Kissing the Beehive

"Joe O'Brien – your best friend who you once knocked out in a fight?"

"That's the guy. Politics were rough back then. It was that kind of town. Everybody was tough or pretending to be. You could be best friends, but if the guy crossed you, Bam! you'd be in a fight in a minute."

Cass shook her head. "Nice place to grow up."

"It was a nice place to grow up. It was i

"I bet Fra

"No, and he never forgave us for it. Fra

"Anyway, Joe O'Brien and I got there first. It was about ten o'clock in the morning. Hot day. Really hot day. There was this spot by the water where we always went. A couple of hundred yards away from the train station. We laid out our towels and stripped down to our swim-suits.

"We were all revved up for the party to start. There was a new girl in town, Geraldine Fortuso, who had the greatest body we'd ever seen. She also had a mustache, but nobody's perfect. All the guys were vying for her and we knew she was coming. Joe and I stood at the edge of the water looking at the boats and talking about the divine Fortuso's figure.

"A speedboat went by and sent waves rolling into shore. I don't know who saw it first. It's fu

"Joe said, 'You see that? Go out and see what it is. Maybe it's a parachute.'

Cass sat forward and said in the same doubting voice I had used that day, "Parachute?"

I shrugged. "It looked like one. Either a little parachute or the biggest damned jellyfish you ever saw. You know how fearless kids are until they learn life has big jaws. Without a thought that it might be something bad or dangerous, I waded right out and then started swimming for whatever it was."

"When did you see it was a body?"

"Not till I was only about five feet away. The water reflected the sunlight, and the color was a surprisingly light green so you couldn't make anything out till you were really close.

"She was floating on her stomach and wearing a man's shirt. It had been unbuttoned and that's why it looked so wide and filled out. I'm thinking back a long time now, but as I remember, first I realized it was a shirt, then that it was on something. That's what I thought – it was on some thing and not someone.

"I was calm, Cass. That's the amazing thing. If it happened today I'm sure I'd be a lot more scared or surprised. Maybe it's because when you're young, you still think things should happen to you. So since you're waiting for the adventures to begin, if you discover a dead body, it's just like a James Bond film. And that's only right because that's where you belong."

"James Bond is dorky."

"He wasn't then. He was the coolest dude on earth.

"So, now that I understand it's a shirt, and something's inside it, I let out a whoop that would have stopped a train. Joe started yelling from the shore but I barely heard him. I paddled over and just as I did, a big wave from a passing boat turned the body over. I saw her face. Even though she was just beneath the water, I saw every feature of her face clearly. Her eyes were open but there was something white and cloudlike floating across her mouth."

"God, Dad, weren't you scared at all?"

"No, that's the amazing thing. I was fascinated. Maybe it's just the different courage you have as a kid. I was only curious; I wanted to see everything. My parents thought I'd be traumatized by the experience, but it didn't touch me. It took a few seconds for it to sink in, and when it did, I called to Joe to get the police 'cause it was a body. He took off like a shot. I just paddled around wondering what to do next. I kept looking at her and thinking, she's dead. That girl is dead. But what I most vividly remember is how close to the surface she was; like if she'd only lifted her head a few inches she could have breathed again and been okay. Strange, huh? You know what the reality is, but part of your brain is still thinking crazy things.

"I took hold of her arm; she was in rigor mortis by then and very stiff. I started in toward shore, pulling her next to me. It took a few minutes of awkward struggling but I finally got her in. I stepped onto the little shelf of beach and then was able to use two hands to pull her out of the water.

"As I said, she was wearing a man's shirt and only a pair of very brief bikini underpants. I shouldn't tell you this, but it was really the first time I'd ever seen a woman like that. I could see everything. I couldn't believe it. The thing all us guys had been talking about and dreaming about for years was right there in front of me – an almost naked girl."

Cass groaned. "God, Dad, she was dead! You thought it was sexy?"

"I certainly did. She was beautiful and there wasn't much on her. I couldn't help staring."

"That is gross. I can't believe it. You were staring at a dead body!"

"No! A fifteen-year-old boy with the hormones of a bull moose was standing there and for the first time in his life he was seeing a woman. That's a big difference, honey."

She put her hands together as if about to pray. "I am so glad I'm not a man! What happened next?"

"I reached down and wiped the film off her face with my hand. I guess it was mucus or something else. Nothing else happened. I stood there and looked till Joe got back. The interesting thing was when he came, he wouldn't get near her. He stood up on the ledge and craned his neck but refused to come down.

"Nothing ever happened in Crane's View, so I'm sure the cops were thrilled to hear about a body. They were there in less than ten minutes. Captain Cristello and Pee Pee Bucci."

"Pee Pee?"

"Peter. The cop we hated most. He'd graduated from the high school a few years before. The one who always gave us the roughest time when we were caught doing things."

"Were you really a tough guy, Dad? I mean, all the stories you tell about when you were a kid make you sound like a real delinquent."

"No, I faked it. I never fit in. I only did bad things because the guys I hung around with did them. I wanted them to like me but they knew I'd leave Crane's View as soon as I could. And I did. But when you're a kid, you go with the flow. That's part of the deal. Do you think the punks or the hippies were any different? It's just a different costume and haircut, but kids want to be accepted. They'll sell a lot of their soul for that. You're about the only one I've ever known who's stayed on her own path. I admire you for that."

It was true. From the begi