revolutions

I’m naked. I’m crawling. I’m crawling on a cement pier on hands and knees, looking at the water below, willing myself not to fall in. Five minutes before I had seen something exceedingly large and dark swim next to the pier. I warned Gemma who was lingering behind me, and kept going. I wanted off the pier, and the only way was to crawl.
**********

The night started off pretty chilled out. I was feeling confident; I had a low cut silver baby doll tank on, with a pair of skinny jeans, and black high heels. I felt good. It was going to be a good night; I wasn’t going to get crazy tonight. Going out with Gemma and her boyfriend Chad meant nothing special or out of the ordinary. Chad’s usually more of late night person. On Gemma’s own 21st birthday she fell asleep while the rest of us played in the hot tub naked and then got in the shower. When Naivette got married, Gemma fell asleep at around 1. Chad and I stayed up and rapped to 36Mafia, smoked out on the Caribbean’s boardwalk, and drank beers until 4 in the morning… laid in a hammock until security came and asked us what was going on. I heard he puked in the morning.
I didn’t.
So, regardless, I didn’t expect much. We rolled out at around 9:30. I got some martinis at Kaze Sushi’s bar, where Ducky works. We got a free shot because I smiled real pretty at the bartender. Me, Gemma, and the bartender toasted and then savored the special concoction.
We met up with Chad and went out to the Island. The first bar held promise. It was dead, there was a smoking hot bartender, and there was a live band. We sat down and I got my usual, Red Bull and Vodka. This bartender, she was so sweet. She had glasses; it gave her this really innocent look about her, it made me want her. That’s neither here nor there. So we started drinking and socializing together, when this older man from across the bar calls me a tourist. I sat bolt upright and shot back at him, “I’ve lived here my whole life”. He started bullshiting me and then sidled on over and asked to get a picture with us. He had a fucking fanny pack. What the fuck did this dude call me a tourist for? He bought everyone in the bar a shooter with SoCo in it. It was free, so I drank it.
Then came the death blow. I’ll give you one hint. It begins with “T”.

And ends with “quila”.

Chad bought us shots of Patron. From there all I can recollect is the old dude giving Gemma his email address: cunninglinguist @ something.com.
Oh shit! I’m reeling now. My adrenaline is going. I’m so pumped.
All of a sudden we’re at Gilligan’s, and hip-hop is on. We get in, I buy a drink, get on the dance floor and it cascades all over me. I’m humping everything that moves. I spot a magical pole in the distance. A silver, lonely, pole- just waiting to be danced on. I bounce on over, sizing it up. Gemma gives me the go ahead, so I jump up and start wailing on that thing. I’m swinging every which way. Dollar bills start floating up onto the platform. Encouraged, I straddle it and smile, wishing every night could be this exhilarating.
I come down to earth…and it’s blurry. I’m dancing with Gemma and Chad. Then a black guy. Then Chad drags me back. We’re leaving: Gemma feels the immediate need to go swimming.
We arrive at our beach. This is our beach. We came here in high school, never drunk, but full of angst and infatuation. We would all lay our heads in each other’s laps, and play games. The house on the rocky point was under construction for years, and we would go inside and start little fires, and tell stories. Gemma, Gomez, L., and I would have “sand wars” and pelt handfuls of sand at each other as hard as we could. Sometimes Gomez and I would skinny dip in broad daylight, but no one could see because we would never get out of the water.

Now we stripped down on the sand, in front of the road that ran along side the beach. I must’ve had some sense of concern because I asked Gemma, “Are you sure”?
I had been in this situation way too many times. But this was just weird. This wasn’t my idea! I never said, “Hey lets get naked tonight”. It was Gemma!
Gemma was already in the water. I stood on the sand baffled. The water looked so inviting, and I could tell from there that the phosphorescence was present tonight. It swirled around Gemma and Chad as they splashed around.
***********

After swimming, I rolled around in the sand and laid on my back looking up at the stars, breathing deep. I missed home. I missed being here. All my memories come back to this place, and to the water. I remember walking, steady and sure out to the end of the pier, and looking at the moon instead, thinking how perfect my life was, how romantic the scene was. I was with someone else.
Now I laid there with sand in my crack. Drunk as fuck. 5 years later. Living between two cities. Living a double life.