Nicholas the Naked Sicilian, and Other Stories

When Nicholas reached the end of the bay where the jetty met the beach, he stopped and stared out at the sea for a long time, then as if out of nowhere there appeared the figure of a woman alone on the great jetty. She was climbing her way toward the edge of the rocks. He called out to her. "Go back, the tide is coming in!" But she didn t heed his call, she just kept on going further out toward the end of the jetty s edge.

CHAIN-SMOKING IN THE CATSKILLS

The mosquitoes were hovering over a murky green carpet of still water. It was sultry, the sun was a blur, and the invisible crickets were screaming in perfect unison, on and off again like a million light switches. Luther, in a state of pure panic, was running away from a very large and loud yellow-jack. He was soaked with perspiration and was running out of breath. The swimming pool was just up ahead on the top of the slope; he headed straight for it and dove in. When he came back up to the surface the pesty yellow-jack was gone, and he found himself instead surrounded on all sides by varicose veins, oversized naked bellies, unhealthy skin, and hanging buttocks that already had or else were trying to escape from the confines of their tight bathing suits. These people were eating and drinking everything in sight. Elvis s "Heartbreak Hotel" was blasting out of a nearby pole speaker, and most of them were singing along. Luther swam for the closest pool ladder. He needed a smoke badly.