The Night Flowers by Sara Herchenroether

Author:Sara Herchenroether
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tin House Books
Published: 2023-03-14T00:00:00+00:00

LAURA REGARDED HER CHEST in the mirror one more time before pulling on a cotton sundress. She adjusted the straps to cover her chemo port, a reminder her cancer could come back. She imagined Tim would have suggested staying flat and covering her chest in tattoos. Maybe a spray of flowers. She knew some women, mostly young, went this route, proudly posting their bare, printed chests-as-canvases online. Laura wanted the illusion of normalcy. So she could fool others and herself—as long as they never got inside. Laura tucked her room key and credit card into the top of her suit and went out to find the bar and pool.

Three tiers of deck housed a wider view of the river. A pergola covered the bar on the highest level, the second held lounge chairs, and the lowest, a large bean-shaped pool of rough-edged natural rock. Patches of tall feathered grass gave the illusion the pool sank directly into the river. On the other side of the Rio Grande, mountain ridges blocked the diaphanous sunset. Everything had a pink hue to it, with ceramic pots punctuating the deck. Laura ordered a diablo margarita from the bar and sat enjoying the cold drink in her hand and the still-warm air on her skin.

She ordered tacos from the bartender and, while she waited, she noticed the couple leaving the pool. This was her chance. Taking her drink, Laura waited until she reached the third deck to slip off her dress and step in. The water was warm and smelled of salt. Laura couldn’t remember the last time she had gone swimming. Another thing she hadn’t been allowed to do during chemo. She floated in between the mountains and the river and the trembling pink sky. Laura lowered herself in, letting the water lap her chin. Then she slipped her hand underneath her suit, feeling her implants. They were warm, as warm as her body—for the first time. A little wooden sign at the pool’s edge urged her to “Whisper Please.” Smiling, she approved of the sentiment. Though not in the way they meant.

With her mouth hovering above the water’s edge, she complied: “I’m coming, Margaret.”

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.