it as your gift to us for the wonderful time you'll be having here."
Yemaya obviously was outnumbered. "As long as you make sure you don't get us arrested or in any trouble."
"Now, that ain't very nice," Maopa teased. "I'm thinkin' about a big, juicy steak with mashed potatoes and gravy and showin' Mari 'bout bein' human."
"So how do we go about doing this?" Yemaya asked.
"Consider it done," Mari said.
In a blink, the Earth Mother and her spirit partner disappeared, leaving the two women alone to again experience the unlimited pleasures of Mari's world. After the spirits' departure, Yemaya glanced at her lover and laughed. Dakota gave her a questioning look.
"Mari should have stayed around a bit longer. This isn't the best time of the month to be babysitting my body."
It only took seconds for Dakota to understand her meaning. "Oh boy." She rolled her eyes dramatically.
CHAPTER 7
T HE SENSATION OF waking up was unique to Mari as well as the feel of a bed, sheets, and Maopa's warm body wrapped tightly around her. Lying still, she listened to the sounds and inhaled the smells around her, trying to analyze each of them. For the most part, the smells were pleasant enough, with the exception of some faint obnoxious odors drifting from the air vents. The noises were a little more overwhelming, but she adjusted to those fairly easily. Maopa's physical nearness was extremely pleasing and aroused a strange tingling sensation throughout her entire body. Leaning slightly toward the still sleeping woman, she inhaled and smiled.
I think I'm going to like this experience, she thought, wanting to snuggle closer to Maopa. Shifting slightly, Mari felt an uncomfortable bulge between her thighs. Of course, at the moment everything was so new she really wasn't sure if what she was feeling was or wasn't normal. Reaching down, she tentatively touched the thick, bulky object.
"What in the world...." Frowning, she groped around the area. She rolled onto her back and threw off the sheets. She stared at the dark silk panties and again poked at the bulge. Pulling at the elastic waist, she peered inside at a thick white padding with a slightly red stain. Unsure of what she was supposed to do, she nudged the sleeping figure next to her. "Maopa."
Maopa groaned loudly, opened one eye, and peered blearily at Mari.
"What?" she grumbled. "Dang, first time in a hunnert years I felt tired. I fergot what it were like." She made a face. "An my mouth tastes awful."
"Maopa," Mari said again, slightly frustrated. "Look." She pointed at the offending object.
"Yeah? What about it? Yah be havin' yer monthly, that's all. Go ta sleep."
"Monthly?"
"Yah know. Means yah be at the breedin' time. Tain't nothin' ta worry about."
"Oh, this is the 'curse' humans talk about, right?"
"That be it. Now hows about we gets a little moah shuteye. Then I'll enlighten yah on this partic'lar affliction."
Mari pointed at the sanitary napkin again and then tapped it tentatively with her index finger. "I can't sleep with this thing like that. It's uncomfortable. What do I do with it?"
Maopa sighed. She sat up, reached down, and snapped the elastic around her spirit partner's right leg.
"Nothin. Them thar undies are holdin' it quite nicely. When it's done filled up with blood, yah throws it away and puts in a new one. Yah oughta be grateful they makes them moah comfitable now. In mah day, twer whatever we could stuff down our drawers. Old rags was best, if'n we had them ta waste."
Mari felt her eyes almost roll back in her head at the thought of stuffing rags in her panties. She didn't even want to imagine what else might be used.
"Where do I throw this away and find another one? I thought humans were more advanced than this," she said irritably, "or at least more evolved."
Now it was time for Maopa to roll her eyes. "Oh Lordy. I think yer