Unripe Oranges

 Lila took her melatonin and crawled into bed. She snuggled up against Michael and yawned. 

“Lila, no screens, no caffeine.” 

“Yes, Michael. I remember.” 

The room grew cold and the light from outside diminished. Lila’s eyelids grew heavy.  Soon after she began to snore.

Michael nudged his wife, “Melatonin worked.” 

Click. The room was now completely dark and Michael fell asleep.

Tap, tap, tap. Bang. 

Michael sat up, “What was that? Lila, did you hear that?” He looked over at the empty space where Lila had been sleeping. “Oh my gosh, Lila!?” Rubbing his eyes, he clicked the side table lamp back on. “Ah, there you are.” Tap, tap, tap, BANG!  “Ummm? Hello?” Tap, tap. Lila was moving her hands around sporadically while standing at the window. 

Michael stood up and walked over to Lila. “Time to get back in bed, sweetie.” Tap, tap. Her hands laid flat on the window. She continued to stand there, not uttering a single word back to Michael. “Liiiiiiiiila?”

“Green. House. Oranges. Go. Now.” The barely audible words flew out of her mouth. Once again, she flung her hands in the air doing a variation of hand motions. Then, with a sense of urgency, ran back to the bed.

Michael stood at the window, squinting. He scratched his head and looked over at Lila now snuggled up in bed. Hmmm. Pulling the blinds down, he yawned. 2 a.m, geez. His feet brushed against the carpet with each step back to the bed. 

The sun came up quickly. Ugh, did I even sleep? Michael sat up and grunted. Rushing to grab a blanket, he crossed his arms to warm up. Before he left the room, Lila rolled over and stretched out her arms. 

“Ahh, it’s a beautiful day!”

“Soo, you actually slept?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Ha. Haha. Well...” He pulled the blinds up in the room, to welcome in the sun. “Hm, looks like the neighbors have visitors. 

This statement forced LIla to jump out of bed. “Visitors!?” She ran over to the window. “Ooo, we’re spying, what are cops doing there? Lets see if one of them gets arrested!” 

Both faces were flat against the window. Michael pulled the blinds back down. “We shouldn’t be nosey. By the way, what were you dreaming about last night?”

“I don’t know, something about really wanting to eat oranges...I don’t remember much.”

“Weird, you don’t eat oranges.”

“Ahh man. Oh my gosh, it’s 9AM? I’m late for yoga!” Lila rushed over to the bed and slid the barely fitting leggings over her legs. 

“Oooh, we could always….” Michael slid up against Lila and winked. 

“Haha, I am tired and I’m late.”

“So it’s a no.” 

Lila chuckled and rolled her eyes as she grabbed her yoga mat and water. 

On her way to yoga, she noticed there was a cop following closely behind her. This police car made her clench the wheel even tighter while she closely watched the speedometer. I have done nothing wrong. She practiced her best parallel parking skills. I hate city parking. Getting out of her car she looked around. Hm, it looks like the cop wasn’t following me. 

“Mrs. Lakely?”

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh someone said my name. Don’t look nervous. Lila turned around to a police officer extending his hand. “Of course that’s me.”

“Do you have a minute?”

Ugh. Yoga. “Sure, I have a minute.” 

“Ma’m.” The police officer cleared his throat. “It appears your neighbors were involved in a crime involving oranges. Would you know anything about this?”

Ooo oranges sound good right now. Wait..oranges?  “No sir, I don’t know anything about this?”

The officer shook Lila’s hand and nodded, “Thank you for your time.” 

LIla watched the officer walk back to his car. Interesting, I can’t wait to tell Michael. 

While focusing on the breath, Lila noticed the snickers around her. Women… These snickers continued as the yoga class ended. 

While exiting class, a woman brushed her shoulder. “So we heard about your neighbor, was it you?”

“Me? Huh?”

“Did you have any involvement?”

“What? No. I don’t even know what you’re talking about.” Lila briskly walked back to her car and started to dial her phone.

“Michael, Michael. I’m on my way home, and I heard some things. Remember that I need to talk about oranges, that is all.”

 Lila rushed past the police officers still camping out down the street. Running inside she spotted Michael, sitting on the sofa with the television blaring. “It was a case of the oranges on Ibis Road. Two men spotted smuggling several crates of oranges stuffed with money into an upper middle class home. We are on the search for an accomplice who aided in smuggling the oranges.”

Michael turned around, “Oh Lila, come here, watch this.”

“Oh, I know about this. I was stopped by a police officer today, he asked me if I was somehow involved.”

Now standing, he stared at her. “Huh? Hm? What? Haha. Ha! You? Nahh.” 

“I think I predicted all of this with my dream about oranges.” 

“Maybe you should work with the police, especially with those weird hand motions you do in your sleep.” Michael walked over to the kitchen to prep lunch.

Lila went upstairs to shower. Grabbing her clothes to lay out, she pulled the blinds up to their bedroom window and looked out at the neighbor’s house. She looked down at police standing around talking and wheeling out crates of oranges. 

Michael shouted from downstairs, “Lunch is ready!” Running up the stairs he continued to shout, “Lila, lunch…”

He too walked over to the window.

“You said weird hand motions right?”

“Yes, do you remember anything else about your dream?” Michael clenched Lila’s shoulder. 

“Something about eating oranges. Then yelling at a dog that wanted my oranges. Told him to get in the house. But, he only knew sign language.”

“Ok..hmm.”

The removal of the oranges had continued next door. Both Lila and Michael looked out the window at the police officers waving at them, then looked at each other. 

“Shit.”