Sex & Cars
Moonshine
1976 Chevy Nova
Her sister’s car smells of cigarettes and weed
the air between us is so thick it crackles and hums, electrified with taboos yet undone, gravity pulls and pushes at the side of me nearest her as the road ahead unwinds
my imagination gallops ahead of dim headlamps the heat from our bodies radiates as if a third passenger, savage and needy, rides between us
bouncing lightly atop the passenger seat, well worn springs creak as bare thighs stick and release
Am I wrong?
I hold my breath for an answer to a question yet asked my chest burns with notions I cannot force from my lips
the dash light spills blue and green down her long, chestnut hair
her skin resembles a forest faerie’s pagan corpse, ivory bones bleached white in silver moonlight
the slight upturn of her mouth softens the line of an overbite smoothing confidences, she could be the keeper of all my secrets, nestle them like the gold cross she keeps at the cleaving of her breasts
gullible and drunk with desire, I realize
how much I already trust her, and it makes my ears ring as anticipation deepens she reaches across the vinyl island between us and releases
the belt from across my lap
‘click’
Finally, the answer has come for the question piercing the silence— she feels it too
I keep my eyes glued tight to the road as her eyes lightly flick over me in broken glances, touching my shoulders, bare legs, and my lips.
The car accelerates as if arguing with the road has ceased and a decision is made — go, go now! The Nova grumbles, coughs, then takes off, the inertia tilts my head back slightly, as though preparing me for the kiss
that rushes by my half-opened window in a cricket’s song, sounding more like a scream from a carnival midway ride in an erotic dream
A jolt of revelation and lust comes in the brush of her fingertips over the back of my hand, slowly she pushes her fingers in between mine, sliding over the places where the skin has been protected and vulnerable spreading each of them far enough to accommodate hers, she laces our hands together where sweat and heat from our palms mingle.
This rare brand of intimacy is 100% proof, spirited and forbidden, like moonshine
I take only a sip, though I want to gulp it, let it rush down my throat, burning the path that divides the present from the past
desire swallows fear, transforming it into a belly full of fireflies
her answer is clear
a wellspring of passion floods over a thin dam made of denim and cotton lace drowning out doubt colliding at the intersection between whispers and shouts
One of the Nova’s headlights revels in disobedience, casting light upwards, nowhere near the road ahead, but searching the trees for nightbirds instead
unconcerned about directions the moment elongates and points itself forward
I watch her graceful fingers light on the wheel, teasing the curves with small, subtle movements my body relaxes, leaning closer than ever into hers…
I have no idea where we’re going, but I’m confident she knows this road, even with her eyes closed
Don’s miss a single story in this collaboration!
Author’s note: Many thanks to Ernio Hernandez for prompting this treasured memory and a magnificent collaboration!