Chapter 10

Arthur hadn't seen much of Lucy and Aashi since Christmas as he was working again. In fact, the only person who he had actually seen was the last person he wanted to see… Harleen. He liked to think that he always had Aashi with him and the reminder of this was the raw aquamarine that sat snugly on his chest. The only time he took it off was when he took a shower otherwise he never took it off.

He had gone to Aashi's apartment but the girls were usually asleep. When he got really lonely, he would lay on the other side of Aashi's bed, especially when Aashi was sharing her bed with Lucy. He would stretch his hand over towards Lucy and rub her head.

He would have some written contact with Aashi through the notes she left to him on the kitchen worktop next to his meals. She would comment on something such as her day, what Lucy did, sometimes what came on the news and occasionally she would leave a few jokes for him.

However, the reason why he saw more of Harley was because she would wait for him at the top of the stairs at night to try and coax him into going 'home' with her. Since Christmas she had become more of a pest as she became more persistent on trying to maintain their bond.

Tonight was one of those nights. Arthur had trudged up the stairs begrudgingly, cursing the landlord for not fixing the elevator, when he tripped over something on the top step.

He cursed under his breath and found Harley half asleep on the stairs. She moaned and whined but the second she recognised Arthur she was on her feet, "Puddin'!"

In all honesty, Arthur did love Harley when he was young and naïve but he had fallen out of love with her since Lucy's birth. She didn't understand that, it seems.

"What do you want, Harley?" he spat at her in disdain.

"I just wanted ta give ya some company, yaknow?" she twiddled her hands.

"Still hasn't changed since high school" Arthur thought to himself.

"I don't want your, uh, company, Harley." He narrowed his eyes at her then clicked his tongue, "Look, Harley, Harley, Harley. Ya still got tha' ring I gave ya?" he queried, holding her shoulders.

Harley's eyes widened with delight, "Sure do, Puddin'!" she held out her hand to show the small ring on her finger.

He remembered the day he got that ring and exactly how much he spent on the little silver ring. He scolded his younger self for spending so much money on something so trivial when he could have saved that money for Lucy. He rubbed the ring and slid it off her finger for which Harley began to tremble and whine.

"I'm gonna have to take it back, Harls."

"But, why? Why, Puddin, why?" she held his forearms to keep herself up.

"Harleen! Get a hold of yourself!" he harshly pushed her away, but he calmed himself and simply said, "It ain't workin' out, Harls." He licked his lips.

Harley's cries died down and her ugly rage surfaced, "It's that woman, ain't it? That gothic… freak! She took you away from me, didn't she?" The words were literally on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to tell Arthur that woman's deepest secret which she foolishly told Lucy. Lucy, a little girl, who spoke to herself about Aashi and 'the love of her life'.

Arthur worked his jaw, closed his eyes and shook his head, "Don't call her that" he whispered.

"Why? Ya know what she is, do ya? Do you know what I heard about her, huh?" Harley tested his patience, and stretched it further by half-heartedly pushing a finger to his chest, "Do you know what type of person you've let your daughter near, do ya? That bitch is-"

Arthur growled and grabbed her by the throat, shoving her to a wall, and cackled manically. The dim lights made his eyes look even more sinister than they already were, "You." He laughed and shook his index finger at her, "You just couldn't let it go, could you?"

Harley's chest heaved and her hand came up to try and slap him away. Brashly, her hand landed directly on his scar which triggered an uproar in his head. He lost his self-control and squeezed. Harley struggled and her body jerked, trying to fend Arthur off, to breathe in the oxygen her body needed. Her eyes rolled back into her head before Arthur finally let her go.

Harley fell to the ground and coughed like she had lung cancer. Her entire face was red and her watery eyes were zipping in every corner without focus. Arthur took one last glance at her and stalked away, however, as he was leaving he heard Harley cry to herself, "He left me for the fag!"

That made him hesitate, merely because he wanted to know where Harley came up with that assumption, but he thought better of it. Harley was not trustworthy and he knew she was in the habit of lying to get what she wanted.

When he entered Aashi's apartment, he kicked off his shoes and shrugged his jacket off. The weather was still bitterly cold but this year he didn't feel it as much thanks to Aashi buying him more clothes and giving him tips on how to stay warm. He sluggishly made his way in the kitchen and found the note he was craving to read.

'Artie,

I made potato and lamb curry since I know you can't live without your daily meat consumption. I know you can't handle your spice so I brought it down a bit today, but not by much, otherwise it would be bland and I refuse to eat bland food. I also made the Persian rice since I know both you Bandars love so much. Just heat it up and you should be ready to go. Be careful not to choke on anything since I know you eat without chewing when you're really hungry.

Did you know, if you're choking in a restaurant, you can just say the magic words, 'Heimlich manoeuvre' and all will be well. Trouble is, it's difficult to say 'Heimlich manoeuvre' when you're choking to death. (Smiley devil face).

Just shout if you need anything – even company.

Your sugar mama, Aashi'

Arthur chuckled to himself. This woman really knew how to make him laugh and he loved it. He need a good laugh. He ate his food in relative silence with a few odd voices commenting on things he noticed today. He praised Aashi for her cooking skills, as per usual, and cleaned up after himself. He noticed that thanks to Aashi both Lucy and he had gained an appropriate amount of weight to the point where they didn't look like living corpses. Even others were beginning to notice the change in behaviour in Lucy as school as he half recalled an old teacher complementing Lucy for her kindness when he went to collect her on his day off.

The cold finally reached his spine so he decided to turn in for the day and half dragged himself to the corridor but just as he was about to go to his room, he paused outside of Aashi's room and stared at her door.

He shook himself and continued to his own room. Lucy was sleeping away in her bed for once which was rare nowadays, with her arm dangling outside of her comforter and her mouth openly drooled onto her pillow.

He blathered to himself at how cute she was and put all her limbs inside of her comforter so she didn't catch a cold. Then he quickly changed his polo shirt and jeans for a pair of sweat pants and a large thermal shirt which was baggy on his lanky form. He dropped onto his bed and tried to get some shut eye.

It was working until he recalled Harley clearly saying, 'He left me for a fag'. Arthur buried his head into his pillow and tried to argue with the voices but the idea that Aashi was a homosexual brought him nothing but a deep sense of anxiety and loss.

It wasn't that he hated gays, on the contrary he didn't care about gays, but it mattered to him in this case because he would either have to turn into a woman (which was impossible) or he would have to convince Aashi that she was not gay: both prospects seemed dismally unsuccessful.

It hadn't even occurred to him that Aashi may not have even been heterosexual but now that he factored that into his equations he didn't know how to approach Aashi. He didn't want to face her rejection but on the other hand he didn't want to let her go either – she was too perfect.

He recalled the encounter Bob had with Aashi and groaned in mental anguish. Bob had said that she had clearly told him to back off, when both of the men knew that this had never happened to Bob before as he was successful with woman, which made Arthur subconscious of himself.

If Aashi rejected Bob, who was drop dead handsome to the woman, would Aashi even consider Arthur who had terrible facial scars on the right side of his face?

Arthur shook with worry and after what seemed to be hours, he practically ran to Aashi's room, and tip-toed into her bed. He knew he must've looked like a creep but he needed this. He slid into the other side of the bed and just stared at Aashi. She slept on her back almost like a soldier, stock still, in one straight position.

Just as his hand grazed her cheek, Aashi's hand gripped his and she twisted it, and then straddled his waist. Just as she was about to land a punch, Arthur's soft cry alerted her exactly who it was and she froze.

Even in the dark, he could see her confusion as her brows furrowed and she stared at him, puzzled, "Arthur?" she brought her hand back.

"Tiger, you're crushing my hand", he chuckled and breathed out painfully.

She quickly let go of his hand but didn't get off him, and she leaned down until her face was right above his, and she sighed.

"I'm lonely" Arthur quietly admitted.

Aashi's hair curtained around his face, and he felt like he was transported someplace else, "I know" she muttered. She got off his waist and laid back down next to him.

Before Arthur could make a joke to release the tension, Aashi spoke quietly, "What happened?"

Arthur nearly choked, "What?"

"You're more tense than usual" she stated, bringing the covers up to his shoulders before getting comfortable herself.

Arthur pursued his lips in a thin line. What was he supposed to tell her?

"Oh, Tiger. My ex won't leave me alone and I worship you and want all of you even though you're gay?"

He decided he would begin his recon mission then and there, there would be no other greater opportunity. He looked at her, "Can I- can I hold your hand?" Frankly, he had yearned for the moment when Aashi would help bridge him to normal human interactions. He had got a taste of what it meant to be connected to another human being and he couldn't get enough.

Aashi was silent, making him think that he had said something wrong, but then, "If it puts you at ease."

He notice she was hesitant to have contact with him which could've been considered intimidate which made his stomach drop, "She's not single, is she?" he thought to himself. "Or is it because I'm a man?"

His hand slightly tensed over hers as he wanted to squeeze her hand but refrained. "Harley just won't let go." He paused, "What did you do when your exes refused to let you go?"

Aashi took her time, but she thought it over, and advised him, "People like Harley, they're like a thorn in your side, so it is best to remove them before they cause some damage whether they intend to or not. I've rarely been in these types of situations but what I used to do was that I would tell it to them straight: leave me or be my enemy. That usually did the trick."

Arthur hummed to himself, 'She does have experience but how deep did it go'. Arthur caught himself getting jealous of people he hadn't even met or known.

He sighed regretfully, "She would rather be my enemy than see me leave."

"Then that means you are a coward." Aashi coolly told him like she was speaking of the weather.

Arthur's hand gripped hers tighter, "Wh- what?" he felt his body go numb even in the warmth of the bed.

Aashi lulled her head towards him with her eyes closed though he couldn't see, "If your relationship has gotten to the point that she is willing to be in a toxic relation that means that the both of you are no longer compatible, however, that fear of loneliness caused you to wade through the poison along with her. I say this, not to offend you, but to give you another perspective from someone who knows that facts."

Arthur burned holes into her head, but funnily enough he did not let go. "What do you know?" he tried to defend himself, hastily.

Aashi's large eyes stared right back into his soul, "Both Harley and yourself are young adults, though Harley seems to be a girl in a woman's body, and you are the only one who was providing some form of income through illicit means. Thus, a few facts stick out by themselves. One, Lucy was born when the two of you were still teens. Two, you both foolishly thought you could provide for yourselves and Lucy by your own. Three, Lucy is fond of you and has no love for Harley, which suggests that Harley reluctantly birthed her and stayed to be in some fantasy relationship with you."

The pent up stress began to spread its roots of poison through his entire body and mind, suffocating him, killing him. In the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a grey hand reach from underneath the bed for him. Instantly, he was shaken to the core, the hallucinations were kicking in.

Arthur squeezed his eyes in irritation, and the voices began to alight again in his mind, even as Aashi continued. "This can lead one to other assumptions as well. Like, you only remained with Harley because you could not provide for Lucy fully and assumed that Harley would also work to provide for Lucy. However, Harley couldn't give a damn for Lucy and that is a fact. Also, since Harley was your teen heartthrob you most probably realised that you did not actually love her after the responsibility fell to you to care for Lucy. Another thing one could assume is that due to your young age and no doubt record, you were unable to find gainful employment and in this city young people are hunted like mindless wild boars, so you got tangled with the mob. Hence, you were either faced with the choice of raising a young girl by your own or stay with the woman you fell out of love with if it meant that there was some semblance of your daughter having a better life and you having to avoid trouble. In your fear, you chose the easier path, so please…. tell me if I was incorrect in any way."

Funnily enough, he had not snatched his hand away from her yet and she had it the bullseye. He squeezed her hand and let out a sharp gasp. He felt tears brim his eyes as he acknowledged his situation for the first time in his life.

Aashi sat up, concerned, and reached for his shoulder with her other hand. Arthur snuggled his face into her hand trying to hide his face. He felt so humiliated as a sob tore through his throat and he openly cried in front of Aashi, but she did not belittle him. The stress that had accumulated over the years was finally taking its toll. Suddenly, there were several grey hands reaching for him and he shook in fear as those hands pulled out several torsos from beneath the bed: they were the victims he had taken care of for the mob. They looked exactly like they did when he killed them.

He lethargically sat up with the help of Aashi and had he been not so overwhelmed he would have complemented her strength. Much to his horror, he shook and wailed like a new-born and in retrospect it was amazing Lucy had not awaken. Aashi slowly let his hand rest on his lap as she sat him up against the pillow and headboard. She ensured he could stay upright and patted him, reassuringly, on the head.

She then reluctantly ran out of the room which made Arthur's stomach fill with dread. His God had abandoned him because of his weakness. This night couldn't have gotten any worse. He was cold and he couldn't imagine the warmth anymore in his mind either. She left him.

The closest corpse to him reached for his wrist. It took a hold of him and he could feel the slimy skin stick to his own sweating one.

'She left you because you're weak'

'A woman like that wouldn't stick around a wimp like you'

He recognised the man holding his wrist. He was the man he killed at the docks: he had begged, for the sake of his wife and child, to let him live. He could still see the bullet hole in his forehead and when the corpse turned its head to growl at him he could clearly see half of his exposed brain.

'She's gonna take Lucy with her'

'You deserve it'

'You should do something about it!'

'Don't let her take Lucy!'

'Kill!'

He snatched his hand away from the ghoul which made it groan and reach for him more. Arthur continued to swat at ghoul half-heartedly. He felt a nagging voice in the back of his mind telling him that none of this was real but the screams were deafening and the scrapes and scratches of the corpses were too realistic for him to deny their existence.

Had he never hallucinated before like this he would have fallen into another panic attack. Alas, that was not the case but he was still somewhat frightened of the capabilities of his mind and what it made him see.

'Don't kill her. Don't you touch her!'

'Kill yourself.'

The corpses were closing in on him and he developed a sense of claustrophobia. Lucy's face flashed in his mind and he sputtered in grief. He held himself and self-pity began to claw at his mind, however, just as the talons of sickness sank into his mind completely, he saw a white shimmering light from the doorway. His head rose and his chest heaved for his mind and body sensed salvation.

The light intensified as it neared him and he felt he was about to blinded by it. Even the corpses began to shy away and attempted to shield themselves from the light using their rotting arms. The light stretched into the entire room filling every corner, purifying everything, and when it finally entered the doorway, Arthur noticed it took a shape of a person. Flashing, the light became dim and from the light Aashi came speed walking in to the room. Remnants of the light still clung to her face creating a halo on her head.

He hiccupped as he tried to silence himself but failed. His eyes trailed over her body, assessing her, wanting to know what she wanted from his pathetic self. Her dark grey sweatpants hung loosely below her hips and her bleach white wife-beater was tucked into her sweats which clung to her every muscle. She was tense, he could see, and he didn't know why. Her shoulders were slowly but surely hunching with anxiousness and her abs looked like they were constricted as if she were holding her breath, like if she even breathed too loud it would set him off.

His self-hate was fuelled even more at the thought of causing Aashi stress because of his weakness. Another sob raked through him when Aashi set glass on the bedside table and pulled him to herself. She held him to her side and made him drink the water. It was freezing cold, no doubt from the bottle she left in the kitchen, and strangely it calmed him. As if the water he just downed put out the raging fire that caused havoc inside of him.

She pulled the glass away from his jutting mouth and pulled a tissue from the draw. She dried his eyes and with great care she dried his face, even patting in between his scars and mouth to remove any excess moisture.

"She noticed" he absently told himself, that she did notice that because of his scar, small amounts of liquids spilt from his mouth. Not too much though.

The corpses no longer surrounded him and he noticed even the room seemed less bleak and dreary. Aashi discarded the tissue to the side and whispered to him so as not to startle him, "Have you calmed down?"

He was no longer on the verge of a fit, so yes, he nodded but his eyes were still filled with tears though he didn't dare shed a tear.

'See, she didn't leave us'

'She would never leave us'

'Not our Aashi'

Arthur gave her a watery smile and laughed out a breath but half way through it he choked on it. Aashi rubbed his biceps and instructed him to take five deep breathes. He did and it lifted some weight off his chest but not fully.

When he began to sob again, Aashi brought them both back so that they sat against the headboard. Her long steel like arms encased his shivering form and a warm hand began to rhythmically stroke his head. It calmed the voices creating a silence he hadn't heard before. She didn't speak until he calmed down again, and he was grateful for it.

He buried his head into her shoulder and it hit him there as to why Harley used to love snuggling to him: it was so comforting to have such strong arms secured around oneself. It anchored him to Aashi, a temple which protected him against the tempest, and this made him clutch onto her body even more.

He was silently crying but he managed to find his voice again, "You're…. uh, right." He sniffed and looked at her face. She had a stony expression on her face but he saw a glint, of what looked to be, concern but it passed and she grunted as if to concur with him but didn't need to say it out loud.

He looked down to her hips because he couldn't look at her face directly, ashamed. The hand that stroked his head halted.

"I'm…" he closed his eyes and his brows were creased as if her were in pain, "I- I'm pathetic!" His grip on her increased, "It- it's like you said, I… couldn't even… give Lucy her basic nee- needs."

'You deserve to rot' the voices chanted.

There was a catch in his throat, "I… deserve-"

Before he could finish two forgiving hands latched onto his face and raised it so that his forehead connected with Aashi's forehead. Arthur felt that his mind was now literally connected with hers and she filled his chaotic mind with a tranquillity he recalled from childhood.

She was staring into his soul again and her large eyes were so magnanimous. His tears instantly ceased and a breath was caught in his clenched throat. All he could see were her two large brown eyes, "You forget, Arthur, that you are human."

His gaping mouth shut itself when he swallowed thickly.

Her hand stroked his scar free cheek whilst the other remained on his scar on the right side of his face, "You have made mistakes, as does every other creature on this earth, but you would be a fool to wallow in self-pity over those mistakes rather than learn from them."

He stopped shivering and the warmth that radiated from her body brought him back to the land of the living and he greedily hooked on to it.

Her eyes sparkled with sympathy which prompted him to croak out, "But, my daughter, our daughter" he corrected, "How can she ever be happy with a father like me, weak? I always ruin everything… the stress is astounding."

He wanted to close his eyes for he felt vulnerable with his soul exposed so boldly but something made him look on. He could literally see the wall crumble slightly as Aashi's eyes softened, "You men always think that openly expressing your emotions is a sign of weakness when it is the opposite. You just openly admitted the truth to yourself and that takes a very brave person to do. You also forget that I'm here now, Arthur. I'll be there to make sure you get back on your feet every time you fall."

He couldn't believe his ears, "Every… time?"

Aashi still nodded even though her forehead was still connected to his, "Every time. As for Lucy, that girl loves you because you're her entire world, and she loves you despite not having her every need met. That love is what has kept her happy all these years and as long as she has her father, she will remain happy." She warned him in a soft voice, "Don't take that away from her for that is what would destroy her."

When he stared at her, inspired, she told him clearly and wisely, "Just because your life begun with tragedy, does not mean that you should end it with tragedy."

His mind that was once filled with screaming voices like a raging typhoon was now a still lake as Aashi's words sent a ripple effect through his entire body and brought tranquillity and peace. Her welcoming hand anchored him even more to her. She laid him back down, still holding him, easing him and he fell into a calm slumber. A final thought lingered in his mind.

"I would do anything for this woman".

;-;-;-;-;

The next morning was like being reborn. For the first time he felt like he was actually breathing. Even his eyesight seemed more vivid. Aashi was not there when he awoke but her heat drifted around the sheets that were wrapped around him.

After he recalled last night he flushed but then another person filled his mind: Lucy. He shakily got to his feet and madly barged into her room. She was in the process of waking up when he tackled her into a bear hug.

"What? Daddy, what are you doing?" she asked with a sleepy smile.

He held her at arm's length, and he took a deep breath in, "I love you, Lucy."

Lucy looked at him with wide eyes but then an equally wide grin split on her face, "I love you too, daddy" she hugged him around the neck and he sniffled.

"Daddy"

"Yes, sweet pea?" he mumbled in her neck.

She pulled back with a cheeky smile, "You need ta brush your teeth because your breath smells ewey!" she laughed, pinching her nose.

Arthur grinned back at his daughter, "Oh yeah, yours is worse, you- you- you bandar!"

"Hey" Lucy laughed, "That's mummy's thing!"

"Bet you can't brush faster than me!" Arthur dared. Lucy ways loved a challenge and they both raced to the bathroom. Arthur kicked the plastic foot stool out of the way knowing he would win this way.

Lucy grumbled, "Hey! You're way taller than me! You can reach the brush and I can't! You know I need that, daddy!"

Arthur's crinkled eyes flickered to her and scooted over briefly and Lucy jumped at the chance. She pulled the stool back to sink and began to savagely brush her teeth. Arthur grinned showing Lucy his light yellow teeth, and was about to run off when Lucy grabbed his wrist.

"Daddy, you didn't wash your face or go to the toilet?"

"Nah, I don't need to do tha-"

"Yes, you do" Aashi demanded, directly behind Arthur. He jumped and flipped around to find Aashi in a 'Kiss the cook' apron.

Arthur stared at Aashi for several moments and lost himself in her expansive eyes. When he continued to stare at Aashi, Lucy glanced at her Mother, who raised a brow at Arthur. Finally, she patted his cheek gently and he stumbled back and pouted, "But, I don't, uh, need-"

Aashi resolutely told him, "Yes, you do. Go" she pointed to the bathroom and left. Arthur watched her leave and turned to look at Lucy who had washed her face, "Come on, Lou. I wanna use the toilet."

After they bickered who would use the toilet first, Lucy shut the door, did her business and left to change. Arthur quickly relieved himself and washed his face then sauntered into the kitchen where he leaned on the threshold and examined Aashi from tow to head and stored it to his memory.

Her feet were bare, except for the simple gold bells anklet she wore.

"How did I not hear that?" Arthur wondered.

Her wine coloured harem pants didn't give her muscular legs any shape but he supposed that she was going for comfort. Her light grey t-shirt was baggy but still gave him a vague outline of her lean torso. It was strange her torso was a combination of a rectangle and an inverted triangle. She was busy but relaxed, at ease, going about her business. Her hair had been pulled into a single French braid but a few curly baby hairs stuck out from her forehead and sideburns. Her many earrings would flash as she would turn her head occasionally and they would catch the sunlight that was beaming at her single form through the shutters.

"You haven't changed your clothes yet which means you haven't combed your hair either… or rather you haven't gelled it to the point where you will begin to bald prematurely." She stated without looking at him and continued to chop some peppers.

Arthur unfolded his arms and sauntered towards her. He jabbed her in the ribs in an attempt to tickle her but instead he hurt himself, "Ow, what did I just poke, diamonds?"

"Muscle" Aashi smirked with humour, "I know you don't have any, doesn't mean others don't."

Arthur licked his lips, "what if… I wanted to, uh, also have a bod like you?"

Aashi paused chopping her peppers, and then she slowly looked at him, "Eat healthy and start with cardio and your core strength."

Arthur nodded and stepped toward her, "How do I do that?"

Aashi looked him up and down, "I'll make a routine for you which will best suit your body and your normal schedule."

"Cool" he then pointed at the chopping board, and abruptly asked "why are you chopping peppers early in the morning?"

Aashi raised both of her brow in minor surprise, "Early morning?"

Arthur's eyes flickered around the room looking for a clock, "Yeah?"

Aashi nodded and handed him the knife, "Here you go."

Arthur pouted and began to chop the red pepper until a hand stopped him almost immediately, "You're doing it wrong, like this…see." Aashi positioned herself behind Arthur and took his hands into his. He tried to keep his focus on Aashi's hands, however, his mind drifted onto the proximity between his body with Aashi's.

His heart was like a hummingbird in his chest and he wondered if Aashi could feel the way his heart was hammering so violently in his chest. He could feel her breath on his neck and the hairs on his forearms began to stand with anticipation.

However, just as he was about to incline his body more into hers, she moved away and he felt her desirable heat shift away from him. A poorly repressed shiver travelled up his body which caused Aashi to gently hold his elbow and she gave him a questionable look.

Arthur released a titter and nodded then he continued to chop peppers. When the coast was clear, Arthur peered over his shoulder to spy on Aashi who set two plates down on table and slid two toasts and a few eggs onto said plates.

Once she had the table set she jogged back to the sofa and continued her programme. Arthur, having finished with the peppers, washed his hands and picked up one of the plates and stood behind the sofa staring at the back of Aashi's head.

He felt his Adam's apple bob in his throat when he swallowed but his gaze was interrupted when Lucy bumped into him from behind with her own plate, "Ugh! Daddy, your fat butt is in the way!"

Arthur clicked his tongue and whined, continuing towards the sofa, and sitting down. "Why do you girls have a problem with my ass?"

"Because it's always in the way!" both girls simultaneously answered.

He glanced at them both and grumbled under his breath, and fixed his eyes on the TV. Lucy sat on the other side of the sofa while Aashi sat in the middle for once with a splitting grin on her face.

On the TV there was some woman, Janet, was crying about how cold, wet and scared she was. Then she turned towards the elevator and screamed, fainting.

The elevator revealed a heavily caked man, smiling. The music started to bring the character to life.

"How'd you do? I… see you've met my… faithful hand-y man."

Arthur saw Aashi lift her legs to the sofa and she held her ankle, smiling like a Cheshire cat.

"Strange, what's got her so happy?" Arthur nibbled on his last piece of toast. He had wolfed his breakfast down so quickly that he had almost snatched Lucy's breakfast.

"He's just a… little brought down because… when you knocked… he thought you were the ca-ndy man" the man walked off the elevator, no, no. He strutted off. "Don't get strung out… by the way I look! Don't judge a book by its co-ver! I'm not much of a man by the light of day, but by night I'm one he-ll of a lover!"

"Oh yes, you are!"

Arthur whipped his head towards Aashi, who didn't realise that he had heard exactly what she had said, and he felt something grow in his belly. Aashi was now smirking, teeth and all, and was biting her index finger with a look of absolute delectation.

Arthur looked back at the TV, captivated, and watched as the man flung off his black shiny cape to reveal his pearl necklace with his skimpy corset, belt, stockings and garter. Arthur almost gagged with shock.

"I'm just a sweet transvestite… from trans-sexual Transylvania, haha!"

His makeup really mimicked that of the flappers from the booming '20s. The man's face was completely pale with his face powder. His eye brows were drawn over in a thin line and his lips were a dark crimson shade.

"Let me show you around, maybe… play you a sound. You look like you're both pretty groovy!"

"Mummy, who is that and what is he wearing? And is he wearing those shoes, aren't they for girls?"

"Or if you want something visual, that's not too abysmal, we could take in an old Steve Reeves movie."

"That, Darling, is a man who knows how to get my attention and he's wearing something hot."

Aashi had no idea what sort of ideas her words were putting in Arthur's head. He was a man ready to go to lengths to get this particular woman's attention even if he didn't like some of his own ideas. He was inclined to believe that any man wearing make-up, let alone a corset and garters, was not really a man thanks to his upbringing. However, he was open to broaden his views like Aashi had already helped him to do so, even if unintentional, on some matters.

"He is wearing woman's underwear, Lou." Arthur nodded at the screen with a frown.

"Well, you got caught with a flat! Well, how 'bout that? Well, babies, don't you panic! By the light of the night, it'll all seem alright. I'll get you a. Satanic. Mechanic."

"Why?" Lucy asked, curiously.

"Because he's awesome" Aashi replied, not even having to think about it, or even who she was speaking to.

"I'm just a sweet transvestite… from transsexual Transylvania, haha! Why don't you stay for the night?"
"Night!"
"Or maybe a bite?"
"Bite!"

Arthur was so perplexed when he saw Aashi rub her thighs together, and hugged herself.

"I could show you my favourite… obsession"

Arthur saw Aashi mouth these very words and wished that moment that he was her obsession like she was his.

"I've been making a man, with blonde hair and a tan, and he's good for relieving my… tension"

When the man bounced his brows like that he suddenly questioned momentarily if he was heterosexual. Yet, when he looked at the woman beside him he knew he could be anything for her. He then saw Aashi snap back to reality when Arthur shifted back into the sofa and snapped at the two calmly, "Have either of you noticed the time?"

Lucy's eyes locked with Arthurs and they both made for the kitchen to drop their plates off before running off to their room. They barricaded themselves inside. They heard a soft patter of footsteps outside the door and Aashi called, "It's nearing noon and you two think you can get off that easy, making me do all your work? No, no. You will do it. I'm going to do what I fancy, yeah? You two are on your own."

The footsteps receded but when Lucy heard the jingle of Aashi's keys, she didn't think twice of running out to stop her, and much to her surprise Arthur was hot on her heels.

"Wait! Mummy, don't leave!"

"Wait! Ai!"

When they opened the door Aashi stood in front of them with a raised brow and her hands on her hips. They scuffed their feet on the carpet in defeat but secretly they were happy that Aashi had not left. Lucy was afraid that if Aashi left she would not return as she would no longer want to be her mother. Similarly, Arthur was getting more paranoid that Aashi would leave him for her lover, whoever that was, and he would be left in a pit, unable to take care of himself let alone his daughter.

"You both of chores to do, go!" Aashi pointed to their plates. Their shoulders slumped they grumbled to themselves.

To be continued…