15

Bolivar Peninsula, or “the peninsula” as locals call it, is a twenty-seven-mile barrier formation in the Gulf of Mexico. On summer weekends, the wait to get across via ferry from Galveston can be hours. With unobstructed highway access from the north side and the only road onto the peninsula, Bolivar is a funnel for East Texans.

On any given summer weekend, the beaches along Bolivar’s coast are jammed with people out for sun, sand, surf, and alcohol – mostly alcohol. They are a nuisance for permanent residents, albeit an often entertaining one. A couple of weekends each summer get crazier than usual. Go Topless Jeep Weekend is one of the craziest. The beaches are overrun by Jeep owners – not exactly the vehicle of choice for academicians.

Isolated from Jeep weekend inside Alexander’s beach house, May and Bat spent several hours in front of Bat’s laptop looking at pictures of escorts. Many left little to the imagination. In most images, the woman was smiling at the camera while she attempted a provocative pose. These were prostitutes, not professional models, and it showed.

After hours of looking at a bevy of hookers, Bat needed a break. He couldn’t get one particular ad out of his head. It was one of the girls May flagged as possibly Cuban. Six pictures of her were posted. All the pictures were tasteful yet displayed enough skin to be sexy. She wore a different outfit in each picture. Her hair was curled on the ends and hung below the middle of her back. Dark roots, black or dark brown, were transformed into platinum blond after three or four inches. Her lips were full, and her nose a bit flat. Her eyes were almond-shaped and dark. May would swear she was Cuban. The ad read, “Hey Im MIA and I can be all yours if your a gentleman. ;)”

Several of the escorts Bat and May viewed were attractive. Many were average. Bat had studied the pictures of “MIA.” She was undeniably beautiful and he wondered if she was real. Considering how she criminally assaulted the English language in her ad, it was possible.

“May,” Bat said. “Let’s take a walk on the beach. We’ve been at this for hours. I need to stretch.”

“I’d like that. I haven’t been out much. What should I wear?”

Bat could see the excitement in the girl’s eyes. Other than the trip to Kemah with Alexander, she had not left the beach house. “It doesn’t matter much. Shorts. A bathing suit. Whatever you want. It’s going to be warm out.”

May disappeared into what had become her bedroom. It wasn’t long before she came out wearing a bikini top and jogging shorts. The outfit would look fantastic on the escort named Mia but it left too much of May’s skin exposed to the Texas sun. It was Bolivar, no one would notice.

“Looks fine. I’ll grab a couple of waters. Alex won’t mind.”

It was a short walk from the beach house to the beach. Only then could one grasp the magnitude of Go Topless weekend. Vehicles were parked high on the beach near the dunes. Another row of cars was parked closer to the water. The road between them was bumper-to-bumper, mostly jeeps with the occasional Mustang convertible and the inevitable Sport Utility Vehicle.

Bat and May carefully navigated between the line of cars and walked to the edge of the water. Bat – short, stocky, greying hair tied in a ponytail, wearing colorful knee-length shorts and a Hawaiian shirt that didn’t match; his companion – shorter, heavier, cropped black hair, half Bat’s age, and wearing too little clothing for her size. Oddly, they fit right in with the Jeep crowd.

As they walked, Bat pointed out unusual happenings on the beach and made jokes. May would laugh or giggle, depending on the joke. Bat thrived on making the girl laugh. The louder she laughed, the more it encouraged him.

“I can’t believe this,” May said repeatedly as the two walked up the beach. “All the cars. The people. The music. It’s crazy. It looks like everyone is having so much fun. I’m having fun. Thank you for bringing me.”

“Not everyone,” Bat said as he grabbed May’s arm to stop her. He nodded toward a group of young men squared off at each other. They were outside a pickup truck that was blocking traffic. The men were yelling at each other, but Bat could not hear what they were saying.

When the argument became more intense, Bat said, “I think we better turn around and head back. That looks like it could turn ugly any minute.”

Without hesitation, Bat and May headed back toward Alexander’s beach house. “Let’s walk in the water.” Bat pulled May by the hand and led her to the surf. “Are you okay? We’ll just get our feet wet. We won’t go in too deep.”

“It’s fine. I like the water. I hardly remember being in it. This is fun.”

Bat continued to crack jokes as they walked along the beach. “Here’s our road.” He pointed May away from the beach. The traffic was beginning to move again. They waited until one of the cars, a Jeep CJ with two couples in it, slowed and waved for them to cross. Bat waved and mouthed a thank you as they walked past. The occupants were too busy rockin’ to rap to notice the wave.

Alexander was standing in the outdoor shower rinsing his feet when Bat and May returned to the house. “You all go to the beach?” he asked.

“Yes. Bat took me for a walk up the beach. That was amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Alexander didn’t know how long the two had been on the beach, but there was a pinkish tint to May’s body. He had a feeling all that exposed skin had not seen sunshine in a long time. “You look like you might have gotten a little burn. You might want to take a shower. I’ve got some Aloe Vera lotion you can put on when you get out. It should help.”

“I need to shower too,” Bat said. “You up for drinks later?”

“You bet,” Alexander replied. “By the way, how’d it go today? Did you have any luck in the escort sites?”

Bat shook his head. “One attractive, no, beautiful girl, about the right age. May said she looked Cuban. She could’ve been Mexican, Colombian, Brazilian. Hell, she might have been Asian, or at least part Asian as far as I could tell. She was hot, I know that.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I’ll show you later.” Bat left Alexander’s house and crossed the narrow street to his house. It was slightly newer than Alexander’s and built higher. By the time he reached the top step, he’d made a mental note to look into an elevator.

Alexander had showered and was sitting in his recliner listening to Brubeck when May entered the room. She wore a long, flowing, yellow beach skirt and a white crop top, her bare midriff showing. Alexander wondered why she had such a yearning to expose her midriff. He didn’t mind, but he just didn’t find it attractive, and it was not his place to give fashion advice.

Bat stuck his head in the open French doors. “Hi de ho, neighbors.” Carrying several shopping bags, he stepped inside and closed the door. “I thought you might be hungry. I brought the fixin’s for shrimp skewers. Is that okay?”

“Sounds good,” said Alexander.

“Shrimp? That does sound good. I have not had shrimp in a long time,” May said.

While Bat emptied his grocery bags on the counter, Alexander poured himself a drink. “May, can I make you a drink? A beer? Coke?”

“I liked the Cuba Libre. Could I have another one of those?”

“Have you ever had a Pina Colada?” Bat asked.

May gazed around the room, her lips pursed. “No, I don’t think so. I’ve heard of it, but I don’t think I have had one.”

“You’ll like it.” He had brought all the required ingredients with him. “It will only take a few minutes.” Alexander owned a top-of-the-line blender, which Bat had used on several occasions.

May joined Bat in the kitchen and he poured light rum, dark rum, Coco Lopez coconut cream, and pineapple juice into the blender. After filling with ice and turning on the blender, the concoction had turned to a smooth icy slush. He filled two Piña Colada glasses he’d brought, stuck a straw in each, and handed one to May.

May’s eyes grew wide as she tasted her first Pina Colada. “I like it.”

“Be careful,” Bat said. “Don’t drink it too fast. You’ll get brain freeze.”

“Okay, I won’t. I do like this. Thank you.”

Alexander suggested they move to the den where they’d be more comfortable. The three had several more drinks while they talked. For the first time, they didn’t talk about the big Cheoy Lee trawler or its crew. They didn’t speak about May’s sister Briana or where they might find her.

Bat marinated several pounds of fresh shrimp in olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic. He threaded four or five onto a wooden skewer. Once all were skewered, he grilled them until they were a lovely pink – a few minutes on each side.

“This is fantastic,” May said. “You’re a good cook. Thank you so much.”

“No problem. I’m glad you liked it.”

Once they had finished eating, May gestured them from the table. “You all go sit. I’ll clean up.”

“We can help,” Bat said.

“No, no. I’ll wash them and come join you.”

“Well, I’m not going to argue with the lady,” Alexander said.

Bat switched from the Pina Colada to rum on the rocks. The Pina Colada was good, but he could only drink so much of the sweet drink. The two men chatted. The stereo, set at a background volume, played an old Art Pepper CD. The classic jazz was interrupted periodically by the thump-thump of bass coming from a vehicle on the beach.

May finished the dishes and joined the men in the den. She was drinking ice water. The drinks Bat made were quite strong. She’d had four, well past her limit.

“This has been fun,” Bat said. “I’ve got to tell you, I’m beat. I’ll pick up the glasses and stuff tomorrow. I think I’m going to head home.”

“I may call it a night as well,” Alexander said.

“Can I walk you out, Bat?” May asked.

Bat glanced at Alexander, who looked as surprised as he was. “Sure.”

The two went outside onto the deck. The evening air was comfortable but not cool.

“This was a good day,” May said. “I have not laughed that much in a long time. Thank you.”

Before Bat could say anything, May stood on her tiptoes and gave him a tender kiss on the lips. Surprised, or maybe bewildered, Bat realized in an instant that he liked the kiss. There was a softness about it. He couldn’t recall ever having been kissed like that. He gently pulled May close, ready to turn her loose the instant he sensed any resistance. They kissed again, then Bat pulled away.

“I think I better go home.” He gave her a quick kiss and disappeared down the steps, wondering what had just happened.