Hide and Seek

I have seen the Caribbean since then. Toward the end of the day the

sea sparkles with light as the sun goes down, and the color is that

high transparent blue that will turn gray and then finally black by

nightfall. Her eyes were like that, the color of last light.

They took me in all at once, gobbled me up.

I wondered how old she was.

I think I mumbled hi.

"It was me, wasn't it?" I listened for hints of mockery in her voice.

There weren't any.

"It was you. How'd you know?"

She smiled and the lips remained full even then. She didn't answer,

though.

She looked at me for a moment and I looked back and there was that

nakedness again, that easy nudity. She flicked the towel. The head of

a daisy shot off into the dust. She turned and walked a few steps back

to a dark green Mercedes parked between Rafferty's old Dodge and a

white Corvair.

"Drive me home?"

"Sure."

She climbed in the passenger side. I walked around and got behind the

wheel. The keys were in the ignition. I started it up.

"Where to?"

"Seven Willoughby. You know where it is?"

"Sure. Summer place?"

"Uh-huh."

"You don't sound too happy."

"I'm not. They call me at school and tell me they've got this

wonderful place lined up for the summer. I drive up and here it is.

On the way up everything has been shrinking--trees, houses, shrubs. So

I wonder if I'm not shrinking too. This town's a little dull."

"Tell me about it."

pulled the car out into the road. I'd never felt the least bit guilty

about not going to college. I still didn't, not exactly, but it was

getting close to that.

"You do, though, right?"