An Excerpt from Love in the RV Park: A Romance for Men (Rogue Phoenix Press, 2013)

Melting Toenail Polish

Adam’s Place, December 26th

Even though it was a short winter day, Adam had been busy patching big holes in the street which looped through the park.

His hands were sore, too, from doing a lot of caulking on the Rec Hall doorframe.

But the big caulking job wasn’t finished yet.

Coming in late, and tired, he ate some left over Chinese food and took a long, steaming, hot shower. He cleaned himself thoroughly. Everywhere.

Leah, wearing silk pajamas, was painting her toenails, watching TV, and thumbing through a book.

Forty-five minutes later, Adam was enjoying the evening with Leah, who had fallen asleep on the bed, knees up, while reading Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.

Adam nibbled on her ear lobes—no response.

He stuck his tongue in her rum-flavored belly button—a murmur.

He licked the inside of her cocoanut smelling calves—husky, labored breathing.

He kissed her freshly painted toenails—Bingo!

He looked up, between her perfect knees, and saw her smiling face.

She was smiling because wet toenail polish had smudged his lips. She was not so pleased her paint job had been messed up. Oh well.

Their loving was swift, powerful, epic, and glorious—a locomotive at full throttle, thrashing through the night, trackless and pounding—Fiery Power!

Wintering cardinals, perched on ice-glazed willow branches just outside the trailer, watched through the window, chirping and smiling. Their red heads bobbed, their clutching claws stretched and eased, syncopated. The birds occasionally shrieked with obvious hot-feathered delight.

An early morning sun, a dull red blossom, tired and limp, found Leah and Adam content, cuddling in a pool of molten polish.

Steam curled up out of every un-caulked crack in the travel trailer. Not a bit of ice remained on the windows. Oh My.