2nd Cousins

by Brad Rose

Our feet dangle in the chlorine-blue water, as we sit on the edge, at the deep end of pool. Clarise wears cutoffs and a polka dot bikini top. Rising from her chaise lounge, her mom, my aunt Beulah, promises to return in 5 minutes with egg salad sandwiches, and disappears behind the house’s sliding glass doors. Clarise scutters closer, leans in, and splashes a wet kiss on this 13-year old’s shocked lips. Don’t worry, Clarence, she sneers. After all, we’re only second cousins.

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Brad Rose's website is here.