Chap 15 On the Beach

by Shin

 

 

 

 

The sea breeze blew into the land, bringing a cool touch to the hot July day. Charles returned with some fruit cocktails and set it on the table.

The sound of bathers frolicking in the sea reached their ears as they sipped on their cocktails.

“That was a great ceremony yesterday,” Mike said rhetorically.

“Sure was,” Charles agreed.

“She had a dream about it?” he asked.

“Well, the chef said it was a vision of some kind,” he replied.

“Love's rest,” Mike intoned, “ Only Florence..... ,” then he stopped abruptly.

Some of the sun bathers were leaving the deck chairs.

“It's a great idea,” Charles protested, “ right there in front of Joe Willard, two royal palms with a bench below. It's a sign of something but I can't seem to make out what it is. But a town like Willard needs that.”

“It was a great speech though, about the lives of the future generation.”

“It was cool,” Charles agreed.

They sipped on their cocktails.

“What's Matt like?” Charles asked.

Mike raised his brows in dismissal.

“Would have flunked the SEALS, but this guy finishes his tour of duty and then gets into Blackwater and does some more.”

“Gung ho,” Charles suggested.

Mike looked out at the water but didn't say anything.

“So you like him?” Charles asked.

Mike turned to glare at Charles.

 

“I swear Charles, one of these days I am going to shoot you,” he said.

“But he's good for Sara,” Charles pressed on.

“The man has balls. I'll say that for him." He paused momentarily. “ I think he's getting to do it where I might have failed.”

“The completion,” Charles suggested.

“I couldn't. In retrospect I shouldn't have taken that position in USC, but I've gone through all these and then I'm not actually dazzling people with what I know?” he said in the double negative. “God d****t!” he said with mock rage.

“It was one or the other, Mike,” replied Charles, “you made your choice. What difference does it make? You'll just come back and do it right.”

“I think they are getting it on great.”

“Sara has a great head on her shoulders,” Charles suggested. “It's the new generation....you know how they got it set up? Kid gets to 16, says he's gay. Father and mother go into therapy....that's it, the kid is home free. You and I had to fight it to get out.”

Mike bursts out laughing, then suddenly stopped.

A tall blonde walked past the table they were sitting, her tits dancing like water balloons. They smiled. She smiled back.

“Ski slope,” they both said it at once.

“I don't care what anybody says about nudists' camps,” Charles suggested, “ it's still the best place to see tits.”

“So what's new on Gangothri?” Charles asked, changing the subject.

“They're hanging him next week,” Mike replied.

“Oh yeah,” Charles said with mild sarcasm, “ and the week after that.”

“He's a little scared,” Mike said protectively.

“Mike, my boy, listen to your father, “ Charles said firmly. “ Drop that bag of potatoes right now! He had the best opportunity to get it right. If he failed, he was going to get hung. What does he do? He screws it up.”

“Can't say I understand that about him,” Mike said in agreement.

“It's your child,” Charles suggested. “ You have to learn to deal with it.”

“Aye, aye, captain,” Mike replied. They clinked glasses.

A short while later, they left, took a bath, dressed up and made for the parking lot.

Charles mentioned the tropical conservatory project to Mike.

“Anything we can do?” he asked.

“Short of kidnapping Arthur and getting 14 million from the family?”

“Something more reasonable,” suggested Mike.

“Get him into a gay position and threaten to expose him,” suggested Charles. “It's sodomy in South Carolina.”

“That might work,” suggested Mike, as he turned the car onto the driveway.

“There's a catch,” Charles suggested. “ Rebecca.”

“Get Rebecca to do it?”

“ I raised an oaf,” moaned Charles, rolling his eyes upward.

“Okay, okay,” Mike withdrew. “Get Rebecca to do the entire ops.”

Charles looked at him with a blank expression but didn't say anything.

“I might still do my completion!” Mike suddenly blurted, smiling. “ Son-of-a-gun, it's been staring me in the face, all the time.”

 

 

 

Reviews

[Marie]

Good chapter, maybe a little hard to follow. I like the way you keep these chapters short; they're easier to read. Look at your second sentence; "it" is the wrong pronoun.

[Dayran]

There's a difference between a review and condescending remarks. Can you tell the difference?

[Marie]

I don't know. Did I do something wrong?

[Shin ( formerly known as ) Bidayah]

I guess you can't

[Marie]

I'm sorry...

[Shin ( formerly known as ) Bidayah]

Apology accepted.