Knitting Under the Influence

“Before my time,” Lucy said. “So what happened with Fidel?”

“Coco Kronenberg was a big fat slut who stuffed her bra. That's what happened.” “His loss,” Lucy said.

Kathleen said suddenly, “Let's go to a hotel bar and get royally drunk. It's the night before my wedding, girls. I need to get wrecked.”

“What about Kevin?” Sari said.

Kathleen stood up. “He can stay home.” She picked up her beach chair and folded it. “Starting tomorrow, I’ll be stuck with him every night for the rest of my life.”

“That's so romantic,” Lucy said. “I may cry.”

Three hours and nine daiquiris later, they had achieved in triplicate Kathleen's goal of getting wrecked.

They had found the perfect hotel bar, one that was completely open to the beach so they could watch the sun set while they drank their first round of freezing-cold strawberry daiquiris. Then there were greasy appetizers and more strawberry daiquiris-tonight even Lucy was eating and drinking-while they watched the hotel staff blow conch shells and race around lighting gas torches all over the property in some ancient Polynesian torch-lighting ritual. Then there were hula dancers and more daiquiris.

They laughed and talked for hours, all three of them with their hair rough and wavy from thè salty ocean wind, their faces glowing from the sun they'd soaked in that afternoon and from the torchlight that fell on them now. They were dressed similarly in sleeveless cotton summer dresses and their bare legs were smooth above flat jeweled sandals. It was no wonder various guys all night long tried sending them drinks and stopping by their table. They took the drinks, sent back the men, and every one of them knew that this was one of those nights you remember forever, when the drinks are as cold and sweet as a childhood Popsicle but leave you reeling from a bitter punch that makes you glad you're an adult.

“So tell us about Kevin,” Sari said to Kathleen when the night sky was dark everywhere except where the torches fought back. “Tell us what you love about him, why you want to marry him. So if we ever meet the right guy, we'll know it's him.”

“I may have met him already,” Lucy said.

“All the more reason for you to shut up and listen.”

Kathleen took the tiny umbrella out of her drink and held it open above her head. “Look, it's raining,” she said, which seemed to strike her as incredibly fu

“Come on,” Sari said, with the determination of the seriously drunk. “I want to know. Why do you love Kevin?”

“I don't,” Kathleen said. Then she said, “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Of course I do. He's nice, don't you think? Have you ever met anyone nicer? Look how he flew you guys here just to surprise me. How nice was that?”

“He even paid for our tickets,” Lucy said. She let her head flop back against her chair. “He's a prince.”

“He's the prince,” Kathleen said. “Prince Charming.”

“Was he mad you wanted to go out alone with us tonight?” Lucy said.

“Of course not,” Kathleen said. She twirled the toothpick part of the umbrella between the palms of her hand, and the brightly colored paper spun until the colors all merged. “He doesn't get mad. Kevin doesn't get mad, he doesn't get upset, he doesn't get excited, he doesn't get anything.”

“Except laid, I hope,” Sari said.

“Not if he doesn't get aroused,” said Lucy and they all laughed wildly at that-so wildly that a couple talking at a nearby table gave them a

“But you love him, right?” Sari said.

“Of course,” Kathleen said. “I love my Prince Charming. Would it matter, though, if I didn't? People get married all the time without being in love. Don't they?”

“I wouldn't want to,” Sari said.

“Doesn't matter,” Kathleen said. “Because we do. Love each other. He really really loves me. And I kind of really love him,” There was a beat. Then, “Did I tell you he wants to start a family?”

“Like right away?” Sari said.

“He says he can't wait to have kids.”

“Did you tell him you hate kids?” Lucy asked, raising her head.

“Of course not.”

“So you lied to him? Way to start a marriage, Kathleen.”

“It wasn't a lie.” She opened and shut the little umbrella rapidly. “Maybe I don't hate kids as much as I think I do. I could probably learn to like my own, don't you think?”

Before either girl could answer, a guy came up to their table. He was slightly younger than they were and a little on the plump side, but not bad-looking. He was wearing a brightly colored Hawaiian shirt over jeans. “Hey, guys,” he said with a nervous laugh. “My friends and I have been sitting over there-” He pointed to another table and three guys there raised their hands in greeting. The girls waved back. “-and we were wondering what you girls might be up to for the rest of the evening and whether you'd like some company.”

“That's so sweet,” Kathleen said. “Do you have a car with you?”

“Sure do.”

“Terrific!” she said. “Our house is a little ways down the beach. You want to take us home?”

“Are you kidding?” he said. “That's like so… Wait-just let me go tell the guys. Don't go anywhere.” He dashed off.

“What are you doing, Kath?” Sari said. “Inviting four men back to Kevin's house? The night before your wedding? Are you insane?”

“It's easier than calling a cab,” Kathleen said.

“No, it's not. All a cab driver expects is money.”

“Well, these guys won't get even that.”

“So we're going back to the house now?” Lucy said, confused. “To sleep?”

“No.” Kathleen tossed the umbrella on the table and gathered up her purse as the men eagerly approached them. “To knit and talk.”

They all packed into the guys’ small Volkswagen convertible- three of them in front, four in the back. The girls were sitting on top of their hosts, who didn't seem to mind it at all. “Excuse me,” Lucy told one of them. “My ass seems to be inserting itself into your hand. One of us should probably be doing something to fix that situation.” The guy turned red and adjusted his hands accordingly.

When the driver-the guy who had come up to them at the restaurant and whose name, they had since learned, was Sanjesh-pulled up to the house, he gave a low whistle of appreciation. “This is yours? Sweet!”

“Well, not ours exactly,” Lucy said. She opened the door and basically fell out of the car, then stumbled into an upright position. Kathleen and Sari also slipped out quickly. “It belongs to Kathleen's fiancé.”

“Who's Kathleen?”

“She is,” Sari said, pointing.

“Oh, man,” said Sanjesh. He had turned the car off, and he and his friends were all getting out. “You didn't tell us you were engaged.”

“Sorry,” Kathleen said. “I guess I forgot. Thanks for the ride, boys. Don't feel you need to walk us to the door. We can find our way.” She and the other girls moved forward.

Sanjesh froze. “Aren't you going to invite us in?”

Kathleen considered briefly. Then she shook her head. “Nope.”

She, Sari, and Lucy scurried up to the door and threw themselves inside, slamming the door shut behind them. They burst into incontrollable giggles.

“Hey!” A door opened on the floor above and they all tilted their heads to see up the stairway to the landing, where Kevin appeared in a pair of boxers and a T-shirt. “There you are,” he said. “Welcome back. Do you need me to take care of the cab driver?” He came down the rest of the stairs.

“No cab,” Kathleen said. “Some nice young men gave us a lift.”

He raised his eyebrows. “I’m not sure how I feel about that.”

“I’m guessing you're not angry,” she said and collapsed into fresh giggles.

“You guys got a little drunk, huh?” he said.

“What makes you say that?” Lucy asked, with a snort of laughter.

“Just a lucky guess. How ‘bout we all go to bed now? Get a good night's sleep, wake up all bright and cheerful for our wedding day? Our wedding day.” He shook his head. “It still sounds unreal.”