It Started So Innocently…
“Rain, sugar, you bring pride to the Lady Pirates. You surely do.”
My eyes flew open. It had been a brutal practice after which Coach Suggs had me running laps. I promised to meet at Le Café after showering. Mrs. Bishop, the soccer team’s number one financial supporter, stood at the end edge of the showers dressed in yellow from her open toe pumps to her feathered hat. Wednesday night was a very important night for the church ladies of Eastern North Carolina. “Thank you, Mrs. Bishop.” I smiled, pushing my head back under the stream to wash out the last of the conditioner. I cranked off the water and wrung out my hair out gently before wrapping it in a towel. My hair was a dense mane of white-blonde and my pride. True. I was slim, stacked and leggy, I tanned easily and my eyes were nearly black they were so blue. My hair, though, was my pride.
As was my habit, I only brought one towel into the locker room. My usual routine is to shower, twenty minutes in the sauna, cold shower, facial, and then my entire body moisturized and powdered. My teammates torture me relentlessly – but, I’ve seen the effects of sun and inattention. I take care of myself. Now I was in a quandary about what to do. I’m not Seinfeld anal retentive but I actually liked my beauty regiment. Mrs. Bishop stood in the middle of the shower entrance. I mentally shrugged, figuring we were both women – there wasn’t anything here either one of us hadn’t seen before. Cocking my hip against the entrance frame, I crossed my arms over my chest and smiled. “Pardon my appearance, Mrs. Bishop,” I laughed, a genuine smile breaking over my face, “Coach Suggs kept me after to run laps so I’m running behind schedule.”
“Yes, dear, I know.” Mrs. Suggs stated simply, her rotund face lighting up with a smile of her own.