Unbroken Connection (14 page)
She obeys, and I kiss her one last time, hang on to her lips for as long as she’ll let me. My hands coast to her hips. She stiffens, puts them back on her waist, and breaks off the kiss. “You’re not”—she settles her lips back on mine for an instant—“too tired”—another kiss—“to drive?”
I suck gently on that lower lip that I hurt and all the rigidity in her body disappears. She tips her head back as far as she can, makes a sweet little sound, and brings her hands to my face—won’t let me stop.
I should ask her again now. Marry me, babe. This instant. Marry me. She can’t refuse. She wants more than this chaste no-tongue make out her rules allow. Marry me, Leesie. I’ll love you forever. Anyway you want.
I pull away—take her hands and kiss them. “Leese, I want to ask you—”
No.
Not yet.
This is just a start.
“—be sure to get some rest. Tomorrow’s a big day. You’re going to learn to dive.”
She nods. “Drive safely.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” I bring my mouth close to hers without touching her lips. “Lonely—” I pause and breathe her in. “But I can manage getting a room.”
MUSINGS
LEESIE’S MOST PRIVATE CHAPBOOK
POEM # 58, FORTY-TWO DAYS
Curled in a tight ball
clutching my pillow in a death grip,
my grandmother’s patchwork pink
quilt pulled over my head,
I dare sleep to interrupt as I relive
every sensation, joy, terror, hope,
every scent, sound, touch—
every exuberant second of existence
of Michael tonight.
I imagine the glory of
forty-two mornings that I’ll wake up
with the taste of him on my tongue
and the promise of one more day
to sink into his steel gray eyes,
hold his face in my hands,
lose myself in his lips.
I’ll worry about temples and rules
and his watery realm
tomorrow.
Tonight, I cherish forty-two days—
a thousand more hours—
to love him
face to face,
fingertip to fingertip,
kneecap to kneecap
lip
to
lip.
LEESIE HUNT / CHATSPOT LOG / 11/05 8:00 AM
| Leesie327 says: | | You’re up early. Why didn’t you call? |
| liv2div says: | | you’re number is in my cell phone on the Queen Nauticas omewhere in the Adaman Sea…same with my laptop… I’m using the hotel’s business center |
| Leesie327 says: | | You could have at least waited for the boat to get back and get your stuff. |
| liv2div says: | | no way…I flew as soon as the jerk dive doctor said I could |
| Leesie327 says: | | I make you that crazy? |
| liv2div says: | | insane…you know that |
| Leesie327 says: | | Come have breakfast with me before I have to go to class. You can take me to the Cougar Eat. |
| liv2div says: | | Class? You’re not going to spend the whole day with me? |
| Leesie327 says: | | I’ve just got a couple to go to. I’m done by noon. |
| liv2div says: | | that’s so hardcore…can’t you skip? |
| Leesie327 says: | | Sorry. Got a test in one class and a big project due in the other. |
| liv2div says: | | but I just got here |
| Leesie327 says: | | And I’m going to spend the whole rest of the day doing whatever you want me to. |
| liv2div says: | | whoa, babe…you left yourself wide open with that…you know where I could go |
| Leesie327 says: | | But you’re not going to. You are going to be charming and respectful the whole time you’re here. |
| liv2div says: | | have I ever been anything else? |
| Leesie327 says: | | No comment. |
| liv2div says: | | okay…I won’t bring up doing it again until we’re married |
| Leesie327 says: | | Promise? |
| liv2div says: | | name the date |
| Leesie327 says: | | Oh, you are so sneaky. |
| liv2div says: | | not sneaky enough…I am hungry, though…I’ll pick you up in about ten minutes. |
| Leesie327 says: | | Sorry about the classes. Do you realize you’ll be here 60,000 minutes? I hate to miss even one. |
| liv2div says: | | it’s okay…I’m not going anywhere… could use a couple hours to rent us some scuba gear and find a pool |
| Leesie327 says: | | You’re serious about this? What if I suck? You know how scared I get in the water. |
| liv2div says: | | it’s a pool, babe, no lake weed to get tangled in |
| Leesie327 says: | | You’re going to turn me back into a fish? |
| liv2div says: | | a mermaid…I can’t wait to see you in a wetsuit |
| Leesie327 says: | | I’m going to look awful. |
| liv2div says: | | I’ll wear one, too…that way we can stay in the water a long time without getting cold |
| Leesie327 says: | | That’s so not going to help. You’ll look… |
| liv2div says: | | like a string bean…wetsuits make everyone look goofy |
| Leesie327 says: | | Don’t lie to me. I’ve seen you in a wetsuit. |
| liv2div says: | | listen…no one has curves wearing a three mil, okay? now, a dive skin…! |
| Leesie327 says: | | Be nice. |
| liv2div says: | | scuba is not about how you look… scuba is pot-bellied guys struggling in and out of wetsuits on a pitching boat |
| Leesie327 says: | | I read somewhere it’s the sexiest sport on earth. I can’t be like that. |
| liv2div says: | | the only thing sexy about scuba are the ads in Skin Diver Magazine…after a dive, guys stand around peeing off the back |
| Leesie327 says: | | Why do I want to do this? |
| liv2div says: | | you’ll see |
| Leesie327 says: | | If you pee in the pool, I’m out of there. |
LEESIE’S MOST PRIVATE CHAPBOOK
POEM #59, MICHAEL’S HEAVEN
Gear plasters every inch
of this closet-sized Utopia.
Dive shop—Salt Lake style.
He didn’t like the ones in Provo.
Michael grins at the wall of wetsuits
packed tight. His gait shifts
as he wanders around stacks of masks in clear
plastic boxes, snorkels hanging upside down,
fins along the back wall, two circular
racks of BCs. His stands straighter as he examines
the regs, knives, and round gadgets
that look like watches on steroids
lurking behind the glass counter.
The chubby guy with a red
and white diver down flag
etched on his T-shirt is his best friend in
five minutes—fixes us up with their training
pool and gear for four whole hours—super cheap
because, “Oh my heck, we’re all divers, right?”
The strong scent of neoprene
embedded in the air blots out
my existence.
Is there room for me in
Michael’s
heaven?
POOL SESSION
MICHAEL’S DIVE LOG—VOLUME #10
D
IVE
B
UDDY
: Leesie the Mermaid to be
D
ATE
: 11/05
D
IVE
#: Leesie’s 1st
L
OCATION
: Salt Lake City
D
IVE
S
ITE
: Blue Divers training pool
W
EATHER
C
ONDITION
: sunny
W
ATER
C
ONDITION
: flat
D
EPTH
: 10’
V
ISIBILITY
: 10’
W
ATER
T
EMP
.: 78F
B
OTTOM
T
IME
: 2 hours, 25 minutes
C
OMMENTS
:
At the pool, I change quickly and go for the water. Leesie takes forever in the locker room. We’ve got the place mostly to ourselves. Awesome. There’s just somebody in the front office.
We spent the entire afternoon in her apartment working through the stuff on the PADI CD. She got through all the quizzes no problem. It’s all basic stuff. Easy physics for her. Common sense. I’ll give her the exam tomorrow. She’ll ace it.
I swim over to the deep end and lie on the water, face down. Shoot where’s my snorkel? I swim underwater to get it and my mask. Leesie comes out of the chick’s change room with a wretched frown on her face. She stands at the edge of the pool and looks down at the faded wetsuit I rented for her. Once upon a time, it was blue and neon yellow. The yellow is faded to mustard and the blue is washed a dull gray. The baggy bust line bugs her the worst. The rest of her form silhouetted in form-fitting neoprene calls me like those sirens on the rocks in all that myth stuff. I roll over, dive, swim along the bottom and surface near where she stands.
“This suit stinks like moldy chlorine.”
“You look so hot.”
A smile fights the frown for mastery of her face. She sticks out her tongue, dives in, and swims with long freestyle strokes across the pool. Nice form for a girl who says she doesn’t swim.
I follow underwater, surface next to her. “Maybe scuba is sexy.”
She rounds on me and pushes my head under with both hands. I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her down. We surface, a tangle of arms and legs.
“Breathe.” She gulps air as I pull her under again, try to kiss her, but she pops up. “What do you think so far?” I ask, my lips wet on her cheek.
“I like it.” She gets ready to dunk me again. “A lot.” I let her push me under, make sure she comes along, kiss her that time.
“Not nervous?”
“Pools don’t make me nervous—you do.” She pushes off from my chest and swims over to the side.
“Let’s get to work.” I kick over to her. “First, I need to test your skills.”