I suppose I should take credit for what happened. Or blame, if you're that way inclined. It was like this.
I'm a weekend cyclist. I like to get out on weekends and ride, preferably in the country or up in the mountains. I think it's great zipping along a mountain road, able to see for miles, both out and down. Sometimes you're in groups, other times you're on your own, just you and that tall mountain.
The day it happened I was on my own, heading up this mountain and wondering which trail to take back down. There's a crossroad near the top of the mountain, with a picnic area set up on one corner. Little used as there were far better facilities slightly lower down.
I pulled up at the crossroad to take a break and a sip of water, looking around and admiring the view. While I was doing this, three more cyclists came zipping up, each coming up a different road and, seeing me standing there taking a break, they seemed by mutual accord to decide to do the same.
We casually nodded at each other and exchanged names. Just a Ron, Molly, Becky and Geoff, and then we just stood around, communing with nature.
Speaking of nature, those two women were wonderful examples of it. Young, fit, shapely and reasonably pretty. Not supermodels, or even any sort of model, but nice examples of that pretty girl next door. Both girls were wearing Lycra tops and shorts, and you know how those things can show off a figure. When tight enough, those shorts will even let you know if a woman shaves, and I'll swear that Molly did.
So here I was, just standing there, admiring ALL the scenery, when Molly sees me giving her the once over and laughs. Now Molly's Lycra outfit had these amazing swirls of colour on them that the eye just naturally followed, ending up looking at interesting places. I commented that I hadn't seen that sort of pattern before and Molly told me it was unique.
"I have a friend who paints clothes," she told me. "This is one of her paint jobs. Good, isn't it?"
I had to admit that it was a striking effect. "Just paint?" I asked.
"Just paint," I was assured. Molly tapped her shoulder and said if you touch it you can feel the difference between the material and the paint.
What could I do? I ran my hand over her sleeve, feeling where the paint started, and then my hand just naturally followed the swirls to the end. Like I said, your eyes are drawn to interesting places and so was my hand.
Molly gave me an old fashioned look and gently pushed my hand to one side, but by then I was curious. I touched the swirl starting on the other shoulder and followed that to its end.