VIRGIN ISLANDS
Janice Eidus
She walked alone
up the hill to the hospital
on the rooster-filled St. Thomas roads,
eating a mango,
miscarrying into two pairs of panties.Years later, when they meet in an airport,
he tells her that he lives in Spain now,
where he and his Spanish wife
drive a bright red car
through the streets of Barcelona.She refuses to tell him anything,
and when he asks why,
she says it's because of him,
because of what he taught her
in St. Thomas
about how a lover can rape,
how a rapist can love.
Janice Eidus is a novelist, essayist, short story writer, poet, and writing coach. Twice winner of the O.Henry Prize and a Pushcart Prize, she’s published numerous books, including the novels, The War Of The Rosens and The Last Jewish Virgin, and the story collection, The Celibacy Club. She lives in New York City and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Her web site is www.janiceeidus.com.