CHAPTER 19

 

 

 

MARI WAS ENJOYING her sleep in a perverse sort of way. Dreaming about giant vibrating bunnies chasing she and Maopa would have been amusing had it not been for the leering faces on the toys. Instead, she felt as if she and her spirit companion were in dire jeopardy. Wanting to end the dream, Mari struggled to wake up. Before she could arouse herself completely, though, she felt a weak but familiar call.

"Mother. You come."

Although she was still asleep, Mari's forehead wrinkled from concentrating on the voice.

"Daughter?"

"She need help."

"Who needs help?"

"Traveler. She here. No stay. Too much pain, me. Too much pain, her."

"Traveler?"

Immediately Mari thought of Saira. "Do you mean Saira?"

"No know Saira. Please, Mother. I no hold long. Pain hurt bad. Hurt her. Hurt me."

"Be still, daughter. I'll be there as quickly as I can. You must endure the pain a little longer. Can you do that for me?"

"I try. You hurry?"

"I'll hurry. I promise."

It had been a million years since Mari had visited her first born. In the beginning, she had spent a lot of time helping in the child's development, but as she grew older, the Earth Mother left her alone to grow at her own pace. The less she interfered, the more self-reliant her daughter would be. That didn't mean she had isolated herself from her daughter's needs. This one was unique of all her creations. She held a special place in Mari's heart, and Mari was always available to her needs.

She couldn't leave her human body alone without endangering it. She would have to return to the spirit world to get Yemaya. Unfortunately, she wouldn't be able to tell Maopa since human bodies needed to be asleep in order to do the exchange, and mental communication with her was impossible while in a mortal's body.

*  *  *

Yemaya and Dakota had just finished an especially passionate session of lovemaking. They were reclining on the warm beach, enjoying the cool breeze flowing off the lake. Exhausted but happy, they were startled by Mari's sudden appearance.

"Hey. Is it three weeks already?" Dakota asked, thinking that time must really speed up in the spirit world.

"No. There's an emergency, and I can't leave Yemaya's body unattended. She would be vulnerable to anyone or anything that wanted to take control of her."

"Is there anything we can do to help, besides return home?" Yemaya asked.

"You could explain to Maopa that I had to leave. She doesn't know yet. I couldn't take the chance on awakening her and leaving both of you alone. I'm really sorry about this."

"It's not a problem. Besides, I think Dakota and I have just about drained ourselves here." Yemaya chuckled. "We need a break from this vacation, right, sweetie?"

"Yeah. It's been fun, but I'm exhausted."

"I know the feeling," Mari said. "Now, I hate to leave you like this, but I must go."

Mari vanished, leaving the two women alone. More tired than normal, they snuggled close, knowing they would soon be home.

*  *  *

Eyes still shut, Yemaya stretched, tensing her muscles until she felt a pop in her neck. Rolling her head slightly from side to side, it took a few seconds for her to realize she was back in her body. There was something different, though, that she couldn't place. Turning on her side, she wrapped an arm around the warm figure next to her and smiled. The scent of Dakota was pleasant, especially with the slightly musky smell of sex mixed in.

I hope it was as good for you as it was for us. The thought was accompanied by a mental smirk that unknowingly translated into a physical action.

"And just what are you smirking about?" Dakota's soft voice whispered next to her cheek.

Yemaya opened her eyes and stared into sparkling emerald green eyes, glinting with a mischievous humor. "Nothing really. I was just thinking."

"Uh huh."

"I was... and it was about you." Yemaya gave her a devilish smile.

"And that made you smirk? Doesn't sound too flattering to me."

"Well, actually, about you, Mari, and Maopa."

"That's even worse."

"Okay. Okay. I was just hoping they had as good a time as we had. Satisfied?"

"Is that normal?" Dakota pulled her head slightly backward and gave her a questioning look. "I mean, thinking of all three of us the moment you wake up?"

"What is this? An inquisition? Where is that sweet girl I was with in the spirit world?"

The arched eyebrow was enough to make Dakota giggle and snuggle closer. "That wasn't a girl, darling. And I'm the only one who should be in your thoughts when you first wake up."

"I see. Would it make you happy if I said you were the very first image that came to mind? Mari and Maopa came afterward, when I realized you smell all warm and musky like you do when we've made love. I was just wonder —"

Two hands pushed against her chest, catching the Illusionist by surprise. Dakota rolled over and sat up, looking extremely indignant.

"Are you saying I smell like sex?"

"Well, yes. I noticed it when I woke up. It's quite pleasant."

"That's not the point, and you know it. Granny had sex in my body!"

"No doubt." Yemaya was amused at her lover's reaction.

"But... but... I need a shower."

Yemaya was unable to contain her laughter and suffered a pillow blow to the head. Grabbing at Dakota, she just missed as Dakota leapt from the bed and turned toward the bathroom, only to find they weren't in her apartment.

"What in the hell?"

Looking around, Yemaya realized they were in a hotel room. She slowly climbed out of bed, wandered to the window, and looked out. "I hope you know where we are, because I know nothing about this town."

"Alright. That's it. I'm taking a shower and then we're going to find out what this is about. I only hope they didn't burn down my apartment," Dakota grumbled and stomped into the bathroom.

"Not good," Yemaya said. "This is not good at all." Looking up at the ceiling, she shook her head slowly. "I hope you two have a good explanation for this. Otherwise, you're going to be in some very hot water... and I'm the one who's going to pay for it."

Neither Yemaya nor Dakota was happy about putting on the already worn clothes they found lying on the floor next to the bed. To make matters worse, they had trouble buttoning the jeans and pulling up the zippers.

"Don't tell me they shrank our clothes." Dakota, frustrated at not being able to push the jeans button in, threw her hands in the air. "I give up." She pulled her tank top on and left it draped outside of her pants, hoping it was long enough to hide the open vee below her navel and the slightly protruding belly.

"They must have eaten like little piggies," she grumped, slapping her stomach unhappily.

Yemaya was beginning to feel her lover's frustration as she, too, had difficulty pushing the button through the hole. Only determination brought victory, and then she regretted her success. The tightness cutting into her waist fell just short of being painful. "This is one time I wish I were a magician instead of an illusionist."

"Me too. Making this fat go away isn't my idea of fun. Let's go see what else they've been up to."

"Well, they obviously enjoyed the food while they were here. Maybe the hotel was just a part of experiencing this world."

"Uh huh. Let's hope."

They took the elevator to the first floor and approached the checkout counter. The receptionist gave them a friendly smile.

"Ms. Lysanne, Ms. Devereaux, you're up early today. Your new room isn't ready yet, but if you can come back in an hour, I'll get housekeeping right on it."

"New room?" Dakota asked.

"You still want another room, right?"

Yemaya pulled Dakota aside. "It might be a good idea to keep the reservation until we find out what's going on. There must be something wrong with the room we're in."

"Or the apartment... but you're right. Better safe than sorry." Turning back to the young woman, Dakota gave her a pained smile.

"Of course, thank you. I hope you get the problem in our other room taken care of."

"Problem? Was something not to your liking?"

"Nooo. Everything was fine. Ummm... I'm just getting a little forgetful, I guess. Exactly why are we switching rooms?"

"Ms. Devereaux." The receptionist laughed. "You're such a tease, and you've been pulling my leg all along, haven't you? I mean with that country folk accent. I knew it couldn't be real. No one talks like that nowadays."

"Oh, shore nuff. I was jest funning yah," Dakota replied trying to mimic her granny.

"I have to admit you're pretty good at it. I had a bet with the manager that you were faking it. She thought you might be from West Virginia, but I knew better. No one writes like you and speaks that way."

"True. Now about the room."

"Right. Today it will be 227. Tomorrow 318 and then 129. It's getting to be quite a game for the housekeepers to get them ready in time for you two. They have a contest going to see who can clean your new room the fastest. Thankfully, you normally sleep in late so there really hasn't been much of a rush."

Stunned by the information, the two women stared at the receptionist, unable to say anything. Finally, Yemaya realized someone needed to say something. "I think we need to go for a walk. Is there anyplace we can get a good breakfast?"

"You mean other than the pizza place and hotdog stands?"

"Pizza... hot... ummm... yes. I think we would like a normal breakfast today."

"Well, there's Benny's. It's right next to that toy shop you went to yesterday."

"Ta... toy shop?" Dakota stammered.

"Yeah. You know... Tango's Ticklers. Are you feeling okay, Ms. Devereaux? You have a funny look on your face."

"Oh. Sure. I'm just wonderful."

Yemaya knew Dakota was about to lose it. Patting her arm sympathetically, she winked at the hotel clerk. "She just needs something to eat and some quiet time. Family matters. You know how trying that can be."

"Gee, I'm sorry to hear that. Hope it's nothing serious."

"Not at the moment, but I suspect it will get worse before it gets better. Would you mind giving us directions to the restaurant? I think we may have gotten a little confused yesterday."

"Sure. When you leave, take a right. Walk three blocks and turn left. Two blocks down on the right. You can't miss it."

"Thank you."

Taking Dakota's arm, Yemaya pulled her out the main door and turned right. Fifteen minutes later, they walked into Benny's and sat down. Little had been said on the short walk.

"Are you alright?" Yemaya asked.

"I think so. Just a little overwhelmed... and wondering about the apartment. I don't even want to think about Granny and Mari."

"How about we get something to eat and go check it out. We can deal with those two later."

The food was hot and savory. Scrambled eggs covered with chili and cheese, hot biscuits, and several cups of coffee helped to mellow some of the tension.

"Guess we might as well go check for damage," Dakota said pessimistically.

Squeezing her hand, Yemaya hoped things weren't as bad as Dakota imagined. With her jeans cutting painfully into her waist, she was beginning to feel pessimistic herself. She could imagine how Dakota was feeling, since it was obvious Dakota had put on more pounds than she.

Thankful that the two spirits had enough sense to take along Yemaya's wallet, the Illusionist paid for the meals with her credit card and then escorted Dakota out of the restaurant. Flagging a taxi, they gave the cabbie the address and then sat quietly staring out the windows, each wondering what other surprises lay in store for them.

Thirty minutes later, they hesitantly entered the apartment. Surprisingly, the living room was in fairly decent shape, giving them hope. The kitchen? Well, it could have been worse — not much — but still. The refrigerator was empty except for a jar of dill pickles, some olives, two bottles of lime Gatorade, and some leftovers that looked disgustingly familiar.

"Looks like they cleaned me out."

"At least we can start fresh. I hate to think what two weeks of old food would taste like."

"You did notice they didn't touch the leftovers, didn't you? That's what it looks like... tasting is out of the question."

"Like I said. Imagine the entire refrigerator looking like that."

"Maybe things are better than I imagined. Let's check the bedroom."

They pushed open the door, stepped inside, and stopped. Silence. It was the ominous type that always preceded a storm.

"My... bed. What happened to my bed?" Dakota walked over to stand next to the box spring with no mattress.

"I'm not sure I want to know," Yemaya said as a thought slowly took form, "but I think I have an idea what's going on now."

She walked to the linen closet and opened the door. Several empty shelves stared back at her.

I hope I'm wrong about the clothes, the Illusionist thought. Pulling open several dresser drawers, all she could do was shake her head and try not to laugh out loud.

"I hope you're up for a lot of shopping."

"What?"

Dakota ran to the dresser and stared hopelessly at the emptiness.

"Where's my underwear? Where are my linens?"

"If I'm right, I think Mari and Maopa tossed them. We sometimes forget that spirits don't need clothing. I guess neither of them figured out what the washer and dryer were for."

"Damn. How could the two of them go through so much in such a short time? And what about your stuff?"

Yemaya walked to one of her suitcases, opened the lid, and smiled. "Guess they wanted to use up yours first. I still have plenty."

"You would. Well, if you think you're going to get off lightly, forget it. We're going shopping together."

"You know, sweetie, this may not be such a bad thing. After all, you might have had a little trouble fitting into the ones you had... at least until you lose a few pounds."

The look Dakota gave her would have killed any normal mortal. Chuckling, Yemaya wrapped her arms around her lover and hugged her. "Hey, I'm in the same boat. A few extra strolls around the neighborhood, and we'll be back to normal."

"For you, maybe. For me, it's always been hard to maintain a reasonable weight. I swell up like a balloon if I'm not careful."

"You're exaggerating and you know it. I've seen the way you eat."

"I don't want to hear it. Let's go."

Deciding discretion was the better part of valor, Yemaya merely nodded.

The streets were crowded as people moved about their business. The two women decided to walk the few blocks to a local department store, and neither of them noticed the street vendor until they had almost passed him.

"Hey, Ms. Lysanne, Ms. Devereaux," he called. They stopped and turned to look at the man at the hotdog stand. When he motioned them over, they hesitated and then shrugged simultaneously.

"What now?" Dakota muttered.

"Here yah go, ladies. Two of the finest dogs you ever ate, and I know how much you like them."

"Uh... Thanks, but we're really not hungry," Dakota said.

"Not hungry? You're always hungry. I've never seen two women eat so many dogs in my life. Why even my wife didn't believe me until she came down the other day and saw you."

"Oh God."

"Are you two feeling okay? You've been eating my dogs almost every day. Sometimes twice a day."

Dakota groaned. "Twice? No wonder I'm so friggin' fat."

After giving her a curious look, the vendor turned to Yemaya. "Is she okay?"

"She has been better. Look. We forgot to bring money with us today," Yemaya said, trying to think of something to get them out of the situation.

"You know I don't charge you ladies for my dogs. Go on, eat up. I have several more cooking."

Normally an avid hotdog lover, Dakota was suddenly disgusted at the thought of eating one now. Quickly glancing down at the slightly bulging tummy peeking over her waistband, she glared at the offending object, handed it back to the man, and stalked off without saying anything.

"Gosh. Is it something I said?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Yemaya looked wistfully at her own hotdog and then handed it back to him.

"No, I guess it's one of those days when she should have stayed in bed. Maybe tomorrow we can come back. They do look good. Thank you anyway."

Walking off, she quickly caught up with Dakota, glanced at her face, and chuckled softly. Passing up two hotdogs? Disappointing. Dakota's expression? Priceless.