“I
could vomit all over your shoes right now.” Eugene said.
“Look,
at your skin! It’s peeling off!” Dani exclaimed. She lifted Eugene’s shirt away from his
stomach. His belly was lobster red. “So that’s what happens to white boys who don’t
use sunscreen.”
Eugene
groaned. Why had this happened on the third date? He’d totally spoiled the
mood.
Dani
rummaged through her utilitarian beach bag and pulled out some aloe vera. “My
cousin is light skinned, so my mom and I carry it around for his silly ass.
Take your shirt off.”
This
was not how Eugene imagined Dani would tell him to take his shirt off. She
pumped some of the green goop into her hand. Eugene looked at the brightly lit
arcade station and the Dicky’s ice cream next to it.
“You
sure we should do this now? We could get some ice cream first.” He pointed at
the crowd of teens near the Dicky’s.
Dani
gave the heaviest sigh and side eye. “I already have it on my hand.” She
dropped her beach bag next to her.
Eugene
seemed to taste dry, sandy rot in his mouth as she approached him with the
aloe. He gulped, then reluctantly peeled his shirt off. Maybe if she only used
small doses of the aloe on his skin, his allergies would not react to it. “Can
you wipe some off on your shirt or something?” he suggested.
Dani
twiddled her fingers in front of him, being careful not to drop a bit of green goo
on the boardwalk. “C’mon, it’s not even that much!” she dabbed it all over his
stomach along his chest then over his neck. This was the first time she touched
most of his body. Yet, he shivered and cringed and gripped his forearm. She grabbed
him, spun him around and massaged it into his shoulders and back. The massage
felt more like a rough ice bath from hell. His shoulders hunched and he held
his head low.
“Look
at you being brave!” she hugged him from behind.
He
squirmed from the sting, clenched his teeth and nodded.
“You
okay, babe?” she tried to turn him by his torso, but he braced himself and
didn’t move.
He
grimaced. “Is it okay if you get me some water? I’m feeling pretty dehydrated.”
“All
right… But when I get back, we’re sitting on the beach!” She walked toward the
Dicky’s and slung her beach bag over her shoulder.
Eugene
turned to see she was far enough away, then he used his shirt to scrape off as
much of the residue as possible. He sweated profusely and felt like liquid
shit. He was the one that suggested a beach trip would be great, then like an
idiot forgot to pack Benedryl. The sun was sinking low in the sky, drawing more
people to the beach. They came from the flashing arcade, local greasy
pizzerias, and expensive mom & pop’s, making their sweet beeline to the
boardwalk.
Parts
of Eugene's body began to swell. He staggered to a wooden bench and sat down
heavily. He threw his shirt at his feet and he crossed his arms against his
stomach, staring down at the swollen skin. He kept repeating himself it was
worth it. They’d find a pharmacy after the date. Maybe he could keep this up
even after the pharmacy run. He summoned the image of Dani in that little
bikini of hers and that lilac perfume. So close. The third date was so close.
He held his knee close to his chest. Date, then mate. He’d known her for two
years now, but not in all the ways that mattered. Just the pressure of asking
her out was hard enough, but now he had to deal with his own stupidity. He
released his knee and placed his hands in his pockets, fidgeting.
Dani
held two ice creams in one hand and a large bottle of water in the other.
“Let’s go out on the beach!” She walked passed him towards the walkway.
He
followed after her, they sat on the sand, dug their toes in the sand.
Dani
handed the water bottle and strawberry/chocolate swirl to him. She licked her
ice cream on all the parts that overflowed, taking care not to forget a single
spot.
Eugene
screwed the top off the bottle while maneuvering the ice cream with his elbow.
“You
sure you don’t need help?” she said.
He
took a couple sips of water and shook his head. Then he gargled the water and
spat it out away from Dani. He took a couple more sips, then decided to tackle
the ice cream. He licked all of the drippiest parts first.
Then
he tasted aloe.
Dani
hadn’t washed her hands after applying the aloe. It seemed like he licked nothing but aloe off the cone. Eugene
felt his tongue swell alarmingly. He felt hotter and itchier than before. He’d
never actually eaten it before. He bit into his ice cream, hoping for a cool
sweet release. He looked over at Dani staring at the dark ocean ahead. She held
her knees to her chest while slowly licking her ice cream. She smiled. No, he decided, he couldn’t tell her now.
She
turned to look back at the boardwalk. “I bet the sun looks just as red as you.”
Then she looked over at Eugene, ice cream splattered on his face. She giggled,
“Are you okay?”
Eugene
choked out, “Yeah,” even as the scary words anaphylactic
shock echoed across his brain. No. He could do this. He coughed and rubbed
his Adam’s apple. He sat up stiffly. He drew air deep into his lungs, trying to
get a full breath.
Dani’s
eyebrows furrowed and she turned her body toward Eugene. It seemed like she was moving in slow motion, leaving blurry after-images of herself. When she glared at him he
felt the heat from her eyes...no... wait, that was still his burning flesh...
“Really?”
He
looked around and saw it was only them and an old couple by the shore. Everyone
else must’ve still been on the boardwalk. He coughed. “The shore looks pretty
dank, don’tcha think?”
She
rolled her eyes and scrunched her nose. “That’s not how you use that word. And
what’re you hiding?” Every way he turned his head, she followed: she shifted
her weight from thigh to thigh, tilted her head up, down, all around.
He
stared at her curls, her nose, her lips, but away from the eyes as much as
possible.
“Nothing,”
he grumbled. His own voice seemed to come from far away. Certainly not from his own dry, swollen throat.
“You
know you can tell me anything, right?” Dani furrowed her brow and reached a hand
out to him. “How long have we known each other? It's got to be over two years now.”
Eugene's eyes rolled back and he collapsed. Fainted. Darkness.
***
A
fuzzy feeling and weird pinch-grip on his right arm. Numbness. Fogginess.
Heavy, steady breathing.
Eugene
blinked a couple of times and scanned the blurry room. He blinked a couple of
more times, his vision clearing. A white board with scribbles on it, something
to do with his condition and the name of his nurse. He looked to his right to
see Dani, curled in a seat next to him.
He
looked at his arm and the tube that ran to the familiar cortisone. He sighed
and grumbled a bit about hating hospitals. He coughed and cleared his throat,
which was in a much better condition than earlier. His body felt like the husk
of an exoskeleton. That weird exposed bone feeling all over his body.
Shivering, this felt weirder than that time he had his first roach. Probably
from the IV sticking out of him.
He
couldn’t believe he choked. Not just from the Aloe either. Hadn’t he learned to
just get it over with already?
His
heart sank. There was no way out of this hospital or to escape the soon-to-be-awkward
situation with Dani. She still had her utilitarian beach bag next to her chair,
but she covered herself with a shawl. Maybe if he pretended to sleep long
enough, she’d go away. He couldn’t do that, not for long enough anyway.
Dani’s
leg escaped from her side and it jolted her awake. Tired eyes, she wiped away
the sleep that lingered. She blinked a couple of times.
Eugene
couldn’t help but stare at the way she patted her face awake, he smiled.
Dani
looked over at Eugene and her eyes widened and crossed her arms across her
stomach. “I’m so sorry. I knew you were acting strange--”
“Please,
don’t apologize…” he shook his head and closed his eyes. A flush that had
nothing to do with sun or allergic reaction burned on his cheeks and forehead.
“Eugene,
just let me say--”
“You’ve
said too much already, give it a rest.” He turned and glared at her. “I was
being an idiot, end of story.”
She
sat up stiff straight and crossed her arms again. “No. That is not the end of the story. You worried
me. Not many things worry me.” Dani grabbed her bag and dumped the belongings
on the ground.
Eugene
gripped at the harshly knitted blanket over his stomach. “I don’t want you
worried.”
“Just
listen, okay?” She rummaged through her belongings.
“I like to be prepared for anything, Eugene,
but I was not prepared for today.” Dani presented some of the items. Eugene leaned
over to see: pads, aloe vera, lipstick, a small first aid kit, towel, breath
mint, magnum condom, lubrication, sunscreen, wallet, deodorant stick, wide
tooth comb, book entitled Sex for Dummies,
hand-held mirror, miscellaneous receipts, Marvel comic book, and a mini-bag.
Eugene
blushed at the book and condoms. He smiled at the receipts and comic book. He
gripped the knitted blanket even more, he furrowed his brow, his throat began to
tighten again, almost as badly as at the beach. He swallowed, hoping to
alleviate the pain, to only feel dryness.
He
choked.
He
turned his head toward her, saw her tears and choked. Again. Not from an
allergy, not from the dryness. But he definitely choked. ‘I love you’ was not
meant to be said today.
She
grabbed his hand and brushed her thumb over his meaty fingers.
“All
you need to know right now,” he said, “Is I’m allergic to aloe and I hate
strawberries.” He managed a smirk.
“I
already knew you hated strawberries!” Dani playfully pushed his arm. “I saw you
glaring at the little girl eating straight strawberries at the fair!”
They
laughed. Maybe he’d try again on the fourth date.
___
May Clare is a graduate from Longwood University. Her previously published Creative Nonfiction piece was “Going to Church hungover” in aaduna magazine.
