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The Virgin Tiffany Reisz 15320K 2023-09-03

God didn’t answer so he took the silence for a no So when the water hit the rocks Kingsley jumped feet first It seemed he hovered in midair a moment The way down passed in a second and lasted an eternity In the final second before he hit the water, he thought of all that he’d done and all that he wanted in his life Everything he’d wanted to do he’d done but for two final things on his to-do list He wanted to save Juliette, and he wanted to have children And if he survived this foolish leap to his imminent death he would do both

He hit the water with so much force he went blind and deaf He couldn’t see the way to the surface, couldn’t hear the sound of the surf Up and down becaless Life waited in one direction Death in the other But which?

He felt a hand on his hair, a tug on his arasp of breath The rocks were fifty yards away Juliette was right there S Alive Both of them Alive and beautiful

"It’s this way," she called out over the rolling waves She kicked off and he followed her Shehim to Hell--he didn’t care Where she went he would follow If she was there, it was Paradise nothe choppy surf, they entered calsley spied Juliette’s destination--a large basalt rock forraceful powerful strokes of her arsley went underwater and kicked his way to her They reached the rocks at the same time and carefully climbed up the tallest of the boulders

"What is this place?" Kingsley asked as he sat to her right and raised a hand to his forehead to shield his eyes froround?"

"Watch"

Silently she peered out over the dancing waves Kingsley followed her gaze It was beautiful here with the sound of the surf filling the air and the call of the seabirds and the sun skipping over the waves

"There," she said, pointing "Do you see?"

Kingsley looked and laughed Two dolphins breached the surface of the water and shot steam into the air Ten yards away, threethe surface with incredible power--their sleek bodies pure y

"You never see that in Manhattan, do you?" Juliette asked

"No," Kingsley breathed "If there are dolphins in the Hudson River, I’ve never seen the time they didn’t speak, only watched the dolphins play Was it play, though? They surfaced to breathe, swaht It was life to thesley wondered if soreater than Juliette, perched in the distance and watching hi love in his bed, watching the pain he gave her, the worship she gave hiaame to him and Juliette It was their lives

"You could stay," Juliette said at last "Here in Haiti"

"I could stay," he repeated "And ould I do that?"

"For them" She pointed at the pod of dolphins that had ht in front of thesley could sy else?"

"Maybe for the food?"