“I’m a university professor and an author.”
She locked onto that word and her mouth dropped open. “You author?”
I nodded.
“What book?”
I gave her a short run down on the few textbooks I’d written and the two non-fiction novels I’d written and the one I was working on now. She seemed impressed as she made short work of the sandwich. She crossed her legs beneath her and leaned back, probably the most comfortable I’d seen her yet. She rubbed her stomach and puffed out her cheeks. I laughed at her and it caused her to giggle as well.
“What brings you to New York Margo?”
Her brows furrowed and her jaw tightened. “Lie.” She didn’t elaborate right away and was physically angered, but got her emotions under control before responding. “Man say I make lot of money, come with him, be model. I come and he pay for…” she pantomimed an airplane, “fly. When I get here, he want me do more than model. He tell me I owe for trip and when I say no, he attack me.”
The shock must have been apparent from my expression.
“I fight him, I run.”
“When was this? Were you the only one he brought? Does he still have your things, your passport?”
She looked down at the table. He could see her lips moving silently. “Four day? He have clothes. I no give passport. He want. He bring only me.” She went to where she’d stashed her small pocketbook and pulled it out holding up the red cover with a heraldic eagle in gold.
“Smart girl.” I nodded.
She brought her bag back to the table and pushed the tray aside and counted out a mix of Euros and another currency, and by my accounting she had probably about twenty dollars worth of foreign currency to her name. She slid it towards me and I shook my head.
“Angels don’t owe for hospitality.” I pushed it back to her. “Besides you’ll need it for the trip home.” I bit my tongue. “Do you have someone to go home to Margo? Family I mean.”
She nodded. “Parents. I go back to university, not believe man who tell me I pretty again.” Her brow furrowed again and I bit my lip to keep from laughing because she looked like an adorable yet furious kitten.
“So you’re a student. What year?”
“I finish two year university.”
“So you’ll be a junior. What are you studying?”
She nodded at my laptop. “Astronomy and computer. I want work ESA or NASA.” She smiled.
“We are made of star stuff.” I said.
She clapped her hands, her grin had gotten even bigger. “Carl Sagan! Cosmos my favorite.” She patted her chest to indicate herself.
I piled the dishes on the tray and took them into the kitchen, setting them on the counter. Margo followed and saw I was about to give them a rinse and sidled along side me.
“I clean.”
“It’s okay, I’ll do it.”
“No. Angel help.” She tapped her chest. She turned the faucet on and took the bottle of dish soap. I stepped around her and stood in the door way watching her. She pushed the arms of the sweatshirt up and they slipped back down. She reached for the hem and whipped it off over her head and through the magic of static electricity, the t-shirt went with it. She stood there topless, her figure was slim but very feminine, her breasts were small, the nipples hardened in the cool air. Her ribs were too pronounced, probably from going hungry for a few days. I didn’t even think to avert my gaze as she handed me the sweatshirt, and peeled the t-shirt clear, the static crackling as she did and slipped it back over her head. From my travels I was aware of European attitudes and how they differed greatly from Americans on the subject of nudity. She seemed indifferent to the fact that she’d just flashed her breasts at me and began washing the dishes, placing them in the drying rack as she did. She finished up in quick order, cleaning the pot and pan as well. When dry she reached for the sweatshirt which I’d thrown over my shoulder and pulled it back on.
“I see if dry.”
“Oh that’s right. We should put your clothes through the wash, you looked a little worse for wear when you got here.”
“I wash already.”
She had washed her clothes in the shower with her which made me want to laugh, but then I remembered that necessity is the mother of invention and she’d been living on the street for a few days now. She had even scrubbed her shoes clean but everything was still wet.
“Why don’t you leave them to dry. You can stay here tonight and we’ll figure out what to do in the morning. I can look up the Polish consulate and we can see what your options are.”
She looked concerned. “No deport.”
“No, no deport. How long is your visa? Do you remember?”
“I do not know.” She got her passport and flipped it to the page. She only had an older stamp from Germany and a recent stamp where they had stopped over in Amsterdam and left the airport for the afternoon. I looked at the stamp and date and noted it was about six days old.
“This is a B-2 tourist stamp.” I grabbed my laptop and looked it up and found that it was for up to six months, but the holder is not allowed to work in the United States. I informed her that he had brought her here under false pretenses and if she had worked and gotten paid she might have ended up in trouble.
“He take money.” She pointed at the laptop and at herself and I handed it over to her.
“No funny business now. I laughed. She went to the browser and opened up and found a translation app and began typing.
“He said he would pay me when we got back home.” Came up in the English translated box.
“So he was going to house and feed you while you were here and pay you later? That sounds very suspicious.”
“I no smart.” She scolded herself for her gullibility.
“Yes you are. You got away from him, and you’re safe, but he does have your things. Does he have your return ticket or anything you can’t replace?”
She thought a moment. “Clothes, makeup, I leave computer home.” She began typing owing to the frustration of thinking of what she wanted to say and translating it in her head. A new line popped up in the translation box. “We were going to buy cell phones here to use. He has my cell and my clothes.”
“So you’re only out a bag of clothes, some makeup and a prepaid cell phone?”
She nodded. “We only to be here a few weeks. He say we see city too.” Her expression darkened again in silent anger.
“We can do that, but I think the first thing we need to do is get you something a little heavier to wear than that dress. This has been a cold, rainy spring and it doesn’t seem to be getting better. It’s Saturday tomorrow we can go find you something else to wear.”
“I no money.” She said, putting her hand to her chest.
“I have enough money to help you out. We won’t be shopping on Fifth Avenue though.” I said smiling.
She grinned. “No Chanel?”
“We’ll see what we can find.” I laughed.
It was still early and since I had let Margo on my laptop I’d lost it for the evening so I read a little more, inquiring occasionally as she made a noise about something she saw online.
I grabbed a blanket and pillow from the closet and made up the sofa. We’d argued about who was going to be the one to sleep on it. She used simple logic pointing out she was much smaller and would fit more comfortably between the arms. I didn’t disagree, having fallen asleep on it before and woken cramped. I pushed the sheet in around the cushions and fluffed up the pillow and laid out the blanket. I wished her goodnight and began to turn and she took my arm, pulled it downward and stretched to kiss me on the cheek.
“I no angel. You angel.” She smiled up at me and I left her to sleep. I got undressed and ready for bed as I realized the sofa was likely the closest thing to a bed she’d slept in for the past few days.
I woke and rolled over, my leg bumping Margo’s where she sat cross-legged on the corner of the bed. She smiled and blew gently across the top of a coffee cup.
“Dobry poranek.” She smiled before translating. “Good morning.”
“Good morning. Dobry poranek?” I mimicked her speech making her smile widen. She nodded.
“Kawa?” She held the cup out to me and I sat up against the headboard. She leaned forward handing me the cup and I sipped cautiously from it. I nearly choked when I noticed she had removed the sweatpants and was sitting there in only the t-shirt which had risen to her hips from the way she sat cross-legged. I didn’t linger but I noticed a thin layer of dark curls shaped in a narrow triangle.
“Thanks.”
She smiled. “Dzięki.”
“Dzięki.” I repeated. She corrected me and I said it again until she was satisfied.
“Jajka? Um, egg?” She mimed scrambling an egg. I nodded and she hopped off the bed, the shirt fell back into place around her thighs. She turned and grinned and tugged the blanket off of me showing a large tent in my shorts. She said something in Polish as she left the room laughing.
She started rummaging around in the kitchen and I made my way to the bathroom for a little relief and a quick shower. I was drying off when she tapped on the door.
“Breakfast ready.” I donned my robe and went out to where she’d laid it out on the coffee table. She had outdone herself finding all of that in my kitchen. She’d added herbs to the eggs as well as diced up ham, next to them were apple slices and another cup of coffee. “Sit.” I did as requested and she handed me the plate and a fork. She hopped up and went into the kitchen, a sudden sway to her backside as she walked. She was average height but her legs were long and slim and I could easily see her being a model. She came back with salt and pepper setting them on the tray and giving her eggs a dose of both before picking up her plate.
“You look.” She said grinning.
I wasn’t sure what exactly she meant and my expression must have given me away.
“Before, on bed.” She reached for the hem of the t-shirt and gave it a little lift and let it drop.
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