Bouncing (7 page)

They finished their coffees and left the table for others to use, then said their good-byes. With Sal’s home address tucked safely into her pack, Brit strode confidently along Rehoboth Avenue, elation buoying her as she watched the town awaken. Workers opened doors and wiped down benches, pulling goods onto the sidewalk. Marquees were updated with the current day’s offerings. Parents trailed behind scampering children, and teenagers went their own way.

After taking a seat on a boardwalk bench, Brit closed her eyes and just breathed. Around her the activity continued, but now as she focused on the sounds of the surf and the seagulls as the sun warmed her, she experienced a peace that had been elusive for weeks. Seeing Sal had been good for her. Calming. Reassuring. Comforting. She was going to have a great night, and looked forward to seeing Sal again and to meeting her friend Alex. But first she had to tell her family she wouldn’t be the sitter tonight. She didn’t look forward to that conversation.

Beach Bum

Alex heard her phone ringing even through the pile of laundry in which it was buried. As she had attempted to answer a call the night before, Anke had plucked it from her hands and tossed it into the laundry basket before throwing Alex onto the bed. Both the phone and its owner were in essentially the same positions nearly twelve hours later.

“My phone,” Alex asked helplessly, teasing and pleading with her lover.

“No vay! Zis are my last minutes vis you. I’m not sharink!”

Even if she wished to challenge her, Alex wouldn’t have been successful. Anke had bound both of Alex’s wrists to the headboard and was having her way with her. Alex watched as Anke slid her hands down her arms, across her nipples, down her abdomen to her hips, where she was perched atop Alex and enjoying her power. “I vant you zoo rememba me, foreffa.”

Trembling, Alex moaned as Anke’s mouth found her nipple and her teeth gently rubbed across it, back and forth in a steady rhythm. She could never forget this woman. Their sexual connection was phenomenal.

Since they’d met on Memorial Day weekend, she’d spent many of her nights in this same position. Anke was in the United States on a work visa, spending her university break employed at a restaurant on the boardwalk. Theirs was a perfect summer fling. They shared some free time on the beach because Anke’s job allowed it, and if the weather wasn’t suited for sunbathing, they rode bikes or kayaked. Mostly, though, they stayed in bed in the mornings having fabulous sex. When the summer ended, both of them would have exciting memories of a great summer.

Although Anke had had similar relationships in the past, Alex never had. A parade of girls had filled her time, but she hadn’t been with anyone consistently until now. She had been a little leery in the beginning, concerned about possible unpleasantries if their experiment failed, but to her surprise, she found it an absolutely wonderful arrangement.

Knowing she would spend the night with Anke had filled her summer days with a quiet calm. She didn’t have a frantic need to find a girl, just the happy reality that no matter what she did after the beach—whether she played golf or tennis or rode her bike, whether she was alone or with friends, at a bar or on her patio—at the end of the night Anke would be in her bed.

Now Anke was leaving, returning to her home in the Bavarian Alps, and it seemed to Alex that she had done everything in her power on their last night together to ensure that her wish to be remembered did in fact come true. Shuddering with delight as Anke’s hands and mouth magically licked and caressed her, Alex managed to speak. “I won’t forget you, fräulein.”

When Anke finished, she slid from the bed and stood, untying the knot that bound Alex’s wrists. Rubbing the sore muscles of her arms, Alex watched Anke dress, admiring the curves of her breasts and her ass, the muscles of her shoulders and back, the beautiful face. Alex’s appreciative glances were rewarded with a smile.

“You vill email to me sometimes, yes? Maybe in a sevfral monce.”

This statement, like most of Anke’s communication with Alex, was a command. Alex didn’t mind the assertive role her lover played—she just chose to ignore her when Anke’s wishes didn’t suit her. But in this instance, she agreed. Alex would have been a fool to just let Anke walk away without leaving a window open for a possible reunion if they both summered in Rehoboth again the following year. “Yes.”

“An if I ever come zoo U.S. again, maybe I vill see you, yes?”

“Yes.”

“An if you ever come zoo Europe and you don have jealous girlfren vis you, maybe I vill see you, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. I say goo-bye, now. Please don call at my home. I have maybe a jealous boyfren who does not like me zoo be vis za girls.”

Alex stood and pulled on her shorts and a T-shirt, fighting back a laugh as Anke held out her hand to shake. “I go now. Zank you, Alex, for rememberable summer in U.S.”

Alex accepted the proffered hand, but instead of shaking it, she placed a gentle kiss on the palm. “It was my pleasure, Miss Bavaria.” Anke was the former Miss Bavaria, and Alex loved using the title.

At the door they shared a small kiss. “Auf Wiedersehen,” Alex whispered as Anke turned and walked to her friend’s waiting car.

As she watched Anke leave, probably forever, an unfamiliar and not very pleasant feeling came over Alex. Sadness? Regret? She stared after her for a moment, then turned and closed the door. The summer was winding to a close, and she planned to enjoy every minute she had left.

Fishing her phone out of the laundry basket, she dialed her voice mail, changing into her bathing suit as she listened to her messages. She deleted them all, then dialed Sal’s number as she sat to pull on her sneakers. “Hey, Coach,” she said. “How was the cruise?”

“Exhausting. I’ll fill you in later if you’re free for dinner? I want to introduce you to someone. A girl I used to mentor just got a job at Endless Mountains, and I think you’ll get along great.”

“Really? That’s a coincidence. What’s her name?”

“Britain Dodge.”

“I don’t think I know her. What does she teach?”

“Science.”

“A brainiac, huh? Is she cute?”

“Alex!”

“Okay, sorry. You said six, right? Can I bring anything?”

“Come at five. You can help cook. And all you have to bring is your charming personality. Oh, and if you’d like to bring Miss Munich, she’s welcome, too.”

“It was Miss Bavaria, Coach, but she just left. She’s heading to the airport as we speak.”

“Is that a good thing?” Sal asked cautiously.

Alex smiled, knowing that it was, but she understood that Sal didn’t have a good handle on Anke. No one did. Even though she managed to see Sal and Sue often, Anke had been scarce on those occasions. Her job required her to work nights, and their sex life had kept her busy in the mornings. And this sort of relationship was so atypical of Alex that everyone was scratching their heads.

“It’s okay, Coach. We knew she’d be leaving. We decided to stay friends. You can never have too many friends.”

“Truer words were never spoken. So be on your best behavior tonight. I think Brit will be a good friend for you.”

When they ended the call, Alex began humming as she carefully packed her bag for the beach. A sand sheet and flip-flops went in first, followed by water, an apple, a peanut-butter sandwich, and a bag of pretzels. She covered everything with a small towel. After tucking her book into one side and her sunscreen in the other, she zipped the bag closed.

In the bathroom she peed and brushed her teeth, then splashed some water onto the short mop of blond curls atop her head. She ran her fingers through them, then pulled her Phillies cap low over her forehead.

She retrieved her Trek from the garage along with her beach chair, which had a sling that allowed her to ride with the chair strapped to her back, an incredible invention for beach bums like her. After anchoring the backpack to the handlebars, she closed the door and began pedaling.

The condo in Oyster Bay was just across Route One from downtown Rehoboth, and Alex took the back way into town, riding under the bridge on Route One to avoid traffic. It was only ten, but already the tourists were heading toward the shopping outlets near the condo, people walked toward the restaurants and the beach, and all of the coffee shops she passed were jammed with patrons.

It was the end of August, and the season should have been dying down, but the weather was perfect and no one seemed to be leaving. Except Anke, of course. But she’d purchased her ticket well in advance and had important things like university luring her back to Europe. Even if they hadn’t had an agreement, she would have been on that plane today.

Alex cut across Rehoboth Avenue at the lighthouse and avoided the congestion of downtown, riding along the canal and toward the northern part of town, toward the women’s beach at the state park. This day was going to be a scorcher. She liked to get to the beach early, before the crowd brought a lot of noise and activity and before the sun began baking the sand. She’d settle in and read, and in a few hours when her roommates staggered from their beds, they’d join her. Before the day was through, she’d find her solitude delightfully disturbed by a dozen friends who made their way to the state park.

Sure enough, the beach was nearly empty when she arrived, and she set up her camp in a favorite spot, where her friends would be sure to find her later. She pulled her book from the bag, but instead of reading, she leaned back into her chair and simply stared at the beauty of the ocean. To her left, the waves crashed into an outcropping of rocks, breaking each solitary wall into a million tiny pebbles of water scattered in every direction. Before her, a family of porpoises swam two hundred yards from the shoreline, and she watched as they playfully jumped through the waves.

A feeling of peace settled over her. In a way, she was happy that Anke had left, so she could spend this last week of summer relaxing, with no obligations, enjoying the sunshine and the company of her friends. This was it. Another summer was drawing to a close. After this weekend there was just one more before she left her college roommates for another year. She wanted to make the most of it. Hopefully, they’d be at the beach before she had to leave for dinner with Sal.

Tam had already started back at school and would leave Rehoboth on Sunday afternoon for Maryland, where she taught kindergarten. Kim would start school after Labor Day, like Alex, but because she lived in Philly and her aging uncle owned the house they shared, she’d be spending weekends here all year round, checking on the place so he didn’t have to. In November, they’d meet up when they all returned for the film festival, but with her basketball schedule, Alex would have a short trip.

Her friends didn’t disappoint her. She hadn’t even started her second bottle of water when Kim arrived, pulling a cooler the size of a bathtub. Tam wasn’t far behind, toting their chairs and an umbrella. “Should I get the horseshoes? Or do you feel like Frisbee?” Kim asked.

“I feel like relaxing. It’s too hot to show off my athletic prowess for all the beautiful girls.”

“Your what? Speak English. Aren’t you supposed to be an English teacher?”

Alex laughed. “As a matter of fact, I am. Full time, with benefits. And I also happen to be the head girls’ basketball coach.”

Kim opened the cooler and offered Alex a beer. “It’s about time you stopped slacking. Now here’s a benefit I’m interested in. You want one?”

“No, thanks. Too hot.” In truth, when it came to alcohol consumption, Alex was a lightweight compared to her friends. This fact had become very evident to all of them in college, and after a short time their circle of friends was happy to have Alex as the sober, responsible party who could steer them all in the direction of the proper dorms and, later on, function as their designated driver.

“I saw Miss Bavaria sneaking out this morning,” Kim said as she flopped down into the chair she’d placed next to Alex’s. “I thought she was leaving.”

“She did. This morning.”

“I’ll miss seeing her around the house.” Kim laughed and took a long pull on her beer. In true European fashion, Anke was fond of topless sunbathing. And topless everything.

Alex grinned and nodded. “Me, too! So what are you guys up to tonight? You want to come over to Sal’s with me for dinner?”

“I just want to have burgers on the grill or something like that. Relax for a while after the beach, then head over to the Frogg Pond,” Kim replied.

“Yeah, me, too. I’ll take a rain check on Sal’s,” Tam replied. “But don’t be too late. We have to have our traditional end-of-summer beer.”

“I’m not doing that till next week,” Alex said. “The summer isn’t over yet.”

“Tell that to my principal. How was Sal’s trip? Are you going for the slide show?”

Alex laughed. “So that’s why you don’t want to go!” The year before, Sal and Sue had been on safari in Africa and had been a bit too zealous in sharing the photos of their trip.

“Busted,” Kim confessed.

“Well, there’ll be no slides tonight. I’m going to meet someone.”

“Oooohhhh, you slut! Miss Bavaria isn’t even back in Deutschland and already you’ve lined up her replacement!” Kim teased her.

“I’ve let down the women of the Eastern Seaboard this summer, but I have a week to make up for it!”

Tam shook her head and laughed. “Alex, you don’t fool me. You can sleep with all the women in Rehoboth, but I know you really just want to settle down with one. You were happy with Miss Bavaria. I could see it.”

Alex was going to make a playful retort, then decided against it. She could have told them she was just meeting a new colleague, but she decided it was more fun to let them make their own assumptions. And she could never tell them the truth; they wouldn’t understand. They were her friends and they loved her unconditionally. But would
a lover
ever truly love Alex as she was? They all loved the basketball star and the coach, and the golfer, but would they love the imperfect person she really was inside? Alex had no point of reference. She’d bedded many women, but none of them had really ever gotten to know her.