Page 5 of The Sicilian's Obsession
Katima
Icould feel his eyes on me. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. It was unnerving to have my every move watched. I guess that was his job, but it sent me into a spiral. I hated eyes on me, especially from behind. My breaths were coming in pants as my hysteria grew. I could see dirt on the countertops, oozing downward as I tried to wipe it away. The dirt matched the chunks of brown mud plastered on Arturo's boots when he'd stepped into my lab. An itch began underneath my skin as I remembered the taint he had trailed into my workspace. Did I really clean it all? I should go back and check after I was done in the kitchen.
"Katima? Are you all right?" Arturo's voice came from far away. I tried to claw at my throat, unable to get the words out of my mouth. My routine, my lab, my kitchen, my house were tainted and sullied. I clawed my nails deeper into my throat to produce the words I needed to say aloud.
"Katima! Stop!" Arturo was by my side, trying to pry my hands away from my flesh.
I bellowed in his face, "Shoes!" I tried to tell him to take them off, but I couldn't get the words out.
I cried, "Shoes."
He just looked at me with a mixture of bewilderment and confusion.
He asked, "What about my shoes?"
Frustrated, I pulled at my throat again, but his big hands refused to let me.
"Do you want me to take them off?"
I nodded my head yes, relieved that I was able to get my point across.
"Okay, okay." He moved away and took his sneakers to the shoe rack in the entryway hall. In a blink, he was back in front of me, concern marring his forehead. Softening his voice, he said, "What else?"
I dug my nails into my forearms, shivering from the force of my anxiety attack. How could I explain?
"E-every th-thing is f-filthy." Tears rolled unchecked down my face. My pants were subsiding as embarrassment took the place of the hysteria that had swelled in my chest just moments before.
"Hey, that's okay. How about I finish cleaning in here and you take a hot shower?"
I started to shake my head no, but Arturo cut me off. "I was in the army for ten years. I know how to get this place sparkling. Trust me." His eyes watched mine. He was sincere. There was no judgment, no hidden amusement in his gaze. I nodded my agreement and backed out of the kitchen. My skin felt itchy, leaving my routine unfinished. I knew he was trying to help, but I felt physically ill leaving it to him. In the back of my mind, I knew the kitchen was cleaned, but I couldn't help the way I perceived things. It wasn't clean enough. As I walked into my room, wading through the dirty laundry, I realized, nothing was.
* * *
Arturo
I had changed my mind about Katima being certifiable. After that meltdown, my gut was telling me there was more to her story. She seemed to have trouble speaking, which would explain earlier today. Gah, I was an asshole. I checked my email and noticed a docu-sign from her dad. Perfect. Now I was going to figure out who Katima Sweets was and what exactly her story was. I cleaned up the products Katima was using and called her father.
He barked, "Cruz."
"Mind telling me why Katima freaked out over cleaning the kitchen?" I leaned against the counter, my forearms flexing aggressively.
"She had an episode?" Her dad didn't sound surprised at all.
"Yes. She was agitated about losing her gloves. Then she spoke with you and started freaking out about everything being dirty."
He sighed in my ear, "I was afraid this would happen."
"Afraid what would happen? What exactly am I dealing with?" I was pissed. He never said anything about Katima's proclivities. I would think this would be pertinent information to keep her from harming herself or others.
"Look, Katima doesn't even really know where her illness stems from, just that it's all she's ever known. What youneedto know is that she likes things a certain way. I'm not around as much as I want to be, so even I don't exactly know everything. If you watch, you'll learn. Pay attention to whom she interacts with. It won't be many; few understand her…" He petered off. Guessing that was all I was going to get, I got off the phone with him and went to check on Katima.
The sun was setting, and I was sure she was hungry. I grabbed my duffel bag and brought it to the top of the stairs, setting it off to the side for later. I'd have to ask Katima to see each room, so I could choose the one that watched most of the property. I knocked on her door.
"Katima? Did you want dinner?" My phone pinged, and I grinned. I didn't expect a response, but it was short, just like she was.
Katima: Yes.
Arturo: I need to look at the rooms.
