can?”
“Let’s go. I’ll figure something out.”
Suddenly it didn’t seem like such a good idea to have her back in the apartment.
“No. Wait,” I said.
“Why? Is the flavor of the month waiting there for you, naked?”
“No it’s just…”
I didn’t want it to end up the way it had after the Zildjian party. I wanted so badly to hear her breathing in my ear—to feel her against me slick with sweat. But, the pull was so strong I was afraid I’d break down and beg her to reconsider.
“Just what?” she asked, her deep green eyes accusing me.
“Just nothing,” I said. “Let’s go.”
****
I swiped the fish with the little green aquarium net I found in a box of junk in the back of the closet, but it passed right through them.
Kendra watched disapprovingly. She took the net from me and sat down cross-legged on the floor. She closed her eyes and muttered what sounded like a yoga mantra.
“There,” she said.
She stepped into the corner and swiped around. The net passed through the glowing shapes just like before.
“Damn,” she said, and scooted up on my speaker cabinet. It looked so natural, so right to have her sitting there, kicking her legs in frustration. “What does a fish want anyway?”
“Bait,” I said and scooped her up and lifted her over my shoulder.
“Not now,” she yelped. “We have to figure this out.”
I carried her toward the bedroom.
“Stop. Stop. Stop,” she yelled. “Look!”
The fish had moved from the corner, trailing us in a glowing line across the living room. Nicholas swatted at them.
I gently put her down.
“Turn out the lights so you can see them better,” she said.
I walked to the wall and flicked the switch.
“They didn’t follow you,” she said focusing on the glowing line. “How about me?”
She walked the few steps over to the couch. The fish stayed in place.
“Pick me up and carry me again.”
I did. The fish followed us all the way to the bedroom.
We flopped down on my bed, clouds of fish hovering above us and we laid side-by-side staring up at them like they were constellations of stars.
“I should have known,” she said. “They want to go home.”
“Okay. To your place it is.” I put my hand on her leg. “But I’m so comfortable right now.”
“No. To the ocean. The Caribbean. That’s where they’re from.”
“How do you know?”
“I just do.”
I groaned.
“Think about it,” she said. “The fact we couldn’t make it work hurt only us, mostly. But we failed them. They were our responsibility. They couldn’t go to the store and buy food or get water from the toilet like Sasha if we were gone for days.”
“Couldn’t they float over to a map to make it clear?”
“Stop it. We have to make this right or it’s always going to be hanging over us, no matter what the divorce papers say.”
She sprung out of bed and went into the room off the living room we once had used as an office. I heard her clicking away at the computer.
“They’re just fish,” I called.
The lionfish hovered in the corner away from the rest. I wished it didn’t look like it was waiting for food. I was so late. Morty was going to kill me.
Kendra emerged in the doorway. She held the frame with her strong thin arms and looked at me the way I always wanted—a mix of contentment, respect, and lust.
“We’re on the next flight to Grand Cayman,” she said. “Four thirty, tomorrow afternoon out of Newark. If we’re lucky, we can get a couple of hours’ sleep in.” She turned out the light and crawled into bed next to me.
I wanted to stay. I wanted to wriggle out of my clothes, tell her we were going, and lose myself under the covers. But I rolled away. In my head I heard Jack singing the haunting, lush refrain of Mystic Tryst (…one more mystic tryst, one more earthy tide and yet you’re still here with me…) He always knew the
“Let’s go. I’ll figure something out.”
Suddenly it didn’t seem like such a good idea to have her back in the apartment.
“No. Wait,” I said.
“Why? Is the flavor of the month waiting there for you, naked?”
“No it’s just…”
I didn’t want it to end up the way it had after the Zildjian party. I wanted so badly to hear her breathing in my ear—to feel her against me slick with sweat. But, the pull was so strong I was afraid I’d break down and beg her to reconsider.
“Just what?” she asked, her deep green eyes accusing me.
“Just nothing,” I said. “Let’s go.”
****
I swiped the fish with the little green aquarium net I found in a box of junk in the back of the closet, but it passed right through them.
Kendra watched disapprovingly. She took the net from me and sat down cross-legged on the floor. She closed her eyes and muttered what sounded like a yoga mantra.
“There,” she said.
She stepped into the corner and swiped around. The net passed through the glowing shapes just like before.
“Damn,” she said, and scooted up on my speaker cabinet. It looked so natural, so right to have her sitting there, kicking her legs in frustration. “What does a fish want anyway?”
“Bait,” I said and scooped her up and lifted her over my shoulder.
“Not now,” she yelped. “We have to figure this out.”
I carried her toward the bedroom.
“Stop. Stop. Stop,” she yelled. “Look!”
The fish had moved from the corner, trailing us in a glowing line across the living room. Nicholas swatted at them.
I gently put her down.
“Turn out the lights so you can see them better,” she said.
I walked to the wall and flicked the switch.
“They didn’t follow you,” she said focusing on the glowing line. “How about me?”
She walked the few steps over to the couch. The fish stayed in place.
“Pick me up and carry me again.”
I did. The fish followed us all the way to the bedroom.
We flopped down on my bed, clouds of fish hovering above us and we laid side-by-side staring up at them like they were constellations of stars.
“I should have known,” she said. “They want to go home.”
“Okay. To your place it is.” I put my hand on her leg. “But I’m so comfortable right now.”
“No. To the ocean. The Caribbean. That’s where they’re from.”
“How do you know?”
“I just do.”
I groaned.
“Think about it,” she said. “The fact we couldn’t make it work hurt only us, mostly. But we failed them. They were our responsibility. They couldn’t go to the store and buy food or get water from the toilet like Sasha if we were gone for days.”
“Couldn’t they float over to a map to make it clear?”
“Stop it. We have to make this right or it’s always going to be hanging over us, no matter what the divorce papers say.”
She sprung out of bed and went into the room off the living room we once had used as an office. I heard her clicking away at the computer.
“They’re just fish,” I called.
The lionfish hovered in the corner away from the rest. I wished it didn’t look like it was waiting for food. I was so late. Morty was going to kill me.
Kendra emerged in the doorway. She held the frame with her strong thin arms and looked at me the way I always wanted—a mix of contentment, respect, and lust.
“We’re on the next flight to Grand Cayman,” she said. “Four thirty, tomorrow afternoon out of Newark. If we’re lucky, we can get a couple of hours’ sleep in.” She turned out the light and crawled into bed next to me.
I wanted to stay. I wanted to wriggle out of my clothes, tell her we were going, and lose myself under the covers. But I rolled away. In my head I heard Jack singing the haunting, lush refrain of Mystic Tryst (…one more mystic tryst, one more earthy tide and yet you’re still here with me…) He always knew the
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