She leads him back through the bar to the dark hallway to the women’s dressing room, which is empty, the lights turned off. Soon the women will be back, changing from their costumes, moving out into the night, but for now they are occupied—she can hear the party continuing, the men Cossack dancing; she can hear the thump, thump of their heels on the floor.

She sits on the table and lifts her long, heavy skirts, feels the cool air on her thighs. Nathan bends towards her, and puts his mouth on her flesh. There is the cold shock of his cheek, the warmth of his mouth, his tongue. When he stands before her, she opens herself for him, and he spreads her wide.

Hens

2008

HANNAH IS GETTING MARRIED. SHE DOES NOT WANT A HEN DO. Instead, she wants to go on vacation with Lissa and Cate. Since she is getting married in May, she decides Greece would be perfect in late April. She clears the dates with the others and spends hours searching for a place to stay—finally booking them a villa for a week on one of the islands, close to the beach with its own pool. It is expensive, but not hideously so. She has recently had a promotion at work—since she knows neither of her friends is earning much, she does not ask them for any money towards the cost. And she gets a thrill from this, from treating her friends, her best friends, her best women, Lissa and Cate.

They have fun in the airport. They try on different perfumes and sunglasses. They drink champagne at the champagne bar. They make jokes about the gaudy horror show of late capitalism, but they enjoy it really. They are so busy enjoying it that they almost miss their flight.

The villa is beautiful. They each have their own room, their own bathroom. The towels are thick and the thread count is high. Hannah takes pleasure from watching her friends squeal like young girls as they run around the tiled floors, opening cupboards, finding chocolates and wine and fruit. They are all implausibly touched that the owners have left them a bottle of cheap wine. They drink the cheap wine from the bottle and they put on their swimming gear and jump into the pool.

They sleep late. They eat long breakfasts of yogurt and honey and nuts and toasted white bread and strong coffee. They angle their chairs towards the sun. It is twenty-two degrees at ten o’clock. By noon it is twenty-five. There are wildflowers everywhere. They agree this is the perfect time of year to visit Greece.

In the afternoons they go to the beach, a short walk along a rocky path that is fragrant with thyme. They take books and rent beach chairs and swim in the blue sea.