Killing Peace

  * * *

  “Hey, Randy, Lorraine and I are gonna take a walk on the beach.” The best thing about friends is that meanings can be conveyed without the words ever having to be spoken. Clearly, my statement translated to “Don’t bother us unless it’s a life-or-death situation, and even then, you might reconsider it.”

  “Yeah, okay. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” he said with a dirty grin on his face. “You gonna finish your steak and fish when ya get back?” he asked, trying to delay our departure.

  “Nah, you guys can have it.” Lorraine wrapped a beach towel around her bikini-clad body.

  A few seconds later, she and I disappeared beyond the fire glow. The warm sand squeezed between our bare toes as we leisurely strolled the moonlit beach. No words were spoken for a while. We just walked quietly, ever holding hands, till we came to a smooth, freshwater stream that kissed the waves merging on the shoreline. The gentle breeze skimming off the ocean kept the mosquitoes at bay, so I was comfortable in my beach shorts, and Lorraine didn’t seem to have any problem donning her neon pink, sexy outfit. I’d been worried about the 95 percent of her flesh being exposed to the elements and the hungry blood-suckers that hovered around the beach, but she never complained one bit about it, so that was a relief.

  “I’m so happy I met you, Pineapple, and—”

  Before she could get the words out, I stopped her with a passionate kiss that left us both gasping for air. We dropped onto the warm sand and hurriedly spread the beach towel behind a sand mound, away from the walking path; the last thing I wanted was to put on a show for other midnight strollers. Our movements were methodical, slow, and easy, so as to avoid disturbing the towel, as we didn’t want to end up with a layer of sand sticking to our hot, sweaty bodies. There, on that towel beneath the moonlight, with the ocean waves serenading us, we lost track of time. Exhausted, we lay on our backs, staring at the stars and the banana-shaped moon. We didn’t say a word, as we both needed time for our minds and bodies to recuperate.

  Finally, Lorraine spoke up. “I’m gonna be here for four more days,” she said. “Pineapple, I’d rather be with you and your friends than our boring tour group and my parents, riding a bus around the island.”

  Without hesitation, I kissed her voluptuous lips, and she responded in kind. “I know how you feel. I’ll make you a deal,” I said. “You hang out with me, and I’ll guarantee you the best time on this island, all with a local twist.”

  “Like…tonight?” she answered with tiny moonlight reflections dancing in her wide eyes.

  “Nope. Better,” I said.

  She gave me a soft sucker-punch on my six-pack abs.

  I hugged her, kissed her, then sucked on her upper lip.

  “Again?” she sighed.

  “Yes…again,” I whispered, nibbling her earlobe…