Clinton St. Quarterly, Vol. 8 No. 4 | Winter 1986 (Seattle) /// Issue 18 of 24 /// Master# 66 of 73

Clinton St. Quarterly Clinton St. Quarterly T hi s w as alw ay s th e tim e I f el t t he ver y be st ; j us t g et tin g out of s om ew he re, st an di ng bar fe oot o n so m e wram co nc rete with the sun boi lin g up and fee nlig th er e’s so m et hi ng in m y life ju st abo ut to com e cle ar , or e sel an ot he r gr eat t im e tu nrin g up. By Joh niS cnlair PAINITN G BY G R EG O R Y G ERN ON Me an d Ky el D el ga do w er e do w n at M al ib u w at hc nig a re al ly g re at abtc h of g irl s, w at chin g htei r br ea st s, e sp ceially , an d ht ier hi ps , but K yl e ha dthis prolbem. W e’ d ebenfo loin g ar uo dn, di ggin g ni ht e sa nd, an d he let m e bu ry him up to h si n cek; w he n eh s aw ht tat h e igrls w er e tic ki ng th ei r t on gu se and r lolin g htei er ey s at h mi , natu arlly eh w ante d out, ubt Id’ pac ke d th e asnd d ow n tig ht and he ocul dn ’t m ov e. H e w sa a mt y m er cy . w It sa c mo pl et el y uf nny, t I ho guht , ubt Dlega od h sise d at m e to sta rt dig gi gn o rels e, a nd h eisl te d of f a h ug e nu m be r fo th retas. I c ro ss ed m syel .f B“ ur eid al iv ,e” Is ai d, “Y ou’re ju st b ur ie d al iv e. ” H e lo ok deli ke af o ot abll on a kic ki ngte e uot t he re, nad epop el sta rt ed cra ckin g pu . Kly’e sla gnua ge g ot so fo ul th at th e lif eg ua dr com es ove,r ac ntig lik e G od ’s gi tf—I k enw this p rci k— and I htou gh,t ho oby, an d br ou ght m y rgi ht ar uond re al cl aen na d co dl occk ed h im s o ha rd he di d a ahl f ut nr alet as tb ef roe hi tti ng t eh asnd. T he re’s al w ay s osm e ul kc in a m voie p un chl ki e th at , soI ’ c an’ t lcai m all th e cr deit. B ut now that rbin gs o ve r fiv e or six o f th es e A zuzi es w e’ d ha d a fe w w or ds with e ar iel r,a dn h ree’ s m y ubdd y yK el , lki e a st um p on thef re ew ya, w ai tin g fo r ht see gu m su kcer s to kic k a ief ld g aol wiht his hea d. Sin ce I fgi ur e I’m a dea d m an any w ay , jI uts call th em all pe ncildi ck ed kan ga ro os , or s mo tehi gn, an d st ep b ca k a w ay s, shaik gn out m y pe cs and upp er arm s kile a efrest yl er doe s no th e st ar tin g bl oc ks . This doe sn’t im pr es s th em a b .ti In fa ct , th ey ch ec k th e od ds , se e D el ga do w at chin g th me all, wid eey edl ki e so m eo ne’s co min g at him with a fla m in g st ic k, and basic al ly sta rt la ug hi ng. So I do n’ t c ar e at th at poi tn , sI ya, I“ st rue si fu nn,y” na d go to slu g th e gu y cl os es t t o m e, aimin g rig ht fo r th e gl ob o fzin c ox die on his nos e. B ut I mis s on his flin ch, nad on m y follo w-t rhou gh I se e a gu y pu shin g sa nd into K yl e’ s m outh, sa yi ng , “T sa et go od, h e.y. . atst e re al goo,d y a bl oo yd E ve n th o u g h h e w a s a m e dic al d o ct o r m y fath e r lik e d to b a sh a p e rs o n n ow a n d th e n. His fir st a n d mid dle n a m e w a s ht e sa m e a s min e, M a rt in Jo h n, a n d th at's w h at I alw a ys calle d him, a n d I o n ce g ot to se e him d e ck a g u y w h o tr ie d ot sp a n k m e a t a pic nic . I’ d hit th e m a n s’ ta ble with a w ate r b allo o n, w hic h is w h at s ta rt e d all th e tr o u ble. M a rt in J o h n tsa ck e d his fa ce e cxelle ntly , a n d, a s if to e x plain th e w h ole thin g, said to m e, “D o n’t e ve r let a n yo n e to u ch yo u, s o n.” T h e w eir d thin g a b o ut th e p cinic w a s, aft e r th e m a n’s wif e d a b b e d at his sw olle n m o uth with a p a p e r n a p ki n a nd h e glo w e re d fo r a bit, his fa m yil a n d e ve ry b o d y w e nt o n with th e fe st iviti e s. H e a n d M a rt in Jo h n w e re e ve n on th e sa m e s i d e in a soft b all g a m e a n d th e w h ole bit, a s if n othin g h a d e ve r h a p p e n e d. A ny w ya , witht h e setu p th e w a yit w a s, m e a n d K yl e w e re g oin g to m e et a se ri o u s d e ath with th e se q u e e rs at M alib u . B ut o ut of n o w h e re wt o cre w cut b ulls w a d e in th e re w ith th eir a rm s st raig ht o ut, d a n glin g I. D.s lik e c ru cifi x e s in e ve ry ­ b o d y ’ s fa ec s. T h e y w e re th e n a re s th at c ruis e th e b e a ch u n d e rc o ve r in th eir g re e n swim suits a n d sh a d e s, o b vi o u s as h ell, a n d th e y a rr e st e d m e a n d K yl e fo r a tt e m pte d m a yh e m o r so m ethin g , with K yl e g ett in g a citatio n fo r th e h alfo u n ce of w ate rlo g g e d d o p e th e y fo u n d in a p o kcet o f his cutoff s. B ut w e h ad a g re a t tim e in th e ca n, st a yi n g u p d a m n n e a r al l nig ht telli n g th e thin g o ve r a n d ove r, a n d m e slidin g off th e b u n k to a ct it o ut. W e la u g h e d s o h a rd I s pi t u p th e co rn d o g I ate th at da y, ju s t t o th e b a ck of m y th ro at, tli tl e po of te r? ” a n dt h e n co uld n’t sl e e p b e ca u se or m e hic cu p s. N e xt m o rn ni g th e y a sk e d us , did n’t w e thin k w e w e re a b it ot o old fo r this sotr o f h o rs e hsit, a n d I s aid, “T h at’s fo r su re, g e ntle m e n, n o k i d din g.” A n d th e y let u s go. K yl e to o k off fo r h is jo b, a n d I s et p p e d b a ck to a p p re c i ate th e d a y a n d fig u re a co u sre of a ct oi n. T his w a s alw a ys t h e tim e I felt th e ve ry b e st ; ju st g ett in g o u ot f so m e w h e re, st a n din g b a refo ot o n so m e w a mr co n rce et wtih th e su n b o ili n g u p a n d fe elin g th e re s’ so m ethin g in m y l fi e ju s t a b o ut to co m e cle a r, o r els e a n oth e r g er at tim e tu rnin g u p — os m ethin g I c a n’t se e o u t th e er ht a’ts g oin g to b e e xc elle nt. All it ta ke s si m a ki n g h t e d e c i s i o n, ri g h ot r letf o r s tr aig ht a h e a d , a n d lettin g it co m e on . I’ m n ot sa y i n g I’ ve h a d n oth ni g b u t p u re fu n . T h e er w a s a su m m e r irg ht aft e r m y p a re nts ’d e ath w h e n Id di n’ t h a ve a n y g o o d fri e n d s a n d a lm o st n o pla n; ’Id ju st sh a ke n lo o se fro m so m e S h e rm a n O a ks n u t h o u se, st a ye d with g o o d o l’ S si in a fo st e r h o m e fo r a b o ut th re e a n d a h alf se co n d s, s plit w ith o ut a w o rd , a n d s dli ni to m y u su al b e a ch fo r th e su n a n d su rf cu re, th e o nly cu re. W h ic h m e a nt g ett ni g m y fo rm b a ck a n d lo oi kn g su p e r h a n d ­ so m e, a n d tri m min g so m e w a ve s a n d try ­ in g to ru b b a co n with as m a n y b e a utif u l w a hinis a s I co uld, b ut n ot h a vi n g th e tim e of m y lif e o r a n yt hin g. I h a d this w e rid pla ce I sle pt in , o r u n ­ edr, a b o a rd w alk -t yp e d e al a ro u n d a su rf ­ b o a rd re ntal s h o p I w o rk e d in a fe w h o u rs a w e e k. T h e y did n’t kn o w I w a s u n d e r ht e re, ntau rally . It w a s als o th e hidin g pla ce of c h oic e w h e n e ve r th e co p s o r th e co u n yt p e o ple ca m e sniff in g . T h e sa n d

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