Author's note: This is my story, I wrote it, stealing is lame. If you do not like it, do not read it. Thanks for any feedback (good or bad) and favorites (special shoutout and thanks to the die hards - you know who you are). All characters are over eighteen. Hope you enjoy.
Leopold was not the one: Not even on a day as hot as this; definitely not the one for public swimming pools, under any circumstances, since Leopold could not tolerate the taunts of the children:
"Mommy! Look! His boobies are bigger than yours!" or "Do you need jelly for those rolls, mister" enough to keep him away.
"As a point of fact," his head reminded itself, "they are called pectorals, and I only have one roll, and it's when I hunch." Leopold's mind was also telling him to learn Japanese, because no one makes fun of the sumo.
Leopold, though, was definitely the one for the sand bottomed and spring filtered pond. This was a nice private spot hidden by an endless grove at the back of the farmsteads the area was known for - and on a hill. Through the grove in the other direction brought you to the local eyesore they called a 'condominium development' - wasted space full of expensive cars and ignorant people.
The insanely cold water washed the thoughts of urban encroachment from his mind as the air of the day was forced from his body, glad for the wooden dock to leap off of instead of the overgrown edges.
"That's the ticket," Leopold spoke as he spit clean fresh water from his mouth. The spring beneath his feet continually filled the large shaded pond and created a stream which eventually ran past the development - via a tiny overspill of a waterfall - and continued on the length of the counties beyond.
***
"You're not the
least bit
curious?" Shannon could not look away from the idea.
"Ab-so-lutely not." Paula went back for another sip of her third margarita before she spoke again, one hand flailing. "Why would I want to walk across a field full of bugs, and then go into a forest - full of bugs as well,
by the way
- and then probably get kidnapped by some yokel farmer?" Paula readjusted herself on the lounger on the raised deck around her small above-ground pool in the backyard of her condo that looked strangely like a landscaped row home.
"It's a
grove
, not a forest." Shannon retorted smugly.
The pool, deck, and privacy-fenced-in yard were easily seen from the back windows of the attached condos; the buildings appearing to be aliens, or mushrooms sprouting, in the center of lush rolling valley. Had the women not been neighbors, Shannon would have thought twice as many eyes were watching her on the lazy summer Saturday.
There were few reasons why a person would not watch women like this. These were two young and wealthy professional women, with bodies that told of the gyms in their basements and that fit the expensive sedans they drove.
"Grove, glen, garden... What-
ever
, still not going." Paula's jaw was hanging, mocking, the gesture appearing strange from her glass covered eyes as she accented the last word.
"Seriously? We've lived here for like what, two years now?" Shannon flicked her sunglasses down and looked over at her best friend. "I drive forty-five minutes to work in the city, then forty five minutes back. If we go out, we drive forty-five minutes to the city, then forty-five minutes back. That's an hour and a half per trip." Shannon took a sip of her light beer with the lime in it, her first of the day since it was barely noon and she was skipping the extra coffee.
"Still not going to do it," Paula laughed out, slick and shiny and tanning in the sun.
"C'mon! I mean look at that!" Shannon's vision turned and fell upon the rolling hill behind that particular row of back yards. She used her hands to accent the statement - like a dictator - presenting the opportunity of the unknown expanse to her friend, beer in hand. "I have this in my backyard, but no-oo. Instead I drive." Shannon rolled her eyes to the phrase, "I've never stepped past my own back fence."
They both laughed at the hypocrisy of the situation, sitting quietly for little time.
"It's like I bought this place for no reason." Shannon momentarily felt stupid.
"Then go," Paula stated to her friend, shielding her glass covered eyes from the sun and turning to look at Shannon's fit bikini'd form under the umbrella.
"By myself?! What about kidnapping rednecks?!" Shannon went false-aghast. Her breasts shook without control from her flustered movement, actually having to use a hand to calm the cleavage of the overly round B-cups.
"Just go all Billy Blanks on them." Paula's words caused them to laugh in unison while she made false Karate moves to assault the atmosphere. "Besides, you're going to be alone later anyway. I've got that date,
remember
?" Paula dropped a slack-jawed dumbface.
"Oh yeah," Shannon had totally forgotten. "The one with the cheap little business suit," rolling her eyes yet again.
"Oh he's not that bad... You're the one who likes
beef
," Paula batted to her friend.
"I do.." Shannon absently licking the mouth of her bottle for just a moment, "but he only wants your tits, honey."
"Well he should. They were expensive." The two were laughing again, Paula's breasts did not ripple with her laughter, not like the overflowing cups of her best friend.
"You think I should go?" Shannon had already determined to go, but she was leaving the when up to Paula.
"Sure, you could be up that hill and back before dinner," tossing her head in the general direction of the grove. "Just bring a snack, and your pepper-spray."
"Rednecks have guns, Paula, and they put pepper-spray on their food," Shannon speaking as if her friend was a child.
"Well fine, how 'bout if you're not here when I get back tomorrow, I'll call the president." Paula had put her arms behind her head, looking up at the sun.
"Oh-My-Gawd! You're going to sleep with him?!" Shannon almost spilled her beer in a party foul.
"Of course I am!" Paula was smiling wide, warm as well from thoughts of sex and not just the sun.
"But he's so short!"