Chapter 197

Ninety minutes later, Rita and I were splayed almost on top of one another on two lounge chairs on the top deck. I had made a tea out of the shrooms, like Juliet had shown me. And we were in the grips of a bright, glorious trip. The whole world seemed so vivid. I looked at Rita and swore I could see her soul, which reached out and hugged me. But those several hours we spent on shrooms going up the Na Pali coast were a blur in my memory. I think the frenetic partying pace we had kept up that week finally caught up with me. I wasn’t left with as many crisp, distinct memories as I would have liked.

But I was left with indelible impressions of the time. Rita’s skin seemed to meld into mine. When we kissed, which we did a lot, it was as if we were fusing our atomic particles. Then there was the environment. I looked at the ocean and felt Poseidon’s presence and marveled at his power. The undulations of the coastline tickled me, leaving a sensation of the purest form of beauty.