�Marisa, stay cool,� said Kawan, continuing to rub her foot. �We can�t afford to keep you around her forever. We gotta feed you and shit, now.�
�We not doing that ransom thing?� asked Ren, half-whispering.
�Nah, we not doing that.�
�So what do you want with me?� Marisa asked.
�I just wanna see and hear you laugh,� Kawan smiled.
Marisa paused. �I don�t wanna laugh.�
�Why not? Laughing�s fun.� Kawan stroked her arch with his fingers. She screeched and spread her toes.
�AIIIISH! WAHAHAHAHAHAAA! MY FEET!�
�Yes!� said Kawan, becoming excited. �Your feet are lovely and sensitive.�
Ren laughed. �This is so fucking crazy.�
�Plug Two, come get some of this,� said Kawan. He stepped aside, allowing Ren to take one of Marisa�s feet. He fiddled around the base of her toes, making Marisa�s laugh escalate. She revived her efforts to try to yank away form the head board.
�A-ight, hold up,� said Kawan. Both ceased their tickling. �Marisa, you need to call Baldini and tell him not to come looking for you.�
�What?� Marisa panted.
�You gotta tell him you staying with somebody.�
Marisa paused. �Fine.�
Kawan picked the phone up from the nightstand. �Now if you bug out on the phone, we gonna take you and toss you somewhere, then you�ll never get your legs back. Be smart.�
�I said okay.�
�What�s Baldini�s number?�
�Well if you know his address, you should know his number, right?�
Kawan just looked at her. �You don�t want your legs back, do you?�
�555-1436�
Kawan dialed the number, then climbed into bed with Marisa and held the phone to her mouth and ear.
�Wil, it�s Marisa.�
�Where the fuck you been? Where you at?�
�Were you worried about me?�
�Yeah, I was worried.�
�Right. Listen, I�ma be staying at my mother�s for a while.�
�Why?�
�I�m sure she�ll be able to take better care of me.�
�What the fuck are you talking about?�
�Wil, you don�t give a fuck about me. You got Gloria to keep you company. Why don�t you just let her move in, you can kiss her ass and her feet or whatever else you wanna do to her, and y�all can be happy together.�
�You are fucking out of your mind.�
�Am I? Bye Wil.�
�Marisa--.�
�Good job,� said Kawan, hanging up the phone. �He don�t got the number to your mother�s house do he?�
�No.�
�Good. Now what the hell was that all about?�
�None of your business.�
�I�m going to the bathroom,� said Ren, turning and exiting, seemingly bored with the proceedings.
�You gonna tickle my feet anyway, so why should I tell you shit?�
�But I can�t tickle your feet and listen to you talk about your situation at the same time.�
�No, I�m not telling you.�
Kawan got up and went over to Marisa�s soles. �You sure you don�t have nothing to tell me?� he asked, lightly stoking an arch. Marisa exploded with giggles, vigorously wiggling her toes. He stroked the ball of her other foot, making Marisa laugh harder. After a couple minutes of this, Marisa broke.
�OKAY! OKAY! CHEHAHAHAHAHAHAA!!�
�Okay, what?�
�Okay, I�ll tell you!�
�Good idea,� said Kawan, climbing back into the bed next to Marisa. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself back down before she began.
�Okay, after my . . . incident, I couldn�t be Wil�s assistant anymore, so he had to hire somebody else. So unbeknownst to me, he went and hired this girl and I don�t know where he got her from. So she�s all pretty and petite and shit�and I think he likes her better than me, �cause he took her to dinner and he wouldn�t take me. So now I�m kicked to the curb.�
�Awwww. That�s not right.�
�No it ain�t. And he�s been a dick to me ever since the incident�laughing at me and putting me outside so he don�t have to hear me laugh.�
Kawan bit his lip, attempting to stifle a chuckle. �He�s a mean man,� he managed to say, with convincing sincerity.
�Yes he is. You really find out who your friends are, once you get your legs stolen.�
�I guess so.�
One day, Kawan had Marisa sitting next to him on the couch while he watched TV. Marisa�s feet rested in his lap, with the other end of the box sitting on the coffee table. He was watching some sort of show on Mtv, but every time a commercial break would occur, he assaulted Marisa�s feet with his q-tip, sending her into blind hysterics. During a point in the programming that lacked commercials, Marisa spoke up.