Her Redemption

2 – Acuity

THE sound of the car horn roused Amari from the deep sleep. The soft mattress on her back lulls her to snuggle deeper in the fluffy blanket.

She hugged the pillow closer to her body. She takes a deep breath from the comfort it brings.

A musky smell and of a baby powder assaulted her nose. It brought a smile in her lips. She pressed her nose deeper into the pillow.

Her eyes opened. She quickly sat up in bed. Her eyes roam around the unfamiliar room she was in.

It was quite small but organized. There was a table near the window. The curtain was open that brought the sunlight in.

Books were perfectly aligned on top of the table. The pen holder is almost full of different colored pens.

She released a long sigh when she remembered what happened yesterday. It has been a long time since she was on the run. She thought that at this modern time, human would be more logical.

She sighed again.

She touched her temple. Her fingers made contact with a soft cloth.

The woman from yesterday must have put a bandage on her wound. She must be more tired than she thought that she was not wake enough to know what happened in her surroundings after she find herself inside the car.

She removed the comforter from her lap. She lifted the white shirt she has on.

A smile graced her lips again. Although she is still wondering why her conscious is dead during the ordeal of putting a fresh bandage on the wounds she have on the side of her stomach.

She gets rid of the bandage. A pink line of at least three inches graze her toned middle. It starts to itch but she did not give in.

She put the shirt down before removing the bandage in her temple. The abrasion must be fully healed by now.

She gets down from the bed. Her joints hurt a little but she felt so much better.  

She made the bed before going out of the room.

She found no one in the apartment. It was small enough that she can already decipher if someone was present when she stood up outside the door of the bedroom where she slept.  

Just like the bedroom, the living room and the connecting kitchen is clean. There were no cluttered clothes nor thrash anywhere. Except for the messenger bag on top of the L-shaped chaise glued on the wall near the main door, there was no other thing that occupies the seat. Not even a magazine.

Malakai must be a neat freak.

Freshly showered and wearing clean clothes she got from the well-organized closet in the bedroom, Amari exited the bathroom.

“Good morning!”

Her eyes went to the tall woman in the kitchen. She was seated in one of the stainless seat beside the counter.

“Good morning. I’m sorry if I pick clothes from your wardrobe.”

The woman smiled at her. “No worries. They look better on you than my ex-girlfriend anyways.” She followed it with a chuckle.  “Coffee?”

“Please.”

She finished towel drying her long, brown hair that reaches the middle of her back. She put it on top of the only other extra chair in the kitchen counter. It faced opposite Malakai.

“I bought a take away breakfast. I hope pancakes and hash brown is of your liking.” The woman said after placing the coffee on the counter.

“Thank you.” 

She takes the chair and faced the person that saved her life.

Malakai is has very short hair. The tall woman has her blond hair by about an inch from her scalp but she carried it nicely. The most striking feature on her face that would make any person stared at her in awe was the blue eyes that were like the clear skies.

The woman is clearly fit by just looking at her lean arms. Malakai must have carried her by herself in this apartment yesterday.

Wait. Did she just hear her right? The clothes that she was wearing used to be her ex-girlfriend?

She raised her head and meet the woman’s eyes. The friendly smile is still plastered on the woman’s face.

“Your injury healed nicely.”

“Aren’t you going to ask?” She muttered when she found no surprise in her face.

Malakai smiled widely before shaking her head. The woman bite from the hash brown she have on her hand. She finished it off before staring at her eyes.

“This world is full of mystery. You and I can be one of them.” She drinks her coffee after saying that. “Eat up. You will feel better with a full stomach.”

“Aren’t you afraid?”

She shook head. “You can try hurting me but I will not die without a fight.”

She take a quick look at the woman before drinking her own coffee in half.

“I will be out of you way when after this.”

“I will not mind a company.”

“Is that some sort of invitation?”

“Possibly.” She answered with a smile.

“Your girlfriend won’t mind?”

“She would.” Malakai grins. “If she exists.”

She frowned. The tall woman glanced at her.

“We broke up a few months back. She’s messy.” The tall woman said in a matter-of-fact way. She followed it with a shrug.

Amari nods her head in understanding. Seeing the cleanliness in the place, what Malakai said might be true.

She continues on eating the food on the table. Not long, the pancakes and hash brown were all gone.

“Thank you for saving me yesterday.”

Her back were on Malakai since she volunteered on washing the dishes while the other woman is wiping the counter.

“No problem. However, you got me afraid for a moment. You were bleeding heavily.”

“Are you not going to ask?” She responded.

She wiped her hands with the paper towel before facing her savior. She leaned her back on the tiled sink.

Malakai stood up straight and look at her, too. Her back is leaning on the counter. The tall woman stared at her in silence that she wanted to fidget on her feet.

“I wanted so badly to ask about you but then, we both might not be ready. Either for you to answer my questions or for me to hear those answers. Give it time, Amari.”

She meets the woman’s eyes. She is seeing her in a whole new light.

“For a young woman, you have a very mature insight.”

“For a young looking woman, you have seems to be carrying a heavy burden.”

“I am. I deserved the burden I’m carrying.”

“There ain’t too heavy if someone is there to accompany you.”

“Perhaps. You have a good heart, Malakai.”

“Thank you.”

The tall woman gave her a smile before excusing herself.

Her eyes followed her until she enters the bedroom. A minute later, she have a towel and clothes in her arms. She enters the door of the bathroom.

She was surprise when the door to the bathroom opens again. Malakai’s head peek out.

“Since I’m inviting you to stay, we can go shopping for your clothes after I’m done. Would that be alright?”

She nods her head in agreement. “Can I use your phone?”

“It’s in the bedroom.”

“Thank you.”

She paced toward the bedroom when Malakai close the door of the bathroom. Amari found the mobile phone on top of the bed.

She dialed a number and immediately speaks with the customer service of the bank where she put her money.

She found her shoes beside the front door. As expected, the used to be white sneakers was covered in mud.

She sits on the floor as she stared at the dirty shoes.

There is no way that she is going to leave the house barefoot. There was a time in her life that she walks and run barefooted but that was a very long time ago.

“You look like someone kicked your dog.”

She glanced at Malakai with a sad face. The tall woman laughs at her.

Malakai is wearing a pair of khaki shorts just an inch above her knees. The v-neck white shirt made her body slimmer and longer. She already have a pair of canvass shoes on her feet.

“Here.”

She smiled when she saw red sneakers in her hand.

“Another one of your girlfriend’s?”

“No. It’s my sister’s. She left it the last time she was here. She’s about your height. I hope it fits.”

She reached for the shoes in excitement. She felt better when it fits like it was hers. It goes with the white shorts that she has on and the black round neck shirt she wears.

She heard Malakai hummed.

“Come to think of it. You’re way good looking than my ex-girlfriend.”

“That made me feel so much better, Malakai.”

The tall woman laughs out loud. “Let’s go.”

“Can we go to my bank? I already notified them that I lost my card and other belongings.”

“How about identification? Won’t they ask you for that?”

“Mine was protected by finger prints. I also used my eyes for verification.”

“Alright.”

Malakai opens the door for her. After locking the door, they walk at the hallways.

When they were nearing the truck, she turned to Malakai. The tall woman is playing with the car keys.

“You carried me from here to your unit?”

“I did.”

“I’m sorry. You should have waked me up.” She uttered with embarrassment.

“It’s fine. I’ll wake you up next time.”

She laughed out loud when she heard Malakai singing the lyrics of “Grow old with You”. The part where it says about carrying when the arthritis is bad.

Smile is still on her lips when she occupied the shotgun seat.

Malakai smiled at her, too, before revving the truck to life.

This woman made her smile. She hopes that nothing bad would come her way by helping a woman like her that made a crime against the family she only knows.