Crossover Crossroads (The Kell and Maille Story)

013: Don't You Forget About Me

Kell was working, concentrating. Maille dozed again. When she came to, he sat down next to her in another revolving chair. She did not want the moment to end. He whirled her gently to see herself in the mirror. Unlike most hairdressers, he didn't stand behind her to see her expression, but stared rather moodily out the front door.

"Come, come, come." He urged and nodded to the two women who just waved.

They drove for a short ways into the foothills and then pulled up a sharp driveway to a large bungalow looking structure. "This is a care center for terminal children, Maille. Will you come with me to visit them?"

She couldn't have been more shocked. "Do you know someone here?"

"No." he came to her side, but didn't open the door. There was something rather symbolic about him not pressuring her to do this. Maille got out of the car and he took her hand. She swung her new braids enthusiastically. This made Kell smile, or at least his goatee twitched.

The next two hours were spent in the most spectacular fashion Maille had ever seen. It wasn't new to her to visit rehab centers, orphanages, or other care facilities, her mother did so often, in fact, owned and operated ABC Southern California, and ABC Utah, and was opening another Alternate Birthing Center for unwed mothers in Virginia in a few months. It was her mother's passion.

But to be here with Kell....

He was so different. He played with the children in each room. It was obvious he had been there before, some of the children knew him and knew what to expect, and some he called by name. Kell had brought balloons. He was adept at making balloon animals which he then made to speak in strange languages, alternately losing the accent or gaining a new one.

Maille was never sure which was his real voice. But she laughed alongside the children and often cuddled a few herself. There was one little girl who had cystic fibrosis, whose name was Myndee. Her parents had not been to visit her that day or the one before. She had been in the care center for several months, and was not going to ever leave it.

Myndee had non-descript brown hair cut short and layered on top. "Kell cut my hair for me and styled it too." Myndee told Maille conspiratorily.

Maille smoothed the cotton hospital blanket, contrasting it with some of the other children's fancy quilts, and homey decorated rooms. Myndee's was bare by comparison.

"How old are you Myndee?" Maille asked. She sat on Myndee's bed as Kell moved on down the hall. There was just something that called out to her from Myndee's eyes, and Maille couldn't pass up the chance to sit and talk.

"I'm nine." She said and they spoke quietly for a few minutes about Myndee's illness, and about her feelings about the center and about Kell, who had come to the center recently and always brought presents, like balloons.

"Kell's an actor. I've seen his movies, he's really funny." Myndee declared, and Maille nodded.

"He doesn't talk a lot to me." Maille said, "Does he talk a lot to you?"

Myndee shook her head. "No, not a lot, but be told me he knows what it's like to be in a center. He hasn't had an illness, but he was in a kid's center and he thought he would never get out. Kind of like me."

"Does he always dress funny?" Maille giggled watching as Kell appeared in the hallway stalking a certain little boy in a wheelchair.

Myndee watched Kell chase the little boy across the hall in a mock threatening manner and then laughed out loud. "Yes. He's always dressed funny. Most of the time he comes in costumes from his movies. They let him take them out of the place where he makes the movies so he can show us. And he likes to go out like that. He says it makes people laugh. He says he likes to make people laugh ."

Another breakthrough! Kell likes to make people laugh. Is that why he is hanging around with me? He wants me to laugh?

The thought brought a whimsical smile. What a nice guy. To see a girl crying, or just a person crying (he was gay, right? It probably didn't make a difference to him then, guy or girl) and do something to help them feel better. He must think I need a lot of laughter to spend two whole nights working at it.

Kell passed the doorway and then with a customary jerk came peeking back around the frame. "Myn-dee..." he said her name expectantly as he came into the room, sauntering, hips rolling, arms akimbo. "What are you telling stories about me? What, What, What!"

"Kell, I'm not telling stories!" Myndee screeched as Kell reached the bed and leaned over it with his eyebrows shot to the top of his forehead, in a way Maille remembered her dad doing when he was about to play Tickle Tiger.

"Yes you are... the spy is pumping you for information, yes?" His eyes darted to Maille who was grinning , ready to jump if he made any false moves.

"Kell, really!" Myndee screeched.

He formed one hand into a claw. "Shall l force the words from your lily-white throat?"

Myndee was writhing in paroxysms of giggles and clutching for Maille's arm. Kell reached her, and since her condition was so delicate, Maille expected him to be all show and not really get her, but she was wrong. Kell grabbed the little form and pulled her toward him, hunching over her, and tickling her stomach and sides while she screamed and he whispered low accusations in her ear, making her laugh even harder. 

Abruptly, he let her go. His eyes danced to Maille. He climbed over the bed on his hands and knees like an advancing tiger, and she had to wonder why she'd ever thought him not fit. The sarong opened easily and his dark hairy legs were quite muscular. (Not like a gay guy's.... At least her image of a weak gay guy. Feminine, right? For once she wasn't sure where her image of a gay guy was coming from. And she experienced a twinge of uneasiness, wondering if she'd somehow picked up an unfair perception.)

Myndee was screaming at her to get away, but of course, she was pinned under the sheets as Kell climbed over her, but Maille was frozen in doubled over laughter against the wall.

"I have ways to get you to talk." Kell was saying, moving slowly as if he thought she might make a break for it, his beads were swinging, his dreads standing on end, his eyebrows wiggling for effect and Maille knew why he was such a good actor.

The expressions on his face were incredible. She'd never met somebody with such expressions. Kell trapped her against the wall and then his finger jabbed her in the side. Maille doubled to that side with a scream. Kell looked back at Myndee menacingly.

"Tell me or I do her in now." He hissed.

Myndee was yelling at Maille to run. Kell jabbed her other side and Maille screamed again, doubled to that side and then he poked her on both sides so that she tried to fend him off but he was too quick. Suddenly she was lifted off her feet and slung over his shoulder as if she were a feather down comforter. He swung around to face Myndee while Maille screamed and pummeled his back with ineffectual fists, her braids dangling almost to the floor.

"This is your last chance to talk." He threatened.

Myndee shook her head and yelled at Maille to never say a word.

"I won't!" Maille shot back, giving Kell one good clip around his chest, to which he grunted and slapped her bottom.

"Hold still, hold still, hold still!" he punctuated each word with a poke in her ribs and Maille squealed and laughed so hard she was breathless.

"Until next time, secret keeper." Kell rasped throatily and then swung out into the hall.

*****