"Uh. Uh. Uh. Uhhh." Pam Maguire panted. Closing her mouth, she strove to breathe through her nose. That lasted only a few moments before she began to gasp for breathe again. She redoubled her efforts.
Sand flew from under her feet. Her eyes were fixed on a striped pole ahead of her that indicated tide levels. She had broken into her sprint when she had judged she was about a hundred yards away from that marker. She held her arms at chest level, swinging them in time with the pumping of her legs.
Pam abandoned the attempt to breathe through her nose for good. She gasped for air to fuel her efforts as she raced towards her marker. For a moment she thought she had misjudged, that her wind was going to break before she made her finish line. After all, she had been going for miles. But there it was. She threw her arms wide and burst across the invisible line.
Her pace slowed. Hands braced on her hips, Pam walked around as briskly as she could at first. She checked her pulse several times, using her grandfather's watch to time her heartbeats as she cooled down. Finally, with her heartbeat back under control and her breathing returning to near normal, she slowed and then sought the wooden stairs that led up from the beach. She turned and sat on the bottom step.
"Goodness," came a light laugh from above her. Pam twisted to see a young woman, perhaps two or three years older than her, looking down at her. Her expression was a mixture of admiration and disbelief. "Are you an Olympian in training? Or perhaps a masochist? I mean, its summer, we're on the beach and you're out running."
Pam laughed. "I once had Olympic dreams," she admitted. "But now-a-days I just want to make sure I keep my scholarship. And since it's in track, I have to keep running."
The other girl came down the steps and sat down. Pam looked her over. She was about 5 foot 5 inches, which was close to her roommate Kim's height. A height that Pam had considered for the last year and a half to be the perfect one for a girl. But where Kim was dark-haired, this girl had blonde hair and blue eyes with a fair complexion that was just slightly pink from the Southern sun.
"Hi, I'm Missy. Missy Collins," the other young woman introduced herself.
"Pam Maguire." The Southern college girl smiled. "I see that you are not from around here."
Missy laughed. "I guess that's obvious as soon as I open my mouth isn't it? You, on the other hand, sound like you belong here."
"Actually I'm from Georgia, not South Carolina, but not that far away and the difference between the accents is just about impossible to tell unless you've lived your whole life in the Deep South."
"I sit corrected," Missy grinned. "Well, one rebel sounds about the same as another to those of us from Illinois."
Pam giggled and let her accent deepen. "Why hush my mouth. I'm a' sittin' here with a sure nuff' YANKEE! Mercy sakes."
Missy shifted and bumped Pam's hip with her own. "Just remember who won the Civil War."
"Civil War?" replied Pam in a mock confused tone of voice. "Which Civil War would that be? Spanish? English? If you are referring to the conflict that took place on THIS continent a hundred years ago, the proper term is 'The Glorious War of Southern Liberation'. It may also be termed 'The War of Northern Aggression'." Pam paused for a moment as the other girl attempted to stifle a coughing fit. "Actually, in POLITE society down here, if you must mention it at all, that conflict is termed 'The Late Unpleasantness'."
Missy could no longer choke back her glee. The Northern girl nearly fell over sideways laughing. Pam attempted to maintain her serious expression but only managed to do so for another 3 or 5 seconds before joining Missy in gales of mirth.
When the two girls stopped their carrying-on, Missy got to her feet and offered Pam a hand. "Come on up to my place and I'll get you something cold to drink." The duo climbed the steps together, with Missy asking "Really? 'The Late Unpleasantness' huh?"
"Really."
It was only a two minute walk from the top of the stairs to the little bungalow that Missy was renting for the next week. Pam was impressed by the neatness and airiness of the place. She looked out the window.
Missy joined her and passed her a glass of cold water. "This is nice," remarked Pam.
"Isn't it? Its sort of a resort type thing. You have these separate buildings rather than rooms, all encircling the center facility with a pool, night club, restaurant and recreation center all together."
Pam finished her water and took a deep breath. "Well, thank you Missy, but I guess I should be heading back." She paused thoughtfully. By the way, exactly where AM I?" When told, she whistled. "I guess I ran a lot farther than I planned. That happens sometimes, but WOW."
"Well, how about I drive you back? If you really need to go."
There was a bit of wistfulness in Missy's voice that made Pam sit up and take notice,
"Are you here by yourself Missy?"
"Well, yes. I mean, just for now. My boyfriend is going to be here, whenever he can get away that is."
"I'm not in any hurry," Pam declared. "But I really do need to take a shower."
"I'll throw your clothes in the washing machine," offered Missy. "We're not exactly the same size but I think I have some shorts and a top that would not look too out of place on you until your stuff dries."