Sometimes, especially after sex, Mat and Laura would lie in each other’s arms and play “Do you remember?”

“Do you remember that little blue lamp we had?”

“How could I forget. It was our first furniture.”

“Right. We’d just bought our first apartment, and we weren’t quite married.”

“And the place was completely empty.”

“So we went to the furniture store.”

“But everything was hideous.”

“Not to mention too expensive.”

“Except for the little blue lamp.”

“And you had to have it.”

“You had to have it.”

“We had to have it.”

“Right. So we bought it.”

“It was so cute. So darling.”

“It was.”

“And we set it down on the floor, even though it was a table lamp.”

“Because we didn’t have a table.”

“And you switched it on.”

“Only it didn’t come on.”

“Because it wasn’t plugged in.”

“So we took it nearer the wall—near the outlet.”

“And you plugged it in.”

“But it still wouldn’t light.”

“Because it didn’t have a lightbulb.”

“Duh!”

“So we got dressed and went out again and at the convenience store we bought a lightbulb.”

“And back in the apartment you screwed it in.”

“Carefully. Our first lightbulb!”

“But the light still wouldn’t light.”

“So we scratched our heads, and then you remembered.”

“That they said the circuit breaker had to be switched on.”

“For the hot water heater.”

“But I didn’t remember where the circuit box was.”

“And it was getting dark.”

“But you remembered.”

“In the hall closet.”

“Good thing it wasn’t in the basement, with all those creaky stairs and scary monsters.”

“Good thing we didn’t have a basement.”

“Right. So I found the circuit breaker box and by feel felt that some of the breakers weren’t flipped.”

“And you flipped them. I remember the sound. Such a substantial click.”

“And the little light came on!”

“It did.”

“It was so beautiful.”

“Perfect light.”

“Perfect.”

“And we stood there in awe.”

“Mesmerized.”

“And then I had to kneel down and stroke the lampshade. It was a strange not quite fabric feel. Like your scrotum skin.”

“If you say so.”

“I do say so.”

“And I smoothed my hand over the smoothness of the base.”

“Yes, I remember that. You said it was almost as smooth as my bottom.”

“Nothing could be as smooth as your bottom.”

“Do you still think so?”

“I do!”

“I’m glad.”

“And then I started smoothing your bottom. For comparison sake.”

“And I couldn’t resist feeling your scrotum. And I noticed your cock started to lift. And it looked so lovely in the light of our lovely little blue lamp that I couldn’t resist.”

“Mmmm.”

“And I sucked it for a while.”

“Mmmm.”

“And it looked even lovelier, glistening with my kiss juice.”

“Mmmm.”

“And we started to make love.”

“Right there on the floor.”

“Next to our brand new little blue lamp.”

“And it was magical.”

“It was.”

“Until you knocked it over.”

“You knocked it over.”

“We knocked it over.”

“And it went out.”

“It did.”

“Broken.”

“Never to light again.”

“So sad.”

“But it was still magical.”

“It was.”

“We were.”

“We were magical.”

“Yes. Sad. Say Laura, do you remember what happened to that lamp?”

“No, Mat, I don’t remember, but I’m ready to make love again. Fuck me now.”