****027: Sprinklers on the tramp

Maille awoke slowly, she felt really disoriented. She knew at once she was on the tramp, but it felt like late summer and somebody had turned the sprinkler on. It was light, the sun was beating down ferociously and she was wet, very wet. And she was in the middle of the tramp, squashed next to a body ... which wasn't unusual, she'd woken up many times on the tramp in this way. They always dog piled into the center of the tramp, but she hadn't done it in ages. And her dad sometimes turned the sprinkler on them if they slept too late, but she felt no gentle mist, simply wet.

And then a snort and a rolling over and an arm was flung across her. Maille froze... Kell.

As realization dawned on her she scrambled off the tramp inelegantly, her wet clothing making it impossible to move quickly and she knew it had rained, she also knew she'd slept through it, and

She'd slept all night on the tramp... with Kell. A weird strangled sensation gripped her shoulders, which were suddenly very tense.

Kell's eyes opened as he bounced around uncomfortably alone and wet. His eyes opened and he saw Maille standing there staring at him, her luminous eyes filled with sparkles, her hand to her mouth in consternation.

He grimaced. He felt around his mouth with his tongue and grimaced again. "Leaves kind of a bad taste eh?" he said and his voice was hoarse and raspy.

"Don 't you have to be at work?" she cried, turning frantically from the house to the tramp, and then finally relaxing as it dawned on her nothing had happened except they'd fallen asleep, and there was nothing wrong with that.

"Co-ed slumber party." he said and grinned sitting up dead center in the tramp. His hair stuck out at all angles, and his eyes were so sleepy and his demeanor so groggy, as he stretched his neck to both sides, and flexed muscles, pulling shirt and pants to normal positions, that Maille had to laugh.

"It rained on us."

"Warm rain." he conceded, and then jumped off the trampoline and started walking to his car. He unlocked the door and let the caged monkey out. With a screech, and a disdainful slap, Kiyah flipped over to the bushes. Maille spun around.

"Oh, poor thing. We forgot him ." she said. "What should I get him? Does he drink out of a cup?"

"Yes." Kell retrieved his cell phone. He spoke for a few minutes into it and then turned to look at Maille who was watching the monkey drink a glass of water in fascination .

He smiled sleepily. "I don't suppose you have anything with any color to put on?"

She eyed him thoughtfully. "Nothing."

"Well, get in." he commanded and she came over to the car.

"Don't you have work?"

"Later." he rasped, and sped out to the highway.

Kell told everyone in the K-mart that they'd slept all night on a trampoline in the rain. There were smiles and clucks of disapproval, and incredulity. But Kell expertly picked out khaki Capri shorts, and a striped over shirt for them both and then watched as she chose a bra and underwear. He shook his head at her plain white choices and went back to the ladies section to get her what he thought was appropriate... Sponge Bob. He chose matching sandals and then put them on her feet himself as she settled her shirt over her long braids. He paid for their purchases and then took her to McDonald's drive through for breakfast, again telling everyone there they'd spent the night on the trampoline in the rain.

He went to his house. Maille thought maybe she should stay in the car, but he told her to get out and go around to see the dogs.

"They are lonely." he explained and let Kiyah into the kennel, and let the dogs out. Kiyah jumped up on the dog house and screeched at the dogs who ignored him in their exuberance to see Kell. Kell actually laid on the ground and let the dogs tackle him. Molly's big tongue wagged around Kell 's face, and he let her. Charlie yipped around as this greeting took place, and then he noticed Maille standing there and began yipping and barking with extraordinary high jumps right in Maille's face. She caught him and cuddled him a second, and then sat down, determined to give him the attention he so awfully craved.

Kell was now laying on his back, his knees bent and the big dog laid half on top of him, sprawled like a true 'dog pile' if she'd ever seen one. Charlie wasn't a face licker, but a head nudger, and the more Maille scratched behind his ears, the more he nudged her hand to greater itchy spots. He waited patiently though watching for his turn on Kell.

A half an hour later, the dogs had run for the Frisbee which Kiyah threw to them, Charlie making his extraordinary leaps, Molly smashing Charlie with one massive paw and grabbing the Frisbee triumphantly.

Kell shook his head.

"They will go on like this for hours." he said and reached for her hand. "I'm a mess, let 's go shower."

Maille let Kell help her up and then shook her head. "I'm not showering with you again."

''Don't be silly, I have arranged for you your own bathroom."

He led her into the house and through a previously undiscovered tunnel off the kitchen. Floor to ceiling cupboards adorned one entire wall, and on the other side was a washer and dryer and laundry facility to rival her mother's, and Maille had thought her mother was a laundry fanatic. A door stood ajar at the end of the counter and Kell tugged her through it.

A large and spacious bathroom was there, with white

tile, and tan throw rugs, black and white decorator tiles, a glass shower and three black sinks all gleaming immaculately. The towels which hung or piled at regular and convenient intervals were colorful, neon colors, splashes of vibrancy. He opened a lower cupboard and showed her a dazzling array of soaps and shampoos.

He opened the shower and showed her how to turn it on.

"I know how to take a shower, Kell." she protested.

He eyed her dubiously and then graciously got out of the way. There was a glass door leading away from the shower on the other side and Kell opened it. "Hot tub." he said.

"I take it you've thought of everything." she agreed.

"Did you want to have a swim?" he asked, "I have a pool..."

"I didn't see a pool." she laughed,"...and you can't swim in the hot tub."

"You want to swim then?" he looked expectant, pleased that she might like to swim, and hopeful all at the same time, a very different look from his usually arrogant, or at least supremely confident attitude.

"I want to see this so called pool." she challenged, wondering how he could possibly come up with a pool.

Kell grabbed her hand and jerked her back through the wash room and through the living room , to the other side of the house, which she'd thought must house the garage. Instead when he opened the door she thought must lead to the garage, she was surprised to see a large, very blue, indoor pool. One whole wall was windows overlooking the city, the other actually did look like the garage, in fact it even seemed to have a garage door that would open and let the pool become an outdoor pool as well, or at least a partially outdoor pool.

Kell had left the front door slightly ajar, and his three rambunctious pets took that very moment to make their household debut. Molly came bounding forward at the sight of Kell, and Charlie zipped past them both into the pool room, and stopped short breathlessly as if this was a space he had never seen before.

"Watch." Kell said. He took the proffered Frisbee that Molly had graciously slavered with saliva and tossed it across the pool to the far side. Before it could hit the water, Charlie had done a spectacular running leap, and caught it before it landed in the water. Then he dog paddled in a circle triumphantly, while Molly barked excitedly from the side lines. Kiyah had perched on top of the diving board and was clapping his hands, his tail curving under the board protectively.

"Oh, my!" Maille laughed. Kell grinned at her now, without reservation. He had a nice grin, she decided. His beads waggled though, and his dreads shook.

"You want to swim?"

"With them?"

"Yes." he said and began to take off his pants and shirt, he was stripped in no time flat, leaving his black heart boxers on for effect He dove spectacularly into the pool and achieved the far side before Molly could start her pacing and barking. The echoes filled the vaulted room. Kell took the Frisbee from Charlie and tossed it. The little dog obediently swam as fast as his little legs could carry him.

"Come on, come on, come on."

*****