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Death's Embrace

The police arrived to find the paramedic pulling the sheet over the man. The woman stood to the side, rather numb emotionally. She was quiet as she held the bathrobe closed with one paw. The other was rubbing her cheek as she tried to make sense of what had just happened.

The woman was a lady of the night, her scarlet dress was laid on a chair nearby. Her bra and panties were with it. The house was hers, everything in it bought with the money she made every night. The woman was quiet as the police asked her more questions. Finally a detective came to her and gently led her to a quiet room where he sat her down and spoke. "Alright, lets just go back to the beginning. What happened when you left earlier tonight?"

She looked up at him and her lower lip trembled some. She swallowed hard and opened her mouth. "It was raining, so I went back inside and got my umbrella. I headed to my usual corner, nothing out of the ordinary. The other girls were already there. We were smoking and talking about how slow business had been lately. I wasn't suffering so bad, because I had a regular customer......"

The panthress stood to the side. Her eyes wondering the street, looking for a customer. Then she saw the black sedan pull up. She smiled and waved at the girls as she headed for it. Getting right into the passenger seat, she shut the door and buckled up. The driver was a quiet man, well dressed and groomed. He was wealthy, a businessman by profession. The hyena was quieter than usual this time. He didn't greet her as he usually did. He looked at her a moment with a soft smile and then put the car in drive. He normally treated her to dinner, a movie, perhaps took her to a dance or to the club. He always paid well, more than she could have imagined a john would ever pay.

She watched the street roll by, until the car came to a stop at the park. She tensed a bit, unsure of what to think. "Care to walk me around the park?" he asked softly. She was hesitant, but nodded. She carried a handgun with her at all times. A prostitute never knew when she needed one. As she watched him exit the car, she reached into her bag to assure herself her gun was still there. As he opened the door and held out his paw, she reached for it and let him help her from the car.

He took her to a well lit portion of the park, avoiding large clumps of brush and trees. "The rain has stopped," he whispered. She nodded, "Yea. I like how it makes everything smell clean again." The hyena nodded with a smile. "Yes. Reminds me of my home. Where the rains came to wash the land clean again, and everyone was glad when it came and cooled the air and ground. The game was plentiful, and the forests lush."

She looked at him. "You from Africa?" He nodded, "The same as your ancestors. But too long have I been away. I can not smell the rains on the Serengeti anymore. I cant hear the sounds of the drums or remember the taste of our food." She frowned, he had never opened up this much to her. Something was off. "Care if we head indoors babe? It's a tad cold out here, and it makes my fur cling to me." He nodded and gently guided her back to his car.

"Tell me, where do you live?" he asked. She was a bit startled by the question and blurted out her address. "405 3rd Ave. E." The hyena nodded and took the turn toward her place. She was gently reaching into her purse for her gun when he stopped at a red light. "There is no need for your weapon. I assure you, I am not going to hurt you. I just wish to take you home." She looked at him, "What is this a date?"

He laughed softly, "No, the times I took you out before business were dates. This is merely a gesture of kindness." She was confused, all he had done was take her away from the corner to walk her around the park and drive her home. As she sighed and leaned back in her seat, she noticed flashing lights ahead.

As they passed her corner, she saw several squad cars and what looked like a an ambulance. "What in the name of..." she muttered. He gently reached over and pushed her back into the seat. "Don't draw attention. This is why I took you to the park. I saw them heading this way."

As he pulled up to her place, he took out his usual payment. She looked at it, feeling kind of upset that she had not done anything to actually earn it tonight. "Um...babe? You want to come in? I mean...if you don't want to I understand. But I think I owe you."

The hyena looked at her a moment, and nodded. Handing her the money, he exited the car with her. Walking up to the door with her, he spoke, "You don't have to do this you know." She nodded, "I know sugga. But I like you. You keep me living a comfortable life." He chuckles and smiles at her.

After they were inside, she locked the door and turned on the lights. He looked around, nodding. She had certainly spent the money well. Her home was secure, had an alarm system she was currently disarming. It was lavishly decorated within a budget, but still had the touch like someone lived in the home. The woman was quietly resetting the alarm so that no one could get in, but those inside could move about freely without setting off the alarm.

"Would you like something to eat? I can fix you a bite hun." she said. He looked to her and smiled, nodding. "Yes please. I would like something to eat."She nodded, putting her coat in the closet, and taking his jacket from him. As she was heading into the kitchen, she saw him taking a seat at the kitchen table to watch her.

She put on an apron, and opened her fridge. As she was about to start picking food, she stopped and looked toward her kitchen counter. Picking up a cookbook, she flipped through until she saw something her mother used to make for her when she was a little girl. Picking out the few ingredients it required, she set them on the counter and started the stove. She took her time about cooking, not trying to rush the food. It was an hour later as she served it that she noticed he was smiling softly.

She set the plates down and turned toward the wine rack. Selecting a light red wine, she poured it into two glasses and served it to him. Taking off her apron and taking a seat, she looked to him. He began and so did she. As he ate, he seemed to simply be lost in the small meal. Only after he was half way finished did he speak. "Tell me, why aren't you a professional chef?" She stopped eating and set her fork down. "Never had the money for schooling when I was younger. When I got older, I turned to the street. Twas the easiest way to make money. And when you came along, I didn't see much use in anything but being there for you. You got what you wanted, and you took care of me in return." She blushed as she looked down at her plate.

"Something else dear?" She was embarrassed to admit it but she swallowed her pride and nodded. "I grew to rely on you. I began to look forward to your visits. You took care of my needs, and my desires. You made sure I was satisfied long before you got yours. You even took me out on dates without expecting anything for them." He smiled at her and reached to her paw. Cupping it gently he smiled. "Dear I saw the lady behind the woman. I saw the charm and grace you have within, and I decided that with the life I have left I was going to keep you off the streets as much as I could. I may not have been there for you when I was at the office, but from the time I got off to the time you fell asleep I was within sight."

She looked at him and sniffled, "Why? Why did you do all this for me?" He smiled at her. "Because you were the first lady of the evening that ever made me feel like I was more than just a meal ticket. You cared. And because of that I cared. I don't have long left, the tumor in my brain will see to that. But before I am gone, I want my life to be worth something." She looked at him, nearly choking on the lump in her throat. "Bu...but you're rich, famous...." He shook his head and cut her off with a wave of his paw, "Fame means nothing to me. Riches are worthless without someone to share them with. I know that as long as I am alive, I want to spend that time with you."

She was crying at this point. Normally she would have slapped a guy like this, but something about the way he was talking made her believe him. It took her nearly forty-five minutes to calm down. She was standing in the bathroom looking at herself in the mirror. With all her make up gone and her hair down, she barely recognized herself.

She sighed as she pulled the bathrobe around herself. Stepping out she saw him laying on the bed, he looked asleep. She smiled as she sat on the edge of the bed. She didn't know why but this time had like more. She reached for his paw, but when she gripped it, it was cold, and stiff. Her eyes widened as she shook him. But it was too late. She rushed to the kitchen and grabbed the phone, calling 911.

Twenty minutes later she found herself sitting in the small office space in the back room of her home. She was quiet as she finished her story. The detective had filled half his notebook. Looking at it he put a paw on the side of his head, trying to understand it all. "I can't say I believe you, but stranger things have happened. We will see what the coroner says in a minute."

They sat and waited, the coroner coming into the room after half an hour. "I'll have to wait on the tox-screen to come back, but I think I can safely say that cause of death was an aneurism. The tumor in his head ruptured a major blood vessel with all that pressure. He was dead before he was even asleep. You should know, he went with a smile on his face. Whatever you did ma'am, you made his last moment a happy one."

A week later, she was sitting in her house, reading a magazine when her phone rang. She picked it up, "Hello?" "Miss Torful?" She sighed as she set her magazine aside. "Yes, that's me." "Ma'am, this is Mr. Longfurrow. I represent your lover Mr. Talhili's estate. I need to speak with you in person to settle a matter of his estate." The panthress licked her dry lips. "Alright, where is your office?" After giving her the address and a time to come, he hung up.

The next day, she was sitting in a waiting room. She had her red dress on, her make up done the best she knew how. Her high heels clicked the floor as she watched her tail swish back and froth. Finally the secretary came to her. "Miss Torful, Mr. Longfurrow will see you now. Follow me please." The secretary was rather short with her, but she knew why. A rich man had befriended a prostitute and left her something in his will. This lady had probably gone to school, worked her whole life. Now she was forced to be polite for a woman that got through life on her back side.

The panthress was taken to a large office. She sat still and watched the lawyer fill out paper work. After a moment he sat back and sighed. "Do you smoke?" he asked, she nodded. The Lion set out an ash tray. Lighting one for himself he held out the pack to her. She took one and lit it herself. Once they were more relaxed, he began. "As you are aware, you lover died last week in your own home. He had made recent alterations to his will that only I knew about. He left you some rather....interesting things in his will. Firstly, he left you money that he specifically stated you were to use to attend culinary school. Any school of your choice, but only culinary schools. Secondly, he left you the contents of his personal kitchen. Some estimated $50,000 in cooking equipment, cook books, and other such things. Lastly, the late Mr. Talhili left you.....a notebook. I have not read it, as I was instructed to seal it and keep it for you only. All of these things are yours, provided you follow the directions in his will. To attend culinary college, use the equipment for your own restaurant, and that you keep doing that cooking with the same passion you cooked for him."

The panthress sighed as she put the butt of the cigarette in the ash tray. "Could I see the journal please..." The lawyer nodded and opened a draw of his desk. Taking it out he held it out to her. She opened it, starting from the beginning. It was rather gloomy, talking about how lonely he was, and wished he could just shut down the company and go back home to Africa. But then it started to change. It talked about their dates, the times she would go the extra little bit for him to make him feel like he was loved, and that how he wished he could do more than just give her money in return. She sat there, smoking and reading until after two hours she sat the notebook down. She smiled, as a few tears rolled down her face.

Looking to the lawyer, she asked, "Do you know of any culinary schools?" He smiled, "He prepared for this question too. He hired my firm to help you get into one. Just have to decide what kind of food you want to learn how to prepare." She smiled as she wiped her eyes. The lawyer held her a box of tissues. Wiping at her face until she simply removed her make up, she smiled at him. "I guess I should get started. Can't go and let the man I loved down can I?"

It was several years later that she opened her restaurant. It was a large place, but nothing like the five star places of the big cities. She was happy as her customers began to arrive. Immigrants that wanted to remember a taste of their home. The restaurant featured food from many countries around the world. She was working in the kitchen. Nearly fifty assistant chefs, and only she could prepare each dish from memory. The woman watched as guests were served, orders taken and filled, and people grew to love the food she prepared. They all asked for her secret, but only she knew how to make each one taste the way it did. The love she put into each dish, and the memory of the one man that had taken her from penniless urchin to culinary princess with a few simple words, and an old notebook full of written memories.