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say yes. On the other hand, there was a squirming feeling about watching someone without their knowing it so I wanted to say no. But then there was the pressure of Leonard urging me with a hushed whisper and a head tilted toward the gap in the slats. That sealed the deal. I had to say yes.
    I duck-walked a few small steps to the left, took a deep breath and leaned forward to look through the gap. Framed by the splintering wood, the neighbour’s yard opened before me like a studio-lit still life. The sun shone directly into the backyard. The grass was a vibrant green and was weed-free. At the far side, I saw the house with its sliding glass doors to the living room. The glass doors reflected an image of the patio, which was made from concrete slabs. There was white patio furniture made from metal frames with a plastic mesh stretched and woven over them. A beach towel, striped with the colours of the rainbow, was draped across a lounge chair and the twinkling water of the swimming pool reflecting the sunlight.
    â€œWhat do you see?” Leonard hissed close to my ear.
    â€œShut up a minute,” I whispered back.
    I focused on some movement, something under the water. A shape rippled and slid, causing a slight liquid ridge above it. Then the shape broke the surface. A woman erupted from the water and hoisted herself up onto the edge of the pool.  
    I gasped.
    â€œWhat is it?” Leonard hissed again. “Let me see.” He pushed gently but I resisted, hoping Leonard would know that the fence wasn’t soundproof and would lay off so we wouldn’t get caught.
    The woman spun so her back was to me and sat on the edge of the pool. Water flowed down her skin leaving sinuous, dewy lines.
    â€œShe’s not naked,” I whispered, noticing with some degree of relief mixed with a dirty dash of disappointment, that she was wearing a flesh-coloured, two-piece bikini. Regardless, there was something powerful going on that I did not yet understand. It was there in front of me, the tantalizing look of long, glossy wet hair between her shoulder blades, the slight plumping of her buttocks where they met the concrete, and the smooth curves of her skin.  
    She was no girl, I thought. She could be as old as Mrs. Brennan, my math teacher, but she was still beautiful.
    Leonard slapped the back of my head, causing my forehead to bounce off the fence slats with a thud. I peeked through the gap again to see the woman spin around, looking for the source of the noise.
    â€œGo,” I spat.
    The two of us scrambled, Leonard stifling his giggling with a hand. We crab-walked out of the bramble into the backyard with less care for noise than we had shown going in.
    â€œRun,” Leonard said and merged onto the trail leading to the back lane. We stopped briefly to fling the gate open and then we sprinted up the alley, gravel rolling under our sneakers.
    My panicked mind could do nothing but tell my legs to follow. I hoped the woman didn’t hear us but I was sure she did. I hoped she wouldn’t go to Auntie Maggie’s and Uncle Tony’s to tell but I was sure she would.
    Ahead, near the end of the alley, Leonard stopped running. He laughed, seemingly unconcerned. I was terrified.
    â€œShe wasn’t naked,” I said, hoping my face wouldn’t betray my calm words.
    â€œOne time she was. It was radical.” Leonard puffed a little from the run.
    â€œShe wasn’t this time, though,” I said. She was pretty, I thought.
    Leonard and I wasted time in the alley, kicking rocks and talking about the woman until Auntie Maggie called. Then we raced back to the yard. Leonard won.
    â€œThere you are,” Auntie Maggie said from the patio door.  
    Uncle Tony was fiddling with the propane tank under the barbeque. Mother sat at the picnic table on the deck. She wore bug-eye sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat that shaded all the way out to her shoulders. Her glass sat beside the fashion