It was early Summer. School was out, the Gulf Coast beaches were crawling with tourist, fun, friends, everything but her. She was subjected to work at her father's restaurant, a small shack that sold shrimp, po-boys, and other southern fried foods.
This left her little time for friends or play, and she hated it. This season was especially busy because there was an abundance of shrimp, and it was the best seller. This one tiny detail, shrimp, would impact, and change her whole life.
A few days out of the week, she would have to drag herself out of bed, and go down to the docks with her father. He was always buying fresh stock from the boats and she hated those mornings when she would have to go with him.
He would always say, "If you're going to run the restaurant, then you have to know what to look for and get the best."
'Yeah, yeah', she always thought.
It wasn't until one particular Monday morning, a few weeks before the fourth of July weekend, they were on the docks, placing their order with one of the boat captain's, when she saw him.
He was tan and rugged looking. She found him very hot. She thought, 'umm, he should belong with me'. She caught his eye, flashed a quick smile and looked away, as not to be to obvious.
So much for unobvious, her father almost knocked her off the dock trying to get her attention. She turned to look back to see if he was still standing on the deck of the boat, but he was gone. On the ride home, she fantasized about him. What he was like, the sound of his voice, the smell of his body after a good long shower.
On and off for the next few days, she was quick to suggest that she go to the docks to order the shrimp and fish for the restaurant, just so she could catch a glimpse of the hunk she saw that previous Monday.
She would primp herself up, but not enough to look out of place, and head down to place the orders, hoping she could make a catch of her own. No luck. The catches of the day were better than hers. She didn't give up, this only made her work harder.
Soon, she was going to the dock every day in place of her father, making the orders and picking up the stock. She was even so bold as to ask one of the captains about him, but he didn't have much to say on the subject.
After two weeks of doing this, she told her dad she needed a break and he said he would go down and do business, she could pick up the stock, or they could switch back and forth. She was a great help to him with this, and the restaurant.
Fourth of July weekend. A three-day holiday for most, but not for her, she had to work. The only thing she didn't have to do was go to the dock. Because of the holiday and the crowds, she was told to stay and attend to business at the shack. The shack was right off the beachfront and there were so many people. The fourth was even worse.
They hadn't run out of food, but she had run out of energy buy the afternoon. She was sitting back behind the shack, drinking a coke and fanning herself under a shade tree when she heard a voice.
"Hi." She looked up to see that fine guy from the boat. She was already hot, but she could feel her temperature rising. "Can I sit down?"
"Sure, pull up a crate" She watched him, feeling her heart beat faster.
"I heard you were asking questions about me, looking around for me."
"Ah-huh" She felt so dumbfounded. What was she going to say, 'yeah, I wanted to hunt you down and have sex with you! I've been fantasizing about you since the first day I flashed my eyes at you and you smiled back at me.'
"So, what were you wanting to know?"
Tell him, you want to know if you can have sex with him. Tell him you think he's hot and you want to see how hot he can be, how hot he can make you. Tell him!
"I just thought you were hot, that's all. And I thought, maybe, ah, we could get together sometime?" she blush and glanced away.
"Well, here I am." A man of few words.
"Hello, here I am."
He laughed at her, she swooned. She kept staring at him, looking at his eyes, wanting to touch his hair, taste his lips, and other things. She fanned herself more and took a drink of her coke. He was drinking a beer. She was curious about him. What a perfect way to strike up a conversation. He beat her to the start of 20 questions.
"So, tell me about you?" He said
"What would you like to know?"
"What ever you would like to tell me that your eyes haven't." He reached over and touched her leg. She felt her heart jump.
Trying to shake off the surprise of his touch, she found something simple to say.
"I have been working here since I was old enough to hold a spoon, full time since I was 17, that's been over two years now. I'm almost twenty. I don't have time to do much of anything else, and I miss going to the beach." She was quiet for a minute, "Just how did you find me?"
"It was easy. I asked who the cute girl was with old man 'Pops'. The guys told me to come here and look you up." She blushed. "They told me you were smart, and knew how to work the guys over with your eyes, I believe them."
She could feel herself turn very red.
"Who told you that? The guys at the dock wouldn't give me a break if I flashed them. Well, maybe they would, but only because they fell back in the water and had to recover from laughter."
"I don't know, I think they would fall back out of bliss."
"Why sir," her voice in her deepest southern drawl, "are you flirting with lil' ole' me?"
"Yes ma'am, I do believe I am." His smile was beautiful.
She was in heaven. He was sexy, beautiful, handsome, and he smelled of summer rain! He took her hand, speaking in a deep southern drawl himself, "Ma'am, may I inquire who I am speaking with?"
"Oh, my name," She could have slapped herself on the forehead.
"Monica! You need to get back in here! NOW!"
"That's Pop, I need to go."
"Well, Monica, can I call on you again?"
"Oh, such the gentleman. I do believe sir; I may faint in your presence!" She giggled. "I get off at 8, well 9 if you count clean up. Maybe we can watch the fireworks?"
'Or make some of our own,' he thought.
"I will be here at 8 then. Good bye, sweet Monica." He politely kissed her hand and disappeared around the shack. She fluttered her make shift fan at her face, dreaming about him.
"Wait, I don't even know your name!" she ran around the corner of the building, but he was gone.
She watched the clock tick, and the more she watched, the slower it seemed to get. It was almost eight and he wasn't there. She felt excited and scared all in the same breath.
They closed up the shack and cleaned up. It was almost nine when she looked at the clock again. She peered outside but didn't see anyone. She sighed. "Oh, it's just as well, I am tired anyway."
She hung her apron up, tossed some water on her face, pulled her hair down from the ponytail and brushed it out. Grabbed her purse and went out, locking the door behind her.
She bid good night to her job and headed out towards her car. She had taken a coke from the fridge as she left, drinking while walking across the lot, not paying attention to anything.
'It's such a nice night.' She looked at the stars, the moon beaming down. She was still lost in the night sky as she approached the car. A deep voice from nowhere, jarred her from her thoughts.
"A pretty girl like you shouldn't be wandering alone this late at night."
