Saving Fish from Drowning - Heal Burma

AMY TAN
“It would be lovely to kiss you,” he added. The debonair touch
was becoming second nature to him now.
Marlena wondered to herself: Lovely? A sunset is lovely. A sun­
rise—and before she could equivocate with her emotions any fur­
ther, he leapt at her mouth, and they both felt, despite the initial
nervousness, that the experience was quite agreeable, wonderful, as
a matter of fact, so natural, so much longing instantly fulfilled.
Although soon, another kind of longing grew. Fondness turned
into fondling, then more fondness, followed by more fondling, esca­
lating minute by fervid minute, and all this took place on a feature­
less street in Ruili. Alas, they could not make love here, they both
concluded.
“Let’s go back to the hotel,” Harry said.
“A hotel, how convenient,” Marlena answered, and giggled. As
they started to walk back, she had a sobering thought. “I should
probably check on Esmé.” Another minute passed. “Oh God, what
will I tell her?”
“Why tell her anything?” Harry said, nibbling her neck.
“I wouldn’t want her to worry if she doesn’t see me there in the
middle of the night.”
“Then tell her you are going downstairs to have a drink.”
Marlena was slightly annoyed by that suggestion. “She knows I
don’t drink. I’m hardly the type who goes to bars to pick up men.”
She had noticed that Harry sometimes drank an awful lot. She hoped
he was not an alcoholic.
“You’re not going to pick up men,” Harry teased. “You’ve already
picked me.”
Marlena did not find this a romantic response. Did he think she
was that easy? Was he suggesting this was merely casual sex, a one-
night stand? “Listen, maybe we shouldn’t do this. Not tonight.”
“Oh, but we should. We already are, or could be....” They
reached the hotel. “See, here we are.”
134