The Safe House. 1 Red Shoes

Hi Mitsu!

How are you? this is Kyoko.

I don't know if you still remember me, good heavens it's has been so long time since we last talked. But I'm back this week and I walked past our old Filipino Adobo place and instantly thought of you. I took my daughter there and let her try our old favorite order and she really loved it! Oh, I don't know if you knew but I'm a mother now. Who knew how fast time flies haha.

What about you? What have you been up to? I can’t even remember the last time we talked to each other.

Anyway sorry about my silly ramble. Just letting you know that I will be back for the whole next week. If you are interested, how about we meet up and hit up some old places?

Kyo

Sprout.

That's what she used to call her.

Of course she remembers her. How could she even doubt that? They were dorks together.

And without even a shuffling her mind, she found herself with her Sprout again, sharing an umbrella like two dorks, and talking about boys over bowls of cheap Chinese food, and...

And even that time where Sprout held her throbbing Charlie Horse leg in gym class and rub it back. Reviving each of her numbing toe, ...lovingly. And holding it, her tender feet, longer than usual and it became a little weird, until it was back to life again.

Little Sprout.

Always thought she was her...little sidekick. And now, just listen to her. That proper tone. Now look who's the adult sounding one now?

She reminisced, and in that moment she was back with her again, both in high school again, a little awkward, and a little lost, holding each other's legs as if they were each sweet leg's guardian.

Then, it was graduation day and them waving to each other as they prepare to head to different prefecture colleges again. How stupid, that they each thought nothing would be different, that they were thinking they could still just talk and call up as they used to without anything being different. But everything was different.

Everything different. They met new people, and...some how, they never talked again.

She even has a daughter now,  

Her finger scrambled then quickly tapped the reply button thrice, then, almost as if without thinking, she began to type then re-edit an eager reply.

She thought about what she would wear when they meet up. She wondered if after all those years, she would still recognoize Spr- Kyoko, or if-

Then her eyes caught her red stripper shoe.

Well, the one that's not still on her one foot on the bed sheets

and she stopped.

Why would a decent woman talk to her?

Oh God, what if Kyo saw...those poster of her, poster of her ...doing those poses, on all those fliers in town? On every payphone booth?

As well as her price, per night that is...

She stopped.

Would she want Kyo to recognize her?  

Suddenly, she was all cold. Whatever heat from her excitement and half typed sentences curdled into a frightful wordless shudder. Her hot sweat had turned cold as they rolled off her and she trembled in her bed sheets.

Why would she want to talk to a woman like her? She trembled.

And a bright, hateful tear, illuminated by the tablet streaked down her painted supple cheek.

“Look, listen Sweet Cheeks because I'm not going to say this again, alright?” His words ringed in her numb ears.

“Look, just take my safe house, the one you like, okay? You like that.” She remembered his fat frightened eyes as he reassured her.

“You're like my most expensive girl” As he stroked her cheeks with his tattooed paws. The way each of the meaty gem crusted rings on his hand scrapped down the mascaraed cheek. “I mean can you imagine actual clients seeing it?”

The kid he meant. The kid inside. Inside her bump.

“And not making those dollars? Actual US dollars with that?” He continued,

“Think of your future.”

It's always interesting how he framed this as a concerned, tactical thing. As if its his way of shielding her. But she knew why. She always knew why even after the first time he decided to put it in her without a wrap. He was afraid the Missus was going to figure it out, with just a squint on her belly. Or more appropriately, he was afraid his missus' father was going to find out.

After all, what's a gold- decked pimp compared to The Boss?

“Look, just take my safe house. OK?”

Link to Part 2