It was a warm late summer's day in the park. A few puffy white clouds floated in the clear blue sky. Mike should have felt great, happy to be alive and excited by the nearly unlimited prospects ahead of him. After all he had graduated high school with good grades, excellent grades in fact. He was going to college in just a few months with his family and a modest scholarship paying the way. Nothing to worry about and everything to look forward to.
So why was he so miserable that he had to come here to try to cheer himself up? Susan's face immediately filled his mind. His best and closest friend, whom he loved dearly, desperately. He'd finally worked up the nerve to tell her how he really felt about her. Moments before he professed his love, Susan had breathlessly told him that she had a huge crush on his friend Kevin and that they were going on a date this weekend. She had been so happy and appreciative of her friendship with Mike. Friendship that had helped her gain the confidence to ask Kevin out.
Mike felt overwhelmed by the memory of it. He wanted to cry, to scream, the anguish was too much. The house had felt so oppressive that that he had fled to the park. But he still felt the same and to make things worse he was in public.
From the corner of his eye Mike saw someone approaching. He glanced over just long enough to make out an older woman in a long tan raincoat before shifting his gaze away. He was so wrapped up in trying to compose himself that he had barely begun to consider that it wasn't exactly raincoat weather when he heard the woman speak.
"Pardon me, young man?"
Mike pulled himself together and turned towards her. She looked to be about his mother's age, with slightly curly blonde hair partway to her shoulders and a round friendly face. She was standing with her hands tightly clutching her coat. "Yes, ma'am?"
"Surprise!" The woman pulled her coat open with a dramatic flourish and stood holding the garment open. She was completely nude underneath her coat. She wiggled a little causing her saggy breasts to sway. Then after what seemed like forever, but was certainly only a handful of seconds, she closed her coat, fastened the belt and hurried away. She glanced back at Mike over her shoulder and gave a flirty little wave as she called "Bye, bye!"
Stunned, Mike raised his hand and gave a small wave at her retreating back. He had seen plenty of pictures of nude women, but never before in the flesh, right in front of him. He recalled the image, trying to commit it to memory before it faded. She had been much older than the girls he had seen online. Her breasts had sagged, looking as though they had been deflated, with large erect nipples, literally resembling pencil erasers. Rather than a smooth flat expanse of muscle, her stomach had been loose and soft looking. Nevertheless she had been real, alive and in front of him, nearly within reach.
Mike considered chasing after her. She couldn't have gone far. If he did find her, what then? She would think he had some predatory intent. It would just scare her. It wasn't as if he could strike up a conversation with her. He realized he was still waving and lowered his arm. He should just go home, quit while he was ahead. He turned to walk back to the parking lot and nearly collided with a woman.
She had little glasses perched on the end of her nose and a pinched, sour looking face, the veritable image of a prissy schoolmarm. "Young man! Young man, have you seen a woman coming this way? Wearing a raincoat?"
Put on the spot, Mike was too stunned to reply immediately. The schoolmarm was looking him up and down with increasing disapproval.
"Well have you? Speak up, boy!" she leaned a little closer and lowered her voice a little "She's been
exposing
herself to people." Her tone indicated that this was the worst thing anyone could possibly do.
Mike nearly blurted out that he had seen her, wanting to proclaim his good fortune at seeing a nude woman for the first time. Realizing somehow that this would not be a good idea, he was still unable to frame a simple reply to deny seeing the woman.
The schoolmarm sniffed disdainfully. "Well I can't stand her all day, boy. The police have been notified, they will have to deal with this." Her expression suggested that perhaps the police should deal with him as well. She moved off in the same direction as the lady in the coat. She glanced back a time or two to make it clear that she felt Mike was one those no good kids one saw so many of these days.
Mike started to stammer out that he hadn't seen anyone, but it was far too late. He started to feel sympathy for the lady in the coat. She hadn't done anything so bad. It had broken his mood at least. He started back to the parking lot.
As he neared his car, Mike saw a police cruiser enter the lot then turn and head towards the other end. Presumably they were after the coat lady. Silently he wished her good luck and hoped she got away. He opened his car door and as he started to get in looked back. Across the row, crouched down between two cars was the coat lady, looking around anxiously. She saw Mike and darted across towards him.
"Please, mister, let me hide in your car." She looked pleadingly at Mike. Normally Mike never acted quickly. He had to think things through, figure out what to do. Most of the time it was too late by the time he figured out what to do. Somehow, before he even thought about it Mike had the rear door open. Coat lady practically dove into the back seat. "Oh, thank you. Thank you so much!" Mike shut the door and turned to get into the drivers seat. He was just about to slide into the car when the police cruiser glided to a stop behind him.
The cruiser's window slid open. "Excuse me, son." The cop had a shaved head, reminding Mike of a bullet. He wore black wrap around sunglasses. "Have you seen a woman, late forties wearing a tan raincoat?"
Mike heard someone say "No, sir I haven't."
"Right." The cruiser's window rolled up as the car glided off, picking up speed as it went.
Mike realized that it was he who had answered. "You're welcome." he said to the retreating cruiser. He got into the car and closed the door. Then it hit him. He had just lied to a cop. He had just lied to a cop, and apparently gotten away with it.
A voice hissed from the back seat. "Are they gone?" Another quick realization, there was a nude woman in the back seat.
"Yes." Mike answered.
"Oh, good. I was so scared they would catch me. Can we go? Please just go somewhere. Just drive."
"Okay." Mike started the car and exited the parking lot. The police cruiser was out of sight. "Can I take you to your car?"
"I don't have a car. I live near here, you can take me there if you would, please."
"Alright, where is it it?"
"If I can get in the front seat I'll show you."
Mike found a spot to pull over. Coat lady quickly got out of the back and slid into the passenger seat. "Go ahead and go right on this road." She indicated as she buckled her seat belt. "I'm Dana, by the way." She held her hand out to Mike.
"Mike." He quickly shook her hand.
"I want to thank you again for helping me out back there. It would have been really bad for me if I had gotten caught."
"Oh. I'm glad I could help." was all Mike could think of to say.
Dana's voice dropped a little, as if she was speaking to herself. "That was so stupid of me to do."
Mike glanced quizzically at her.
"Oh, it just makes me feel better sometimes." she explained. "Stupid, really, at my age. Especially considering." she trailed off.
Mike took a few seconds to work up his nerve. Finally he blurted it out. "I liked it. It made me happy that you." he wasn't sure how to continue.
Dana giggled a little. "You mean flashed you? Is that what you mean?"
"Yeah, it was fun to see you."
