4 Corners: Listen

"That's, ehm...cute," Maylene said hesitantly.

"Ah! Tickety-tockity! You have another fan! Such a cute little doggy!" The woman showered her dog with sugary praise.

The dog, 'Tickety-tockity', shivered and looked up at Maylene as if pleading for help.

The woman opened the door and followed Maylene into the building. The two women made their way up the flight of stairs...slowly. The woman didn't bother to carry the dog so the canine had to rely on his miniature legs to stumble up the steps. This seemed to be of endless amusement to the woman.

She laughed, "It's like he's climbing out of a gopher hole!"

Over and over and over.

Maylene grimaced. If her hands weren't already full she would have scooped up the little bugger herself. Instead she watched from a few steps below as the pug pulled itself up each step. She looked anxiously at the woman in the pink mini-skirt and leg-warmers, hoping that she would help the struggling pooch.

They finally made it to floor two.

"Oh, is this your floor?" The woman asked.

"Yeah, I'm doing something for the guy in #201," Maylene replied.

The woman's button eyes widened, "Ooh. You've got something going on with Mr.Stud?"

Just the way she was looking at her made Maylene blush. "No! No! I...uh...Mr.Stud?" she responded all flustered, "No. I just...I do interior design. That is...I'm a student, actually. He asked me to do some renos on his place."

"Oh. Really?" the little woman said, a touch of skepticism in her voice. Her dark eyes twinkled as she spoke, "He's never had a woman over before!"

"Is that so?" Maylene said. She leaned in closer, nudged the woman on her arm, and asked, "What about men?"

The woman froze, her mouth agape. Then someone flipped a switch and she burst out laughing like a Munchkin on crack. Maylene stepped back, startled. The dog nearly fell back down the stairs.

"Oh my goodness!" The little woman exclaimed, "He's gay?! Really? GAY?!"

Maylene shook her head quickly switching into damage control mode as the woman's declarations echoed up and down the stairwell. "No, no, no! I didn't mean that!" She pleaded, "I was just kidding!"

The woman waved her hand remarked, "That explains so much!"

"Explains what?" Maylene wondered.

The woman covered her mouth with her fingers but that did little to silence her laughter as she turned and continued her way up the stairs. Her little dog looked back at Maylene then tried to keep up with the woman before she accidentally strangled him with the leash.

Maylene rolled her eyes and made her way to the apartment door. As she unlocked the door, she paused and looked back towards the stairs. The cherubic guffaws of the woman were fading slowly above her and she heard the high pitched yelp of a dog.

She grinned. "So that's the one in #402," she said to herself.

Inside the apartment, Maylene put down her things, switched on a lamp and silently surveyed the surroundings. She stepped carefully taking her time. The curtains were drawn closed -- Anton probably liked it that way.

She peeked inside his closet, noted only a few shirts hanging there and a duffel bag on the floor obviously stuffed with more clothing, a sweater on the top. Maylene picked up the large brown sweater. She smelled it and touched it against her cheek. It was clean and warm. It was the one he was wearing the night she first talked to him at the Red Rooster.

There were no pictures, no bits of little personal trinkets on display in the room. She went into his bathroom and opened up the medicine cabinet: razors, toothbrush, comb, antiperspirant, and a bottle of cologne. Picking up the bottle, she sniffed the cap and smiled. It was an attractive scent. It reminded her of Anton.

Her smile didn't fade as she walked back into the room, spinning around leisurely. For some reason, she felt comfortable in his space. She was a little giddy anticipating when he would come home and wondering how he'd react if he knew she was being so nosey. Well, he did give her a key after all.

Maylene cocked her brow and slowly turned towards the desk. Anton's laptop was on, a pair of headphones plugged into the audio jack. She leaned in and looked at the screen. Chewing her lower lip, she looked around the room conspicuously then picked up the headphones, noise-cancellers, and slipped them on. She rubbed her tongue against her inner cheek then tapped the F7 key.

Apt 401 "You know if you keep on packing in those Oreos there's no way I'm gonna be able to lift you up," a male voice piped in. It was a young, urban kind of a voice.

A woman laughed --a spritely, gentle laugh -- then said, "We have to put those muscles of yours to use. Besides, these give me energy."

"Cal, you don't need no more energy, trust me. I'm having enough trouble keeping up with you."

"We could paint the steps onto the floor," the woman said with a giggle, "We'll put little numbers in them so you can follow along."

"Ha ha. Yeah, your uncle will really like it if we paint up his floors."

Music started to play.

"Okay, let's start from the second position before the lift," the young woman instructed.

"How about a breather?"

"How about we watch 'Dirty Dancing' again?"

The man groaned, "I'm up! I'm up!"

Maylene continued to listen to the two of them to talk over the music. She picked up their names: Caleigh and August. It sounded like they were exerting themselves, their voices fading in and out as they moved about the room. It was as if they were doing a dance routine.

After several minutes, she tapped the computer key again.

Apt 402 There was a woman humming to herself amidst the sound of bottles being sifted around.

"How's this one? It's called Torrid Encounter." A girlish-woman voice spoke followed by the sound of something spraying softly.

There was a small sneeze.

"Too strong?" The woman said, "You're such a picky doggy, Tiki-Wiki."

"That poor pooch," Maylene said to herself. She listened to more innocuous chatter, more spraying, and more tortured sneezing before tapping the F7 key again. Apartments #202 and #301 were silent.

Apt 302 "Ow! Millicent, what are you...Augh!" A pained male voice filled the headphones, "Ah God! Don't pull it around like that!"

"I can't see the television," a dry female voice replied.

"Well, can you let go of me first before you try to reach across the floor?" The man retorted.

"Why does it look like that? Why isn't it like on the television?"

The man groaned, "Maybe it's because you nearly yanked it out of my crotch!"

"Should I put it in my mouth now? Won't it stiffen when I do that? It's so...limp."

The man was panting, "Wait...just wait for a sec. OW! Teeth! Teeth! Don't bite!"

Something clattered on the floor.

"Oh dear." Maylene cupped her mouth with her hand and blushed. She coughed a naughty chuckle into her palm. What the hell was going on in these apartments?

After listening intently for another hour or two, she had a fairly decent idea.

********* Anton came home later in the evening. He wasn't surprised to find the apartment empty when he arrived. He figured Maylene would have given up waiting eventually.

He immediately noticed the pizza box on the table. With a curious frown he read the little post-it note stuck on the top of it: "Eat me." Beside the box was a bottle of beer. Its attached post-it note read, "Drink me."

Anton leaned back and blinked. His eyes narrowed as he spotted another post-it stuck on his computer screen. Picking up the beer, he walked over to the desk and looked at the note: "Listen to me." There was a little arrow drawn on it pointing to an audio file on the screen. Anton clicked it.

"Hello! It's me," Maylene's cheery voice piped in through the speakers, "I thought I might leave another video for you but since you seem more interested in audio, I figured this was the best way to get your attention."

She chuckled.

The lilting English accent went on, "Anyway, I've just finished hacking into your bank account and I also registered you for the Victoria's Secret catalogue because I think, for a man who fancies himself a cool bachelor, you're woefully low on your nudie mag quota. I decided to order a pizza whilst checking up on your neighbours. I must say, you've got quite the lot of characters in this place and you must have them all over for a dinner party, tout de suite."

Anton settled into the desk chair, leaning back and looking towards the ceiling. He sipped his beer and continued to listen.

"But alas, the prince has not returned to his castle and I, unfortunately, must attend another social. I did do some work, though. There are some paint chips and swatches on your desk as suggested by your professional interior designer."

Anton picked up the samples. He looked at the various shades of pink and orange paint chips and the zebra and leopard skin swatches.

"Trust me," she said, the coy tone in her voice coming through loud and clear, "For a man who eats strawberry jelly donuts, this colour scheme will be darling."

Anton smirked.

"I also thought you needed some 'decorative accents' so I left you a picture to start your collection."

He noted the small frame on his desk: a photo booth picture of a dark haired young Chinese woman grinning wickedly and flashing a gang sign.

Maylene tried to say good-bye but she was too busy laughing when the recording stopped.

Anton sat in silence for a moment, staring up at the ceiling. He took another sip of beer and inhaled deeply. He suddenly realized that he was grinning. Tapping the keyboard of his computer, he picked up the picture and sat back in the chair again and listened.

"Hello! It's me..."

*********

Maylene thumbed through a copy of Architectural Digest she had picked off the store rack. After a moment, she turned her head and grinned sheepishly towards Jimmy Dean standing behind his counter.

"Ah, I'm sorry," she said with a nod, "Not a library, right?"

The proprietor of Wang's Milk and Gifts smiled and waved his hand, "Ah, don't worry about it at all! I don't mind the pretty ladies in his store giving the magazines a look-see. So long as you don't mind this respectable man giving you a look-see."

Maylene chuckled as she looked at his bright, white smile and his eyes widen big and round. "By all means," she replied, striking a mock pose, "Indulge."

As the two shared in a laugh, a man entered the store and approached the counter. Maylene turned her head towards the magazine in her hand but kept her eyes on him. She grinned to herself. "Hello, John-boy," she whispered.

John, a decidedly average looking fellow, possibly a Filipino-mix, who always seemed to have a litany of concerns on his mind, looked even a little more anxious today.

"Hey, Mistah Smith!" Jimmy Dean welcomed him, "How's things doing with the sweetie in 302?"

"Uh, I have no idea Jimmy," John said looking eagerly past the jovial store-keep.

"Rrr-right," Jimmy Dean trilled his throat then laughed from his belly. John cringed.

Maylene watched as John quickly glanced around the store, flashed her something passable for a grin, and then leaned across the counter to speak to Jimmy Dean with a hushed voice. The store-keep's mouth plopped open like a fish blowing bubbles and clapped his hands together as he snickered. John, less enthused, tried desperately to shush him.

"Ooo-wee!" Jimmy Dean whistled, "It's par-tay time!"

"No! No! It's not like that!" John insisted, "There's no party!"

"Not a problem, boss!" Jimmy Dean laughed and snapped his fingers. He reached towards the shelf behind him and asked, "What'll it be? Cherry lubed? Ribbed for the lady's pleasure? Glow-in-dee-dark? You need an economy pack, boss? You never know."

John rubbed his forehead. He looked like he was being flayed alive as Jimmy Dean enthusiastically spilled an assortment of condoms across the store counter. "Oh my god," he mumbled.

Maylene buried her face between the pages of the magazine as she sputtered a laugh.

Poor John-boy.

*********

Maylene was still sighing, catching her breath as she left the store, purchased magazine in hand. She took a few steps to the side and entered the 4 Corners residences.

She had been dropping by almost everyday for the last two weeks. Every time she arrived, Anton was never there although several times he did come home while she was still in the apartment. He never said much despite her own gregarious nature, and though he seemed cool and detached to her presence, he also didn't seem to mind her being there, either.

They would go through the motions of discussing some of her ideas to renovate the space. Anton would simply nod at whatever she said. Neither of them appeared to be taking the project too seriously. Then the two would go about their own business in the apartment. Eventually one of them would leave the other.

His aloof attitude didn't bother Maylene. Though she was still very attracted to the man, she didn't feel the need to push it and gave him his space. At the behest of Genevieve and her other friends, she tried the seductively slutty look --mini-skirt, fish-nets, hooker boots, halter top-- to get a rise out of him. Instead he walked past her to grab his cell-phone then left the apartment. Maylene immediately felt like a right idiot when she looked at herself in the mirror. Her friends knew it. She was a nice girl at heart.

So she settled for being comfortable with him while planning her next move.

Once he mustered an annoyed tone and asked, "Why do you keep coming here?"

Maylene replied with a playful shrug, "Because you haven't told me to stop."

Anton eyed her but she didn't blink. He finally just turned and walked away.

Maylene curled her lips inward in her mouth and smiled. Such an intriguing big lug.

She also just liked being in his place, in the 4 Corners. She was enjoying eavesdropping on the neighbours, piecing their lives together.

There was 301's John Smith who seemed to be spending very little time in his own apartment these days. The earnest man made a poor effort to conceal the fact that he and the woman in 302, Millicent, were often together watching porn movies in her apartment. Lately, they had taken to mimicking what they were watching...badly. They had an awkwardly studious approach to it all, like they were following flow charts. Their escapades came off sounding like a bumbling Laurel and Hardy skit over the headphones. Maylene often ended up nursing a belly ache from laughing rather than feeling anywhere near aroused.

Then there was Yayoi and her dog in 402. Ah, Yayoi. The sweet-like-a-gob-full-of-sugar little woman with the round face, multiple pig-tails and pitchy voice seemed to have a thing for Reality TV show hosts. Maylene listened carefully and counted the sounds of at least a dozen different vibrating sex toys the nebbish woman would apply to herself. Cooing calls of "Oh Jeff! Give me immunity!" often filled her apartment followed by high pitched squeals then a dog barking. The poor dog...Maylene had no clue as to what his name actually was since Yayoi seemed to change it on a whim.

Her Bambi-voiced mews of passion often cited "Mr.Stud" as well. "Which 'explains so much'," thought Maylene.

Maylene had met Caleigh and August, the two people using 401 as a dance studio, in the stairwell. She liked them, so bright and spirited. Almost the same age she was, the pearl skinned Caleigh and the cocoa toned August made for an attractive pairing though they insisted that they were just dance partners. As she listened in on them, it certainly sounded at first like all they were focused on was their dancing. But then Maylene listened more closely Through the music, through their instructions and conversations, she could hear more than either of them even may have realized or were willing to acknowledge -- something just on the other side of that door of their relationship. God she hoped that she was there to listen in on them when they busted that down.

"I'm home!" Maylene sang out as she entered the apartment. She wished for once Anton would be there to hear her say that. She ached to see the man do a spit-take.

But just like every other day the apartment was empty. Maylene sighed.

"Is this really the best you could do, silly girl?" Maylene thought, "Spend your weekend afternoons in this apartment waiting for that man to come home? You'll wait forever?"

Maylene looked around the apartment and rubbed her wrist, a worrisome thought wafting through her mind. She grimaced and shook her head. She needed to relax. A beer? No. She looked at the bathroom. With a smile she turned and walked towards it, pulling her top over her head and unbuttoning her jeans.

*********

She felt quite refreshed as she stepped out of the shower. Already smelling the familiar scent of Anton's soap on her wet skin, she reached for his towel to dry herself off. It was softer than she thought it would be. The man was full of secrets.

"Are you sure you aren't stalking him?" she laughed to herself.

Tilting her head, she patted down her long, straight black hair as she looked into the mirror. An attractive young woman looking content with herself looked back. Her pink lips drew to a broad smile revealing alluring dimples and narrowing her already sleek, cashew-shaped eyes. Maybe she wasn't Anton's type?

"No that won't do," she said aloud, "None of that, Maylene. You're a sultry, sexy bitch."

She laughed.

After slipping into her pink and blue panties, she was about to put her bra and top back on when she paused. That glimmer returned to her eye.

Padding across the apartment floor, barefoot and topless, she went to the closet.

"Okay. Now this is definitely stalking," she admitted. That didn't stop her from pulling on Anton's brown sweater. She was practically wearing a tent, the neck of the sweater slipping over one of her smooth shoulders, and the bottom dropping halfway down her bare thighs. Immediately she felt warm on the inside and out.

Now she felt it was time for a beer and she strode over to the fridge. Cracking open a can, she sipped the bit of beer spritzing over the top and walked over to the desk. Seating herself in the swivel chair, she drew one of her bare legs up to her chest, foot on the seat, and slipped on the headphone. She tapped the laptop keys.

"How are we doing today, folks?" she said.

"Ahg! Ahg! Holy shit! Get it off! Get it off!" a man screamed, his voice pitching high in panic.

"Bad dog! Down! Down!" the distinctly fluffy voice of Yayoi commanded.

The distressed man groaned in mortal pain.

A dog growled harshly.

"Let go of him now!" Yayoi insisted, "Those aren't Tikki's fetch balls! No! No!"

The man's voiced pitched even higher as the dog's growl intensified.

Maylene nearly tore the headphones off of her head, the cacophony from #402 stabbing her eardrums. She quickly tapped the keys again.

#202 was its usual dead silence. She figured it must be vacant though Anton had said somebody was in there.

#301 was quiet which meant Maylene knew where John was right now.

Tinny, hollow voices sounded from #302. Over accentuated breathing and groaning. Three-note electro music on never-ending loop. Lot's of "Yeah baby", "Like that" and "Fuck me".

John and Millicent were watching porno again.

"Look can you put down the notes?" John said anxiously.

"How do we decide which one to use?" Millicent said in her usual deadpan voice, "What's a 'tickler'?"

"It doesn't matter! They all do the same thing!"

"Wait, there's a movie that had this one," Millicent stated.

John sighed wearily.

Maylene shared his sigh. "Ah, Jeezus you two," she said rolling her eyes, "Just bugger her already would you John-boy?"