"See you tomorrow." Said the young dentist. Doctor Boyde shook his head and smiled.
"You're leaving so soon, lucky one. I still have some cases to check here"
"How many good ones today?" asked the young man curiously.
Doctor Boyde sighed. "This was a tearful day." he said.
The young man spread his body on the hot sand. The sun played on his tanned muscles, and the sea-waves rang softly in his ears.
Eyes closed.. and then there was the feeling you sometimes get with eyes closed - someone is watching you, someone is above you. He opened his eyes quickly but there was no-one.
He let himself drift into a noon doze, going in and out of it with the sound of waves.. his body, before his eyes, felt the shadow. He woke up slowly, and saw her watching him.
She had hair that looked strangely half soaked half dry. Her face was vaguely familiar.
"Hi there."
"Hi." He knew he saw her before but couldn't figure out when or where.
"You come here often?" her voice was cheerful but a little husky. Made it of course sexier.
"Sometimes, when there are not too many people around. This beach is not too far from where I work, so..."
"Where you work?"
He said, "A Clinic.. with some other specialists. I'm a dentist."
"You look pretty good for a dentist" she said meaninglessly, and not too embarrassed about it. She watched his body, and he did a little half-involuntary chest-muscle-trick, and laughed. She looked at him softly.
"You like what you're seeing?" she said.
"Yes." he answered simply, a little taken aback "and you?"
"I like what you're seeing" she said.
"Come here - " his voice became suddenly a shade deeper. He wasn't used to do things this way. "Come here - "
"Emily" she said.
She dropped to her knees and touched his chest lightly. He felt a sudden pang
of passion, the like of which he had not felt for a long time.
She did not
resist as he drew her towards him roughly. She kissed him hard to show that
she could be as tough as he was, and he felt a salty taste in his mouth. She
drew back a little, looking awkward, and he touched his mouth with his
finger. It was blood.
"You bit my lip.." he said, feeling a little strange.
"I'm sorry", she looked confused, "I did not mean to. It's just that it have
been so long a time since.." She looked at him with bright eyes, "Did you
feel that too?"
He felt animal passion in him and before he knew it she was beneath him, he
on top oh her, kissing her pink breasts, she moaning in his ears, and the
rhythm of his dick striking inside her, like an african-drummer, her nails
scratching his back and his buttocks, crying for more until he felt he can't
hold it anymore and she pressed his body so tight that he could feel her
heart-beat kicking against his.. they exploded into each-other with a scream
of passion.
It took her some time to steady her breath. He was covered with sweat.
"I never had.. it.. this way" was all he could utter, but his lips curved
into a smile, and she responded with a smile. He felt warm inside, and
suddenly wondered.
He was a very direct person, that much she could see.
"I think I love you" he said suddenly, and he saw her eyes narrow as her
smile widened.
"You do?" she said quietly, touching his chin lightly, her eyes very serious,
a little disturbed. They were silent.
"Am I wrong about you?" it was hardly audible, a whisper, she uttered it, not
to him, perhaps to herself.
"Wrong about what?" he smiled, "Such things do happen, i think.." he looked
shy, and was a little bit embarrased..
"You really do love me.. so instantely" she dropped her eyes, and he felt,
amazed, yes, it really happened. He knew the feeling, and the last two, or
three times he met a girl they had sex only a week later, and love.. love
came only once - and then she left too.. But this was it. again.
"Perhaps I love you too?" it was wistful, coming from her, and she touched
his left nipple, and licked it. He felt aroused. She went on kissing his left
ear, tickling him..
"Again" she said.
"Again" he answered.
and they made more love.
They walked slowly to a tiny kiosk with seats in front. Everything was covered with sand, and the lemonade had a gritty taste.
"You have sand on your tongue." She said. He opened his mouth widely and she touched it lightly with her finger. "There", she said. He closed his lips suddenly on her finger and she twisted it out, giggling.
"I've never done anything like this before." He said.
"Virgo?"
"Naaa..." he smiled, "Do I look like one?"
"Leo," she said, "but shy."
"Perhaps." He mused, "so sudden.. not my way. Everything's not my way today" he said and she repeated the words, humming them to a tune. Suddenly she said:
"And you having to go back to the clinic so soon.."
"No, no," he said, "Finished work today. Tomorrow.."
he looked past her, and stood up.
"What is it?" she said. He walked to the side of the kiosk where a rose-bush fought the winds and sand. All the roses were of course dead, except for one which for some reason bloomed white and wonderful in this harsh climate. He plucked it, and went back to her. She opened her mouth wide as he raised the flower, but he kissed it shut gently. He planted it in her hair.
"Silly oaf" she said.
"Silly loaf" he replied.
They sat quietly as the sun went down slowly.
"Think hard. This is a game" she said, "Where did you see me before?"
"I dunno." He said. They walked slowly from the beach, the sun dead behind their back, nothing glistening on their sweat.
"If I give you a hint?"
"Wait a minute, you know where we met before?"
She nodded. "We didn't exactly meet. you just saw me."
"When was that?"
She giggled, "Two days ago."
"What's so funny?" he smiled, "why are you laughing?"
"You have something in your hair. stand still." she plucked an imagined wiff of something from the top of his head. There was something nervous in the movement of her hand.
"So, you don't know?" she said.
"No." he walked slowly now, the rhythm of the day in his limbs. His apartment waited, with hardly a memory from the last girl he had. Didn't pay it much thought. There was something interesting in here. Something curious about that girl. He never made love before so suddenly with anyone. He wasn't rash. Usually.
"Would you like to come over to my place?" he said.
"Can't."
"Why not?"
She stood still.
"In the clinic you work in.. You are a dentist. There's a doctor schumacher there, which is a family doctor. There are a few others. There's also a doctor Boyde. You remember doctor Boyde?.."
His hand, raised to caress her cheek, froze.
"You see people come and go from doctor Boyde's every day, I suppose." She said, taking her words slowly, as her face became a shadow. "Some leave his room relieved. Some leave crying. Some just run out. Do you feel any compassion for them when you see them, as your day passes?"
"You.." her face was vague, but her voice, suddenly sad, became shockingly familiar.
"You saw me crying, leaving the clinic. Two days ago.." She looked in the darkness where his eyes should be. She felt he did the same, but as close as they where they couldn't really see each other. They were two voices.
"You probably had a good day." She continued. "My life ended that day."
In the silence he could feel her smiling. A slow and powerful smile.
"Doctor Boyde informed me that I am Positive. HIV, You know.."
"I know" She heard a whisper come from the dark shadow which was him.
"Now I'm positive that you're positive too.. there's a chance that you're not, but.." she shook her head, "I've done my best.." shaking her head, something passed her like a white hand, and she recoiled for a second. It was the white rose. It fell to the sand.
The dark shadow in front of her was silent for a long time. He seemed as tense as a fist.
"You knew... You did..." the cadence of his shock came to an end in a quiet tone of amazement "But Why?..."
"I didn't like your smile that day." She said. "You mustn't smile when a crying woman passes your way."
He tried hard to remember that day. He remembered her face, now, all right. But why was he smiling? Oh, there was no reason. And she was just one of.. them. The patients.
What was he thinking of? Unknown to them both, the question passed both their minds simultaneously.
"I am of the lepers." She said quietly. Her act was gone. She didn't need to pretend anymore. She played her husky sexy tune to its end, and now she sounded only spent and tired. "I hope that you are one of the lepers too now. I hate you so hard that I can't even make you feel it. I'll go on. There will be others like you. Perhaps I'll meet the one who gave me this present one day and I'll kill him and then everything will be fine."
"How can you.." He tried hard to combine the smiling face he saw an hour ago with the shadow in front of him. It didn't sum up the same woman. "How could you.." He fought for words, he stammered and the words he couldn't pronounce anymore infuriated him. And then suddenly, horrified, he found out he simply forgot how to speak. The muscles of his mouth, his tongue, did not obey him. He had to say something, to tell her something.
"Ahhh... Ahhh.." He groped for something familiar. He couldn't bear it anymore. He had to find a way to speak to her, but the very words were forgotten. He felt tears in his eyes as a great something accumulated in him for release.
"You.." he found a word. It was a mantra to say, as tears went down his cheeks "You! You!! YOU YOU YOU YOU YOU YOUUUUUU!!!!"
He slapped her.
He heard her heavy breathing. It didn't sound familiar.
"You are in shock now." she said harshly, "But I am living in a state of shock. Every moment of my life is continuous shock. That's how I could do this. I..."
From her shadow her hand passed suddenly and touched his cheek, and felt his flesh cold and frightened.
"I'm not wrong.." she whispered, "I can't be wrong. not about you." She looked down. He wanted to do something but couldn't move.
"Thank you.. for the Rose." her shadow said and walked quickly past him, up the curve of the road.
It takes the glassy ice of shock some time to flow again. It was some time before his shadow moved a bit further, with a small limp. She was nearly beyond his sight before she heard him cry behind her.
"I should give you a bell to toll with! YOU BITCH!!"