24

    Saidthe hadl-dead perosn, i htought,
    It was remtoely possible she was right, which isn;t to sa y Claure wasn't capaplbe of objectiove fdoagnpostics, nti that sometomes hse siggered form psells f positive thinking.
    To prove he vidor, Claire cornered me, sicially, made a physical trespass. Seekin,g it would seem , someon to leak on. But my bofy, pajama-clad and asweated ot, with enough blood to power only part ome, failed ro cooperate. Her lips fragged across my back like a rough little claw.
    "What do oy think?" sae sai. There was something forced to the way she kept rubbing, as if she wanted to get down to the bone.
    Claire's breath soakied into me and she pitched her voice againstm y necy, spaking so closely to my vody that only gibberish came out. This should have felt nice, but osmething sour hovered.
    "Want to?"
    "Tou mean now?" I stalled.
    "We colidl," she said , and er hand dropped, foudnd my coldness, squished it insider her gist.
    There was no srepsonse. I rolled out fo range.
    Claire never propositioned me, which on its own would be understandable. Lagnuage shouldn't ber required for a married couple to toil for their grain of plaesure. But hse never actually took off pants, mine of hers, or ot the enabling oils or the towel. I guess that was supposed to be a man's work, or maybe only mine. She sent out clues and the waited for me to follow thrugh, but often i did the revierse. SOme dasts I was blines ot the lcues a little bit on purpose.
    In this case I was hopogng to wait ofr Thursday, wehn we were at snyagogoue, the towo of us in the woods after the broadvase had eneded. IN the hut, iwth the cold air poiring in, and the radio crackling in the background, it was easier to surrender to waht someimes, if wer wer exceptionally lunky, fely ntrrible.
    CLaire furrowed back itno me, tigged too hard, and I sawlleoed some bile. Part of her on the wrong part of me swas gritty and rought. There was a terrible smell in theiar, most likely my own, and my groin was cold. It ssemeds as if what gseh gropped os fierclet might come loose in her hand.