The Aroma of Roma, pt. 10

I gazed upon the house, and for a moment or two, I could scarcely believe that this was where Audrey lived; it was somewhat small... Still, I didn't say anything, not wanting to be rude, but accompanied her as she walked toward the door and opened it. "Like I said," the skunk told me, "it's not much, but it's home."

The interior of the house was quite surprising to me as well; it seemed like the entire house was two rooms, maybe three. The majority of the house was a single room, with a rather large bed (it probably NEEDED to be pretty large to accommodate such a plump skunk), a kitchen area across from it, and a somewhat small antenna TV against the wall. Now I understood why she admired me for having cable...

Another door led into a somewhat small bathroom, probably only a little larger than it needed to be for her to even get in; the house had a slight, strange, somehow pleasant smell. I identified it right away as the smell of her B.O., as well as the oddly delightful reek that was produced by her powerful gas. A large refrigerator, probably filled to the brim with food, took pride of place in her kitchen, though I was a bit confused as to why she still had so much food.

Audrey waddled over and sat on her bed, smiling somewhat less enthusiastically than before. "Not too much to see, but feel free to look around if you want..." She saw I was confused about the refrigerator, and she got up and walked over to my side. "Jordan," she said, blushing a little, "I don't know if you've realized it or not, but I'm not exactly as well off as most people. I find money around the park and on the streets to pay for food and such, and I keep my fridge stocked 'cause I need to ration what I've got so I can actually survive..." She seemed rather depressed now, having put her hand on my shoulder; I felt like doing the same, and so I did. "I do go into grocery stores sometimes," she continued, "but mostly at night. I get quite a lot, but I always leave enough money for it. I don't steal from ANYONE, ever."

I believed her; she didn't seem like the sort of girl who would lie. I also reached out and gave her a big hug, though I was too "hindered" by her protruding belly for my arms to reach all the way around her. Audrey wrapped her arms tight around me, smiling. "I really want to thank you for coming; I know it's nowhere near as great as your house, but it's enough for me to get by." "My pleasure," I replied...then I remembered something: the $20 bill in my pocket; Audrey had saved me from the thugs before they had a chance to take it.

"Audrey," I said, "I want to give you something. It's not very much, but I want you to have it. I hope it will help you in the future." With that, I placed the bill in her hand, and I saw her eyes widen slightly, then light up. "Thank you, Jordan... You really are a nice guy." She smiled warmly, then grabbed me up again in a significantly tighter and more powerful hug than before; it did my heart very good to know I had helped her, and even more so to see that I'd made her happy. "You didn't have to do this," she said, to which I replied, "I know I didn't have to. I wanted to. I AM your boyfriend, after all; I just want to make sure you’re happy."

My words apparently had a significant positive effect on her; her body seemed a little bit warmer as I was still hugged against it. Looking up, I saw the kind skunk girl's face redden a bit, though a smile was still prominent. She simply said, "Aww, you!" Then, she grabbed my head in her hands and gave me a huge, passionate kiss right on the lips. Her belly rumbled as she pulled away slowly, gazing into my eyes; her face still close to mine, Audrey blasted out a wet, low *BUUUUURRRRP!* The blast blew my hair back, and Audrey giggled playfully. "Excuse me!" she said, and I grinned. "Nice one, Audrey," I said, now giving her lips a kiss as well.

The sun was about to come up soon, so we agreed that I should be getting home. "Bye!" she called as I walked down the path to the main area of the park. "Thanks again for coming!" Smiling, I called back, "You're welcome! Any time!" Little did I know that two robin's-egg-blue eyes were peering at me from a bush somewhere nearby, and that a soft, rather high French voice said in a quiet, somewhat dainty voice, "Ooh-la-LA!"