goes off by himself. A cop comes along. What are you doing
here? Watching the ocean officer. It’s dangerous here at night
girls. Thanks officer. We walk up to the car. The cop moves
on. Mister jumps up from behind the car, plays with his knife.
Mister takes us for lobster, he is silent and watchful, he doesn’t
eat, then Mister drives us home.
*
We get out of the car. The beach is there. The ocean is there.
The moon is full. We see the ocean with the moon hanging
over it. Mister is wired. Mister tells us he has a gun in the car
under the front seat. Mister tells us he hates his wife. Mister
tells us he is going to kill the bitch. Mister tells us his wife has
tried to get away from him. Mister tells us his wife was walking
down a street and he beat the bitch to pieces and pulled a
knife on her. How could his wife do that, we say, not knowing
what she did. We go on to the beach.
*
The beach is a little scummy, empty cans and empty bottles,
paper, trash. The sand is a little dirty. N and I undress each
other. We kiss. We make love standing up. He wants us in the
sand. We make love in the sand. She dresses. He shows a knife.
She holds me down. I am flat on my back naked on the beach.
She is behind me. I look up into her face. She grins. It is her
comradely grin. But I try to get loose and can’t. She is strong.
She is holding me down. It is our charade, but I can’t get
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loose. He fucks me. He disappears. I brush the sand off but I
am all gritty. I get dressed fast. N and I sit and watch the
ocean. N and I sit and watch the moon. The cop comes. He
tells us girls could get hurt alone on the beach at night. We are
panicked that Mister left without us. The car is still there. We
walk to it. We get in covered with sand. I can taste sand in my
mouth. Mister buys us lobster. He sits and watches, all tight
and coiled. He drops us at the storefront. Inside we drink iced
tea and sleep entirely embracing each other. We sleep and kiss
like it’s one thing, wound round each other like the gnarled
branches of an ancient tree. She has stopped bleeding. The
sand rubs and rubs, hurting a little, we are drenched in sweat,
we sleep and fuck at the same time, not letting go.
*
Have you ever seen the moon, full, rising behind the head of a
man fucking you on a dirty beach? Have you ever heard the
ocean, lying flat on your back, your arms behind you, held
down, have you heard the sound of the ocean behind him, have
you looked up to see her broad grinning face? Have you ever
felt the sand, dirty and a little wet, all over, and kissed her
thighs and the sand? Have you ever kissed a bleeding woman
