April

"into the night where time lies shattered, into the body of another"

—Mary Oliver, Blossom

She had to have been crazy why would he come now unless he feelin lil suicidal then the old gate creaks on its rusty hinges and the dog barks high and then growls low but the neighbors and then the footsteps on the old staircase and Rehanna gettin bigga and there is that swift short rapping on the door and her hand trembling slightly steady now cool it and the bright two o'clock in the afternoon April sunlight pouring in behind him and a glimpse of his face under the floppy hat as he turns to shut the door behind him and she turns and goes to the fridge and the cold air pushing into the hot room lightly swathing her face and when she turns to him, the two beers in her hand, he is already seated, head laid back, arms along the back of the couch, knees apart and in the air is the faint odor of shoes.

You does drink, Carib?
Anything . . .
She goes over and hands him one of the beers and then sits down in an armchair.
So you find the place easy?
The graveyard ain exactly hard to miss . . .
And he smiles and she remembers now why she called him . . .
Come by me now!
They beatin people like peas in town, muchless -
Put on a hat, ketch a taxi, fly; just get you ass up hay -
Meet me in town tomor -
Something wrong wid dis phone cause like you ain hearin me
A gon see wha -
Listen. Come up here today or do not call my mother skunt again, okay? Bye!
Wait -
But she had already hung up on him. She had immediately began preparing the fish Cruel had brought for her, ignoring the ringing phone.

I try fuh call you back fuh tell you I comin.

The phone does trip sometimes . . . you know G. T. and T. and they stupidness.

When the beers are finished, she takes both bottles into the kitchen.

We just done eat. Rehanna gone over suh and play. Give me a minute to wash up dese wares.

The flour is sticking stubbornly to the plate and when he comes up behind her and presses his face into her hair all she can say is how yuh find the place and the stubble she hadn't noticed on his chin because she could only look at his face but briefly since he came sends trills of electricity down her neck back sides to her shoulders base of her spine buttocks and the fingers peeling her tight short skirt up her thighs tickle and when her skirt is up his hand is sliding down the front of her panties stroking the hair there and oh God oh shit on her clitoris and then fingers curving upwards inside her knees weak and she is trying to lock her knees together but he has slipped one strong thigh between hers and soon she is oh shit OH SHIT swooning her legs liquefying but he slides his fingers slowly out of her wiping them dry on her stomach and then he is spinning her around and when he tries to kiss her their lips less than half an inch apart all she can ask is lil boy and grasping one hand he leads her fingers to his crotch and asks huskily how lil and all she can answer is Perry before he kisses her and his tongue is slightly cold and mouth is slightly sour and slightly tastes of Carib 'til his tongue is cold against her skin lips kissing her neck leaving too soon until his nose and the heat of his breath is trailing down her tight top and one hand is on her breast pinching a nipple through the thin fabric and the other is slipping under it no don't her hand resolute on his until his hand trailing downward is tugging her underwear down and his tongue warmer...