Sitting on the beach blanket that summer day with the warm sun on her skin, Marie was smiling. She was happy to be anywhere instead of work.
The sounds of children playing mixed with the roar of Lake Michigan waves pounding on the beach and the noisy seagulls seeking snacks combined for the perfect summer vacation day.
Marie's two children were busy throwing a football to each other in the water. Her husband Steven half-snoozed on the blanket beside her, his hat tugged down over his eyes as he laid on his back.
It was the perfect July day at a beach near a town in southwestern Michigan, a relatively short drive from Chicago, it made for an enjoyable getaway.
They knew the town inside out after being there so often over the years, but there was always a new restaurant or store to visit.
"This is a good Monday on our vacation," she whispered to herself.
Little did she know how good it would become.
About 10 minutes later, a family decided to set up their blankets, etc., perhaps 15 feet away.
Marie smiled, recalling her own busy motherhood days
The mom, who appeared to be around 35 years old, removed her coverall to reveal an attractive body clad in a red one-piece swimsuit.
Marie, 45, glanced around to make sure nobody was watching her. Her hubby was still snoozing, the kids in the water.
Marie settled her gaze upon the woman in the red swimsuit. She looked about 5-foot-4, weighed maybe 130 pounds and had a similar build.
"I bet her breasts are 36b like me," she thought to herself.
Marie stood 5-foot-2, wore her brown hair short and weighed about 140.
Her husband liked to tell her how attractive she was compared to other moms in town. She always had her doubts, but liked his praise. And here was a woman who resembled herself.
Then she told herself, "Marie, get a grip. You are married. Here on a family vacation."
Nonetheless, she found herself thinking back 20 years when she was single, had an apartment in Chicago and met a woman during a party at a bar which led to an unforgettable night of passion.
Marie kept admiring the woman in the red swimsuit. Maybe she felt she was being watched as she turned toward Marie, caught her eyes and smiled.
Marie smiled back, gave a little wave, then decided it was time to dive back into the magazines she brought to read.
Now and then, Marie would look over at the woman in red as she applied sunscreen and laid down on the blanket. A few naughty thoughts danced in Marie's head.
After about two more hours it was time to go.
Her husband had found a good deal on golf later that afternoon. So they packed up. As they were leaving, the woman in red gave Marie a little wave, which she returned.
"Well, this will make for some good fantasies later on," Marie thought.
After the family returned to their rented house, they grabbed a bite to eat. Then the golfers headed out.
"What are you going to do?" Steve asked Marie.
"Oh, clean up and wander into town," she said, looking forward to shopping.
And that's what she did after she washed away any stray sand and tossed out a pair of white shorts and a black T-shirt.
"Rock and roll," she said as she looked in the mirror.
Marie headed down an old staircase carved into a hill and was in downtown.
She visited store after store, getting ideas about what she may or may not purchase, looking for something to send to her sister for her birthday,
When she was in one of those stores, Marie turned a corner and - lo and behold - there was the brunette woman from the beach.
The woman glanced up, saw Marie and smiled.
"I see I'm not the only beach goer with an itch for shopping," she said.
Marie smiled.
"Hello, my name is Marie. Nice to meet you," she said.
The woman smiled, shook her hand and said "Suzanne, nice to meet you, Marie. Although I guess we kind of met at the beach."
They both laughed.
"Well, it was hard to ignore that darling swimsuit. Where did you find it?" Marie said.
"Oh, that? We got up here Saturday and I needed one. I hit a shop down the street. Did you like it?" Suzanne asked.
"Yes. It is very flattering," Marie said.
"Thanks. Your blue suit was nice, too." Suzanne said.
Marie thought to herself, "that's interesting she noticed me." Suzanne was just being observant, Marie told herself. Still, she did pause to wonder a bit.
"So, how's the shopping going, Suzanne?" Marie asked.
"You know how shopping is. Part of the fun is just looking at things and wanting them," Suzanne said.
Marie nodding, thinking that's how I was at the beach.
She took a deep breath to calm herself and then said, "No doubt. Suzanne, I'm kind of hungry. How about you?"
"You read my mind, Marie. Shall we hit the ice cream shop for some of their decadent offerings?" Suzanne said.
Marie laughed and nodded.
"No calories on vacation, they say," Marie said.
They headed up the street to the ice cream store which was busy that afternoon.
While they were in line chatting, Marie could not help but again take notice of and admire Suzanne's attractive figure.
She smiled to herself at that thought.
"What are you smiling about?" Suzanne asked.
"Oh, nothing. Just glad we ran into each other. Where is your family?" Marie asked.
"They're back at our rental place in town. My husband is staying with the kids so l can go out and have some fun. How about your family?" Suzanne asked.
"Steve took the kids golfing," Marie said, glancing at her watch. "They teed off a half-hour ago, so they'll be busy a long time."
Marie thought she saw a gleam in Suzanne's eye.
"Well, so I have you to myself all afternoon?" Suzanne said. "Oh, our order is ready."
They strolled to an open bench on the sidewalk around the corner to enjoy their ice cream cones.
They sat there chatting, enjoying the warm sun on their skin, as they savored their ice cream.
"Suzanne, there's some dripping down," Marie said.
She watched Suzanne's tongue slowly lick up the trail of ice cream. Marie found herself tingling.
"Stop it. She's married. You're married," she told herself.
Still there was something she felt that seemed different, exciting.
"So, Marie, we are thinking of renting up here next year. Where is you place?" Suzanne asked.
