Earth Angel

She just lay there. The sun’s rays, with the help of sun tanning oil, turned her skin into Mediterranean gold. Did she know how beautiful she was and if she did would she mind if I told her? Did she know how much she awakened the man inside of me? In my past I knew the answer to that last question and my chances of lying next to this woman were not even part of the question.

I continued to walk along this foreign beach until I could do nothing more but to think of this woman. I kept replaying in my mind that gesture she made with her hand. The wave was more than a wave. Did I see an upturned index finger curling up repeatedly at me? When this didn’t bring me running to her side, did I see the whole hand flex with her fingers pointed at me and then pointed at her?

When I left for this European vacation I did so with this debonair new me inside. I envisioned lovely, Olive-skinned woman smiling, holding, and succumbing to my every whim. Now that I was face to face with part of my dream, the old, shy, insecure me is still holding me back.

I decided, once and for all, to swallow all of my pride in a big ceremoniously gulp. I deliberately put the emphasis on this notion to convince myself that I was a new me and the one I’ve become should return to the lovely woman waiting, waving, and possibly wanting me.

With my eyes closed I searched my memory bank of her. I looked through all the times the other me, meaning well by staying to himself, watched as a beautiful woman left him sitting on a stool, chair, beach blanket, bus… with only my unfinished fantasies.

Not this time. I pivoted on my left foot and did a one hundred and eighty-degree turn. It probably was the best “About Face” I made since my military training days. I was probably the only one impressed by this maneuver, but what did I care; I was a new man. Facing this new direction I stifled the thought of singing cadence as I marched right back to the lady on the beach.

Like all of my unrequited dreams, the woman was no longer there. The new me was short lived. I gathered up my chin from the walkway and carried my somewhat depressed old self into a sidewalk café and I ordered the stiffest soft drink they had. The waitress was charming to say the least. She was no lady on the beach in any sense of the word, but she was pleasant to look at.

I gave the new me another chance. I figured every batter gets at least three strikes before he heads to the dugout. When the waitress came back I decided to try to strike up a conversation with her.

“Here you are sir. Your Pepsi with no ice” said the waitress in a way that would make her words appear that they were dancing as she spoke them.

“Hi,” I said, “what a lovely day we are having”. This is what the old me would have said. I told myself to be more daring; throw caution in the wind, to live a little. I should have kept to the old me…

“Excuse me Madame, but what are you doing after your shift?”

There was no response from her and she never did return to my table. I left her enough for the soda and a generous tip.

I was must have been a glutton for punishment because I walked by the beach again. Either my mind was playing tricks on the “New Me Resolve” or I was blessed with a second opportunity to lay my blue eyes on the lady on the beach once again. I still think it was an elaborate hoax when I saw this bikini clad woman once again waving; gesturing me to come to her. Another loud ceremonious swallow and I was walking across the sand. There was this unsettling feeling amongst the “Old-self” nervousness that she was going to be one of these people who look better from afar then up close.

My imagination; my vivid imagination, would never have thought to create a woman of this magnitude. There are several words in my vocabulary that means beautiful; none of them would aptly describe her. If she were a delicate flower, she’d be an orchid. If she were an animal, she’d be a deer. If she were to be in my life, she’d have to be a hallucination.

I pinched myself. I felt the mild toothache type pain in my arm and my vision wasn’t deceiving me.

She patted the blanket next to her. I felt lightheaded as if this wasn’t going to happen to me. I scanned the beach looking for anything that looked out of place. Items like a telescope sticking from the water, or a booth selling electric heaters. Maybe a paneled van with a large microphone tower or a satellite dish on top of it. I didn’t want to be on “Candid Camera” or any other of those reality TV shows.

Seeing none of those, the new me ran his fingers through his hair, took a deep breath and sat next to this beauty. I was delighted to see, feel and smell her. I wasn’t dreaming or worse. She was living, breathing and lying right next to me. Then I felt a familiar lump in my throat… what was I going to say to her?

The “New Me” was more of a frame of mind. It didn’t come with any acceptable opening lines that would have the ladies eating out of my hands. I said the first thing that came to mind.

“Is this seat taken?” That was so thought provoking I almost laughed in spite of myself. I was relieved when she raised her right hand, balled up except for the index finger, to her mouth and made an “O’ with her lips. She wanted me not to speak. I was grateful that she wasn’t going to let me chew on my feet.

She smiled. I was the proverbial putty in her hands. She could mold me into an ashtray right now if she wanted to. I was giving myself completely over to her and I knew this is what she wanted.

When she leaned closer to me and kissed me on the cheek, you could have sent me tumbling down the beach like a runaway beach ball in a hurricane. Her lips, soft, full, and bright red felt like a down feather. When I tried to turn my head and feel her lips on mine I was greeted with her pulling away. She didn’t leave me. I soon realized why she pulled away, she wanted my eyes to be filled with the vision of her naked breasts. I nearly tripped over my own tongue.

I reached my hands out to grasp onto her womanly curves. She waved a finger at me in a way that meant “Not yet, I still have plans for you.” The new or old me wasn’t planning on going anywhere. This never happens to either of us.

I once again scanned the shoreline. This time I was searching for people. My lady on the beach must have sensed my nervousness because she got up, took me by the hand and led me to the water.

The water was crystal clear showing all of the flora and fauna of the sea. My eyes detected a starfish, shiny pebbles, and her bikini bottoms. She wasn’t modest in any sense of the word. There we were, she was naked with only her long hair and ocean current covering her well endowed body. At this very moment I wished we were somewhere indoors where I could lose all of my inhibitions and make love to her. It wasn’t to be. Her shapely arms reached out to me and pulled my body close to her. She kissed me and I felt her arms drop to the waistband of my shorts. I knew in seconds, I was going to be naked right along with her. Would she allow me the decency to use her body to keep me from exposing myself to the European world?

I gave the old self one final send off swallow and I truly embraced the moment with this Earth Angel. My arms reached around her, I tightly hugged her before my hands wandered to the small of her back. With her being within my embrace I reached forward to her face with mine and I kissed her. I thought I was being the brave one. She showed me ways to use your tongue that I didn’t think were possible. This kiss left me weak in the knees but she had a great way of keeping me standing tall.

She jumped up, wrapped her legs around my waist and inserts me inside of her. I thought I was at a loss for words for describing how beautiful she was. I can not do justice to what my body was feeling in the throws of passion with her.

My dreams didn’t end when the after-glow coursed through our bodies. I followed my heart to her and may we always live happily ever after.