August 2019
"Holy shit!" Mike cried out, slapping my bare flank far harder than was necessary. "That's Cassie Summers."
Both of us were lazing by the pool at Disney's Polynesian Resort Hotel. It was late afternoon in the middle of August and hot as hell. The nearby umbrella didn't block out the sun, so much as it strained it. When I got off my lounger, I was going to have to check my back for grill marks.
Only a few hours before, we'd been boarding a plane in Philadelphia. Now we were in our swim trunks, laying back with literally nothing to do. The rounded, zero-entry pool in front of us sparkled serenely in the afternoon sunlight. A large, faux-volcano -- a waterslide, apparently -- sat on the far side of the water. In the distance to my right, past a fence, over a lake, and poking over the treetops, was the famed Cinderella Castle. There had been no time change, and the weather wasn't all that different, but I still felt shaken by the sudden shift from stultifying suburbia to mass-produced magic.
"Cassie fucking Summers," Mike said it again. Like that name was supposed to mean something to me.
He gestured towards a small Tiki bar next to the volcano. A strikingly attractive woman with golden blonde hair was leaning on the counter, ordering a drink. She was wearing a plum-colored bikini and it showed off her flawless, hourglass body.
It was the middle of the afternoon, most people were in the parks, and the pool area was nearly empty. So, Mike's tan, blonde woman stood out even more than she usually might have.
"Amazing, right?" Mike said.
Despite the fact that the two of us were on vacation together, Mike and I weren't all that close. Our wives -- the ones who had conspired to create this adventure -- were work buddies who got along more like long-lost sisters. However, they were both back in our hotel room, sleeping off the effects of the early morning wakeup. That left me alone at the pool with a man who wasn't exactly a stranger but couldn't exactly be described as a friend either.
Mike and I got along OK, but we were very different people. We even looked opposite of each other. Mike was a tall, thin guy (almost bony) with thinning light blonde hair and freckled skin. I was short and broad with the black hair and olive coloring that came standard with my Eastern European background. More than once, I heard the 'take off your sweater' joke when wearing a bathing suit at a pool.
Our personalities were similarly disparate. Mike was an outgoing, charismatic man who liked to be the center of attention.
I was not.
Despite all that, like I said, Mike and I got on most of the time. Our wives were close and that was good enough. But there were moments when I was reminded of the fact that Mike wasn't the kind of person I'd ordinarily choose to spend time with.
Moments like this one, for instance.
"Cassie and I went to high school together," Mike explained. "She was the girl, you know? Like,
the girl
. Cassie was the whole package, right out of the catalog: head cheerleader, prom queen, star of the senior play. Completely amazing and totally untouchable."
Mike leaned forward in his chair. He did nothing to hide the fact that he was ogling this woman. She was oblivious to his attention, thankfully, as she accepted a swirling red and yellow drink from the bartender.
"Damn, though," Mike said, shading his eyes like staring at a mirage, "Cassie looks good. Really good. Hard to believe it's been fifteen years."
Despite my every instinct telling me not to, I found myself watching the object of Mike's obsession, as well. Though she was very much not my type, I could concede that Cassie was quite attractive. She looked to be about 5'9" with a classically beautiful face and a great body that stood out in all the right ways. One of those people who was so classically beautiful she appeared almost alien. Were women who looked like Cassie arousing? I supposed. Mostly I found them imposing.
"Holy shit!" Mike slapped my side again. This time I really thought about punching him in return.
I held back, however, because I saw what had him so worked up: Mike's blonde bombshell had left the bar and was now walking right towards us, drink in hand. Aimed straight at our seats like a sexy cruise missile.
"She must have caught me staring," Mike said, burying his face in his palms. "I'm a dead man."
I didn't see the issue. I supposed that Cassie would remember Mike from high school and that would explain his interest. Old friends and all that.
"Cassie Summers is not going to remember me," Mike said, his voice pitched with panic. "Come on, man. Like I told you, she was the popular girl. I was, like, the background extra in the movie of her life. I didn't even make it in the frame, let alone have a speaking part."
I found it hard to believe that Mike had ever been quiet anywhere, but I got his point.
"I'm going to get slapped," Mike said. He cringed back in his seat, like he was looking for the secret doorway down to China.
Meanwhile, Cassie was still heading our way. She even had that hot woman walk, her hips popping up in rhythmic perfection as she sauntered around the pool. She didn't look angry though. In fact, there was a smile playing on her pretty face.
"I'm going to blame you," Mike told me. I was pretty sure he was serious.
"Michael Walsh?!" Cassie cried out as she got close.
Mike froze. "Cassie Summers?" he asked, trying to sound like he wasn't sure. It was not at all convincing.
The beautiful blonde hurried over to our seats, moving her apex body in all sorts of exciting ways.
"I thought that was you!" Cassie said as she got close. "Wow, you look great!"
"Oh, um, so do you," Mike said.
Cassie leaned forward like she wanted a hug and Mike obliged. While he was pressed against her body, Mike looked back at me, his eyes agog. In a place with actual princesses, he was meeting a queen. And he was clearly dumbfounded by it.
"I can't believe you remember me," he said, breaking from the hug.
"Oh, come on," Cassie said, hands on her hips, "Mrs. Stack's social studies class? You had me in stitches our whole senior year."
"I wasn't that funny," Mike said.
"He was hilarious," Cassie said, looking at me. He extended her dainty hand for a shake. Her nails were painted a perfect scarlet, "I'm Cassie, by the way."
"Paul," I said, "Nice to meet you." I spoke carefully, keeping my accent nice and neutral. Even with so few words, it could slip out if I didn't pay attention.
"I don't remember you from high school, Paul" Cassie said.
"Paul's a friend of... Well, he's a family friend," Mike said.
I did my best not to roll my eyes. If he wanted to get in trouble with his wife, that was Mike's problem. I sank back into my lounge chair, happy to be forgotten.
