. This gift would surpass all the nourishment he could ever fit in his body at one time, because his fulfilment would be due to other important substances.

  Table of Contents

  Dedication