Last week the weather changed overnight. It had been mostly warm and sunny until Wednesday night when the sun set. It started raining lightly for the first time since I had been here. I opened my balcony door and listened as the rain drops grew heavier against the concrete outside. It picked up quickly and suddenly the wind started blowing. The concrete building I live in didn’t sway an inch as the storm came in. The wind blew around the buildings and thru the courtyard violently. It was intense even more so because of the rigidity of the buildings. Then the lighting started and the rain and wind picked up. People were running out onto their balconies to remove laundry hanging up to dry and then closing their doors and locking up their blinds. Suddenly the power went out and I lit a candle, picked up my book and closed my curtains so the water didn’t pour in. The lights came back on but the storm continued into the night. I woke up to a fresh world. It had stopped raining but the ground was soaked and so were my clothes, dripping from my balcony. Where there was once sunlight bouncing off car windows and shining brightly on my face when I walked down the street, there was now a grey mist settled comfortably in and around everything. So where I was once going out in shorts and tank tops I now had sweats on. It didn’t get cold but fall had definitely arrived. Or so I thought…..
I woke up this morning to sunlight pouring in my room. I opened the door stepped on the balcony and looked up and saw blue sky creeping in between the buildings around my own. And warmth was in the air. It was the beginning of a very good day.
I got dressed and went and shot alone in an empty gym. Perfect in its own right. Then I decided to take advantage of the nice weather and go to the beach. I packed a lunch, grabbed my new swimsuit I bought last week and desperately had to break in, and put all my books into my backpack. I hopped on the tram with my music playing and headed down to the water. Fifteen minutes later the tram stopped in front of a sandy beach and I got off to enjoy the good weather.
It was a work day but the beach was pretty crowded. People were playing racquetball or volleyball and drinking at the tiki bar. The water was green and glistening in the sun and the sky was bright blue. I picked a spot, laid my towel out, and put all my things down. It was getting hot so I stripped down to my bathing suit and walked slowly into the water. It was cold but felt so wonderful in the hot mid day sun. I relaxed in the water for awhile and looked out at the islands. People around me were floating in the ocean or tanning on the beach and enjoying one of the last few hot days. Then I walked the beach as waves lapped up onto the shore. The sand felt good under my feet and the water kept me cool. I was enjoying the solidarity, the view and the sound of the ocean and people having fun. Life was good.
As I was walking back to my towel a Greek man said hello to me. He was a mafia type looking guy, short and fat with a black speedo to match the hair that grew all over his body. He was probably in his 50s or 60s but he had overly tan leathery skin that made it difficult to tell his age but easy to tell that it wouldn’t matter to me in a million years. He had a ingratiating smile and trendy glasses made for a man trying to look half his age. I said hello politely and tried to keep walking. He wanted me to play racquetball with him and when I declined he suggested that we meet up at the bar for a drink. I thanked him for his offer and proceeded to my towel to study my Spanish. Shortly thereafter he came back and sat down next to me. I was immediately annoyed and appropriately both polite and disinterested. I was trying to relax in the sun in between his 20 questions. In his broken English I understood that he saw me walking down the beach, would really like to see me again, and that Vaseline on the body works well for sun bathing. At that point I was pretty much throwing up in my mouth. Especially since he really did look like he had Vaseline all over him. He was speaking gingerly, trying to find the right words in English. He told me he was a writer and I could feel that on the tip of his tongue were a thousand words from cheap romance novels that he was trying desperately to articulate. At that point I wished that last week at the speedo store I hadn’t bought a bikini but rather a full body racing suit. After awhile the godfather decided his mojo wasn’t working on me so he went to his back up plan… offering me something to drink. I have water I said. Beer? No. Nescafe? No. juice? No. You sure? Yup. Then he asked for my number! I told him I couldn’t remember mine so I wrote his down. He practically begged me to call him. Ughhhh, the nerve of him. He was extremely unctuous and glib and he made my skin crawl. I think its great when guys have confidence but I mean… really. He’s gross, old, and clearly thinks that he has a chance with a 23 year old female who can’t even understand him. I might have felt sorry for him if I was a nicer person but mostly I was annoyed and then later somewhat amused by the sheer gall of the man.
It was still a wonderful day. I have to say there is something liberating about putting suntan lotion on in the middle of October. And even Mr. Mafia added some flavor to the day. Never a dull moment….
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