After being sequestered in a cold desolate place my entire life, Oceanside, California, was like stepping onto the sun, but in a nice way. Having never left Michigan- with the exception of Canada, which frequently acts like our fifty-first State- it surprised me how different the foliage looked and how the air smelled rolling in from the Pacific, the sun looming larger in the sky. And when I first took notice of the girls walking the boardwalk wearing bikinis I thought about how loud Father would preach to them:
"Being unclothed under the eyes of GOD besmirches him, since he cast us out of Eden into a world of shame clothed in foliage. May you feel the punishment of embarrassment as a reminder to not make believe you are sin free and shameless. The penitence of clothing is justly deserved, that we scorn those who walk naked amongst each other as if still in paradise."
One look at me told the locals I was certainly an out of town white boy from northern Michigan. I felt so out of place; untanned, wearing cut-off jeans and a faded t-shirt. I stood out like a skinless bleached potato surrounded by succulent Mediterranean veggies on a gloss-black dinner plate. Two days after my arrival the shock of loosing my geographic references subsided and I ventured out. I met an Italian-American girl named Cindy at the market, who was a few years older than me. She lived down the street a block closer to the beach. We got along well, and since neither of us were working we spent a lot of time together hanging out at the boardwalk.
I'd love to tell you about how attractive Cindy is, but I'd be fibbing. She is kind of homely. It was her face that did her the most injustice, permanently crinkled as if she'd just eaten a juicy lemon. But, for me, it was her weight that was a real turn-off. After a few days hanging out together I realized Cindy wanted more of an intimate relationship than what I was comfortable with. It came to a head with her making awkward advances and telling me how attractive she found me. Now, I do take care of myself by being active, so my endurance is through the roof even if some might think of me as small in build- as I am a five-foot six and lanky.
"I want to be with you, Billy, if you would have me," she said as if she were asking me to marry her. "No matter how strange you sound, I think you are a fine looking man I could live with," she said referring to my fine accent and questionable domestic situation.
I didn't want to hurt her feelings, but I couldn't return the compliment, so I reinforced how much I enjoyed being friends with her, that it might be fun to live together 'as friends.' The expression on her puckered face changed to scorn. She teared up and became sad, and then out of the blue she accused me of being predigest toward obese woman! I did my best to calm her and reaffirm my position, that my feelings had nothing to do with her appearance. She jumped up and left in such a huff, crying her way down the block. She called later and apologized, saying that she knew all I wanted was a friendship and she was OK with that. To make a boring conversation short, she and her friend- along with her older sister, Janelle- were going to a private beach party in the morning, wondered if I wanted to go. I was ecstatic she wanted to remain friends, since I was feeling lonely, so I gratefully said yes.
****
The girls picked me up after breakfast and I was pleasantly surprised to find Cindy's friend, Darla, and Janelle were intimidatingly beautiful! Janelle, who was driving her Cadillac Escalade, looked much older than Cindy, perhaps approaching her thirties. My first glimpse of her getting into the van stunned me. It was her face; I swear, she looked so exotic, her short blonde hair so thick and slightly jelled, her perfect white teeth smiling at me, her high Aryan cheekbones and full, luscious, naturally pouting lips screamed fashion model. I remember how she glanced at me with her well tanned, refined expression. Her encapsulated first impression of me at a glance revealing disinterest by means of a broken smile and a quick turn of the head. Even if Cindy's sister was far too old and upper-class for me I was looking forward to seeing her in a wet swimsuit.
A warm sensual hand guided me into the back seat where I couldn't help but melt stupid all over Darla, who was a real short Latino girl with silky black shoulder length hair, and a great smile that brightened me up as much as Janelle's dismissive smirk brought me down. She wore a real bright-yellow summer dress that I'll never forget because she looked so radiant in it; the epitome of summer beauty. And she was so engaging, her Spanglish making me feel at ease because it stood out even more than my northern drawl. Throughout the fifty-mile trip down the coast Cindy didn't give me eye contact at all, her replies short, seemingly distracted, whereas Darla kept me entertained with stories of her adventures in Tijuana.
We pulled into a private parking lot, where Janelle had to show the security guard her membership card and we each received a red wristband. I could see right off by the architecture of the main building and the cars in the lot, Lido Beach was a place for the well-to-do. After unloading and a quick visit to the rest room, our procession commenced toward the shoreline, with me bringing up the rear like a Sherpa hauling baggage behind the important people. In this case, that was fine by me because I was able to check out two exceptionally gorgeous women. Trust me when I say watching Janelle lumber in tight white shorts through the shifting sand, well, it took fifty pounds off my back. Darla's calf-length dress was so baggy on occasion the wind took hold of the fringe and blew her garment up, revealing well-shaped legs that set my pace in her trodden footsteps. My load still made me lag behind, though. By the time I caught up with them, they were standing next to a large sign that read... are you ready for this?
"Nude Beach: No Clothes OR Cameras Beyond This Point. No Dogs or Unsupervised Children. RED pass access only. Trespassers will immediately be fined and arrested."
Holy shit! Janelle, Darla and Cindy were taking their clothes off! My initial reaction was how fortunate I was to watch two incredibly beautiful women get naked in front of me. I looked at poor Cindy, who was not in good shape at all. And when Darla took off her summer dress and undid her bra, I about fell over. Her boobs sat firmly on her chest in such a way I caught myself staring in disbelief; they were naturally firm and so pronounced, so beautifully proportionate to each other. I instinctually wanted to reach out and touch them, to feel her perky aureola in the palm of my hand. Then, it dawned on me that I had to take my own clothes off!
"You didn't tell me we were going to a nude beach! Why didn't you tell me about this?" I asked Cindy while fiddling with the pockets of my shorts.
I was starting to feel anxious because my parents are a bunch of puritanical prudes, who taught me how to be uncomfortable with my body any chance I could get. I mean, I'd never even been in the showers with the guys after gym class because I was home-schooled. My sister was planning on becoming a preacher, and I only saw her naked once my entire life. You know, sometimes I wondered if I was actually my father's child. This was all racing around my mind in an instant, this new situational frustration revealing itself in the form of a full blush that partly hid itself beneath my sunburned face.
"Because I didn't know, is why," Cindy casually argued. "Janelle said she belonged to a private beach now, is all. Isn't it beautiful? So, now that we are here I guess I'm fine with it. I've been to a nude beach before. How about you? Are you comfortable in your own skin or would you rather wait in the van? You think I'm fat don't you?"
I shook my head, feigning I was distracted by Darla, but it was my internal conflict concerning nudity that had my attention. It seemed to me that Cindy was not being totally honest, as if she knew I'd be freaked out by taking my clothes off in public since I told her of my upbringing, especially in front of bombshell Darla and high-fashion physique Janelle. I felt manipulated, wanting to make a run for it while chanting distorted moral convictions made readily available by years of religious dogma and conditioning. I silently vowed to make a run for it just after Janelle finished taking her clothes off. I could not help but notice her small breasts were tan all over, her left nipple pierced with a gold ring and her well-trained abs showed that she, too, took care of her body, much unlike her sister. A diamond found a home in her bellybutton and lodged there. I contemplated how she could keep such an even tan all over her well-shaped hour-glass body.
While pulling her shorts over her wide hips, gently rubbing the sand from her exquisite legs, Janelle said, "Look, Billy, it's no big deal. No one will even notice you, but you 'do' have to take your clothes off. That's the rule number one at a nude beach. No clothes and no cameras. Besides, all the guys will be busy gawking at Miss Perfect Tits here." She pointed to Darla with her thumb like a hitchhiker. "And there will be a lot of naked people, so you'll blend in." She slid her tiny panties slowly down to her feet, showing me a fine tuft of fine blonde hair in the shape of an arrow that pointed down.
I thought she was right; they'd all be looking at Janelle's incredibly well shaped bubble-butt, and built-like-a-brick-shit-house Darla, who held a look of satisfaction brought about by liberation from that oppressive summer dress, which she rolled up and gently stuffed into her carry-bag.