An afternoon for Doughnuts

She looked down at her trembling, blood-stained hands. She didn’t mean to do it. She saw red and the next thing she knew, she was standing over the lifeless body.

There was a loud knock at the door that echoed throughout the loft, disrupting Harmonie’s reading. She and Melodie, several yards away from each other, quickly exchanged glances, silently demanding that the other get up and answer the door. They weren’t expecting anyone at this time in the late afternoon. Melodie curled up even more on the couch, tugging the blanket up to her chin, while Harmonie crossed her legs on her bed and returned her eyes to her book.

Another knock.

“Get the door,” Melodie demanded, eyes locked to the TV screen.

Harmony slammed the book down lightly in her lap. “Lazy Bum… you’re clearly closer to the damn door.”

Melodie pulled the blanket up even more, covering her face. The parade of thick, dark brown curls being the only thing visible on the couch. “Bite me,” she grumbled.

The knock persisted, this time louder.

“Who is it?” They called out at the same time.

“The Grim Reaper!” A voice called out, slightly muffled behind the thick door.

“No freakin’ way…” Harmonie said, a smile forming across her face. She jumped out of bed, just as Melodie tossed the blanket off of her and hopped off the couch. Melodie made it to the door first, with Harmonie right behind her. She unbolted the lock and swung the door open.

They were met with a familiar face, a dimpled smile, and Dunkin Donuts bags in hand--certainly the opposite of the Grim Reaper.

“Bobbie!” The girls squealed, nearly knocking him down with their hugs.

“What up, my musical twins?” Bobbie said. “Has it been a minute or what?”

“More like a year and a half!” Melodie whined, finally releasing her cousin from her embrace. “We’ve missed you, cuz! This is a crazy surprise!”

“Yeah, seriously,” Harmonie said, ushering everyone inside and taking the bag of treats from him. “Where the hell have you been?”

Bobbie chuckled and kicked off his shoes. “Don’t act like you don’t stalk me on Instagram, Nee-nee.”

“Uh, correction,” Harmonie stated firmly, placing the bags down on the coffee table. “I don’t have social media, remember?”

“Yeah, I know,” Bobbie said, moving Melodie’s blanket to the side and plopping down on the couch. He took off his backpack and placed it by his feet. “You stalk me on Mel’s account… obviously.”

“I do not,” Harmonie declared, stifling a laugh.

Melodie sat down next to him and stared at him. “Dude, seriously… where have you been?” Harmonie put her hands on her hips, waiting for an answer as well.

He leaned forward to dig out a glazed doughnut from the box in the bag. He took a bite and chewed thoughtfully. “I’ve been all over really. Europe mainly… as you’ve probably seen in the pics. After I got back to the states last year, I figured I would continue exploring some more places. I didn’t stay in one place for too long... until I got to Texas.” He took another bite of his doughnut, this time chewing slower.

Harmonie grabbed a doughnut for herself and sat down on the nearby bean bag chair. “What was in Texas?”

Bobbie shrugged his shoulder and popped the rest of the doughnut into his mouth. “Just someone I needed to get to know before leaving.”

“You had to get to know her for almost a year?” Melodie asked, her voice quieter than before. “Your last post was six months ago. It’s like you vanished.”

“I’ll ignore your presumptions of this someone being a female,” Bobbie rolled his eyes. “But yeah… Lydia wasn’t exactly keen on the whole social media thing. So I stopped posting for a while.” He grabbed another doughnut, this time offering it to Melodie who remained as still as a stone, looking into her cousin’s eyes with hurt.

“Lydia?” Melodie whispered. She didn’t want the tears to sting her eyes, but it did. He was grown. He could do whatever the hell he wanted. Yet, she felt almost abandoned. All this time, she thought he was simply getting lost in the beauty of adventure and finding himself before coming home… to his family.

“You changed your number, bro,” Harmonie said. “You know your Mel’s favorite human, besides me, of course. How do you think that made her feel?” Harmonie glanced at her sister, who lowered her eyes, hugging her legs and resting her chin on her knees in silence. Harmonie didn’t care if another year had gone by without seeing her cousin, as long as he was safe; but she could empathize with Melodie.

The three of them grew up together in their home in Connecticut. When Bobbie was 8, his dad died, and his mom’s mental state plummeted. When her younger sister--the twins’ mom--discovered this, she told her to move into the same housing complex, in the vacant apartment downstairs. She was a single mom herself, but knew that if they were together, it would help them both. Bobbie’s mom agreed (without really having much of a choice) and a month later, they had moved in. Melodie and Harmonie were 6 at the time, but knew they had just gained an additional playmate who just so happened to be family. They lived just one flight of stairs away from each other for the next 10 years. They attended the same school and had hung out together so often that people assumed they were triplets.

Bobbie brushed the crumbs off of his hands. “Listen,” He started, clasping his broad hands together. “I just had to disconnect, and it had nothing to do with you, girls.” He gave Melodie a reassuring look. He paused, unsure of what to say next. Instead, he leaned over to unzip his navy blue backpack that was on the floor. He rummaged around for a bit and then pulled out a small, black notebook. He held it in his hands for a moment, twirling the soft covered notebook slowly in his hand.

Harmonie and Melodie watched Bobbie sit in silence rotating the small, black notebook in his hands, staring at it blankly.

“What’s the deal with the diary?” Harmonie asked impatiently.

“I’m still waiting to hear why you felt the need to change your number without telling me--us,” Melodie stated.

“It’s not a diary,” Bobbie responded. “And… I’m getting to that.” He replied to Melodie with a softer tone.

“Okay… so it’s a book full of phone numbers because... you’ve become a low-key player?” Harmonie continued, stifling back laughter. “I mean, I can keep going.”

Before Harmonie could continue her banter, Bobbie dug into his bag with both hands and carefully placed thick stacks of cash, neatly secured in currency straps, on the table beside the notebook.

He sat back on the coach uncomfortably, as his cousins stared at it wide-eyed, and then back at him.

“W-Where the hell did you get all this money?!” Melodie exclaimed, staring at Bobbie. She sat up straighter beside him, but he only slouched more in his spot.

“Get the hell outta here!” Harmonie breathed, diving for the coffee table. She knelt down on the area rug to get a closer look, eyes still wide in amazement. “Dude... are you making bank or did you rob a bank?!”

Bobbie scratched his head quickly and then shifted slowly on the coach. His expression suddenly became apprehensive.

“I, uh... found $20,000,” He said, his voice suddenly low. “And this notebook.”

There was silence, as the twins exchanged glances.

“How do you just find that kind of money?” Melodie asked. She glanced towards the door to ensure it was locked. “Where did it come from?”

Harmonie sensed her trepidation, and quickly glanced towards the door herself. She envisioned a squad of officers breaking down their door any minute.

“No one finds that kind of money unless they’re actually looking for it dammit,” Melodie said, becoming frustrated. “If you’re dragging us into the middle of some illegal shit, you can count us out.”

“I found the money and the notebook in Lydia’s house,” Bobbie responded.

Harmonie squinted her eyes in confusion. “So why the heck is it here and not with your girlfriend?”

“Not my girlfriend,” Bobbie said flatly. “She... was a friend.”

“Was...?” Melodie asked, her voice trailing off.

Bobbie paused and sighed.

“She’s... dead.”

“Oh my gosh!” Melodie’s hands flew to her mouth.

“Dude, if you don’t start explaining--” Harmonie began.

“Truth is,” Bobbie stated abruptly. “I went MIA because I got scared. I found the money and made a run for it. I had to hide out in several places before coming home, just to make sure I wasn’t being followed by her people… maybe a gang she’s a part of.”

Melodie’s eyes widened, as Harmonie jumped out of her seat.

“You literally showed up on our doorstep with donuts and a smile, Bobbie!” Harmonie stated incredulously pointing at her cousin, who was now sweating. “Now you’re telling us that some mafia might be following you?”

“I had to make sure the money was safe, okay?” He said. His watch started to beep. He stood up quickly, lifted the box of doughnuts up and carried it to the kitchen. He poured the remaining treats into the sink and rushed back to scoop the money up and lay them side by side into the box.

“What are you doing?” Melodie inquired, panic rising in her chest.

“I have to go,” Bobbie responded sharply, as he continued to stuff the money inside and then close the lid. He gave the notebook to Melodie, and tried to force a smile.

She shook her head. “What’s in that thing?”

Bobbie sighed, still sweating. “I-I’ll put the money in the car and come back. I need help figuring out a plan.” He swung his backpack on his back, pulled his hoodie over his head and rushed towards the door, with the heavy Doughnuts box filled with cash.

Before the twins could utter a word, he had closed the door behind him.

“What the hell is going on, Harmonie?! I feel like I don’t know who he is anymore.”

“I wish I knew,” Harmonie said aloud, eyeing the notebook still in her hand. “He went from perky and happy to see us, to looking panicked.”

“Open it,”Melodie said, slowly walking to the window to peek down.

Without hesitation, Harmonie opened the notebook. Melodie watched her flip through the pages, her eyebrows arching with every page.

“Well?” Melodie asked impatiently.

“Every page says… I’m sorry.”

“‘I’m sorry’?” Melodie repeated. “That’s it?”

“Every… single...page,” Harmonie said, still flipping, and walking over to Melodie to show her.

Melodie glanced at it and was taken aback. “That looks like Bobbie’s handwriting.” She peered down at the street and saw a Black Toyota pull out from the side of the building’s parking space and exit towards the street.

“Why is Bobbie leaving?” Harmonie asked, following her sister’s gaze. “I thought he said he’d come back to figure this all out!”

Just then, there was a loud knock on the door which made the girls both jump.

They exchanged worried glances, as if to say, Is the door locked?

At that moment, the door swung open and there stood a girl who looked a few years older than them. She had dirty blonde hair that was cut unevenly short, and wore a black sweatshirt and black jeans, which complimented her mean grin. Two tall, muscular men stood behind her with scowls.

Melodie and Harmonie gravitated closer to each other and before they knew it, they were gripping the other’s hand.

“Who are you?” Harmonie demanded.

The woman made her way into the loft, revealing a gun strapped to her waist.

She licked her lips and smirked. “I’m Lydia, and I hear ya’ll have $20,000 that’s mine. And believe me, I don’t take too kindly to thieves.”