Nestled deep off a busy city street the apartment complex, titled Palms Pointe, was cleverly landscaped into a tended garden. Villas breaking into the heavy fronds, and palm groves.

Swimming pools, opaque vibrant blues, dotted quiet corners here and there. It is by one of these pools I lounge on a chaise absorbed in my cigarettes and Colette novel.

Presently, however, I am more and more absorbed in the two people in the pool. They are lovers:

He is a bristly man of maybe twenty-six sporting a toothbrush mustache, and gym built physique. She is, I guessed, nineteen at most, and looking like an advertisement for Iowa, with her clean skin and milk and corn heaviness. He wades up to her, the force of him splashing water in her eyes. She shreaks with displeasure and blindly tosses, shovels, water in his direction. Or what she thinks is his direction as she is a terrible aim, and almost all her efforts leave him without comeuppance.

He laughs with mock cruelty and grabs her to him. She bobs against him for a moment calmly, a dreaming smile on her face.

"Jim" she says. "My darling!"

"I adore you" He husks, her closeness having an immediate effect on him. I blush, rereading a sentence for a third time thinking perhaps I should go inside to my villa.

I am bookmarking my page when she strikes, whirling around her hard arm swinging towards his face. Instinctivley, he raises his own arm blocking the blow. He laughs loudly and she curses, he wet hair in strings hanging like a mop on her head.

"Crocodiles" she snarles suddenly.

"Crocodiles it is" he agrees.

They square off on opposite ends of the blue. Slowly they submerge their necks then faces, showing only their eyes, both narrowed and suddenly maleviolence. The drift around. I forget to even hold my book upright. It lies abandoned in my lap. I watch enraptured.

They drift closer, then closer still. A bubble bursts on the surface and it is her signal. She roars to him gnashing her teeth horribly, and kicking her legs. He too shouts but she is on him dredging him under for seconds then minutes.

Befuddled I nearly jump in myself thinking they are dead. But at last they emerge to the surface wrapped tightly around each other.

"Darling Jim" she smiles laying her head on his broad shoulder her tangling in his lips. He sucks on a strand almost thoughtfully, tasting the chlorinated water. Then again she springs away.

"Gorillas" she cries gayly.

"Gorillas" he echoes happily, and they stomp around fiercly baring their teeth and beating their chests. They collapse, laughing, against each other and smiling. I return to the waiting Colette. Their voices carry easily to me but they are a subconsious murmur. The day drifts by, a strong breeze then a wind, full and cold, kicks in. Night is closing in. I huddled deeper in my chair and am just about to leave when their tones change. She is in a rage.

"You promised me." she yells, tears forming then falling. He is placating her urgently.

"There are children involved Diana." He soothes.

"It takes a while with the courts." he is pale, worried.

Her hair is in even more disarray, wildly whipping about her head, parts still dripping down her face.

"Snakes" she suddenly screams.

"Snakes, snakes, snakes."

"Diana, no!" he cries.

"Snakes Jim" she hisses, and drops below the now dark water. He cries out in fear and I bolt now understanding.

In my villa with every light on, I discover I have brought my novel but it is a long time until I can settle down to read. Even longer until I can go down to the pool. But eventually I do and it is open. It was closed for a while after that night, but now it is open again.