Last May, John, Frank, and I went to North Carolina to open our cottage for the summer.Last May, John, Frank, and I went to North Carolina to open our cottage for the summer. John is my half-brother and Frank is my younger brother, but we opened more than the cottage. It was a long drive, and we spent the rest of the afternoon sweeping and cleaning and unboarding the windows. By suppertime I was covered with dirt and cobwebs, so I told the boys that I was going down to the lake for a swim, to clean off while they made supper. The lake was about 500 feet from the house, and the late afternoon sun on the beach had warmed everything and made it all look golden. I looked back and saw that the house was obscured by the screen of trees. Feeling daring and "at one with nature," I decided to skinny-dip. No other cottagers would be here this early in the season, anyway, I thought. I shed my clothes and stood poised for a minute on the edge of the water, holding my bar of soap. The cold water lapped at my toes and sent a tingling through my body. The sun felt warm, but at the same time a breeze was blowing up from the lake. I imagined myself as a beautiful, bronzed princess of centuries ago. Being naked out in the open like this excited me. |