The women lay on their mats, waiting for sleep, their one surcease; the one punctuation on the endlessly dull recitation of the tedious days.
Jen-Jen turned and tossed on her mat. Turning, turning, tangling herself in her too-short blanket; then shaking it out, carefully covering herself, then tangling it again, until exasperated Marie cried out: "Stop that! Have you fleas? You are like a dog, scratching, scratching!"
"No fleas...I have another itch." Jen-Jen laugh-sighed, "I miss a man."
"Which man?"
"Any man. You know, just a man.The way a man smells and feels. I miss a man. Don't you?"
Marie laughed softly, sultry and low. "Yes...Oh yes..."
Jen-Jen sat up in her mat "What about you, Whitey, did you have a man?"
Alberta closed her eyes. Michael, her heart cried out: the taste and the touch of Michael, the silky sand and his silky hands. "Yes, yes I did."
"Well?" Marie's curious voice demands, sleepiness forgotten in the avidity for gossip, "And?"
"And I loved him," Alberta whispered softly, pressing me to her mouth in a secret kiss.
"Oh love!" Marie snorted, "That is the big mistake. It just makes trouble. Look at me! Because of a man I am here!"
"Why? What did you do?"
"I stabbed a woman. Because of a man." she snorted again, "Ai wena! I should have stabbed him.
"What did you do, Jen-Jen?" Alberta asked.
"I stole." Jen-Jen replied, "What else would I do?"
"Of course!" Alberta laughed, hesitated, then sheltered by the dark she asked the question that had been on her mind for months. "And you, Mama Sara? Why are you here."
A profound silence fell, even Jen-Jen's itch was stilled.
"I stole too."
Alberta gasped in shocked surprise. "You? Mama Sara, what did you steal?"
From the thankful dark that tranquil voice replied: "A life."
TURQUOISE MOON
Manuela Cardiga
Jen-Jen turned and tossed on her mat. Turning, turning, tangling herself in her too-short blanket; then shaking it out, carefully covering herself, then tangling it again, until exasperated Marie cried out: "Stop that! Have you fleas? You are like a dog, scratching, scratching!"
"No fleas...I have another itch." Jen-Jen laugh-sighed, "I miss a man."
"Which man?"
"Any man. You know, just a man.The way a man smells and feels. I miss a man. Don't you?"
Marie laughed softly, sultry and low. "Yes...Oh yes..."
Jen-Jen sat up in her mat "What about you, Whitey, did you have a man?"
Alberta closed her eyes. Michael, her heart cried out: the taste and the touch of Michael, the silky sand and his silky hands. "Yes, yes I did."
"Well?" Marie's curious voice demands, sleepiness forgotten in the avidity for gossip, "And?"
"And I loved him," Alberta whispered softly, pressing me to her mouth in a secret kiss.
"Oh love!" Marie snorted, "That is the big mistake. It just makes trouble. Look at me! Because of a man I am here!"
"Why? What did you do?"
"I stabbed a woman. Because of a man." she snorted again, "Ai wena! I should have stabbed him.
"What did you do, Jen-Jen?" Alberta asked.
"I stole." Jen-Jen replied, "What else would I do?"
"Of course!" Alberta laughed, hesitated, then sheltered by the dark she asked the question that had been on her mind for months. "And you, Mama Sara? Why are you here."
A profound silence fell, even Jen-Jen's itch was stilled.
"I stole too."
Alberta gasped in shocked surprise. "You? Mama Sara, what did you steal?"
From the thankful dark that tranquil voice replied: "A life."
TURQUOISE MOON
Manuela Cardiga
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