When The Love Runs Out, Its Time to Hit The Road--Part 2* (*Scroll down for Part 1):

"...Agata, Ilona, Marta, Camilla, Joanna--one of them was always at the beach."

w/ Gosha (left) and Iwona (right):

w/ Ilona:

Agata in Central Park:

Ms. Lulu:

I first went to Long Beach with my buddy Jake about 10 years ago. Then Jake began to date Ms. Lulu and it became Jake, Ms. Lulu and me. Shortly thereafter, Lulu’s friends Mike and Ike began to go with us; and then I met the Polish gals and one of them was always at the beach! Agata, Ilona, Marta, Iwona, Camilla, Gosha, Joanna. For a writer, I’d say that’s a lot of social acquaintances. Maybe even a record--but of course, I’m just a blogger.

The first text message I ever got was from Agata. Lodo--wake up sleepy. We’re going to the beach!

It used to be all the Polish girls would lay-out in the sun topless. No sunscreen--just baby oil. It’d be (10) gals and me stretched-out on our blankets next to Jake, Lulu, Mike and Ike. We’d bake under the rays; play frisbee and paddle ball. Ride the waves for hours on end then catch the 2-for-1 Happy Hour at Beach Cafe. Man we had some laughs on the train ride back to Woodside! Sunburnt and spent, with the sand and salt still in our hair. But that was a long time ago.

This summer, no one’s been around. Note how many names are listed at the top of this post. A double-digit figure, but the best one--Jake’s gone forever. Course I still see Lulu from time to time, but as for the Polish gals? Ilona and Marta moved to Florida last winter. Joanna got married. Gosha took her kids to Moscow and Agata’s had a steady boyfriend all summer. Meanwhile Camilla had some kind of shoulder surgery that’s kept her from the beach since June.

So back in mid-July, about a week before I quit my job and in the midst of New York City’s hottest day of the last (6) years, it was just Iwona and me at Long Beach.

“You’re going to get cancer if you keep using that stuff,” she said to me with her thick East-European accent.

“Excuse me?” I asked as I continued to apply my sunscreen.

“Your body needs sun,” she stressed. “Vitamin D. I don’t know what kind of plastic they put in that lotion to block-out the sun, but its not good for your body. It absorbs the chemical. Plus it washes off into the water and hurts the plants. I’ll bet you already have cancer from that stuff.”

“...You bet I already have cancer?” I asked again as I sat down on my blanket.

“Yep,” she answered with a laugh as she waived disdainfully at my sunscreen. “From that plastic stuff in the bottle.”

“...So you’re gonna sit out here all day and not use anything?”

“Damn right--I don’t want the cancer.”

Well reader, there are some comments to which no reply will move the conversation forward. So rather than respond to Iwona I proceeded to fold my towel into a pillow, lay down on my blanket, and close my eyes.

I began to descend into sleep, but Iwona’s voice suddenly snapped me back.

“...We’re the last one’s now,” she said out of nowhere.

My eyes opened from behind my sunglasses, but I didn’t turn in her direction. Instead I stared at the cloud formations in the sky.

“What’s that?” I asked, though I knew exactly what she meant.

“Of the group,” she said with her thick accent, “Of all of them, we’re the last one’s left. Does that worry you a little bit?"

"...Not really," I answered

“No?--Why not?" she asked as she blindly reached for my hand.

"...I guess cause I’m dying of cancer."

Jake:

* NOTE: Due to the length of this post, I'm going to split it into several more parts.