The Romance of Citrus
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Oranges (Jamaica) |
A cloud of esters escapes as Elena splits an orange. She takes each half and, on hands and knees, scrubs rhythmic circles. She is cleaning the floor of her restaurant after closing. Her husband Eddie bought the oranges from the market woman, who is his mistress. A baby cries in the background. |
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Lemons (Atlantic City) |
On TV the movie star Susan Sarandon cuts a lemon and rubs the flesh of the fruit over her bare breasts and arms. She stands at a sink in front of her window. Burt Lancaster watches from across the way. Now Eddie grins as I remove a lemon segment from the fridge and rub it over my pregnant belly. |
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Grapefruit (Miami) |
Eddie's redheaded lover arranges hors d'oeuvres, and as she rounds the kitchen counter with a tray, he squeezes her black velvet bottom, "A fanny like ripe grapefruit," he says to his son, age 7. Rachel smiles, but a sudden impluse to slap Eddie's face frightens her. Then he grabs his bongos, dedicates a jazz improv to her and her cunt throbs. |
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Limes (New Orleans) |
On the veranda, Eddie and I check our plane tickets to Guadalajara. Beside puple bougainvillaeas, we sip Lime Rickeys uner the stars. Gazing at the lime rind in his glass, Eddie tells me how after school he used to lick limes sprinkled with sugar. He flinches when I say, "What we're doing is very dangerous." |
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Tangerines (Guadalajara) |
Eddie puts my feet on his shoes and dances me about -- like my father did when I was 8. My daddy taught me to fox trot to Bob Eberly singing "My heart belongs to Tangerine." I held his waist; he held my shoudlers just below the curls. "Eddie," I say, looking at the high cheekbones I love, "would you mind if I changed my name to Tangerine?" |