Placing the heart monitor against Maopa's chest, she listened to the steady rhythm.
"It's a little fast, but to be expected. Now inhale and exhale." She moved the stethoscope to Maopa's chest and back, and finally listened to her stomach.
"It all sounds good. Your stomach seems to be having a time with that hotdog, though. Any discomfort down there?"
"If'n yoh askin' whether or not I gots a tummy ache, the answer be no."
"Uh... well... that's good. Now swing your legs up, and we'll get the unpleasant part over with quickly."
Frowning, Maopa swung her feet up and sat rigidly, her legs straight out in front of her.
"Lie back, Dakota. I swear if I didn't know you better, I'd think this was your first time."
"Just shows what you thank. Yah knowed it ain't so."
Dr. Winslow hesitated and glanced more closely at her patient. "Have you been checking your breasts every month?"
"They been gettin' a lot of checkin' lately." Maopa grinned and winked at Mari.
Dr. Winslow smirked. "I imagine the checker hasn't found anything unusual."
"Ain't heerd no complaints."
Dr. Winslow placed her fingertips on Maopa's left breast. As she began pushing and moving her hands around, Maopa watched, curious about the strange action. The right breast was treated the same. Then her stomach was pressed in several areas before the doctor seemed satisfied.
"Everything feels good. No lumps. Keep checking them though. I want you to have a mammogram before your next visit. Rachelle will schedule it for you."
"Shore nuff, doc." Maopa didn't have a clue as to what a mammogram was and wasn't sure she wanted to know.
Signaling for the nurse to adjust the stirrups, Dr. Winslow told Maopa to slide down and put her feet in them.
"Now hold on thar. Them thar... them there... them thangs ain't... aren't steerups."
"Dakota, are you feeling okay?"
"Excuse me, Dr. Winslow," Mari said. "Dakota has been entertaining me a lot lately, and I think we've been overdoing it a bit. We didn't get home until early this morning, and you know how lack of sleep can affect people."
"Lack of sleep, huh?" Dr. Winslow said with a smile. "I know it can do a lot of things, but this is the first time I've ever seen a complete personality change like this."
"Trust me. With the schedule we've been keeping, Dakota definitely isn't herself at the moment."
"Oh, I believe that. Okay, look. I promise I can be in and out in seconds. Now would you just lie back and relax?"
Maopa slowly slid into position and grumbled again about more paper sticking to her butt. Relaxing slightly, she let the nurse guide her feet into the stirrups.
This be damn awkward,
Maopa thought, trying to maneuver the paper down to cover her legs. Dr. Winslow pushed the cloth drape up slightly and gently nudged Maopa's knees apart while the nurse moved the lamp closer.
"Good. Now just slide down a few inches more."
Sighing, Maopa did as she was instructed but found it difficult. The edge of the table cut into her butt cheeks, and her groin ached from forcing her knees apart.
"It shore be drafty down thar, doc."
"This will only take a minute."
A faint clicking sound made Maopa look toward the nurse. The woman had just picked up a small metal device and was squeezing a clear gel onto it. She turned a small wheel on its end, and the object slowly closed.
The nurse handed the instrument to Dr. Winslow, who bent down and lowered her head beneath the drape.
"Okay. Now I need you to spread your knees a little wider."
"They don't get no wider than this. I ain't no plucked chicken, yah know. These here legs only opens so far."
"Look, Dakota. Would you just open wider so I can do the pap?"
"I'm telling yah, they don't get no wider. Now jest get done down thar."
With an audible sigh, Dr. Winslow reached down to gently spread the labia with her fingers. "This is going to be a little cold."
* * *
Maopa stiffened when she felt the doctor touching her pussy but decided to keep quiet for the moment. When the device was pushed inside her vagina, though, she let out a whoop, reached down and smacked the doctor on the back of her head. Dr. Winslow's head popped up like a cork in water, and she jerked the object out.
"What the hell?" Apparently without thinking, she started to rub her head and smacked it with the instrument. "Son of a bitch!" she yelled. The device flew from her hand and landed with a loud metallic clang on the floor at the nurse's feet. Surprised, the nurse jumped back and bumped into a silver stand, knocking it against the counter, where it rolled a few inches and then fell to the floor. Within seconds, another woman flung open the door. Dashing in, she stepped on the device and fell face first into Dakota's spread legs. Embarrassed, the woman pushed herself away and bumped into Dr. Winslow, almost knocking her into Mari.
"Dagburnit. That's it. I ain't lettin yah go and stick that there thang up my peehole no matter how many times yah done it befer."
Maopa leaped off the table, grabbed her clothes, and marched out of the room, oblivious to the pieces of paper stuck to her butt. Three very stunned women were left behind.
Mari looked sympathetically at them.
"Must be the wieners. I told her not to put all that stuff on them. Maybe we'll just postpone this until another day, Doctor." She picked up Maopa's shoes and quickly followed her out.
Outside the building, Maopa stood in her blue top and partially torn drape. One hand was clenched tightly around the paper remnants while the other held the top garment closed. Her clothes were tucked under her right elbow. Mari stood quietly next to her. Several people walked by, gave them strange looks, and continued on. Jose pulled up his cab but didn't say a word.
"I ain't a knowin' what this world has come tah, but ain't no way no one's gonna go stickin thangs up my cooch like that," Maopa said, growling.
"Well, it really isn't yours," Mari replied.
"It be mine at the moment, and until my grandchil' gets it back, I ain't lettin' no dang woman poke me, unlessin I sez she ken. Tarnations, I ain't even knowed that woman."
"I certainly can understand that. I guess we know what a fiseecal is now. I just wonder what she meant by pap test. It sounded important."
"Well, if'n yoh askin me, I'd say it meant pokin' at pussies. Why anyone would want tah be doin' that beats the tar out of me. It be downright humileeatin'."
Deciding to get dressed, she yanked off the gown and then glared at the driver's mirror. "And don't yah be lookin back here like that, or I'll turn yah into a toad."
After pulling on her jeans and top, Maopa felt her stomach growling. "I'm hungry. How about we gets one of them thar pizzas and then goes and checks out that mall we seed a ways back?"
"Works for me." Mari gave her a hug. "Only two more weeks to go. Let's hope we survive it."
“I twern’t aware of no particlar time for us tah be back,” Maopa said.
“Well…” Mari replied hesitantly. “I think Dakota and Yemaya will be more than ready to return home. I certainly am looking forward to the peace and quiet of our world.”
T
HE BOOKSTORE WAS tucked away in a small wing of the mall. Mari knew about books but had never actually handled one. Grabbing Maopa by the arm, she dragged her through the open doors and then stopped in front of a large display of picture calendars.
"This is amazing." Her eyes moved from one photo topic to another. Reaching out, she gently ran her fingertips across the smooth front-page photo of an artist's rendition of a dragon. Painted in vibrant colors, the creature seemed to be staring at her.
"And to think that once they were real." She sighed softly.
"There actually be dragons?" Maopa asked.
"Yes. A long time ago. Not many, mind you, but enough to have survived if they hadn't been hunted down and destroyed."
"I figgered they was just stories, made up for the youngins."
"They were magnificent creatures and highly intelligent. Unfortunately, their one weakness was the need to hibernate in the winter. Humans hunted them in their lairs and killed them out of fear and ignorance. Dragons were like all living things. All they wanted was to grow up, find mates, raise their young, and grow old. Most of all, they wanted to live their lives soaring high above the land and seas, enjoying a freedom no human could ever experience or imagine."
"That be the way of things."
"Yes, unfortunately, many things have been lost or destroyed over time."
Strolling through the aisles, Mari gazed in awe at the thousands of books lining the shelves.
"So many words, so many thoughts," she murmured, almost to herself. "Can you imagine what it must be like to put your thoughts down in a physical form like this? How tedious it must be."
"It shore be a lot of work, I'll give yah that."
Stopping in front of the history section, she pulled out several books, glanced at the cover pages, and turned them over.
"History books. Moments in time. Can anyone describe what really happens when they see only one piece of such a huge puzzle?" Mari was just thinking out loud and wasn't looking for an answer to her question.
She put the books back in their proper places, and they moved on toward another section. A smile appeared on the Earth Mother's face.
"Look at these. Aren't they wonderful?" She picked up a large, thin book with a comical looking creature standing on a colorful pointed mountain. She flipped open the pages and began reading the lines.
"Dr. Seuss. I've heard of him. Listen to this. 'Oh the Places You'll Go'...."
Speaking softly, she read the entire story to Maopa. Her voice was low and gentle, filled with awe at the feeling the words instilled. When she finished, she slowly closed the book and ran her hand over the cover almost lovingly. A quiet applause surprised her. Glancing around, she saw several people smiling and then moving away, each seemingly touched by the moment.
"He shore do have a way with the words."
"Yes, he does. I think I'll buy this."
Maopa smiled but didn't say anything. Another cover caught Mari's attention. It displayed a man, a woman, and several funny looking dinosaurs eating plants. As she read the story inside, she frowned and then laughed out loud.
"Humans have such vivid imaginations. They are so good at telling fairy tales. Listen."
She quickly read a few passages from the story. "Can you believe someone actually believes dinosaurs lived in harmony with Adam and Eve?"
Maopa snickered.
"And this author thinks they were all vegetarians."
"I heerd about this awhile back. They calls it intelleegent somethin' or other. It be the latest explanashun of how thangs came tah be."
It was Mari's turn to snicker. "Like I said, humans have great imaginations. Let's pay for my book and check out Victoria's Secret. According to the magazine ads, they have some great women's underwear."
"Somethin' we be sorely lackin," Maopa said. "If'n yah hadn't thrown them out the winder, we might a been able to scrub them some."
"Maybe the bras, but not the panties. Those things are so delicate they tear at the slightest touch."
Maopa made a comical expression. "Yep. Found that out last night. They shore weren't made tah last, but they be a lot a fun."
Mari slapped her arm, grabbed her elbow, and pulled her toward the checkout counter. After paying for the book, she asked for directions to the lingerie shop. Book tucked under her left arm, the Earth Mother wrapped her right around Maopa's shoulder, happily anticipating their next adventure and ignoring the strange glances from several of the people they passed.