I.
"It's snowing."
"Damn."
There we were, two working girls in a big office building downtown, looking out the window at our future. It looked cold. And grim.
It was only mid-November; way too early for this. The snow brought a cascade of bad memories: icy sidewalks, freezing slush, mountains of dirty black snow along the streets.
"Let's go someplace warm, just for a little while."
"Yeah. Bright sun, soft breezes, cool drinks."
"Someplace quiet, though. Not chaotic like Cancún or Playa del Carmen."
.
So we found a little town on the northern coast here with a nice quiet beach and a few shops along the main street. We're staying in a pretty little house east of town with a lovely widowed woman, her two cats, her dahlias and her honeysuckle.
We started out just lying on the beach, of course, working on our tans. As the warmth seeped into us, we gradually forgot about tight skirts, crowded buses, overpriced coffee, and endless paperwork.
We played in the surf, at first just splashing by the shore, but then gradually we swam farther and farther out. We started walking the beach too, and then we ranged farther afield, climbing into the hills above. In the afternoon from a high spot we'd stand staring out to sea, our long hair whipping out behind us in the sea breeze.
We felt our shoulders relax and the clean air fill our lungs. We felt the stress slowly, slowly drain away, and with all the exercise, we also watched our city fat gradually give way to trim, lean muscle.
Then one day walking the hills above the shore far east of town, we looked down to see a little pocket beach surrounded by rocky bluffs. A long low swell rolled in, foaming gently on the bright sand. We stood staring for many minutes, then my friend took my hand, looked at me, and smiled. We worked our way carefully down the rocks, and then we spread out our towels and lay down in the warm sun and the gentle breeze. I took a huge breath, let it out ever so slowly, and felt the final bit of tension leave me.
In the days to come we continued to ramble the countryside, but we returned more and more often to our special place. It's so quiet there, so remote, that we soon stopped bothering with our bikinis. We'd just strip off our blouses and shorts, lay ourselves down and let the hot sun splash on our naked bodies and drip slowly off onto the sand.
I suppose you could reach this place along the beach, but it's a long walk from town, and the spot isn't obvious until you're right there. It's really only accessible on the water side at low tide -- we've never seen anyone else here, even in the distance.
We lie in the sun naked, we get up and run and chase each other, we climb the rocks, we swim, we oil ourselves and lie down again. Over the weeks and months of sun, of swimming, of running and climbing, we've become the perfect, lean, lithe, golden-bronze goddesses of myth.
Weeks and months? Yes. We came here to forget -- to forget the city, to forget the cold, to forget bad boyfriends. We slowly forgot many other things too, then finally we forgot to go home.
.
We called her Señora, at first, as a sign of respect.
Our landlady is quiet; in the cool of the morning she digs in her garden, then she naps in midday until it's time to cook supper. Supper is late here, at dusk; that's when we return from our travels, all windblown and tired. She smiles as she serves us: lime soup, tortillas, scrambled eggs, re-fried beans, a little salsa. Simple, country food.
As the weeks went on and she saw us relax, she relaxed too and warmed up to us. In the morning with a broad smile, her "Buenos dÃas, pequeñas!" always greets us as we come down to breakfast. After a while, she started packing us a lunch every day too. A simple lunch, like ceviche wrapped in tortillas and fresh fruit from the garden, with a big jug of iced tea.
I think she saw something in us, maybe something we couldn't yet see ourselves. One day I began, "Señora--," but she stopped me with a finger on my lips. "Mamá," she said. "Call me Mamá, little one."
.
We were usually back well before dinner, but one time we overslept on our favorite beach, and it took us a long while to make our way back in the dark. We felt terrible about ruining the supper Mamá was making for us, and feared she might worry. When we finally arrived, we made many apologies, but she just hugged us both and said with a big smile, "I think maybe you have found a special place somewhere and couldn't bear to leave it."
The next morning, she packed us an especially large lunch and said, "The moon is full tonight, and it is very lovely on the water." She kissed us each on the cheek, patted our behinds, and sent us on our way.
After that, we often slept on our beach in the warm caressing breeze, either just naked, or with a beach wrap over our shoulders for warmth. The moon is indeed beautiful on the water at night. And later, when the moon goes down, the sea sparkles with luminescence.
.
One morning we arrived home very early; just a glimmer in the east. Mamá was already up, preparing breakfast. She saw us through the kitchen window and came down to meet us on the path, the breeze ruffling the huge kaftan she always wears.
She took us both in an enormous hug. "Mis pequeñas encantadores! My lovely little ones, it's so nice to have you here for breakfast!" She paused, smiled, and kissed us each on the cheek.
"But little ones, maybe you should wear some clothes as you walk home."
.
Today, we're at our perfect little beach; I'm on my towel by the rocks, warming myself in the late-morning sun. Naked, of course -- this is
our
little spot. We gave up all pretense weeks, no months, ago.
I'm watching my friend climb the rocks to my left, barefoot and bare-assed. She's up at the top, and I see her stand and shake out her golden hair and let it float in the wind. Her hair is very long, down past her waist when it's not blowing beside her -- we gave up haircuts even before we gave up clothes. She's looking off to the west, toward town.
Suddenly she turns and starts scrambling down the rocks. This takes her a while; it's high, and the rocks are sharp.
She trots quickly over to me. A little out of breath, she says, "There are boys coming. The tide's low today; I think they may find their way around the point."
They're pretty adventurous to come out this far; they just might find us after all.
"Best we put something on, I guess." We dig out our bikinis, tie them on, and lie back on our towels by the rocks. We slit our eyes against the sun and await our visitors.
They are four boys, or maybe young men actually, barefoot in cutoff jeans, tossing a football between them. Their hair is wild with the wind; they are lanky and lean, but they're a little too sunburned to be locals -- time for Spring Break already? They see us and come over and squat down. We pass a few pleasantries, then after an awkward silence, one suggests touch football.
We divide ourselves into two teams, I with two boys; my friend with the others. We huddle, we run, we throw, we catch. We fall sometimes, but the sand is soft.
In all the exertion, I find myself again and again hitching up my bikini bottoms and re-adjusting my top. But when I look over, I see my friend has stopped bothering; her top is a bit askew and her bottoms are just a little band below her hips. I follow along, and soon mine are like hers.
We play on, getting all sweaty and breathless.
Then my friend runs out for a long pass, lunges for the ball, and we all watch amazed as she just bounces right out of her bikini top. But after the play, instead of putting herself back together, she just strips off her top and drops it to the sand. The boys watch her intently; I watch the boys. She just carries on. A little while later, I tire of my crooked top and drop it too.