Deep

by Leesa Birch

  “Mom, I've asked you not to do that; I'm 28 years old. Play with your own hair.” I grinned at the tantrum; she almost stamped her foot.

  Following Beth out into the night, I noticed that the air had turned bitterly cold. I felt awkward about my lack of money.

  “Beth, this is all really generous, but I have no way of paying for it until I get back to wherever I came from.” She punched me gently in the arm.

  “Silly, mom's not expecting you to pay for this. She's just happy to help a lost cause, so to speak. You shouldn't worry your head about such things. You'd think you'd have enough things whirling around in there.”

  We reached the door to the front desk entrance of the motel. “Now, before we go in, I have to warn you about my brother. Do not tell him you woke up in the desert with no memory. He's a big U.F.O buff and you'll never be able to shake him off. Understand?” I nodded at her, smiling.

  Taking me by my hand, I felt a slight discomfort - I couldn't think why. I instinctively pulled my hand away and the feeling stopped. Beth looked at me questioningly.

  “You okay, Debbie?” I looked at my hands. “I guess you're not a touchy-feely person. I have an uncle that way.” The door to the motel opened and an excited young man came bursting out.

  “This the alien abductee? Cool. I'm Caleb and whatever she has told you was a lie.” He shook my hand over-enthusiastically.

  There was that feeling again. I didn't like it. I guess I really wasn't a fan of being touched. I hoped that didn't go for everyone or I'd be a very lonely person indeed. After letting go of my hand, Caleb held out some keys. “Thanks, Caleb, she's not a new toy to play with.” Beth grabbed the keys and we headed for room 11.

  Showing me into my room and turning on the lights, Beth closed the curtains and faced me. “Sorry we don't have any rooms with a bath free, but the shower is nice and hot. If you strip and throw your clothes out to me, I'll get them washed and bring them back in the morning - alright?”

  I nodded; I was too tired to object. “There's a bathrobe in there and a welcome pack, just a toothbrush and wash cloth, etc. You get some rest and I'll see you in the morning.”

  “I really can't thank you enough for all this,” I said as I headed into the bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror briefly, to see just why everyone had been staring at me. I was covered in red dust; I looked like an aborigine - a very tired one. My face was still unrecognisable.

  I stripped off quickly and threw my clothes to Beth. She scooped them up and closed the door behind her. I tip-toed out to make sure the door was locked before heading into the shower.

  The hot water was soothing as the road dust slid off me. The needle marks on my arms itched beneath the water’s touch. Once clean, I stepped back in front of the mirror for a proper look at myself. My stomach turned when I saw my face. The tenderness I felt earlier was a bruise after all. How would I explain this to the Myers? I looked like I'd been punched square on the cheekbone. I winced as I examined the bruise.

  Pulling on the fluffy bathrobe, I wandered back into the main room and climbed into bed. Lying on my back, staring at the ceiling, I just kept telling myself that it would all be sorted out tomorrow. Then I could go home, wherever that was. I fell asleep.

  Scrunching my toes into the soft, warm mud, I waded into the lake. The fog was thinner here and it started to move away from me. As the evening sun tried its best to penetrate the swirling mist, a man's figure started to take shape a few feet away.

  “Ivy,” the soft voice whispered. He held out his hand to me. As I waded further in, the figure became clear – he had soft, brown hair and a mischievous smile – he was motioning for me to join him. Holding out my arm, he took it and pulled me gently towards him. A fine mist glistened on his firm torso. He was hot to the touch. The fog stirred a few feet away, as his hands slowly removed the dress I was wearing.

  The white silk slid deep into the lake. Holding my gaze with his hungry blue eyes, he immersed his hands into the waist-deep water, firmly grasping my hips.

  The once mischievous look had gone. There was only lust in his eyes. My heart pounded uncontrollably as he pulled me towards him. Holding his rigid body against mine, the water around us started to swell. Sliding a strong hand down my thigh, he pulled my leg up, wrapping it around him for a better hold. I offered no resistance. Shifting his gaze to my mouth, only for a moment, I trembled with desire.

  “Don't move, Ivy,” he breathed. His lips met mine with an urgency. As the pressure of his tongue searched desperately for my satisfaction, the swirling torrent of water held our aroused bodies tightly, locking them in place. My body ached for his. The kiss intensified as he moved his hands lower into the water, eagerly moving them around my thighs until he found what he was looking for. Tenderly, he started to massage my...

  A loud crash came from the bathroom. I jumped out of bed - startled and breathless. Annoyed that I didn't get to finish my dream, I went to see what the noise was. There was water everywhere. The sink had been forced from the wall by a burst pipe. Holding my robe closed, I grabbed the phone and called the front desk. Caleb answered in a sleepy voice.

  “Myers’ motel - how can I help?” Watching as the water started to spill over into the bedroom, I talked fast. “Caleb, it's me,” I tried desperately to remember my name. “Debbie, room 11. The pipes have burst in the bathroom and water is spewing everywhere.” He hung up before I could say anything else. Straightening the bed and making sure I was as covered as I could be in the bathrobe, I unlocked the door and waited.

  Caleb came rushing in without knocking, tools in hand. He briefly glanced my way before sliding on the wet floor into the bathroom.

  “Jesus! What happened here?” He ran back outside without stopping. I stood there, feeling helpless. Surely I should be doing something? I peered into the flooding room, wondering if I should use their nice towels. The water slowed to a trickle then stopped. I didn't hear Caleb come back into the room.

  “Did you do this?” He pointed at the broken sink on the floor. “Only joking! What happened?” I took a step back, surveying the mess.

  “A crash woke me up. I looked in here and the sink was on the floor with water spurting everywhere.” He considered my explanation while carefully searching my face for more.

  “Who did that?” He gestured towards my face. Pressing gently where he’d pointed, my cheek was still tender. I’d forgotten about the bruise.

  “Don't know,” I said, looking at the floor. I was glad he couldn't see any of the other marks I had on me.

  “What happened? Why is the water off?” Marie wandered in through the open door. She had her manager’s voice on.

  “Burst pipe, mom, nothing to worry about. I'll cap it and have the water back on in a jiffy.” Marie turned to face me.

  “Are you okay, hon? Did the pipe do that?” She went to touch my cheek but I instinctively took a step back. She looked a little offended. I shook my head slightly.

  “Sorry, it's just a bit sore. I found it last night after I washed all the dirt off.” Caleb had finished tinkering at the back of the sink and came back out to join us.

  Marie looked at her son and frowned. “After you put the water back on would you bring a couple of mops back with you? I don't suppose you were thinking of brushing your hair any time soon?”

  Caleb huffed as he exited my room - he was too old to be a stroppy teenager. Marie sat me on the bed; I figured I was about to be told off about something.

  “Do you remember anything yet? Not to worry - maybe Wade can shed some light on it later. Is there anything you need?” She was far too generous. Unless she could give me back my memory there wasn't anything else she could do.

  I helped Caleb clear up the mess the burst pipe had left while waiting for Beth to bring me my clothes. Though I couldn’t remember what I was like before, I thought I would definitely be embarrassed if my robe slipped open - although I didn't seem to be embarrassed last night in my dream. No, he felt really good. I just
couldn't remember what he'd called me. It was on the tip of my tongue. Iris? No, Eve? No good - it was gone. Just images and feelings remained.

  Beth came strolling in, much too happy for this time in the morning. “Morning, Debbie, hope you slept well. Caleb, what are you doing in Debbie's room?” She stood tapping her foot with her hands on her hips. I liked her, she was funny. Caleb just pulled faces at his sister as he removed the mops and the remains of the sink.

  “Here's your clothes. My God - what happened to your face? Not that you don't look fine, it’s just that I haven't seen a bruise like that since ma smacked Lester for grabbing her butt one shift.” She let out a small giggle. “Anyway, get dressed and come over to the diner when you're ready. Joe will fix you some breakfast.”

  After she left, I quickly put my clothes on and took another look in the mirror. I wished I could recognise the face staring back at me. Oh well, I thought. The Arizona sun was already high in the sky; looking across to the car park I couldn't understand how the people here coped with the searing heat. It was too hot for me. I hurried across the car park to the diner - they had air conditioning in there. The place looked different in the daylight, no pink and blue lights.

  People stared as I walked through the doors. I made my way to a booth at the far end. There were less people there. I sat facing away from the stares, not noticing Joe’s approach.

  “Wow, that is nasty,” he smiled. He placed a plate of scrambled eggs down in front of me. They smelt good. “Wade will be in shortly if you're up to speaking with him.” I nodded, as I had a mouth full of food. He smiled and walked back behind the counter. It was quite busy for breakfast, but then Americans always did breakfast well.

  Finishing my food, I leant back in my booth. The landscape was truly mesmerising, it seemed to go on forever.

  “May I join you, miss?” Startled, I looked up. “Sorry, I didn't mean to make you jump. I'm Wade. I hear you're a little lost.” I motioned for him to sit down. He placed his hat and sunglasses on the table and slid into the booth opposite me. “Marie and Joe told me that you've lost your memory - is that correct?” I nodded. “Tell me everything you can remember.” Wade pulled out a notepad ready, so I told him what little I could - waking up in the desert, getting a ride there. It was a short story. “I see. May I call you Debbie?” He gestured to the counter where Beth was staring with fascination. “Beth said it was the name you chose.” Beth was smiling and fixing her curls. I think she liked Officer Wade. “Here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to take a picture of you, take it back to the station and run it through the system. Hopefully something should turn up quickly. There shouldn't be that many British folk lost out here.” He pulled out a camera and took a few pictures. He seemed hopeful.

  After excusing himself, he walked over to the counter, spoke with Joe then left. Beth seemed a little put out that Wade hadn't spoken to her. Letting out a big sigh, she made her way over to me.

  “Does he know?” I asked. She tried to look all innocent.

  “Well, I don't rightly know what you mean.” She tried to keep a straight face.

  “I'm sure he'll find out something soon enough. Until then you get to stay with us. Then I'll have someone to go to the fair within a few days.” I didn't mind staying here, they were friendly people and I didn't seem to be in any danger. I leant forward in my seat.

  “Thanks - I really mean it, but if have to stay here until Wade finds out who I am, I want to at least earn my keep.” She looked surprised at my offer then nodded.

  “That's settled then, let's go and find you a uniform.” A uniform, I thought, perhaps only people with sunshine and happiness looked good in pink and blue?

  I followed her through the kitchen area and out the back. She pulled a large box from the shelves and opened it.

  “Here, this looks about right for you.” She held the brightly coloured dress up to me. “Now, for shoes, you'll need something a bit more comfortable than those.”

  Pulling out several pairs, she knelt down in front of me and grabbed my foot. Holding them one by one to me she settled on the third pair. I tried them on - perfect fit.

  “Thanks,” I said. Beth pointed to a small changing room to the back. I took the dress she had given to me and went to get changed.

  She clapped as I reappeared from the small room. “You look adorable.” I thought the dress was a little short myself, tugging at it. “Don't worry, Debbie, I'll start you off on something easy, until you learn how to walk down the line without Lester grabbing your behind.” Great, I thought - horny customers.

  Beth took me back into the kitchen and handed me a tray of salt cellars. “I need you to fill those for me, Debbie, and put them on the counter when you've finished.”

  That was easy enough. Placing the tray on the table, I opened the bag of salt. I had filled nearly half of the little glass containers before Beth came back to check on me. As she drew level I slipped and spilt some of the salt onto my hand. It started to burn.

  “A little help here,” I pleaded. Beth grabbed my blistering hand.

  “My God - look at your hand! I've never seen a reaction like that before. Joe, get the burn cream!” The pain was unbearable. She pushed me through the kitchen and out the back. “There's a sink in there, go and put your hand in some cold water. I'll be back with the cream.”

  Alone in the small room, I flicked on the light and filled the sink with cold water. The water was soothing on my burn, although my hand still throbbed. I was just starting to relax and slow my panicked breathing down when I heard a voice. It wasn't very loud but it was a little creepy.

  “Where are you?” The voice sounded urgent. Maybe I was hearing things; back to the theory of being an escaped mental patient. I cautiously opened my eyes to take a look. There was a ghostly image in the mirror. Frightened, I stepped back quickly and fell out of the washroom onto the floor.

  Beth stood looking over me with cream in her hands. “Are you alright?” I pointed at the small room. Beth leant her head sideways at the washroom and shrugged her shoulders. Helping me to my feet, I tried to explain to her what I saw.

  “There was a voice and a woman's face on the wall. I'm not kidding!” Beth walked into the room, turned round and came back out.

  “Well, she's gone now,” she smiled. That's it, I thought, loony bin here I come.

  “Honestly, there was a face right there. I'm either crazy or you're haunted,” I argued.

  “Somebody say haunted? Did you see a ghost? This is great.” Caleb had just finished unloaded some boxes of food. Beth frowned.

  “He'll never leave you alone now. Come on, let’s get your hand sorted.”

  Beth smothered my hand in cream where the salt had burned me. It was still very sore when she bandaged it up. “Well, now we know that you're allergic to salt. It’s a start. You're a lucky lady, Debbie. Joe stopped putting salt in the food here when he had that scare last year. You might have choked to death.”

  The thought made me shudder. I hoped I wasn't allergic to anything else.

  “Maybe you should take the rest of the day off?” I felt bad, considering that I had offered to help, but the heat emanating from my hand was very painful.

  Sitting back in my motel room, I willed for the phone to ring. I hated this ‘tip of the tongue’ feeling that wouldn't go away. Staring at the pink and blue uniform that was hanging on the door, I wondered if I'd ever get the hang of being a waitress.

  Beth stopped by later in the day with some food. She told me that Wade had called but had nothing to report so far.

  “So, why aren't you and Wade together?” I asked. Shifting on the edge of the bed, she explained that her father didn't approve. He didn't think Wade was good enough. They’d had a few secret meetings but it was difficult at best. She was hoping to meet Wade at the fair. Joe was suspicious and had told her she couldn't go. But now that I was here she was going to use me as cover. Who was I to stand in the way of true love? Beth almost skipped out of the room with excite
ment after I agreed to help.

  “I'll arrange for us to go tomorrow night, if that's alright?” I nodded and she ran, squealing something about finding something to wear.

  My stomach turned as I wondered if I had anyone waiting for me back home. I hoped he was as hot as the guy I dreamt about last night.

  I ate my chicken heartily; I couldn't fault Joe's cooking. I resolved to ask him what he coated it in. Wandering into the bathroom to wash my hands in the shower, I expected to see bare pipes where the sink once stood. Someone, I was guessing Caleb, had replaced the sink. Filling the new sink with water I carefully removed the bandage from my hand. The burn looked pretty bad. There was no way it wasn't going to scar.

  Sighing, I put my hands in the water to rinse them off. My head started to hurt. I winced, hearing that voice again.

  “Please tell us where you are, so we can come and bring you home.”

  Us? There was more than one ghost? I kept my eyes closed this time. My chest was pounding with fear; I was too scared to move.