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smile.
“Well, he’s quite persuasive. I’d say watch yourself, but I think
you’re the one girl that’s safe.”
    Stepping off the deck, Terra was surprised to
see an enormous beach fire going. There were more people around the
fire, setting things up. A couple was just coming in from the
water, walking up to the fire as someone threw them a towel. Terra
placed her plates on the table along with the others. It was a
dizzying amount of food. There was fresh-caught fish, mounds of
pasta and rice, and large loafs of fresh baked bread. The bald guy,
who Terra now knew was named Allan and used to be a banker in
Boston, was roasting whole onions with some elaborate method using
sticks and foil. There was a whole table of just fruits and
vegetables that Terra later learned came mostly from Carmine’s
garden and green house.
    As soon as the stack of plates was set down,
everyone grabbed one and started piling on the food. Someone set
the portable stereo on the end of the table and turned it up. They
ate while sitting on the sand in circles or standing up, mixing and
mingling. Everyone seemed to have the big appetites that come after
a long day of hard work.
    Smelling all the delicious food, Terra
suddenly realized she was famished. She had skipped the iffy
looking plane food, so she hadn’t eaten since the day before.
Everything tasted so delicious she had to force herself to slow
down. After a steady diet of bland dorm food, it was like her taste
buds were screaming for joy.
    Terra eventually was introduced to everyone,
trying hard to learn their names. Nik stayed at her side the whole
time, giving her a needed sense of security. After eating, they
walked down the beach together.
    Settling on a driftwood log, they could still
hear the music and laughter drifting down the beach, and could see
the soft glow of the fire.
    “I’ve never in my life had food that good,”
Terra said. Nik smiled.
    “It’s become competitive. Everyone try to
outdo the other with what they cook best. But I guess we all
benefit, yeah?”
    “Yeah. Was it a special occasion
tonight?”
    “No occasion. We do that every night.”
    “Really? With the fire and everything?”
    “Well, sure. Unless it rains, then we all
cram into the house.”
    Terra playfully pushed her feet through the
wet sand as the waves lapped the shore just a few yards away.
“Everybody here is so… nice,” she said.
    “Yes. Everybody really wants to be here. I
think they all feel they be a part of something special.”
    “Because of you,” she said.
    “No. I just started it, but once more people
came, it became… something different. More than I ever imagined.
It’s becoming a real… ah, what is the word?”
    “Community.”
    “Yes,” he said, looking at her.
“Community.”
    “You’ve done a great job,” she said, touching
the back of his head, stroking his hair.
    Down the beach the beach fire grew as someone
added more wood, illuminating Nik’s face in soft strokes. He looked
at her in the same way he did in the taxi, as if he was trying to
find the words to say something important.
    Terra looked into his eyes, glowing in the
firelight. Tension pulled at his face. She leaned closer to
him.
    “I…” he said, struggling.
    “Shhh,” she said, tracing her fingers over
his lips. “Later. Okay?”
    “Yes. Okay,” he said, relieved. She
intertwined her toes with his, pushing them into the sand,
initiating a toe fight.
    “Hey,” he said, looking back at her, “do you
want to go for a dive?”
    “Love to,” she said, grinning.
    ~ ~ ~
    They walked hand in hand back to the fire.
Terra wondered what time it was—it had been dark for a couple of
hours. Then she realized she really didn’t really care what time it
was. She noticed earlier that nobody here wore watches. The others
were still around the fire. Nobody seemed to think it was strange
when she and Nik went to the boat and pushed off.
    Nik tacked the sailboat along the coast. The
boat’s light