I had given up, and when she reminded me that she had to correct some papers, I decided to come alone.I had given up, and when she reminded me that she had to correct some papers, I decided to come alone. Even the newspapers were talking about how hot it was, and the people of the city responded to it, rustling up wives and kids and in-laws, and made a trek to the sea in mid-May. To put it another way, on this Sunday afternoon still in spring, the beach was crowded. I was standing at the soda machine trying to coax it to either return my fifty cents or send the nutrasweet down to my hand grown impatient as it waited... The machine was leaning up against the wall of the pavilion that served as a combination bathroom and changing room for the beach patrons. I wasn't paying any particular attention to the conversation of the people that went by, but something in the voices of the two women stepping out of the shade of the building, having just slipped into their beach garb, caught my ear. "I swear Marlena, she was this big!", exclaimed a small, mousy- looking brunette in a high voice. She was dressed in a bright yellow sunsuit, the same style as the one her friend wore, and was holding her hands high above her head. "...Muscles everywhere, too...",the high little voice continued. "Yucch", exclaimed her friend, a teased-hair peroxide job, shaking her head in disgust at the thought. |