Page 158 of The Genius
Shelly was biting the inside of her cheeks, her face in that thinking expression I’d come to know so well. “I’ll think about it,” she said and walked back into the house.
“Hey, Brainy, come back here,” I called from my hammock. “I was going to read you the beginning of my story.”
“That’s right. Sorry, I got distracted.” Shelly came back and this time she walked over to sit in the foot end of the hammock, her right foot still on the ground to keep her balanced.
Looking down at my text, I began to read aloud. “Of all the tall alien women, the one in the middle caught his interest first. She had humanoid features but her dark red skin color, yellow eyes, and green hair gave her an exotic look compared to the women he knew from Earth.”
I looked to Shelly. “What do you think?”
“Ehm… why does she have red skin and yellow eyes?”
“Because she’s an alien.”
“You said she’s tall. How tall is that?”
“Don’t dissect what I wrote, just tell me what you think.”
“I think it gave me questions more than answers.”
“It was two lines. You’re not supposed to get answers. You’re supposed to understand that this is sci-fi and that there’s a man and woman involved. Did you get that part?”
“Of course.”
“And did you feel hooked? Like you wanted to hear more.”
“Sure, like what planet is she from and how did the other aliens look if they weren’t humanoid. Were any one of them dangerous in terms of bacteria unknown to humankind?”
I laughed. “I thought about giving her three breasts but maybe that would be a bit much.”
Shelly raised her eyebrows and her tone turned sour. “Why not five while you’re at it? She’syourdream woman.”
“She’snot.”
Shelly walked away and I used swearwords while getting myself untangled from the hammock to run after her. “Don’t get jealous of a fictional alien. That’s silly.” Moving up on her from behind, I rested my head on her shoulders and placed both hands on her belly. “You didn’t want me to write about you, so I have to come up with a fictional character who is just as hot.”
“With three breasts?”
Shelly couldn’t see my smile. “It’s kind of cute that you get jealous.”
“I’m not jealous, it’s just hormones.”
“I know. But it feels like jealousy so I’m going to enjoy it while it lasts.”
“Well, it might last for a long time if that neighbor girl doesn’t stop flirting with you.”
“Ah, come on, she’s just a teenager.”
Shelly turned around in my arms and pointed a finger to my chest. “Do you think it’s a coincidence that she sits on the beach every morning when you go swimming?”
“She’s a sweet kid. That’s all.”
“She’s nineteen and has a crush on you.”
“I doubt it.”
“And what about my doctor? Don’t think I haven’t noticed how she giggles every time we come in for a checkup.”
I lowered my head to look into her eyes. “I don’t care if a million women giggled when they were close to me. No one compares to you. I’m so fucking proud to be your husband.”
