Tobias Mandelbaum sat in his living room with the air-conditioner on full blast, cooling his chest and ankles. He had aged like the desert, baked in the sun. His face was leathery. He was thicker around the middle than he’d been in his youth. He was slower. His joints hurt him a little. But he was not vain. He didn’t mind the lines on his face or the gray in his hair. He made himself a cup of espresso and sat in front of the bay windows overlooking the ocean. A sea gull alighted on the deck railing. He tapped on the glass and the bird flew away. It was hot and humid today, and the palm trees made a shaggy backbone along the shoreline. He had dreamed last night of being back in New England with his wife. He had dreamed of a house full of warmth and music. The memory was so alive on his skin that he could almost feel Estelle’s presence. Almost. There were plenty of pretty girls on the beach this morning. Blondes everywhere you looked. Strolling across the sand like Marilyn Monroe. He noticed one young beauty with a flock of boys orbiting around her.
