It was a brisk Friday afternoon in October.
Kitka Falcón trudged up the stairs to her new apartment, lugging her suitcase behind her. She was eager to see if there was anyone whom she might enjoy conversation with.
Kitka brushed her golden blonde hair out of her abnormally sharp eyes as she reached her new home. She got out the key and opened the door, dumping her luggage right inside and sitting down across from it, exhausted from the long hike up the stairs. She really did want to meet some people, but first she desperately needed some rest. She took of her shoes and climbed into the bed.
She woke to someone shouting. “Rico!” the voice said. “You know you can’t do that inside! You have to go outside, and make sure no one is there! You’re probably going to get arrested!”
Kitka dragged herself out of cama and out of her room to see what all the fuss was about. Standing outside were two young men, about her age, she’d say, maybe a little older. The shor-ter one was yelling at the other, who had a wild, bright red hair down to his shoulders, with two tufts of hair sticking up from the rest. There was a burn mark in the mural behind them.
“Excuse me?” Kitka asked.
The shorter one, who had black hair with a widow’s peak and was wearing combat boots, an army jacket, and baggy camouflage pants, whirled around. “What the duce…who are you?” he asked.
“My name’s Kitka Falcón. I just moved in. Ummmm…” she rubbed her arm uncomfort-ably. “What are your names?”
“I’m Skipper and, uh, this is Rico,” the shorter one said.
Rico smiled and waved at her. Kitka noticed he had a scar on the left side of his face. She smiled uncomfortably back at him and turned to Skipper, who was staring at her.
Kitka remembered she had just woken up. Her clothes were probably all wrinkled, her mascara and lipstick inevitably smeared across her face, and also, she was wearing just socks, since she had taken her shoes off right before going to sleep.
She blushed. “Um…yeah, I better get going, you know, set up my room a little, get settled in…”
“We can help you,” Skipper offered. He had a goofy smile on his face, and he looked like was blushing.
Kitka shook her head. God, I’m just a total mess, she thought. “That’s…nice of you, but I gotta go.” She hurried back to her room.
Rico tapped Skipper on the shoulder. Skipper turned around. He still had the goofy smile on his face. “Yeah, Rico?”
“Ya okay?”
Skipper nodded. “I’m fine, Rico. Okay, come on, we’re going back to our room now.” He started to walk back, and Rico followed him.
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Skipper asked.
“Who?” Rico asked, startled.
“The new girl. You know, that woman who just moved in. She looked about twenty-five, don’t you think?”
“Ya like ‘er?”
“I didn’t say that, Rico, I said she was beautiful.”
“Yeah, yeah, ya go on thinkin’ ‘at,” Rico said, waving his hand at Skipper dismissively.
Kitka woke up in the morning with Skipper, Rico, and two others she didn’t recognize leaning over her.
“WHAT THE!” Kitka shot up in bed. Something cold and hard pressed into the side of her head, and she froze.
“Rico!” Skipper said in a scolding tone. Rico removed the gun from the side of her head and tossed it out the window.
“What are you doing?” Kitka asked. “Who are they?” She asked, pointing to the two she didn’t recognize.
“The blonde one is Private, and the one in the lab casaco is Kowalski,” Skipper said. Private was short and had blue eyes and freckles. He was wearing a white T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. Kowalski was very tall, and had brown eyes and dark brown hair. He had on a gray suéter, camisola and jeans underneath the lab coat.
“Why were you watching me sleep? What if I had been sleeping in my underwear?” Kitka demanded.
“Well, you weren’t, so calm down,” Skipper said.
“There was an eighty-eight point six percent chance you would be, though, stuffy room like this is,” Kowalski said.
“Cut the brainiac, Kowalski,” Skipper said. “Roll out, boys.”
They started to leave.
“Wait!” Kitka said, jumping out of her bed. They turned towards her. Kowalski and Private blushed and looked away.
Kitka realized she was just in pajamas and snatched the blanket from the cama and held it over her body. “Why were you watching me sleep?” she demanded.
Kowalski shrugged. “Skipper wouldn’t tell us. It was incredibly boring, even though we could watch your eyes twitch. That’s called REM—”
“I know,” Rico said.
“What?” Kowalski asked.
“I know why we watch ‘er.”
“Rico, shut up, you three leave,” Skipper said. “I’ll explain what we were doing.”
Rico, Kowalski, and Private left.
“So?” Kitka asked. “Spit it out.”
“Okay, listen,” Skipper said. “I really…well, I really…oh, God, never mind.”
“No. You tell me right now.”
Skipper moaned. “Okay, fine, I’ll…I…” suddenly he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her on the cheek. “I really like you,” he whispered in her ear.
Kitka froze. He wouldn’t let go of her. Actually, his grip around her waist was just getting tighter.
“Skipper…” she said.
Skipper quickly let go. “Sorry. I…sorry.” He stared at the ground.
He’s sort of cute, Kitka found herself thinking. She dropped her gaze down to her feet. She was still in her pajamas, just standing there in front of him.
“Um, Skipper, what if we talk after I get dressed,” Kitka said. Skipper nodded and left the room.
Skipper walked dejectedly into the room he shared with Kowalski, Rico, and Private, his head down and his hands in his pockets. He sagged onto the sofá and placed his face in his hands.
Kowalski sat down seguinte to him. “You okay?”
“No.” Skipper looked up at him. “It’s just…I really like Kitka. Really like her.”
“Maybe you should tell her.”
“I did!” Skipper practically shouted.
Kowalski looked a bit taken aback. “Oh.”
Someone knocked on the door. Skipper sighed and dragged himself off of the couch. He opened the door.
Kitka was standing there.
“Hi,” Skipper whispered.
“Hey. Listen, Skipper, that was really sweet, okay? And I wanted you to know that I feel the same way about you. I was thinking we could go somewhere together sometime, you know, like out to eat or something.”
“You want to go on a date?” Skipper practically shouted. Sitting on the green sofá near the door, Private looked up from the television, grinning. “You want to go on a date?” Skipper repeated, lowering his voice to a whisper.
“Yeah. You know, in a week or something.”
“Now.”
“Now? Wait, you’ve gotta change first,” Kitka said. “You can’t wear army clothes on a date.”
Skipper stared at her. “That’s all I have.”
“Really? That’s all? Okay, what if you borrow some of Rico’s clothes or something? And we could go, like, somewhere…in two days, I guess?”
Skipper nodded, his eyes wide. He had very bright blue eyes, Kitka noticed. They were beautiful.
She smiled. “Bye. See tomorrow, I guess.”
“Yeah. Bye.”
Kitka left, closing the door behind her. Skipper stood there, grinning.
Kitka Falcón trudged up the stairs to her new apartment, lugging her suitcase behind her. She was eager to see if there was anyone whom she might enjoy conversation with.
Kitka brushed her golden blonde hair out of her abnormally sharp eyes as she reached her new home. She got out the key and opened the door, dumping her luggage right inside and sitting down across from it, exhausted from the long hike up the stairs. She really did want to meet some people, but first she desperately needed some rest. She took of her shoes and climbed into the bed.
She woke to someone shouting. “Rico!” the voice said. “You know you can’t do that inside! You have to go outside, and make sure no one is there! You’re probably going to get arrested!”
Kitka dragged herself out of cama and out of her room to see what all the fuss was about. Standing outside were two young men, about her age, she’d say, maybe a little older. The shor-ter one was yelling at the other, who had a wild, bright red hair down to his shoulders, with two tufts of hair sticking up from the rest. There was a burn mark in the mural behind them.
“Excuse me?” Kitka asked.
The shorter one, who had black hair with a widow’s peak and was wearing combat boots, an army jacket, and baggy camouflage pants, whirled around. “What the duce…who are you?” he asked.
“My name’s Kitka Falcón. I just moved in. Ummmm…” she rubbed her arm uncomfort-ably. “What are your names?”
“I’m Skipper and, uh, this is Rico,” the shorter one said.
Rico smiled and waved at her. Kitka noticed he had a scar on the left side of his face. She smiled uncomfortably back at him and turned to Skipper, who was staring at her.
Kitka remembered she had just woken up. Her clothes were probably all wrinkled, her mascara and lipstick inevitably smeared across her face, and also, she was wearing just socks, since she had taken her shoes off right before going to sleep.
She blushed. “Um…yeah, I better get going, you know, set up my room a little, get settled in…”
“We can help you,” Skipper offered. He had a goofy smile on his face, and he looked like was blushing.
Kitka shook her head. God, I’m just a total mess, she thought. “That’s…nice of you, but I gotta go.” She hurried back to her room.
Rico tapped Skipper on the shoulder. Skipper turned around. He still had the goofy smile on his face. “Yeah, Rico?”
“Ya okay?”
Skipper nodded. “I’m fine, Rico. Okay, come on, we’re going back to our room now.” He started to walk back, and Rico followed him.
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Skipper asked.
“Who?” Rico asked, startled.
“The new girl. You know, that woman who just moved in. She looked about twenty-five, don’t you think?”
“Ya like ‘er?”
“I didn’t say that, Rico, I said she was beautiful.”
“Yeah, yeah, ya go on thinkin’ ‘at,” Rico said, waving his hand at Skipper dismissively.
Kitka woke up in the morning with Skipper, Rico, and two others she didn’t recognize leaning over her.
“WHAT THE!” Kitka shot up in bed. Something cold and hard pressed into the side of her head, and she froze.
“Rico!” Skipper said in a scolding tone. Rico removed the gun from the side of her head and tossed it out the window.
“What are you doing?” Kitka asked. “Who are they?” She asked, pointing to the two she didn’t recognize.
“The blonde one is Private, and the one in the lab casaco is Kowalski,” Skipper said. Private was short and had blue eyes and freckles. He was wearing a white T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. Kowalski was very tall, and had brown eyes and dark brown hair. He had on a gray suéter, camisola and jeans underneath the lab coat.
“Why were you watching me sleep? What if I had been sleeping in my underwear?” Kitka demanded.
“Well, you weren’t, so calm down,” Skipper said.
“There was an eighty-eight point six percent chance you would be, though, stuffy room like this is,” Kowalski said.
“Cut the brainiac, Kowalski,” Skipper said. “Roll out, boys.”
They started to leave.
“Wait!” Kitka said, jumping out of her bed. They turned towards her. Kowalski and Private blushed and looked away.
Kitka realized she was just in pajamas and snatched the blanket from the cama and held it over her body. “Why were you watching me sleep?” she demanded.
Kowalski shrugged. “Skipper wouldn’t tell us. It was incredibly boring, even though we could watch your eyes twitch. That’s called REM—”
“I know,” Rico said.
“What?” Kowalski asked.
“I know why we watch ‘er.”
“Rico, shut up, you three leave,” Skipper said. “I’ll explain what we were doing.”
Rico, Kowalski, and Private left.
“So?” Kitka asked. “Spit it out.”
“Okay, listen,” Skipper said. “I really…well, I really…oh, God, never mind.”
“No. You tell me right now.”
Skipper moaned. “Okay, fine, I’ll…I…” suddenly he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her on the cheek. “I really like you,” he whispered in her ear.
Kitka froze. He wouldn’t let go of her. Actually, his grip around her waist was just getting tighter.
“Skipper…” she said.
Skipper quickly let go. “Sorry. I…sorry.” He stared at the ground.
He’s sort of cute, Kitka found herself thinking. She dropped her gaze down to her feet. She was still in her pajamas, just standing there in front of him.
“Um, Skipper, what if we talk after I get dressed,” Kitka said. Skipper nodded and left the room.
Skipper walked dejectedly into the room he shared with Kowalski, Rico, and Private, his head down and his hands in his pockets. He sagged onto the sofá and placed his face in his hands.
Kowalski sat down seguinte to him. “You okay?”
“No.” Skipper looked up at him. “It’s just…I really like Kitka. Really like her.”
“Maybe you should tell her.”
“I did!” Skipper practically shouted.
Kowalski looked a bit taken aback. “Oh.”
Someone knocked on the door. Skipper sighed and dragged himself off of the couch. He opened the door.
Kitka was standing there.
“Hi,” Skipper whispered.
“Hey. Listen, Skipper, that was really sweet, okay? And I wanted you to know that I feel the same way about you. I was thinking we could go somewhere together sometime, you know, like out to eat or something.”
“You want to go on a date?” Skipper practically shouted. Sitting on the green sofá near the door, Private looked up from the television, grinning. “You want to go on a date?” Skipper repeated, lowering his voice to a whisper.
“Yeah. You know, in a week or something.”
“Now.”
“Now? Wait, you’ve gotta change first,” Kitka said. “You can’t wear army clothes on a date.”
Skipper stared at her. “That’s all I have.”
“Really? That’s all? Okay, what if you borrow some of Rico’s clothes or something? And we could go, like, somewhere…in two days, I guess?”
Skipper nodded, his eyes wide. He had very bright blue eyes, Kitka noticed. They were beautiful.
She smiled. “Bye. See tomorrow, I guess.”
“Yeah. Bye.”
Kitka left, closing the door behind her. Skipper stood there, grinning.
