Brooklyn 1975

by Robert Moeller

  The boys all nod, say goodbye to the girls, and head off down the beach.

  “They’re like altar boys, or something.” Angela said. “I think they were cute. I mean not like cute-cute but puppy cute.”

  “Yeah, sorry if I was acting like a dick. You know how it is.” I said.

  “How is it?” Marty asked. “You going to start a fight here? Look around, this isn’t Brooklyn, people don’t act like that around here.”

  “Oh, back up.” I say. “I didn’t know what was going on down there. What am I supposed to do? Sit up here on the cooler while someone is splashing you. Besides, I was nice to them. I asked questioned. Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do when you meet someone new? Ask them stuff about themselves? Huh? Huh?”

  “You’re a brute, just like Junior. No wonder you were best friends.” Marty says.

  “He’s our brute.” Angela says. “Our knight in shining armor, or a surfer’s bathing suit.” Both girls laugh at me. I can see that they are just giving me a hard time so I don’t say anything back.

  We all lie down on the sheet, with me in the middle, and in no time we’re fast asleep. I have an arm over each of them and sleep like I’m pretending to fly. When we wake up it’s late afternoon and when I look around it’s like we’re castaways. You know, like we washed up on this big empty beach on some island in the middle of nowhere. The beach was empty. What few people were there earlier were gone. I got up and lit a cigarette and opened another beer. Angela sat up and put a towel over her head. “It’s hot out.” She said.

  “Have a beer. It will cool you off.”

  She motioned to me for my cigarette and took a drag, flicked the ash into the sand, and then took another. The wind took the smoke right out of her mouth, not giving it time to linger. “Look, no one is here.” She said. “Now we can skinny dip.”

  “Marty has been skinny dipping all day.” I said.

  “So were you. I saw you lose your suit.”

  “Oh, did you like what you saw?” I asked.

  She shrugged, teasing me. “Maybe.”

  Marty woke up and her hair was plastered to her head with sweat. “What’s going on?” She said, looking dazed.

  “Nothing.” I said. “Angela wants to go skinny dipping. Everyone went home and we’re here all alone.”

  Marty stood up and looked around. “You’re right. Where did everyone go?” Then, she shimmied out of her bathing suit bottom, tossed it at me, and untied her top. Let’s go skinny dipping.” She said, as her breasts swung free.

  “I’m like, like, modest.” I said.

  Angela turned her back to Marty and Marty untied her bikini. “You chicken?” She said.

  “Yeah, what’s the matter, you never seen a girl’s body before, or what?” Marty said, twirling around. “They’re nice, aren’t they?”

  By now Angela was undressed too. “Well, I hate these shorts anyway.” I said, finishing my beer filled with courage and took them off. We all stood there awkwardly before running to the water. “Last one in is a rotten egg.”

  I called out before racing out in front of the slower girls and diving in the water. When I surfaced, the girls were in the water next to me. Did I already say that this was like the best day in my life? Did I mention that? Well, just based on the view alone it was close. Forget how nice the beach itself was, and I’m telling you, it was like paradise, or something. Forget the weather, which was just about as perfect as you could want. And forget the ocean, which was clean, with huge, powerful waves. The four breasts that hovered over me as I paddled around were about the best thing that I had ever seen. After all the shit that I had been through lately they filled with something approaching like a holy joy. Like something you read about or something you were supposed to feel in church. Maybe I’m exaggerating, I mean, I’ve seen a lot of breasts, but I’m telling you that there was something magical to it all. I mean, I know it was everything together but I was happy to anoint those four tits my saviors. Breasts, whatever…

  And this is before the girls attacked me and tried to dunk me in the ocean. At first I defended myself like a gentleman, careful of where I touched them, at least with Marty anyway. I mean, you couldn’t be too careful but I tried. But they were relentless, wiry, and tough. They were playing, but playing for keeps. I was stronger than both of them but getting weak-kneed from all this naked loveliness writhing over me. At one point, both of them were hanging of my neck at the same time and my face was buried in their breasts. They were grunting and tugging at me with all their might but I was enjoying it too much to let them knock me down. Marty wrapped her legs around my waist and wiggled and shook, trying to throw me off balance. “Get him.” Marty said.

  “I’m trying. I’m trying.” Angela said. “He’s too strong.”

  I tried lifting Marty off of me but she was clinging to my neck and with one hand actually holding one of my ears. I lifted her by her hips and flipped her over backwards over my head. For a second, as she kicked in the air, her crotch floated in front of my face. “Put me down.” She yelled while laughing. “Put me down you asshole.”

  “Asshole?” I turned and said to her. “Or King of the Ocean Deep.”

  When I turned, Angela jumped on to my back. This was too easy. I shifted my weight onto my front foot and flipped her into the water next to Marty. “Asshole? Or King of the Ocean Deep?” I said.

  Both of them said “Asshole” and swam after me. I dove underwater to escape and then backtracked and swam between Angela’s legs and lifted her in the air. “Asshole or King of the Ocean Deep.” I repeated.

  “Asshole.” She said. And in she went.

  The girls were bobbing in the surf with only their heads showing. They were making a plan while they floated.

  “Asshole or King of the Ocean Deep?” I said.

  Both of them didn’t answer but instead swam off in different directions. They were trying to circle me. What the hell, I liked contact, so I stayed were I was twisting in the water to watch them both. As soon as they were close they lunged at the same time. Marty was behind me and grabbed me in a chock-hold around the neck and Angela took hold of my waist. Then Marty started to count. One, Two, Three…

  On three Angela reached under the water and grabbed my balls and squeezed. I tried to throw her off but with Marty hanging off my neck and I couldn’t shake her

  “Asshole or King of the Ocean Deep? Marty said in my ear.

  “King of the Ocean Deep.” I said.

  Harder.” Marty said.

  Angela adjusted her grip and pulled at me. I screamed in pain.

  “Asshole or king of the ocean deep.”

  “Come on, that hurts.” I said, not kidding.

  “Asshole or King of the Ocean Deep?” Marty said.

  “King of the Ocean Deep.” I said.

  “Yank them.” Marty said to Angela and she tugged some more.

  Asshole or King of the Ocean Deep?” Marty asked. “Last time.”

  Angela was hurting me but trying to be gentle at the same time, so I could take the pain.

  Then Marty swam around and put her arms around me. She looked at me and said “King of the Ocean Deep” before kissing me. This wasn’t any hello or goodbye kiss either. This was on of those I’m here to stay kisses. I tried to stop her but when I pulled away Angela was next to her. We didn’t say anything to each other but just by looking at her I knew it was all right to kiss Marty. And in fact, Angela wasn’t tugging on my balls anymore but on something else. Then, there were two hands at work down there and Marty’s tongue was in my mouth.

  “King of the Ocean Deep.” I murmured in Marty’s ear.

  “Asshole.” She said but with a smile.

  Then Angela leaned in and kissed me.

  “This going where I think it is?” I asked.

  “Where’s that?” She asked.

  “You know.” I said.

  The girls looked at me and both were shaking their heads.

  “Yup. It is.” Marty said.
“But later, tonight at the cottage.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  We stayed on the beach for another hour, or so, before collecting our stuff and heading up the path that was clawed into the huge sand dune. Funny, but while we were there we all got sort of quiet. I guess everyone, including me, was thinking about later tonight. Me, I figured that it was all part of the recent craziness. You know, Junior getting shot, everything. I mean we weren’t normal anymore. Even Angela, who wasn’t involved, at least directly in anything that happened seemed to change. It wasn’t any one thing that you could point to but more a feeling of abandon that you sensed. I suppose it all was just fucked up. I mean we should be in mourning or something. You know, grieving over Junior. Instead, we’re here in this strange place getting ready for whatever, like it’s a party or something. I know that if I stayed in Brooklyn, someone else would be here with the girls because I’d be dead. Maybe Betty. Nah, not Betty, he was a lot of things, all of them good, but this wasn’t his style, if you know what I’m saying. Which reminded me, I need to call Brooklyn and see what was going on. Maybe tomorrow I’ll call.

  Walking up this fucking dune lugging our stuff was exhausting. I’m in decent shape and by the time I got to the top I was out of breath. Maybe it was time to quit smoking so many cigarettes. The girls were following me, giggling and laughing about something but when I got to the top I dropped the cooler and my sneakers and sat down.

  “What’s the matter?” Angela asked.

  “I shook my head, not saying anything, trying to catch my breath.

  “Cat got your tongue.” Marty says.

  “Man, that was work.” I said. “Never climbed anything like that before.”

  “Oh, it so beautiful here. Look at the view.” Angela said.

  I turned around and it was beautiful. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I mean you could see for like forever. A couple of small boats were chugging through the waves and a sailboat seemed to be floating across the water like a giant kite. What did someone say to Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, you’re not in Kansas anymore, some shit like that?

  It was true, we weren’t in Kansas anymore, and we definitely weren’t in Brooklyn.

  After shaking ourselves off we got in the car and headed out to the main road. “I’m hungry.” Marty said.

  “Me too.” Angela goes. “Let’s stop at one of those hamburger stands and get something. A burger and fries, maybe.”

  “Mmmm… Sounds good.” Marty says. “Or maybe some fish.”

  I pulled into this place called Arnold’s and it was crowded. You went to a window and ordered your food, paid, and got a number and then went and found a table outside. It was like a picnic area. I sent the girls to the window went and sat at a table that was empty. Mostly it was families with lots of little kids. People were sunburned and babies were crying. After sitting there a minute I moved and found a table that wasn’t in the middle of everything. It was quieter.

  Pretty soon the girls were back. They had giant cups filled with soda and plastic forks and napkins.

  “They said like ten minutes.” Marty said. “Just smelling this stuff… I’m starving.”

  “I always get pizza after the beach back home.” I said. “Always hits the spot.”

  “These people don’t even know what pizza is.” Angela said. “Plus, they call soda tonic. I’m asking the girl for three sodas and she’s like three tonics. I’m like, no, three sodas.”

  “It’s still soda, no matter what they call it.” I said.

  “But it’s not pizza if they don’t know what it is. Is it?” Angela says.

  “I guess not. How could it be?”

  “That’s our number.” Marty says, reading from a piece of paper like a receipt. “Eight forty-seven.” She’s looking at me. “Go get it.” She says.

  “You go get it.” I tell her.

  “I’ll go.” Angela says. “You two are impossible.”

  When Angela is gone Marty starts rubbing my leg with her foot. “You know every time I look at you I’m reminded of Junior.” She says.

  I think a minute before saying that that seemed pretty normal, “I mean we were always together, did a lot of things together.”

  “Yeah, it’s not like that. It’s something else. I mean you’re both different. Probably more different than the same but… I can’t put my finger on it.”

  “Yeah, so you put your foot on it instead? Get it?”

  “Very funny. See, like that’s what I’m talking about. That’s something that Junior would say, a stupid joke like that.”

  “His jokes were always stupid, even when he thought they were funny.” I said.

  “Oh, never mind.” Marty says. “Where’s Angela with our food?”

  I stand up and look and see her leaving the counter. “Here she comes now.”

  I go to see if I can help her and almost trip over this little kid sitting in the sand eating a hotdog. I look back at the kid, waiting for him to give me the finger or something but he just sits there. I meet Angela and take the tray from her. It’s loaded with stuff. Hamburgers, French fries, onion rings, some kind of fried fish. And they give you all these packets of ketchup, salt and pepper, some kind of sauce for the fish. It was amazing.

  “Let’s eat.” I say, suddenly hungry.

  I put the tray in the middle of the table and like for the next fifteen minutes nobody says anything. I mean, we are just stuffing ourselves. I have this thing with French fries, once I start eating them I can’t stop and the girls are the same way.

  “We forgot to say Grace.” I go and the girls just ignore me.

  “Grace.” I say. “There, I said it.”

  After we were finished eating, we cleaned up our trash and headed to the car. Again, everyone was kind of quiet, you know, like in there own word. The cottage wasn’t far so we were there in a couple of minutes. The girls busied themselves with hanging up towels and straightening up. I sat outside and smoked. “We’re going to find a radio for tonight and some wine. You want anything?” Angela asked.

  “No, I’m fine. I’ve got everything I need. You want some money?” I asked her.

  “No, I have some.” She replied.

  After the girls drove off, I showered and changed into some shorts and hung my bathing suit up on the line next to the towels. I was a little sun burned from being at the beach all day but nothing too bad. We still had plenty of beer so I helped myself to one. Man, this was the life, I’m telling you.

  I suppose I was thinking about what was going to happen tonight. I mean, who wouldn’t be. And I bet the girls were talking about it while they were out. In fact, I was sure of it. That’s how girls are, right? Always yakking, even if it’s about something as private as sex. For them, nothing is off-limits. Me, I think that’s a good thing. Healthier, if you know what I’m saying. Men either bragged and bullshitted each other or didn’t say anything. There was never any in-between. One of the reasons I liked Erica so much was that I was able to talk to her about anything. She asked questions and tried to help you figure out what you were trying to say, which, I mean, was like about your feelings and stuff. It was better than just burying everything inside, which I had a tendency to do.

  Even with Angela, who wasn’t as talkative as Erica, there was this connection when we were alone. I mean, not that we have been alone much seeing as so much fucked up stuff has happened lately. Anyway, you get what I’m saying -- talking to girls was just easier. Maybe, that’s why I assumed that two girls could talk about anything. It was their thing, so they were experts at it, big deal. And I’m not saying it like I’m putting them down or anything but just the opposite, I thought it was important and respected them for it.