Come-In (Part 2)
(Continued from Part 1)
A block east of the Celandine, just off the Promenade, an olive tree cast a large round shadow over the cobblestones at the center of a triangular piazza. People sat on benches talking and reading, others strolled or hurried in the heat of the afternoon. A cargo bike piloted by a teenager and loaded with fresh flowers crossed toward the base of Citron Hill.
In the shade of the olive, Nora leaned on her bike and read from a dog-eared paperback. She wore a taupe hoodie over a striped t-shirt and a pair of slim black joggers that accentuated her long legs. She crossed her bare ankles, balancing back on the top tube, one hand resting on the handlebar and the other holding the book. Dark sunglasses and straight black hair tied back in a low ponytail completed the picture. To any passerby, she was a beautiful stranger.
A flock of parakeets loudly circled the piazza and Nora looked up to watch them pass. Emeralds and poppies, she thought, just as Quinn appeared from the Promenade and raised a hand to wave. Nora’s sister crossed the cobblestones in peach linen shorts and a turquoise tube top under a baggy white button-up that reminded Nora of Lena.
“Hey there sis,” Quinn said as she leaned in for a side hug.
“You look cute today.”
As the girls talked, a cloud passed over the hills on the other side of the river, casting a shadow over the orchards and bright roofs.
“What do you think of this thing happening at the museum?” Quinn asked, unfolding a sheet of emerald green paper and handing it to Nora.
Dry is over
if you want it
She scanned the flyer, having already seen it all over town, having heard about it from literally every single classmate and hotel guest. “Honestly, I think it sounds cool. I’m thinking about going, but I don’t know who with.”
“Yeah, same actually.”
“I’m not going with you, if that’s what you’re getting at.” Nora looked at her sister over her sunglasses.
“Oh hell no! We need to make a very careful plan so we don’t see each other there.”
“Agreed. This boundary,” Nora gestured back and forth between the two of them, “or whatever those sexy Netherlanders call it, is not going to be overwhelmed.”
The girls’ laughter echoed off the walls of the buildings surrounding the piazza. A few parakeets flushed from the upper branches of the tree.
Carlos casually leaned over the Dutch door into the bakery, as Van shaped loaves on the big wooden bench at the center of the space. Portuguese fados played on the stereo.
“I guess I worry a little bit about running into customers,” Van said as he deftly flipped a ball of dough into a floured proofing basket.
“You think your customers would mind seeing their favorite boulanger get himself off?” Carlos grinned. “You might gain one or two new ones.”
“Don’t get me wrong, the whole thing sounds like a blast.” Van scraped the flour into a tidy pile at the corner of the bench.
“What I can’t stop thinking about,” Carlos said as he leaned further over the door, “is that many people coming at the exact same time. I mean, I think timing it right with one other person is pretty exciting.”
Van smiled at his friend. The same image crossed both their memories simultaneously.
“Sure, you’ve convinced me. I’ll go.”
Asami walked barefoot to the top of the stone steps and knocked lightly on the wooden frame of the screen door. “Oh Margot dear, are you in?”
The orange and scarlet evening sky reflected off the smooth surface of the river below the hill, and an emerald tanager sang from the top of a cypress. Margot came to the door wearing an old sweatshirt with València printed across the chest. Asami noticed that she wasn’t wearing anything else.
“Hello darling. Come in, come in.” Margot swung the screen door open and led the way to the living room where she had been eating a salad on the couch. Asami admired her neighbor’s shapely bottom tipping from side to side as she walked. The radio was tuned to the college station, which was playing Dutch pop songs from the late 90s. A mania for all things Dutch had swept over Fern River lately. Margot sat on the couch and picked up the bowl, taking a bite of crisp lettuce glistening with oil and vinegar. She patted the seat next to her.
“I have a favor to ask.” Asami said, sitting. “I’ve been thinking about your sweet coworker Nora. Would you tell her that I’m looking for someone to go to the Come-In with?”
Margot smiled as she chewed. “Sure. She’ll probably be excited to hear it. She keeps asking about you after our little meeting.”
“Lovely, thanks.” Asami looked at Margot’s bare legs next to her. “I assume you’re going?”
“Oh I wouldn’t miss it! Lena and I have plans. And as it turns out, she invited her friend Quinn along, Nora’s older sister.”
“It’s been years since I’ve done something like this. Have you ever?”
Margot raised her eyebrows. “What? Stripped down and masturbated myself to orgasm with hundreds of people? I haven’t had the opportunity.”
Asami laughed and placed her hand on her neighbor’s thigh. “You’ll love it, I promise.”
She walked back down the steps to her apartment, and once inside, stepped out of her shorts and panties, leaving them in the hallway. She moved slowly to the living room, where her bed sat like a stage at the center, enjoying the air against her bare skin. From her vanity she picked up a purple and rose wand.
(Continued in Part 3)