Soft Girlfriend

February 22, 2018July 23, 2018 ~ Piece, of the Sky

gamecube, yes

The stars poked through the clouds. Alli stepped outside of her seaside cabana, with the thatch roof, and went down the steps to the beach. The gray waves, flecked with foam, reached the beach from some unknown shore. The black ocean of the night held on to its secrets.

Alli walked down the beach in the direction of an assortment of lights. The wind caressed her shoulders. She twirled her key ring around one finger. Mallo’s Mini-Mart on the island was open 24-7. Why not get some eggs for tomorrow? Some soy milk?

The half-moon hung like a silver plate in the sky. The sand, gray in the moonlight, latched onto her toes in the sandals. Hermit crabs curled away, hiding themselves out of sight. This vacation was courtesy of Xen. The plate of bananas, piled high, on the cabana’s glass dining table. The terry cloth bathrobes. The complementary jacuzzi. All of it.

They had barbecued hamburgers and bratwurst that afternoon, at the resort party. People had jet-skied up and down the shore, throwing up white waves of spray.

At night, the jungle was quiet. Occasionally, there was the rustling of leaves and quivering underbrush. The night felt alive, trembling on the edge of a knife.

The mini-mart swam into view, its bright bulbs welcoming in the harsh darkness of the AM. A few late-night party-goers still wandered around, sitting at the tables outside, stewing over mango smoothies constantly stabbed with red straws.

Alli went into the store, a cat’s bell announcing the presence of another shopper. Like a 7-Eleven, off the shoulder of a freeway, the store was still packed. A guy in a leather biker’s jacket, stood flipping through People.

Cartons of eggs lay in the refrigerator aisle, all lined up behind the glass, next to roast turkey and coffee creamer. Alli opened the door and picked up a carton. Just as she was straightening up, to close the door, she caught sight of someone in a lurid Hawaiian shirt and slightly distressed, acid-washed jean shorts, with earlobe-length lionesque orange hair. Her heart jumped for a moment; the woman turned to open an adjacent glass door and get out some milk and Alli’s heart stopped pounding. It wasn’t Nealy. Just a look-alike.

The line was relatively short. Alli stood behind someone in a wife beater and a bike chain necklace, with the eggs and a packet of gum she had also picked up. The cashier, sporting a neckbeard, rang up her items. Back outside in the warmth of the darkness, now holding a plastic bag, Alli let her chest unclench. She strolled over the sand, back toward the cabana, rigged up with cable and super-fast Wi-Fi.

She didn’t notice the person in the Hawaiian shirt until she was right up alongside her and caught her left elbow. Alli looked around, startled.

“I’m sorry to scare you,” the lionesque person said, “We’re on the same cruise.”

Alli laughed, “I only heard the waves; I never heard your footfalls.”

“I take jiu-jitsu and other martial arts,” Lion said, by way of explanation, shrugging her shoulders.

“What’s your name?” Alli said. She was still confused but relaxed her shoulders.

“Ran,” said the lion, putting her hands in her shorts pockets.

Alli rubbed the back of her neck, “Well, you can’t come sneaking up on me like that, Ran. What if I knew judo?”

Ran, grinned, looking more like a wolf than a lion here, “I guess I would have to best you in a fight.”

“Lucky for you, I don’t know how to fight,” Alli said.

“Where is your cabana?” Ran wondered, kicking at the sand.

“It’s in that direction,” Alli gestured with the bag of eggs, “But why do you want to know? What if someone is there already?”

Another wolf-like grin, “If that were so, it wouldn’t explain how you were looking at me in Mallo’s.”

Alli smiled, “You are pretty sure of yourself. I got you mixed up with someone else.”

Ran looked up from scrutinizing her fingernails, “The question is, who?”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Alli smirked, “I bid you goodnight.”

“OK, take care,” the lion waved. She moseyed off back in the direction of the mini-mart and the clubs.

Alli’s smile faded. The sea breeze ruffled her dress shirt. The sweat on the back of her neck cooled. If she didn’t squint, if the moonlight were coming in at a different angle, she would have sworn it was Nealy, ambling back to the store, meandering back in time.

The white caps broke, pounding the sand. The palm trees stood silently, island sentinels, staring backward, far across the sea.

food to go

Songs:

MGMT – Electric Feel

The Rolling Stones – Get Off of My Cloud

Daft Punk – Something About Us

Collapse the Waveform

February 14, 2018May 5, 2018 ~ Piece, of the Sky

no more haters

The smell of the sea rose up from the bay and floated out to the park. Alli sat on a bench facing the water. Down the hill, lay a field and in the distance, the boardwalk. Alli could hear the carnival games: whack-a-mole, dunk tank, test your strength.

Clouds gathered for the afternoon thunderstorm. Some pigeons walked around nearby. They inspected a bag of popcorn dropped by one of the teenagers, who had recently passed by, carrying a giant beach towel and an umbrella.

The broad leaves of the trees swayed with the wind. The scent of the grass mingled with that of the water, teeming and receding, far out there, on the horizon.

Alli checked her watch. She was supposed to meet Nealy here today. She slapped a mosquito buzzing near the back of her neck. The bench was in the shade, but the temperature was still rising.

A kid went by on roller-skates, walking a platoon of dogs. The old man with the ice cream cart headed down to the shore. People lay on blankets, sunning, staring at the sky, reading paperback novels. Someone in a beret stopped by the water fountain, checked his phone and blanched.

Alli got up and walked down the path, lined with a canopy of trees. Their leaves fanned out, creating oscillating shadows. A folk band practiced off to the side, on a portable stage. She walked under one of the park’s scenic bridges, the air nice and cool, for a few seconds. A summer science class gathered around a hot dog stand.

Outside the park, and on the street, stood a Sephora and a Chinese food restaurant. Alli headed to Cafe Nero and ordered an espresso. She watched the cars stop and go outside the window. The cumulus formation was nearer now. Even inside, Alli could feel the air tensing up, despite the summer sunshine. Couples strolled by, arm-in-arm, at eye-level.

A bolt of electricity ran through Alli – there was Nealy – together, with another woman, a woman in a print dress, laughing about an unheard joke.

“If I was with someone, how would you feel?”

Alli nearly knocked over the cup and the saucer. She looked around and Nealy was standing right beside her. She looked back at the street – but the look-alike and her mate had already turned the corner.

“I thought I would find you here,” Nealy said, sitting down.

“It was too hot,” Alli said.

“You don’t spend too much time outdoors.”

Alli shook her head, “How was Shanghai?” On the coffeehouse speakers, one of Elvis’s Hawaii songs came on.

“Hot. Like here. Healthy food though.”

“Lots of good IPOs?”

“Could have been better,” Nealy said, “But fewer shell companies.” The waiter brought Nealy her coffee.

“Are you going to stay here now?”

“I will probably go back to San Francisco, but will still divide my time between there, and New York.”

They watched the lights turn from green to red, ‘Walk’ icon to ‘Don’t Walk’ icon.

“Will you stay in New York?” Nealy asked.

“For the time being,” Alli said. Her second coffee arrived.

“Where will you go next?” Nealy asked, looking at her.

“I haven’t thought that far,” Alli looked out the glass. The clouds hovered over the skyscrapers. It had begun to drizzle.

The rain started, slowly at first, but then began to pummel the sidewalk. Pedestrians ran, covering their heads with newspapers. The pale orange clouds sunk lower, heavy in the downpour.

The two of them sat there, watching the thunderstorm, listening to the low hiss of the espresso machine.

magic pool