Skin Deep II
MAGGOTS
(Urban Legend)
By
Robby Richardson
Knock . . . Knock . . . Knock . . . There came several steps on the polished wooden floor when a figure appeared from the depths of the kitchen. Dressed in blue jean overalls and a white tee, she glanced up the stairs stretching the wall of the small ranch style house. She moved to the front door and peered through the peep hole. A man dressed in a black leather coat and hair greased towards the back standing with a six pack of beer in his hands. She felt herself smile as her smooth face began to burn. She tipped on her toes in her excitement but her enthusiasm must have been visible for a small voice said from behind her “who . . . whose that at the door”? Turning around sharply she recognized the once gapped tooth boy whose new teeth were coming in crooked. The talk about the expenses of braces was a frequent conversation within the McNamara family. His name was Larry and he was one half of the “terrible two” or the McNamara twins. He had hair like a muddy mop and this sagging eyes were bloodshot, “Larry, why did you get out of bed? It took me an hour to just get you in there”. There came another set of knocks, “who’s there”? There came a loud stomping down the wooden stairs, “oh, mystery man at the door . . . looks like Jamie’s about to score”. “GARY,” shouted Jaime, “babe come on its cold out here”. “Get up stairs and go back to bed,” she snapped to the smaller sized boy with hair like woven cloth. His face was like a photo copy of Larry’s but Gary looked alert and ready. Thanks to his A.D.H.D. Gary was the handful and knew the terror he could cause. “Get up stairs,” Gary shook his head, “no strangers are allowed in the house”! Thrusting her finger up to the top of the stairs, “Get back to your room . . . Why do you guys cause so many problems?”
Gary gave a little shrug, “you’re gunna get into trouble like our last babysitter did”? “No because your last babysitter was a freak. Now get upstairs”. “Our parents told you no boyfriends,” “and you aren’t going to say a word. Do you understand me?” Gary clapped his brother on his shoulder, “or else what Jaime”? Jaime’s finger wavered a little, “because your parents don’t believe half the stuff that comes out your mouth . . . they wouldn’t believe you. Now get upstairs before I call your parents and tell her that you two were caught smoking your father’s pipes again”.
Gary’s literal boisterous smile faded, “tattle tale . . . you’re a liar, liar”. “Yea but your parents know your ways. You’d have a hell of a time convincing them. Now stop arguing with me and get upstairs to your room”. Larry’s eyes were closing as he seemed to falling asleep on his two feet. “Buy us a pizza next week and let us stay up,” Jaime rolled her eyes, “alright, alright, but you better stay upstairs”. Gary smiled and Larry began to return to his room, “Make sure he wears a condom”. “GARY,” shouted Jaime as he laughed, “Don’t want to end up like Casey”. He gave one final laugh and scurried up the stairs slipping several times. Jaime turned and gave a smile as she opened the door. The humidity of the evening hit her like a punch in the face but a man dressed in a black leather coat wrapped his arms around her. The cans of beer rattled together, “hey gorgeous”! She let her hand trace down the back of his coat, “hey Memphis what’s up”? She kissed him as his scruffy beard scratched at her face, “so how long do we have”? She shrugged, “couple hours,” “good,” he whispered as he leaned in and began to kiss her neck.
His hands moved up her overalls as she pushed away, “we have to wait a little bit before the terrible two go to sleep”. His sliver earring dangled as his button nose wiggled in confusion, “so what exactly are we going to do in the mean time?” She shifted on her feet playfully, “well we could get a little drunk”. She pulled off a can and popped the top with a hiss. “Who said you could have some,” she took a swig and smiled “I could say the same thing to you”. She walked towards the kitchen her eyes never leaving him. She backed all the way to the kitchen as he followed her lead.
His combat boots slammed noisily on the wooden floor as he approached her popping the top of his own beer. She drank her beer as he took the length of the kitchen in two steps. His arm shot directly behind her as he pulled her in close to her. She drained her beer in one gulp and placed it on the counter as Memphis returned to her neck letting his lips trace across it. She looked up at him knowing her green eyes always made Memphis’s blood to bubble. It was the sweet innocent face, the “take me face”. He leaned in and began to kiss her softly on the lips. Their passion began to run wild fueled by the beer the Memphis drained when his coat fell to the floor. Their clothes were torn within the heat of it and after several blissful seconds Memphis was hoisting her up onto the counter. “You got any lube,” she whispered into his ear, “lube, lube? You got to be joking?” She ran her hand across his cheek, “you got to use something. After all you don’t want me in any pain do you”? He smiled as he gave a seductive, “well maybe just a little pain wouldn’t hurt”?
“We need lube,” he shook his head, “I don’t know what you want? You even told me not to bring Jimmy’s,” “but you still had to bring lube. You act like we haven’t had sex before”. He shrugged, “I don’t have any on me”. “We’ll I guess we are just going to have to put Mr. Bojangles back in his pants”. “No,” he exclaimed, “I’m sure we can find something”. She scoffed as she slid her finger down her chest seductively, “like what”? She began to giggle as he stared around the room looking for something, “you’re so cute when you want some”. He opened the refrigerator and began looking around inside, “ah ha”! Her face turned to a smile as he pulled out something that made his excitement double. Mayonnaise was written across the label, “mayonnaise . . . mayonnaise . . . YOU have got to be joking”? He frowned at her, “what’s the matter”? “What’s the matter” she repeated as if the answer was blatantly obvious. “Your not making a sandwich,” he smiled, “no but it will work. Just take a shower afterwards”. “I don’t know, it’s awfully gross,” he shrugged, “its all we got”. Biting her lip, she thought on it “well . . . alright just hurry up before I change my mind.”
“I thought you said they were going to be home in a couple hours,” panic was in the air as the McNamara’s garage door opened. “Get your clothes . . . hurry Memphis”! Scrambling to get their clothes on Memphis was hopping on one foot trying to place his boot on. “Grab the cans and six pack, head out the door when you see the garage door close, I’ll head them off ”. She turned to head towards the garage but felt something hold her back. She stopped and turned over her shoulder, “hey I’ll give you a call later”. She nodded, “just go,” he released her as she hurriedly moved towards the garage, “hey Jaime,” she stopped again, “thanks”. She shook her head, “you don’t have to thank me every time. Now go”! She ran around the kitchen and moved down the long hallway. The door opened and two figures came through the door. Keeping them in that hallway took all her skill but she managed to get a whole five minutes. They moved past her, “well you know where the sodas are. Why don’t you grab one before you head home tonight? We will write you a check”. “That’s fine Mrs. McNamara,” Jaime moved past her as she reached down to scratch at a burning sensation that was now coming from her “area”. “Why is the mayonnaise out of the refrigerator,” “oh . . .” biting her lip she grabbed a soda from the garage.
Jaime had not seen or heard from Memphis in two days. School had gone slowly and the days seemed to crawl by. Deciding to put him behind her, he didn’t cross her mind until he was brought up on the third day at lunch. The cafeteria was filled with the eruption of voices with high school seniors, but their conversations where meaningless. “Mayonnaise . . . You guys are really sick you know that”? Jaime could only shrug, “it’s all we had at the time”. She watched her friends rat like face squeeze together, “gross . . . you could have used something . . . anything!” “Well we used it. So there is no use complaining about it now. Besides when I got home I took a shower”. Her friends short rat like hair seemed to stand on end, “yeah but it still . . . you know sat in there for a while”.
“Yeah well I still washed it out good but it did give me a rash,” she smiled at her friends, “whoa, whoa way too much girl. Don’t be scratching at it next to me in science class like you were all through U.S. History. God it was like watching you digging for a lost treasure”. Jaime turned from her friend as her face turned red, “I . . . didn’t know anybody could see”. “Yeah well Marissa and I had a good laugh,” Jaime grew even more embarrassed as her forehead began to glisten in a nervous sweat. “I . . . I . . . I can’t believe you saw that,” “you should go see the nurse, you really should”. Shaking her head, “no, I’m sure it will clear up by tomorrow”. “Yeah well dig even harder and you might even find the lost city of gold in there,” “HEY”! Her friend Rita could only smile, “at least you did it over your skirt. I hope you at least wear underwear”. Jaime’s face turned even redder, “Jaime what the hell is wrong with you? And at school”? Jaime could only begin to laugh, “I’m sorry, I didn’t have any clean pairs, besides I’m gunna do laundry when I get home”. The bell rang with her friend Rita exclaiming, “I hope you do, I don’t need to see that you know”. They rose from their seats, “hold up Rita I gotta get my bag”! Rita was already disappearing into the heard of students. Jaime grabbed her back pack from underneath her seat and noticed a small rice like creature wriggling on the white seat. She grabbed the bag and pulled away in disgust. Even the students began to notice shouting “Oh that’s so gross” or “Maggots in the food, oh I’m going straight to the principal”.
The school day passed and Jaime’s “digging” had grown more and more frequent as the day went on. By the time night had fallen her private area had become red and inflamed. The look of it made her gag a little and as her concerns over the maggot in the cafeteria began to play on her thoughts. The thought of maggots being in the food that students were eating was a revolting thought. Her nails began to scratch again, “If the medicine that she put on did not help, she would have to go see a doctor”. Trying to push that delightful conversation with her mother out from her mind, she retired to bed an hour later. Memphis had called her which cut an hour into her sleep. Memphis apologized and spent half the time explaining the “crazy” situations that had been keeping them apart. Unsure about forgiving him so quick she gave a simple, “alright Memphis, we’ll talk tomorrow, if you remember”. He quickly responded, “I will . . . promise”. She hung up her cell and curled under the covers trying to ignore a now throbbing situation going down below. She had to cringe slightly. She closed her eyes tight as the burning soon turned into a throbbing her decision had become clear, tomorrow her destination was the hospital. The pain began to dull until finally it disappeared. Her dreams swept through her head, she was dancing in the middle of a large party.
People crowded all around her, nobody gave her the slightest bit of attention. The music blared as she saw Memphis handing her a drink still in his black leather jacket s. “I got you some punch,” she took it with confusion, “Memphis what are we doing here”? He raised the glass and began to drain the contents, “Memphis what’s going on . . .” her words died as she watched him drink his punch like chunky milk. He lowered the drink, “great punch”. He turned to her and Jaime released her cup in horror at the sight of a large maggot crawling between his lips. She took a step back, “you spilled your drink”. She gazed down at hers, which contained hundreds of maggots covering the dance floor. They spilled out her cup, “YUCK”!!!!
She rose from her bed her body covered in sweat as she ran her hand through her hair which was tangled in knots. She must have been thrashing in her sleep, but her attention from her hair was soon drawn towards the pain down below. Somehow the pain seemed to be ebbing, feeling jubilation at the thought of her rash final disappearing. She ran her hand down underneath her shorts but felt something like a handful of wet rice. Her eyes opened wide as she felt the rice wiggling in her hand, “oh my god”. Her whispered terror sent shivers down her body she removed her blanket as she saw her shorts moving in the darkness. They began to appear from behind a dark cloud as the beams of the moon illuminated her tiny bedroom. She raised her shaking hand in horror as she watched the tiny insects fall from her hand. She raised the other hand and saw the same bugs crawling over her tiny fingers. “OH MY GOD,” she screamed as she saw the maggots crawling out of her shorts and didn’t need to take a second glance at where they were coming from. Her eyes darted from hand to hand as she screamed at the top of her lungs, “MAGGOTS”!!!!
The End