James Brawley

What, Softage?

You have a life preserver.

It's so cute.

And she keeps her hand right there, like a girlfriend, up the stairs and into the lobby of the hotel and into the elevator, which is too bright and too small to be touching.

It's a tiny little hotel, tiny little elevator.

So she's in one corner and I'm in the other.

When the doors close and the floors start ringing off one by one, and we just look at each other, and there's not much more time to go,

And then the doors open before I can make up my mind what to do.

And we're standing there in front of our rooms.

And she just looks at me with the most beautiful face I have ever been swimming with.

And one that I have never wanted to kiss more.

But I just can't do it to Susan.

So I kiss Franz on the cheek three times, which I've learned that week, which allows you to change your mind, potentially.

But I make it into my room and a closed door behind me and Susan's up in bed reading Let's Go Europe in anticipation of the debate that's probably going to happen tomorrow morning over where to go.

And she looks up and says, how was it?

And I say, it was hard, Susan.

It was really hard.

And she looks right at me and says, I know.

Like, she does know.

Like, she really understands why I've avoided the beach for a week on the beach vacation.