Page 46 of Baby Girl

I picked up the two empty cups and carried them to the trash. Kelli sat at the table, relaxed, with her chin in her palms, and her elbows on the table – looking at the empty chair where I was sitting as if she were in a trance. I walked back to her side of the table and placed my hands on her shoulders. She reached up and grasped my wrists. As I massaged her shoulders she moaned lightly.

“Erik, all of that stuff was great to hear, and I wish I would have written some of it down, so I could remember it. But, really, like you always do, you talked a little above me, and in huge circles. Do you believe in love?” Kelli asked, turning her head around to make eye contact with me.

I released her shoulders, and walked back to my seat, thinking. As I sat, I looked back at the disco ball and took another drink.

“I think this, Kelli. I think that I am in touch with who I am, at least more than most people are aware of who they are. I am quick to admit my character defects, and I know my strengths. Again, I am human, so I am flawed. We all are. I think we should all be honest with ourselves, and know ourselves well. We should not try to be someone that we aren’t,” I paused and thought.

“If we are honest with ourselves about who we are, and what we are capable of, and what we aren’t capable of, we should find someone that is compatible with us. That doesn’t mean that they are a certain height, or hair color, or have a particular physical attribute. The outer physical attractions help, but they don’t fit a particular mold in regard to who a person is. Now, when we find that person that is compatible, we should attempt to develop a relationship. With that relationship, over time, comes love. A love that is developed and maintained.”

“Two people that are compatible with one another can build a perfect love, but it takes both people to build and maintain it. Have you ever seen what a heart looks like? An actual human heart?” I asked.

Kelli nodded as she looked into my eyes, waiting to hear more.

“It doesn’t look like the heart that we have all drawn since we were kids. The heart that we all draw, the heart that’s on all of the cards at the store - it looks like a “V” with two semi-circles at the top. A human heart looks like an upside down teardrop of sorts. Small at the bottom, and large at the top. The heart we draw represents love. The human heart represents life. If we take two human hearts, and touch them together at the pulmonary artery, it forms a perfect shape of the heart that we always draw. The representation of love. It takes two people to have and maintain love. It takes two hearts to make love. And Kelli, to answer your question, I believe love exists, and I believe that it is developed between two people, the joining of two hearts,” I stopped and smiled. Proud of my explanation.

“Do you believe that we are compatible?” she asked.

“I certainly do,” I responded.

“Do you believe that we could develop a love for one another? Do you think it’s possible?” she asked, her face expressionless.

“Possible? Yes, I do, baby girl,” I responded, waiting for her next question.

She nodded her head and extended her arms across the table, holding her palms up. I reached out and held her hands. She sat, with her hands engulfed by mine, and closed her eyes. As Bright Eyes, First day of My Life played over the stereo system, she sat motionless.

And her mouth formed the shape of a smile.

KELLI. The blindfold had been over my eyes for a long time. Probably more than thirty minutes. Maybe an hour. When everything is dark - really dark, you lose track of things. I wasn’t sure which direction I was pointed, where doors and windows were, or what time it was. It wasn’t much different at first, but over time, my hearing had become more sensitive - and I was hearing all kinds of things that I normally wouldn’t hear.

Erik had brought some things to my house, and we were playing around. He brought me in my room, and asked me to lie on the bed. When I did, he told me that he was going to blindfold me. I have never been blindfolded before, and it was really dark. Darker than night time. So dark that you can’t see anything at all.

He asked me to lie still on the bed, and I did. I heard him making some noises that sounded like the metal on a belt buckle, and I thought he was going to whip me, but he didn’t. I was pleased that he didn’t, because I do think that is something I would really have to be in the mood for.

He wrapped something around each of my wrists, and told me not to move, and not to feel them with my hands. They felt cool on my wrist, but not like metal. Then, he put something on my ankles that felt the same way. I heard the metal noise kind of like a belt again when they got tight on my ankles.

I decided after he got done with my ankles that he was going to tie me up in some way. When he came back into the bedroom, he pulled my arms out to the side, and up toward the head of the bed. My legs were still at the bottom of the bed, but they were spread quite a bit. He did ask me if I was comfortable, which I thought was nice.

Now, I was stretched out on the bed, blindfolded, my arms and legs were secured tight, and I couldn’t move an inch. I couldn’t wait to see what was next. I was trying to listen to what he was doing in the other room. I could hear keys moving around, and some other noises, but I couldn’t tell what he was doing. My pussy started getting wet. I felt like it was opening up, but there was no one in here with me.

I was thinking of what could be next, and I was fantasizing of Erik, and what he might do. I wanted him to come kiss me and tease me, making me want him more and more than I already did. I heard the keys again, and then the front door opened and closed. I heard the door lock, and then footsteps.

No. No. No. Do not leave me here like this. No. God fucking damn you Erik Ead.

I tried to wrestle myself loose from the restraints, but I could not move at all. I was stretched tight, my arms in one direction, and my legs in another. I could not open my eyes or see anything at all. I wanted to cry.

Why didn’t he say anything before he left? Where did he go? Was this part of the game? Making me wonder? I was uncomfortable. Not uncomfortable with how I was tied up, I actually like how it felt, but I was uncomfortable with the fact that Erik was gone, and I was home tied up, alone. I tried to count in my head, so I had some concept of time, and how long he was gone.

I counted One, one-thousand, two, one-thousand, three, one-thousand, four, one-thousand until I got to about six hundred. At six hundred, I heard a nose downstairs in the street. It was people walking by and talking. I tried to listen to what they were saying. I could tell that it was a man and a woman, but not what they were saying for sure.

It was Wednesday night. There was not much going on in Old Town on a Wednesday, so there was not a lot of foot traffic below my bedroom window. Maybe it was Thursday. I couldn’t remember for sure. I tried to count the days of the week, and wasn’t sure how many I had worked this week. Wednesday or Thursday, it did not really matter.

I heard the air conditioner kick on and start to blow. The air felt cool on my thighs and stomach. I wanted to cover up. I wanted Erik to come back and tell me why he left. I wanted a drink. I was thirsty. How long have I been laying here?

I was laid down onto the bed and blindfolded. Erik told me to lay still and be a good girl. I laid here for quite a while, and he came back and tied me up. Then he left. No, he went in the other room, and walked around and then left. He went to the bathroom, and then he went in the other room. Yeah, that’s what happened. He tied me up, and then he went into the bathroom, used the bathroom, flushed the toilet, and then I heard the keys. After I heard the keys, I heard the door close and lock.

How long would all of that take?

I didn’t have a drink before we walked into the bedroom. The last time I had a drink, we were in the kitchen after we ate. I wonder if he had me eat the salad because he knew I would be tied here alone forever, and he didn’t want me to be full of food. No, that doesn’t really make sense. But, I had water with my salad. How long ago was that? Two hours. I needed a drink.