LEELA Ep 10: Espumita

A story about a woman who, like many of us, knows how to give love to everyone but herself.

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Start at the Beginning…

Leela wakes before the sun rises.

Marcus is already in the shower.

She wraps herself in a robe and slips into her terry cloth chanclitas.

Her feet shuffle across the floor to the kitchen.

She opens the pantry and starts the coffee.

The aroma enters through her nose and possesses her body.

On the counter, she places one, two, three, four, five, six insulated coffee tumblers.

Five say Miami Heat.

One says Houston Rockets.

She smiles at the joke.

Addy thought of everything.

Then, without warning, a shadow passes through her mind.

Memories move in unexpectedly like Miami storm clouds.

***

It’s finals week.

Liliana is in the kitchen of Olivia’s apartment.

A yellow can of Café Bustelo sits next to her on the counter.

Behind her, a top-of-the-line pod-style coffee maker has the morning off.

She furiously whips heaps of sugar and drops of espresso into a light caramel foam.

“Espuma,” she says to herself.

Her eyes carefully guard the coffee as it steadily spills into the top chamber of the moka pot.

Then she repeats it again, this time in Lucy’s voice as she does a little dance.

“Espumita!”

***

Leela fills each of the tumblers and walks the grounds, handing them out to the security team.

Eventually, Marcus walks into the kitchen, revived and refreshed.

Leela hands him the coffee as she sips her own.

“What the fuck is that shit?” He points to her tumbler, cringing at the logo.

“Remember where you are, Marcus. I can want the best for you and hope you lose at the same time.”

He chuckles, raising the coffee to his lips, then stops.

“You didn’t put any of that sweet Cuban shit in this, did you? You know I don’t do sugar.”

She rolls her eyes and waves him off.

“I already don’t like your tone. Next time, you make your own coffee.”

He puts the coffee to his lips tentatively, letting a single drop hit his tongue.

He grins and takes a bigger drink.

“Mmmm…this is good.”

“Ay, qué comemierda…” she reprimands as she marches out onto the patio.

He follows her, still smiling, and sits down at the table across from her.

“What’s your agenda look like for the day?”

She pretends nothing happened.

“I got training from 6-8 a.m., lifts from 12-2 p.m., and then I hit the arena at 5 p.m. for pregame.”

She studies him, eyes big and pleading.

“Did you give any thought to the thing I talked to you about?”

He wants to say no, but he struggles to get the word out.

“I never ask for anything, Marcus…”

He still fumbles for words, moving his head from side to side like he’s trying to shake off a double-team.

Leela matches his body language, transferring it into a nod.

He wavers.

She pounces.

“Forty-five minutes, champ. Forty-five minutes and you’re out.”

He can’t help but laugh.

“Oh, it’s champ now???”

The look she gives him is absolutely irresistible.

“Forty-five minutes. From 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.”

He’s not fooled by the math.

“That’s an hour!” he protests.

She ignores him.

“PLEASE…Marcus.”

She pours it on, playing with the neckline of her tank top, adding a tease to the assault.

He breaks.

“Fine!”

“But I need something a little stronger than coffee to get this day started.”

He says it playfully, rushing toward her.

“Oh yeah? I thought you didn’t want any of ‘that sweet Cuban shit’…”

He sweeps her up into the air.

Carrying her back to bed.

***

Maya puts the key into the door of Addy’s apartment and opens it.

She holds it open with her back while shielding the two café lattes she’s carrying on a tray.

She spent an entire two and a half minutes staring at Addy’s coffee maker, trying to decipher how to use it, before giving up and driving to the local corner spot.

Addy is knocked out.

The exhaustion of back-to-back eighteen-hour days has put her into a deep sleep.

She stumbled in at 2 a.m. last night.

Addy gave Maya the key to her apartment, hoping they would at least be able to sneak in some time together.

They talked for about five minutes, with Addy struggling just to keep her eyes open, then went to bed.

Maya brings the coffees into the bedroom and sits on the edge of the bed next to the princess.

She kisses Addy on the forehead.

Addy’s eyes shoot open.

“Shit! What time is it???” Addy sits up in panic.

“It’s 10:30 a.m. I know it’s a little late for you, but you needed the rest.”

Addy jumps out of bed, almost spilling the coffee.

“10:30??? Shit, shit, shit! How could this happen?”

She runs into the closet.

“I told you to wake me up at 8 a.m., Maya! 8 a.m…”

She exits the closet, stepping into the other leg of her jeans, hopping on one foot as she pulls them up.

“I can’t even…I’m dead. I’m fucking dead.”

Maya is at a loss for words. Outside of certain adult situations, she has never heard Addy swear before.

She feels bad, and her defenses start to go up.

“I know you said that, but I didn’t realize it was that serious. You said you didn’t have to work today.”

Maya tries to keep her cool.

“I don’t work all day, but I have to go in for an hour to do this thing.”

Maya seems puzzled and starts to turn red.

“What thing??? What the fuck is so important that after working for almost forty-eight hours straight, you have to go in on your day off?”

Addy ignores her, rushing into the bathroom to put her makeup on.

“I’m fucked, I’m fucked…”

Maya approaches the doorway.

“I don’t like this, Addy. I don’t like how you’re being treated. They’re pushing you too hard.”

Addy explodes.

“Are you kidding me? What the fuck do you know about it?”

Maya was built for this.

“I know that, as incredible as you make that boss of yours out to be, she’s not who you think she is! She has another side to her, and…”

Addy glares at her, ready to pounce.

“Say it! Say what you need to say!”

Maya couldn’t stop herself if she tried.

“She’s manipulating you.”

Addy stares at her like she has crossed all of the most sacred lines that could ever be crossed.

“How dare you? How fucking dare you? Do you know why I’m going to work today?”

Of course, Maya doesn’t, but Addy waits anyway.

“Because Leela has arranged for Marcus fucking Hayes to visit the kids at the community center she funds in Little Havana!

“Do you have any idea how hard we had to work to pull that off? How fucking perfect we had to be?”

Maya is speechless.

“Yeah, that’s right! That dark, evil, manipulative bitch you’re speaking of has gone out of her way to create a picture of something better for poor kids who have nothing. To create a moment that they’ll remember for the rest of their lives!”

Maya’s face collapses, embarrassed.

“And I was supposed to coordinate the event…”

She throws her hands up, tears streaming down her face.

“…that started ten minutes ago.”

She puts on her blazer and slams the door.

Maya turns the coffee cup in her hands.

Afraid of everything she may have just lost.

Something from the kitchen catches her eye.

A box of red metallic cards.

She walks over to them and picks one up, handling it briefly.

Then she notices she is still holding the tray of coffees.

Setting them on the counter, she grabs her things and leaves.

Making sure to leave the key on the counter before she walks out.

***

Tanvi is surrounded by kids.

She has no siblings, no nieces or nephews, which should go without saying, and all of her cousins still live in India.

She doesn’t like kids, doesn’t want to like kids, doesn’t feel bad about not liking kids.

And yet here she is, being hit with balls on a Saturday morning.

She glances into the hallway, where Marcus Hayes is standing unseen by the children.

“I wouldn’t mind being hit with his balls…” she mutters under her breath.

“Okay, okay, everyone sit down Indian-style…”

She motions dramatically with her arms, but no one moves.

One of the coordinators speaks up from behind her as discreetly as she can.

“It’s called criss-cross applesauce now…”

Tanvi is confounded.

“Criss-cross apple—what the fuck?” She’s loud enough for the kids to hear her.

The room erupts in laughter, “Ooooohs,” and finger-pointing.

Tanvi rolls her eyes like she couldn’t care less.

She tries to channel her last few remaining Barney the Dinosaur memories and really takes her tone and motions over the top.

“All right, everyone, sit down. Criss-cross applesauce. We have a very special guest here to see you today.”

Everyone sits down but one kid.

“Sit down!” she yells.

He sits, terrified.

“Yes, good. Now, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I’m proud to present to you the sexiest man in sports: Marcus Hayes!”

He walks around the corner, and the gym becomes straight pandemonium.

Yelling.

Screaming.

Jumping.

They rush right over her to meet him.

Some of them are even larger than she is.

She just stands there, her clothes getting disheveled.

“Fuck you, Addy…”

***

Leela is on the edge of her seat.

Addy’s voice comes out of the receiver so fast that Leela can’t make out what she’s trying to say.

“Cálmate, mi corazón. Just calm down and breathe for a second. Everything is okay.”

Addy struggles to catch her breath.

“Let me take my best guess at what you’re trying to say. You overslept.”

Leela’s voice is soft and tender.

“Because you were exhausted…”

Addy makes a noise that sounds like an “Uh-huh.”

“Because we just worked our asses off for the past two days, and you put everything you had into making it perfect, which it was, by the way.”

Addy’s heart starts to return to her chest, and her breathing starts quieting down.

“And the next thing you know, you opened your eyes and were hopelessly behind, and now you feel like everything was for nothing and that we are all going to judge you off of nothing more than this one mistake?”

“Yeah…” Addy sounds like a little girl with a runny nose.

“Yeah, kind of, or yeah, exactly?”

“Yeah, exactly.” Addy laughs just a little.

“Mami, do you know how I can articulate all of those feelings so perfectly?” Leela shifts in her seat.

“Because I’ve been there before. It’s fine. You did great. I couldn’t be prouder of you. If anything, I should have been more sensitive to your need for rest. This is why we meet three hours before the event, so that we can prepare for contingencies. Tanvi stepped up, the kids met their hero, and everything turned out just fine.”

She is almost making it too easy.

Addy speaks up.

“You’re not disappointed?”

Leela’s heart breaks.

“No, mamita, not one little bit. Failure is a master teacher, and ladies like us, we love to learn.”

Leela listens hard for changes in Addy’s breathing.

“Take the rest of the day off. I’ll handle the interview with Steven. You sit back, relax, and spend some time with that beautiful lady of yours. I’m sure she’s been feeling neglected.”

Addy is quiet.

Too quiet.

Leela’s face shifts to concern.

“Addy, what happened?”

Addy hesitates, but deep down, she really wants to talk about it.

“We had a fight this morning…I think it’s over.”

Leela gasps. “What!?!? No! Mami, what happened?”

“It was about work and me working too much…she said some things about you that I didn’t like.”

Addy takes a breath.

“…and I was exhausted and freaking out and probably fucked it all up, Leela.”

She starts crying again.

“Oh baby, no, no, no. Things like this happen. Don’t let it fester. Go make it right. You don’t let something special slip away for no reason. This isn’t one of those goddamn romantic comedies where the couple abandons each other at the beginning of the third act over something dumb.”

Addy sniffles.

“Yeah, but the things she said about you…”

Leela cuts her off.

“Mira, I don’t want to hear about it. Lovers say things out of passion. Gracias a Dios for that passion.

“No, no, I’m a big girl, and you don’t have to defend me. Not one bit. I love Maya, and God forbid I think less of her because of my annoyingly resilient ego. Whatever she said was either ill-informed and said with the best intentions or true. Either way, it shouldn’t stand in the way of love.”

“It wasn’t true!” Addy protests.

“Well then, there you have it. She doesn’t have all of the facts, and she just wants to protect you!”

Leela smiles.

“Now go, right this instant, and make it right!”

Addy takes a deep breath, feeling relieved.

“I love you, Leela.”

Leela moves her hand to her heart.

“I love you, princess! I wish I could reach right through the phone and give you the world’s biggest hug.”

They say their goodbyes.

And Leela goes back in time…

***

Liliana’s cortadito turns out exquisite.

She places it on the coffee table in the living room, setting the stage.

Wanting everything to be perfect before waking Olivia up.

What she sees makes her heart stop.

A line of white powder on a mirror, casually sitting next to a rolled-up one-hundred-dollar bill.

Olivia knew how Liliana felt about drugs.

About what she’d been through.

There’s no way that she would...

She looks down, and her hands are trembling.

She tries to pause.

To stay rational.

To be logical about this.

She’s aware that the emotional side of her brain is trying to take over.

She wills herself to think.

She had gotten tired of waiting up for Olivia to get home and had gone to bed early in preparation for finals.

This wasn’t there when she went to sleep.

Is this what Olivia was doing when she was out?

Her mind flashes to memories she hasn’t thought of in years.

To places she never goes.

She looks toward the bedroom.

What if she had too much?

She thinks about Olivia’s strange disappearances.

About the way she had shown up, a complete mess.

She has seen that before.

She looks toward the room again.

She feels cold.

Her lip is quivering.

Dear God, what if she were...

She doesn’t let herself go there.

Struggling to stay in control.

But she’s up to her neck now.

The flat feels deathly silent.

Not just void of noise. Like the sound is being sucked out of the room.

She can hardly breathe.

She walks toward the bedroom slowly.

Each step is a conquest over apprehension and dread.

She opens the door slowly, listening for any sounds at all.

Especially the sound of breathing.

Frozen, she stands there for what feels like an eternity, looking at the girl she loves and cherishing not knowing.

Finally, she moves to Olivia’s side.

Sitting on the edge of the bed.

She can’t get herself to lower her head to Olivia’s mouth, so she shakes her instead.

“Olivia…wake up.”

Olivia doesn’t respond.

She shakes her again, her stomach starting to spiral.

“Baby, wake up…”

Nothing.

She feels like a little girl again.

Tears start streaming down her face.

Liliana grabs her shoulders, shaking her harder and harder, lifting her torso off the bed.

Olivia’s body flops with each shake like a rag doll.

Liliana is hyperventilating.

Almost screaming.

“Wake up, Olivia! Wake up!!!”

Olivia’s eyelids slide open just a bit, revealing nothing but white.

Liliana isn’t sure what she’s seeing.

Or when she’s seeing it.

Something else is taking over.

She’s covered in tears.

Shouting at the top of her lungs.

She slaps Olivia in the face.

Willing her to consciousness.

“Wake up, you stupid bitch!!!”

She slaps her again.

And again.

Olivia’s eyes open.

Liliana jumps off the bed, backing up as if Olivia has just become a vampire.

Olivia’s first few blinks are blank.

Trying to process.

Trying to figure out where she is and what’s going on.

She sees Liliana curled in the corner, shaking, bawling her eyes out in agony.

Speaking to no one.

To Olivia.

To herself.

“How could you? How could you? How could you?”

Over and over and over.

Olivia’s heart breaks, and she rushes to her.

She doesn’t have to ask what she did.

She knows.

She fights past Liliana’s flailing arms.

Wrestling to give her the comfort she knows she deserves.

After a struggle, Liliana relents, and Olivia holds her.

“I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry. I’ll do better. I’ll be better. I promise.”

***

Leela walks into headquarters.

Tatum and Tanvi are sitting close together, deep into something.

The collaboration is obviously humming.

They seem friendly.

Leela breezes past.

Almost too friendly.

She stops herself mid-stride, her leg stepping forward, her torso moving back in their direction.

“Don’t you guys ever stop working?” she asks, sounding bored.

Tanvi bites back without even looking away.

“There are pretty girls, and there are the ones who get things done…”

Tanvi glances over.

Leela waits patiently with raised eyebrows, peering over her sunglasses, excited to hear what exactly Tanvi is going to say next.

In an instant, Tanvi puts sarcasm into the top hat and pulls out exaggerated charm.

Which you can clearly hear in her voice.

“And you, my dear, are both of those…”

She bows in Leela’s direction, lowering one hand dramatically in a gesture of homage.

“What are you two working on? You seem awfully cozy over there together.”

Leela is not as suspicious as she sounds, but she is suspicious.

“Tatey, you wanna take this one? Just like I’ve been teaching you…”

Tatum turns to her and rolls his eyes.

“When I was a kid, I used to go to my cousin’s house to play Nintendo. My parents wouldn’t let us have video games ’cause they thought it would rot our brains…”

Tanvi turns slowly, revolving her entire chair to face him.

“We used to play this game called Duck Hunt…”

Leela and Tanvi glance at each other, cross-referencing whether or not the other is as lost as they are.

Tatum smiles.

“We are duck hunting the fuck out of those hackers who tried to breach our system…”

Tanvi cuts him off. “Oh dear God, no…”

Leela turns to Tanvi. “You taught him that?”

Tanvi stares at Tatum in disgust and embarrassment.

Leela turns to walk away, casting one more zinger over her shoulder.

“That was bad.”

Then she stops and turns back in their direction.

“By the way, Addy is going to be taking the rest of the day off.”

“That bitch,” Tanvi says under her breath.

“I’ll be handling the Wexler interview.”

Tatum and Tanvi glance at each other in concern.

“Unless one of you wants to do it.”

They both shake their heads, holding their hands out.

“What time are we rolling out?” Tatum asks.

Leela answers flippantly.

“That’s not necessary, guys. I got this. I don’t need a chaperone.”

The concern returns.

She ignores it and disappears into her office.

***

Steven is questioning everything about himself.

His shirt.

His shoes.

The stupid fishing hat he’s wearing.

This whole experience has been incredibly humiliating, and yet somehow, it only makes him want Leela more.

His leg bounces up and down.

Leela agreed to meet him in Fort Lauderdale, which is closer to his house.

He feels like that was a mistake as well, perhaps sending the message that he isn’t willing to go the extra mile.

He has been out of the game for so long that he doesn’t even know what’s acceptable and unacceptable anymore.

Is it offensive if he holds the door?

Is it offensive if he doesn’t?

He glances down and notices that he’s wringing his hat in his hands.

Jesus. I wasn’t asking for this.

He had already had a soulmate, and he had to work like hell to keep that one.

What is he doing?

Leela chose a quaint cafecito for the interview and instructed him to sit outside.

He needs a drink.

Badly.

He glances toward the shop, wondering if they might serve more than coffee.

He decides against it.

His leg is still bouncing.

There is a liquor store across the street.

He gets up, considering it, but then thinks better of it and sits back down.

If she shows up while he’s gone, she might think that he isn’t interested enough.

Then the thought hits him.

Fifty thousand dollars should be quite the statement.

***

Leela watches it all from the parking lot.

Noting his jittery behavior.

Catching his glance toward the liquor store.

He is an addict.

He is clearly under stress.

Everything Addy had concluded in her analysis of his assessment is right there.

But Leela also understands.

She feels bad for him.

Knowing what he has lost and the void he must carry with him.

***

Steven’s phone rings.

He answers.

“Hello?”

A soft, confident voice washes over him.

“You’re nervous. It’s cute.”

He starts looking around, eyes darting everywhere.

“Calm down, Steven. You passed. Take a deep breath and relax.”

Something about her voice is like medicine.

“What happens next?” he asks.

“Let’s talk business first,” she says.

He is a little relieved about that.

It was a huge thing hanging over him.

“You transfer the payment into an escrow account. The account requires two releases, one from you and one from me. If you aren’t completely satisfied after our week together or have any regrets, you don’t have to release the funds. In order for you to move those funds back into your account, I have to release them. Which I will do, but only if I’m convinced that your dissatisfaction is genuine. If I feel you are trying to scam me or acting in bad faith, I won’t release.”

Steven wrings his hat tighter.

“What happens then?”

“Then it sits there for as long as it takes until we reach an understanding like two reasonable adults.”

“How many times has that happened?”

“Zero,” Leela says.

“How many times has a client been dissatisfied?”

“Zero,” Leela says.

Steven doesn’t know what to say.

“So I don’t get to see you today?” he asks, disappointed.

“Let’s make it special,” she answers.

“Okay, how soon can we schedule?”

“I’m free for the next two weeks,” she replies.

“Tomorrow?” he sounds hopeful.

“How about Monday?”

“Okay, Monday it is.”

“I’m looking forward to it, Steven.”

He doesn’t know what to say.

“Uh…me too.”

“And Steven…”

His breath labors.

“Yes?”

“Promise me, no relapses.”

His heart stops.

He feels caught.

He doesn’t know whether to admit or deny.

“I know this is a lot of stress, and it’s tough for you. We’re in this together. But above everything, I want you to promise me that you’ll stay on the wagon.”

He exhales.

Something about those words and the way she says them makes him feel safe.

Makes him feel like maybe she understands.

He chooses to be honest.

“I promise.”

He lets go of the urge to cross the street and instead takes the final sip of his café cubano.

The foam spreads across his lips.

He smiles.

***

In the parking lot, Leela watches him.

She notices the shift.

She smiles as well.

“Espumita,” she says to herself.

It sounds like a song.

(The End)

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New written episodes drop every Saturday at 10 AM EST on Substack.

With episodes going Audible the following Wednesday.

LEELA follows a brilliant high-end escort in Miami who treats intimacy like art, therapy, and a little bit of trouble. It’s erotic, funny, emotional, dangerous, and not the story you think it is.