Chapter 5: Ch.5: ‘How Do I Use A Phone?’

“This is a cell phone,” Tatiana said, holding her phone.

“It says ‘PineApple’,” Jiji responded. 

Clarifying, “That’s the name of the brand.”

“Are there other fruits that you can use to call people?” Jiji pondered, “Can I get a melon? Oh! What about a strawberry!?” A golden bowl of strawberries poofed into existence on the living room table. “Hungry?”

“Surprised the strawberries weren’t gold.”

“Nah,” Jiji popped one in her mouth. “That only works on inanimate objects.” 

Tatiana bit into a fruit, pleasantly surprised by the level of sweetness. She then shrugged at Jiji and looked at her phone. 

“Anyway, a cell is a portable phone. But these are basically tiny computers.”

“Really?!” Jiji asked with wide eyes.

The phone flew into Jiji’s open hand as if it were following an invisible string. She looked intently at the screen, observing the apps and beautiful clarity. Her finger poked at an icon with a fox wrapping its tail around the world. 

“That’s a web browser. You look up info with it.” Tatiana leaned in a bit, “Like, how to ask permission and not snatch things.”

Jiji sheepishly chuckled, “Oh, sorry.” 

Jiji offered the phone back, but Tatiana waved her hand. She was on her second succulent strawberry, which was more important at the moment. 

To go into detail on how to use a smartphone would be redundant. After all, there’s a high possibility that these words are being read on a smartphone. Kind of like the news article Jiji had managed to pull up all on her own by using the voice to text. 

Jinn whistled, “You humans are impressive.” She then read a little more of the article, “Cept when you’re killing each other over skin tone. Then you’re just sad.” 

Tatiana scoffed, “Ya telling me.” 

Dante’s footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs. Tatiana waved at her wife; kicking her feet on the table. 

Jiji’s head shot up like a puppy hearing a can of food being opened. Her feet turned into springs and launched her off the couch like a toy. She nearly touched the ceiling and landed elegantly at the bottom of the stairs a few feet away from Dante. 

“Professor Dante!” Jiji cheered. She showed off the ‘PineApple Ultra-Max’ while bouncing on her toes, “Look! Look! Look! Tatiana gave me her cell phone!”

The stars in her eyes vanished when Tatiana intervened with, “She’s borrowing it for the day. I’m letting her figure out how apps work.” 

“Aw!” Jiji’s shoulders sank, “I need to call that ‘Jazzy-Cutie’ from the school.”

“A school that I’m going to be late for,” Dante stepped around her new house guest. 

Tatiana’s heart fluttered. There her wife was. A short woman in a suit and pink tie. Scooching against the wall while gripping her briefcase like a child trying to be sneaky. That goofy image just brought out the biggest grin Tatiana could get and she did nothing to hide it.  

“Also,” Dante offered, “if you do call her, please don’t give her any indication that you’re staying here.” 

Jiji gave a lackluster thumbs up. Her stare fell on the phone that was no longer hers to keep. Never before did she not know she wanted something until it was taken away from her.

“Now,” Dante kissed her wife’s cheek, “Are you two gonna be fine while I’m at work?”

Tatiana replied, “Nah. The house is gonna catch fire and we’re gonna run up the phone bill.” 

Dante rolled her eyes and hit her spouse with a pillow. In the face. 

“Have fun teaching hon’!” 

“You too,” Dante turned to Jiji before taking a step. “Make sure you listen to ‘Tea’. Okay?”

Jiji gave a slightly less than enthusiastic thumbs up. 

Dante exhaled and opened the front door, “Alright, bye you two.” 

Tatiana got up and rushed to the door. 

“Hold up!” Tatiana quickly pulled her wife in by the waist and kissed her on the lips. The surprise of it added a little more spice to the tenderness. A tenderness that Dante instantly gave back. A spice that Tatiana savored.

It reminded them both of their very first kiss. Dante’s arms wrapped behind Tatiana’s head and her foot lifted off the ground. Tatiana’s grip rose from her wife’s hips to the small of her back, making sure they were as close as possible. The couple broke the kiss and just hugged for a moment. 

“Now you can leave for work,” Tatiana whispered. 

Dante raised a brow as she held back a laugh, “Well, aren’t you gracious?” 

A loud flash and a puff of gold smoke snapped the two out of their romantic session. Jiji was standing there with an early 1900’s style camera on a tripod. The girl was more than pleased with the image she captured and even showed the couple. After she fanned it for a few seconds. 

“You two are so cute together!” Jiji snapped the camera away and handed off the Polaroid, “Here ya go! Hopefully, I got your good sides.” 

You are reading story Jiji Jinn The Genie at novel35.com

The photo was in black and white, to Dante’s surprise. Tatiana just leered at the photo a bit. 

“Am I really that big?”

Dante nudged her wife’s arm, “That’s why I married you.” They exchanged playful glances. Dante had a sly grin. Tatiana condescendingly tilted her head. 

Mockingly, “You just like me for my fat ass?”

“You’ll find out when I come home.” Dante gave a peck on Tatiana’s forehead, “Love you.”

“Love you too.” 

Finally, the door closed and Tatiana & Jiji were alone. Jiji gave Tea a happy thumbs up in an attempt to break the awkward silence. Tea returned the gesture, followed by looking at the picture once more. She then had something to say to her friend upon realizing Jiji still had her phone.

“You do know that the phone can take better pictures than this right?”

“I’m sure it can. But first,” Jiji suddenly clapped her hands together, smashing the phone in between her palms like a piece of paper. 

“What The Fu-” Tatiana’s justified screech was cut off by the familiar sound of her text tone. But, it was coming from her back pocket. There was even the vibration. 

One swift pull, and there it was. A perfectly intact ‘PineApple’ phone with a Milky Way galaxy-themed case. The lock screen had a picture of her and Dante kissing at the beach with the ocean in the background from years ago. 

The text notification read, ‘Needed to sort of ‘copy’ from yours first since I don’t know how these things work. Anyway, thanks for the new phone!’

It was from, ‘Jiji Jinn’. The same ‘Jiji Jinn’ who was now holding her own smartphone. Now, Jiji had made some alterations from Tatiana’s ‘Pineapple 17.7 Ultra-Max’. So it wasn’t a carbon ‘copy’. For instance, she would never have that same phone case.

Her gold ‘Mega-Max-Melon’ had a transparent case had pink glitter slowly shuffling around like infinitely falling snow. The phone service read ‘Lamp’. Finally, the lock screen was a gif image of a hot and steaming sauteed steak on a gold plate.

Jiji showed Jazmine’s number, “Can you help me make a call?”

Any resentment Tatiana had for the magic user flew into the wind. Not because of Jiji’s kind plea for assistance resembling a nervous teen with a crush. Her ear-to-ear smile did help. Instead, Tea’s anger was swept away upon an investigation to see if her phone was affected by the magic trick.

The small dent in the corner of the case was gone. The air bubble under the screen protector was nowhere to be seen. When she unlocked the phone, there was no delay. Nor was there any lag when Tatiana went through her contacts and clicked on her browser. Finally, the big one, her phone bill was paid.

“Forget the call!” Tea said, “I’ll help you set the date up!”

“Awesome!” Jiji shouted, confetti flying everywhere. “I’ll call her right now!”

“Woah there kid!” 

Completely serious, “I'm older than you by literal centuries.”

Barrett muttered under her breath, “Someone should tell your face.” Then aloud, “I mean, you should text her. Nobody calls anymore unless it’s an emergency.”

“I wanna sleep on her boobs.”

“That’s not an emergency,” Tatiana felt a chuckle in her chest having to say that.

Voice dripping with desperation and thirst, “It is to me.”

“And that’s why we’re texting instead of calling. This way you know what you’re saying before you blurt out something stupid like that.” She tapped on Jiji’s phone, “What do you wanna do for your date?”

“...I,” Jiji’s eyes sunk in. She stuttered, “Uh...oh.” 

She looked at the TV and thought of her and Tatiana’s reflections. She focused on the black tint and how much color it took away from her outfit. How Tatiana leaned back into the couch distorting her proportions on the screen. She didn’t want to look at her phone.  

“What?” Tea asked. 

“I want to go on a date.” 

Bluntly, “I know. You talk about boobs like a 12-year-old boy.” 

“No, I mean,” Jiji lowered her head. The confetti faded away without any flare. “I don’t know what to do. You’re the first person I’ve met in 1000 years. I know what cars and movies and phones are. But...I can’t drive. I can’t recommend a good movie. I,” She eyed the phone, “I don’t wanna mess up.” 

Tatiana kicked her feet up. Bowl of fruit in one hand and phone in the other. Her answer was just as casual. 

“Did you not hear me say ‘I’ll help you’?” She ate a strawberry instead of maintaining eye contact. Tatiana saw Jiji turn to do so, but couldn’t be bothered herself. She continued, “As long as you don’t cost me or my wife’s jobs, we’re good. You’re gonna be here a while and I’m not about to pass up hanging out with a literal genie.”

Jiji had to hug her. Even if they both fell to the floor, spilling the food. The level of joy filling Jinn didn’t come out in the form of a floating word or a beam of light. She just shouted.

“Thank you!” 

Tatiana shouted back, just as emotional, “Ahh! My berries!”     

END

You can find story with these keywords: Jiji Jinn The Genie, Read Jiji Jinn The Genie, Jiji Jinn The Genie novel, Jiji Jinn The Genie book, Jiji Jinn The Genie story, Jiji Jinn The Genie full, Jiji Jinn The Genie Latest Chapter