Chapter 5

When Maria and I returned to what we now called home, Dad was splitting wood. The axe remained suspended over his right shoulder while he studied us. "Everything okay?"

Maria and I glanced at each other and smiled. "Everything's great," I said.

Dad eyed Maria. "And you?"

"Great."

He gave us a funny look and then said, "Bobby, catch us some fish." He turned back to his work and—swoosh—split the log with one swing of the axe.

I turned to Maria. "Wanna go fishing?"

She nodded so I stormed into the shed and grabbed the net. I turned to my mother. As usual, she was staring up at the ceiling.

"Mom, I have a girlfriend."

I waited. She didn't move.

I rushed over to her. Dropping to my knees at her side, I shook her shoulder. "Did you hear me? I have a girlfriend. I love her and she loves me."

My mother turned her head to face me, but she wasn't looking at me. Her eyes were empty.

"Fuck it! Why can't you be like you were?"

I slapped her face. Hard! My heart sank to my stomach. I placed a hand on her cheek. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Mommy, I didn't mean it."

Her eyes met mine. It worked. She was coming out of it. But once again Mom gazed up at the ceiling.

"Bobby, what's wrong?" Maria said.

I turned to see her standing in the doorway. "I'll be right there. I wanted to tell my mother something."

I walked out of the shed and took Maria's hand. At least I had her. With our fingers intertwined and arms swinging, we skipped to my favorite fishing spot. Soon we were standing in the stream in our bare feet, holding the net between us.

"Man I'm hungry," I said.

Maria giggled. "Sex makes you hungry?"

"You make me hungry?"

"Me?"

"For sex."

Maria kicked water at me. I leaned over and, cupping my hand in the stream, threw water on her. She squealed and stomped her foot, splashing both of us. It got frantic and in no time we were soaked. And laughing.

I noticed a fish caught in the net. I scooped it out and walked up to Maria. Holding the wiggling fish in front of her by its gill, I said, "Is this one big enough?"

With her attention on the fish, I stuck my finger into the collar of her shirt and pulled it outward. I dropped the fish in. Maria screeched as it flapped inside her shirt. She tried to pull the bottom out, but I had one hand pressed on her belly and the other on her back. She kept squealing and squirming. We struggled, lost our balance, and toppled into the stream with a splash.

Maria came up sputtering and then jumped up with a scream. She reached under her shirt and pulled the fish out. Holding it out in front of her, she charged. I turned and ran. Outside the stream, she jumped me from behind and we fell. Rolling on the ground, we laughed like we didn't have a care in the world. I tickled her.

"No! Don't! Stop. Stop," Maria cried out.

I rolled onto my back and gazed up at the sky. Maria lay next to me on her side with her head propped in her upturned palm. I turned to see her smiling face.

"What?" I said.

"Nothing."

"C'mon, what?"

"I'm glad we did it."

"Did what?"

Maria's eyebrows furrowed. "You're so bad. You know what. Fucked."

"Me too."

"Why? So you don't have to jerk off anymore?"

"No. Because it's like we're married."

Maria's jaw dropped and her eyes got big. She stared at me without saying anything. And then she pressed her lips to mine and kissed me. No tongue. Just soft lips.

"What was that for?" I asked when she pulled away.

"Because I love you. I didn't even know it."

I cupped the side of her face in my hand. "I love you, too." She leaned in for another kiss. "But we better catch some fish." I stood up. "You know Dad. When he says to do something, he means it."

"I sure do know that."

She waited, and when I got the joke she giggled. She jumped to her feet.

I lifted the front of her shirt up to her neck.

"Hey!" she said and pulled it down. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for the fish."

Maria yanked her shirt up to her chin uncovering her breasts. Wiggling her hips, she said, "Nothing here for you."

I reached for her. She swatted my hand away and pulled her shirt down. "Lookie but no touchie," she said. Then she smiled. "At least not now."

After catching dinner, we returned to the shed area.

My father raised an eyebrow when he saw us. "You're wet."

Maria and I laughed, and then I said, "We fell." That caused more laughter.

"You need to be careful. I warned you. There are no doctors here and we have no medicine."

"Dad, we just got wet. No big deal."

"Well, just be careful. Start the fire."

"I'll cook the fish," Maria said.

My father nodded and disappeared into the shed.

During dinner, it was hard to watch my mother feed herself. Dad would hand her a stick with a piece of fish on it and she'd stare into space while lifting it to her mouth. So slowly sometimes I wondered if it would ever get there. When her lips closed around the fish, Dad would take the stick from her. While she chewed, he ate. Of course we all finished before her.

What was going through her mind? Probably nothing. Vacant as her eyes. The alternative, that her mind was active and trapped in a shutdown body, was unthinkable.

I looked over at Dad as he waited for her to swallow. The love was there. He didn't show his emotions, but in his way he loved her. When Dad had slapped her it was to help her. I did it out of anger. I would never hurt my mother again.

After Mom finished, Dad bathed her upstream while Maria and I washed the coconut shells and tidied the area. We held hands watching the setting sun. It was romantic. Dad returned and before we knew it, it was bedtime.

Lying in the dark next to Maria was the same, but different. No more rolling away when our bodies bumped. I craved the contact, and I guess so did Maria because she draped an arm over my body as she rolled partway onto me. Her left breast pressed into my ribs and the side of her face rested on my bare chest. I placed my left arm on her back.

I stared at the shadows of my parents. Once my eyes adjusted to the darkness I could make out their shapes. That meant Dad could see us. But what did I have to hide? It was his doing.

Maria's fingertips made soft circles on my shoulder and then traced down my right arm to my hip. She stroked it and brushed my thigh. And then she cupped my groin.

"Hey!" I called out and dragged her hand away.

Maria giggled.

I glanced at my parents. My father's head shot up. He stared at us and then settled back down.

"What are you doing?" I whispered.

"I wanted to touch you," she whispered back.