We smiled and pursed our lips - really the tip of the tapering off. Before we left the plane, we promised to keep in contact via email, and then we went our ways.
Monday at the office, I had to respond to comments about my tan, avoiding mentioning that it was seamless and that I had been at Cap d'Agde. A closer friend caught me at the coffee machine, however, and winked and asked:
"One of those places in France where everyone goes nude, where clothes aren't allowed on the beach?"
"You've been googling too much on internet."
He snickered softly and replied:
"I think so, if you said that. By yourself?"
"It was a group trip, no one I knew before."
"Hmm! Hope you had a good time."
"Yes," I replied in a tone to suggest the end of the topic.
At home that evening, I was surprised to find an email from Marge, pleasantly surprised, of course.
Hi!
Hope you got home safely and found everything in order.
Bet the people at work admired your tan. Had to fend off
a couple of questions about it and where we were.
Thank you again for everything. At least, no one asked what
we did. Would they have been surprised!
And was I surprised when I found the following from my
brother! He sent it a couple of days after we left.
I won't comment further. Looking forward to hearing from you,
Marge
Hi Marge,
You're going to like this. First, thank you for a most enjoyable weekend. After you left, she looked at me. Did I look guilty, embarrassed? She asked if we had a good time together. Maybe I did, then. Anyway, yeah, maybe she suspected it and then asked directly. Then I was embarrassed, but she just nodded and said that she had thought so. So I told her, that it was the first and only time since your birthday party. God, she is great! Just snickered and said that she hoped you weren't better than she was in bed. Of course, I assured her that you weren't (but damned good!). I think, however, the thought of possible competition has been a good incentive. All's well that ends well. Hope you had a fine vacation, especially that your roommate was compatible, maybe more than just compatible. Must have been very strange, sharing a room and then all like that on the beach. Looking forward to hearing about it, she is too, and assures me that she has no hard feelings towards you.
Love, Rod
I almost laughed out loud at seeing her brother's name: just too appropriate. Short for Rodney? Unlikely, from Marge's name and their German background. I had already been chuckling over her few lines and then more over his, and chuckled some more as I wondered how she had replied. I felt sure that she would tell how well we had gotten along together, but would she mention all the rest? Had she told him that weekend that she had also slept with girls?
I immediately replied, telling about my chuckling and then saying that I was curious how she had replied. I also remarked about the name of her brother with a winking smiley. I sent the message and then remembered to write Anna and Petra, deciding to send the message to both of them and to keep it fairly neutral, just saying that it had been a pleasure to have met them and that they had fitted in so well with our group. Of course, it was the other way around, physically: Ron, Willy and I had fitted so well in them, and I thought that they would understand that and could appreciate the play on words.
Before I could click to send the message, I received a new message. Marge already?
Hm-hm-hmm! Roderick. I never thought of that, too good!
Wonder if she has. Old family name.
Yes, that was good, in the end. Don't know whether they will
invite me back, might have to send the things for them.
But she is nice, I like her. I haven't replied yet, wondering
how much to tell. Of course, I will tell that you and I were
very compatible, like hand in glove, a very well-fitting hand!
But the rest? Oh, that weekend I did tell him about girls,
and he thought that was funny, "but why not, if I like it."
Let you know when I do. Don't forget to write A & P
(AND P!) ;-) I haven't yet.
Marge
I chuckled again and replied that I had been just about to send my message to both "A&P " and would send her blind copy. Then I speculated about how Rod and his wife might react to the full story, hoping they would enjoy it, ending suggestively, "but maybe she likes you too."
I reread my text, correcting a couple of misspellings, and sent it. Then I added her address as a blind copy to the message to Anna and Petra and sent it. I had a beer, silently toasting the three of them, enjoying recollections of our time together.
In my lonely bed, those recollections became fantasies as I did what single men do in that situation. Whose mouth was I kissing, tasting it, after I had wiped it off my chest and stomach? Then I recalled that early in the trip Marge had suggested seeing if it would shoot up on my shoulder. Should I remind her about that, and see if I still could? (I could, but not that night, and I was fantasizing about "A & P" both helping me, probably why I never told Marge.)
I was enjoying a beer late the next evening, about to click off, when another message arrived, from Marge, as I had hoped. Just part of it:
"After a glass of wine and with a second one, I told pretty
much the whole story, left out my night with Willy and Ron.
With no details, of course, just that a couple of times all six
of us were together and that we were with the girls. Didn't
say that I did anything with them, but that must be obvious to
Rod. What will she think about that?
Another - last glass of wine - Zum wohl!"
I raised my beer glass and emptied the little in it in response. With a second one, I continued to read:
"Oh, after I wrote that, I went back and told about watching the parade and
what happened. Hmm! That should realy surprise them! But it makes what
happened after that more logical, if that is the write word. We all really did
that?! Wonder what they will think about me! Too late to worry; I've sent it.
Think of me, I'll be thinking of you, like I did last night ...