BB: Birth Rights: Part 1
"Hello son." The man said, grabbing at my arm in a surprisingly strong
grip.
I felt instantly afraid, dreading a mugging, but upon seeing the
frailty of the man, I had to dismiss this option.
The man had a small white beard, which seemed to descend to a point.
His eyes and face were as far as I noticed throughout the entire
meeting and that was strange because I'd never been comfortable with
eye contact, although that is probably quite an understatement. I'd
never really been able to look anyone in the eye for more than a second
or two during my entire life. I don't know why.
I was self-conscious sure, I knew that. But it was more than that, or
at least, I'd persuaded myself that it was more.
"I couldn't help but overhear you." The man said.
That made me pause, I hadn't spoken since the agency, half a mile away
from here. I'd pretty much been sacked for not being good enough with
the customers. My sales rate hadn't been good enough for the manager
and he'd given me the boot somewhat nastily, making sure that the
agency offered me no more work either with a little 'unreliable'
speech.
It was pretty much a low spot in my life, between jobs, still living at
home and without a girlfriend ever in my entire life... So, yeah,
things were not so hot for me.
You might find that surprising, that any guy could go through school
without even having a date, but like I said before, I was incredibly
shy and introverted.
I'd been wondering exactly where I should go and had been heading for
the local jobcentre, what the English refer to as the dole office, when
this little guy had grabbed my arm.
If I were the kind of person who let anger ride, I would perhaps have
shrugged away from the would-be mugger. But it didn't ride, or even
walk. Fear, kept it standing on the pavement, or sidewalk to you
Americans and kept it unable to move.
"What do you want?" I tried to snap, but it came out more of a pleading
than the irritation I meant it to be. I had decided at this point that
the man was best dealt with briskly, without thought even as much as I
could. I had enough to think about already, without even more problems
to haunt my day.
Looking back at my previous life like this, I wonder what kind of a
specimen of manhood I am showing to you guys. It must be a pretty poor
one, because even writing this now, I'm partly ashamed.
"I know that you need a job." He said, emphasizing the word know.
His eyes seemed to twinkle with a merry amusement and that caught my
attention fully. Knowing that my thoughts had now included the man and
that he would stay a feature of the day when I looked back later on, I
decided to see what he really wanted.
He must have overheard me at the agency, of course, deduced somehow
that I was the person to whom the words he'd heard had been referring
to and then followed me across town to a secluded spot, where he could
talk to me.
Even in my head the theory was a little far fetched. So how had he
known?
"Look..." Was as far as I got.
"Your mother isn't going to be able to support you forever Steve and
perhaps one of these days she really will throw you out of the house.
What will you do then?" He asked, his eyes shining with his own
cleverness, his smile not exactly mocking, more amused.
How on earth could he possibly know that my mum had been threatening to
do just that very recently?
"Who the hell are you?" I asked, as he finally released my arm and I
turned towards him. I wasn't thinking about carrying on to the
jobcentre now. I was intrigued.
The old man shrugged. "I'm an angel..." He said, smiling wickedly.
I wondered what I should say, should I blow him off, just walk away. It
seemed like the right thing to do, just walk away and forget about him.
But I knew I wouldn't forget, not for a while at least. That's kind of
the problem with being intelligent, it always creeps up when you don't
want it to, surprises you at your weakest point, reveals things at
skilfully selected, inopportune moments... usually after its too late
to change whatever choice you made.
He conyinued, "Okay, look, here's a phone number for you to ring. I
know of a job, which needs someone almost exactly like you. But I
didn't want to get you through that agency you were working for. I
wanted to approach you directly, because it's more of
a...umm...personal position."
That word got my mind working again. Personal probably meant...
"No... not that." He said, just as quickly. "It's a job, which means
you'll be working as a team. A job which is almost exactly suited for
you and will have a lot of benefits, but will also mean a lot of
changes for you, a new area, a new life."
"So," I wondered, almost exasperated by the man's avoidance to the
actual duties. "what is it exactly I'd be doing?"
The man took in a long breath, looking upwards for a moment, appearing
to be considering his next move.
"Have you ever been to America?" He asked.
***
Yeah, after much fruitless inner turmoil and consideration, I finally
agreed to come to Florida with this Mr. M Agitian, (you can laugh now,
but it wasn't quite so obvious back then). As I did, he explained to me
about him being a talent scout for this theme park. Of how the owner of
the park had pretty much requested him to keep a look out for
specifically my type. People who, as he put it, knew what the 'American
Dream' really meant, the people who understood what a second chance
really meant. People born in America today think of that phrase like an
old-world myth. They do not fully understand the meaning, even if they
think they do. To me, there and then, it meant a second life.
People often make fun of my British accent, but it doesn't matter.
Inside I know and feel the same, no matter how 'American' I may become.
Of course, as many of you will realize, a lot more changed than my
location.
I wouldn't ever have left England if this mystery man hadn't acceded to
my request of securing me a flight home. There were just some things
you've got to be careful about you know.
Inside, I had a gut, deep down feeling that I was going to be exploited
in some way, which the man was leading up to. I visualized myself even,
as off to become a porn movie extra. Not a pretty sight, or concept for
me to think about and oddly enough, whenever I was thinking about this
and I thought I was being crazy at the time, this man would glance at
me. I swear it's true. He wouldn't say anything and his eyes would be
unreadable whenever he did this, but that got me thinking about how
weird this whole trip was and away from thoughts of my immediate
future. So I guess it wasn't all bad, looking back I can even ascribe
kindness to it.
I'm not sure, even now if I'd actually have gone through with the porn
thing. I have a horrible suspicion that I might have done.
We landed and still none the wiser, I was conducted through customs
with little fuss. Everything in order, passport checked, baggage
collected without going back to Heathrow (English joke) and slowly, we
made our pittstopped way to the airport exit.
We were met, almost on the doorstep by a tall looking woman with the
large tinted 80's glasses you see so often in movies. I had to mentally
push thoughts of movies away from my mind at this point. She must've
recognised the other man immediately because she approached us.
"Hello Anya." The man said to her. For the first time I really had a
better look at her. "I'd like you to meet Steve."
I held out my hand and I was surprised when I found it easier than ever
to look into Anya's eye as I shook her hand. But then, Americans are
famous for ascribing a ludicrous amount to a simple handshake, aren't
they?
"I've got the car all ready. Will you be joining us?" She asked the old
man, who shook his head.
"It is best that I don't I think." He turned to me. "Steve, have you
still got your ticket?"
I reached into my pocket and felt the envelope with almost a
reverential touch. It really was my lifeline there and then. I knew
that. If this woman turned out to be a... I nodded, suppressing the
thought.
Anya smiled, but it was half a laugh as though it was a private joke.
She relaxed almost immediately though.
"Well then, this is where I leave you. You can trust Anya, she is a
good and generous soul and if you want to go back home, she will bring
you back to the airport. I hope that eases your mind." He shook hands
with me. "I wish you every success in the future and perhaps when we
meet again, you may thank me."
I couldn't think of anything to say and pretty much remained silent
because of it. It might have been rude, but it didn't really occur to
me to be anything there.
He nodded. "Anya, I'm sure will explain the park to you in the car."
It was the first string, the final glimmer of light of the explanation,
which would eventually turn the whole enigma into laughable
comprehension when I emerged from the end of the tunnel. I snatched at
the deliberate hint immediately.
"The park?"
"Porno star?" Anya scolded at the man. "How could you let him think
such rubbish?"
I might have raised protests at this point, but Anya turned to me
sharply and spoke. "Let's carry one of those bags for you Steve. The
car is just outside."
Dumbly, I handed her one of the smaller bags (yes, I'm naturally
chivalrous, it comes with the accent.) and we made our way towards the
exit. As we started, I swear the man didn't move, but when I looked
back, nearly a second later, thinking perhaps I should say some kind of
goodbye, or even wave, he was gone.
I used the moments we were walking to form a better picture of Anya.
She was taller than I was, I judged, probably bigger than most women,
but not unkindly so. She had about her, an aura of maturity. I know
it's kind of a clich? but 'age beyond means' was kind of appropriate in
reference to her. Already I respected her and oddly, did not fear her.
Perhaps that was because she was so obviously not the kind of person
that I thought sexy. Certainly she had good assets, but they were
defined in the same way a tradesman is, businesslike and rich in their
own special field.
The Orange open topped car, (that is as far as my descriptive talent
extends or will ever extend in terms of cars) she led me to have three
other occupants. The first and driver, was a man of about Anya's age
and as I drew closer I identified the two, through intuition and body
language, as either married, or a couple. There were also two girls sat
up on the back end of the car, their feet on the back seats, both
holding hand fans that they were fanning themselves with.
Perhaps I should have mentioned the heat before now. From a land of
rain and wind, I'd moved right into one of the hottest places in the
world. I was soaked to the bone in sweat already and at the sight of
the two girls, I naturally felt even worse.
The two were quite good looking in that youthish way people have at
that age. Certainly they were quite attractive to me. They jumped out
and descended on my luggage prying it away from me while I hesitated
startled. They bundled it into the back of the car, with a little help
from the man and then, with an arm around each of mine, almost
frogmarched me into the middle of the backseat, completely stunned.
There were a lot of things about America I was liking and the
friendliness of the locals so far was almost magically enchanting. Yes,
there's that word again, what did my English teacher call it,
foreboding? No, that was too ominous, perhaps tantalizing is a better
word.
"I'm Vicki," The one on the left said, although except for a giggle or
two they'd pretty much not spoken so far.
"And I'm Holly." The other mirrored as I looked between them. They were
clearly pretty exited at meeting me and I wondered again exactly what
kind of park I was going to. Perhaps it was time to start asking
questions, or maybe it was the time to start getting answers.
"Look, I..." Was as far as I got before Vicki interrupted.
"Oh my God, you've got an accent." She smiled. Anya laughed. "Say, My
name is Bond, James Bond."
Jeff started to laugh in the front seat. I couldn't help it, I had to
grin because Vicki slapped the front seat in protestation.
"Girls, give Steve a little room." Anya interrupted. "I have a feeling,
knowing our old friend that there's things he wants to ask."
She turned around and flashed me a smile. "Anya, Vicki, Holly and my
boyfriend here is called Jeff.
Jeff's eyes flicked to mine in the rear view mirror as he pulled out of
the airport car park. He nodded, seeing my gaze.
I wondered how to proceed and I decided that perhaps, given the current
conditions, demands to know what the hell was going on and where I was
going, would best be put into a tactful light.
"I'm afraid that guy hasn't really told me anything more than you've
got a job for me." I said, trying to focus my words onto Anya who
seemed to be the person most in charge of the situation.
"I expected as much." Anya said, gazing out her window. "Vicki, would
you give Steve the map of the Beach."
Vicki reached down into a tiny bag she had with her on the floor and
pulled out the B. Beach brochure, one of the ones from a while ago, in
green. Not the blue ones we have now.
"To stop you wondering right now Steve, it's a water park." Anya said
and I felt slightly calmer. I focused on the leaflet.
***
I won't bore you with the details, just I will say when I looked up
from the leaflet, I felt much much better about my predicament.
"What job exactly did you have in mind for me... Anya." I hesitated in
using the first name because I was trying the water with my new boss.
Just to see if she would permit first names.
"Well, we need general staff mainly. People to man the gates, to stock
the machines, maintenance stuff too. You will have full training of
course." Anya paused, deciding a little lie was called for here. I
didn't realise till much later of course. "That old imp who brought you
here, he indicated that your area of experience was in general labour."
Now I am not smart, but even I know that you don't cart someone halfway
across the globe simply because you need someone for manual work.
Anya must've sensed my resolve because she quickly tempered it. "I know
we may appear more than a little strange to you right now Steve, I
can't even think of how it looks to you. I just want you to know that
the guy who found you and recommended you to us, is someone we trust
deeply. Everything will become clear to you later on today, I promise.
In the meantime, sit back and enjoy the ride. We have quite a way to
go. It is actually my grandmother who owns the park, she'll explain
things completely when you meet her."
Even without realising I was doing it, I reached into my pocket again
and touched the return ticket, just making sure that it was still
there. I don't think Anya missed anything because her eyes were
watching me intently in the rear view mirror when I looked up. She
looked away, almost guiltily.
***
We had landed in Florida just after eight in the morning, having flown
all night from England. I was surprised just how much Jetlag I was not
suffering by the time we made our first stop. But it did hit me later
on, a few hours before we finally got to the park.
The first stop was at a more or less really run down last-chance gas-
station type. Vicki and Holly pulled me into the shop and bought loads
of cold cola and paid for loads of new stuff for me to try. I tried to
tell them that I had some money from the exchange I'd conducted back in
the travel agency, but they wouldn't let me pay. They pretended that
they were showing me 'their' country and that as I was the guest I
didn't have to pay. It was half a game, although we all knew it was
really very factual too.
At a few places along the road, the two girls pointed out landmarks of
interest to me and as the sun began to set, crawling down a long,
almost endless road, I drifted off into sleep.
***
I awoke when the car drew to a halt and the engine turned off. I found
that both girls had their heads on my shoulders and my face was in
Vicki's apple smelling hair. Both girls stirred awake, disentangling
themselves from me and yawning, I quickly followed
The air was much much cooler than before, slightly humid and not
exactly cold, but warm. Somewhere crickets were chirping and we looked
around to discover where we were.
I saw the big entrance to the park ahead of the car. Three ticket
turnstiles under the logo Bikini Beach. The wooden poled fence looked
festive, everything a theme park should be (theme park is our name for
amusement parks). It looked friendly and inviting. Although I couldn't
pin it down, there was something ulterior about the entrance that made
me feel uneasy. I couldn't say exactly what it was, but it was a
feeling I never experienced again, but one that Jeff had learned to
live with. Not a malignant feeling, nothing more than an unease when I
looked at the entrance to the park. I had a very strong impression that
this was going to be a rather defined park, perhaps not totally
compatible with me, but to be honest, I am stubborn and when I have to
be, I can be very determined. I was resolute that this new home, this
second chance, this job, would last. Despite the slight negative first
impression, I wanted to make Anya at least, glad that she had taken the
time for me, not to mention paying for the air tickets.
"Home again." Holly said sleepily, stretching again.
"Do you girls want some coffee, or shall Jeff just take you straight
home?"
"I think I wanna go to bed." Vicki said.
"Yeah." Holly concurred.
Holly jumped out of the car and I scooted over and stood. It was a
relief to stand after being sat for so long. Holly got back into the
car again.
"We'll see you tomorrow Steve." They called, smiling at me.
"Nice meeting you." I responded quickly, fearing perhaps upsetting the
two. To be honest I had really enjoyed their company on the trip, they
had shared quite a few jokes and I already had a liking for both of
them. Anya touched my arm and I turned.
"Jeff will bring your luggage up when he gets back Steve. You'll be
kipping down with us tonight. Although I think Vicki's mom has a room
for you tomorrow."
I looked back, perhaps to thank Vicki, but her eyes were closed and she
was nearly asleep again. I couldn't help but remember the smell of that
apple scented hair. I liked Vicki.
Anya led the way to an area, which was not completely visible from the
front of the park. To the left of the tree bordered car park was a
small pebble pathway, she led me up it and to the front door of a
largish square shaped house. At least four floors altogether, although
there might have been more. I was too tired to notice.
But I soon found my weariness vanishing as I stepped inside the door,
which Anya locked behind us.
Her house's ground floor was mostly the living room. There were no
doors, just a couple of supporting walls around the kitchen acting as
divider. Ahead of us there was a big room, which must have been at
least three quarters of the first floor. There was a large flatscreen
TV on the wall, a fur rug on the floor, a glass table infront of furry
armchairs and to the left of the TV, in the corner, a massive fireplace
in which a roaring fire was already raging warmly. To the left there
was the way into the kitchen and right, the stairs leading up.
Anya's grandmother was sitting in one of the chairs infront of the
fire. She looked over when we entered, but she didn't get up. Anya led
me forwards.
"Steve, I'd like you to meet my Grandmother."
"Hello ma'am." I said respectfully, I had the feeling that a simple hi
was inappropriate for this occasion.
This was the person who had hauled me across the world and paid for it
remember. It suddenly struck me that I had not considered that it might
not be completely me that the old woman had desired, perhaps it had
only been my accent, which in these parts was a novelty. In England or
perhaps even this side of it, such an idea would not have occurred
because accent wasn't really a thing you noticed until you went abroad
and landed in a totally different speech and tone pattern. It seemed
logical to me that I might have been hired simply for my accent. There
wasn't much to disprove it so far, but then that wasn't saying much
either.
"Steve? Or do you prefer Steven?"
"Steve will be fine." I said feeling kind of formal, wondering if I
really should be playing the conversation formally like this.
"Take a seat. You want anything to drink?" Anya asked.
I shook my head, I was feeling okay. A little heavy due to the cola
we'd had, but generally fine.
I took a moment to examine Anya's grandmother and likened her to the
world war two matronly type, strong and firm, kindness but with a
knife's edge to it. Such people were often very capable and probably
had good self-discipline. Maybe I'd been right to play it formally.
"Well, Steve. I am the owner of Bikini Beach, as I'm sure you know
already. I have many places available for the right staff members and
since you came so highly recommended by my good friend, I could hardly
refuse you. You will find out why exactly you were hired I'm sure in
due time. My park, is a place of great opportunity to the people who
come here and you will be no exception. I am somewhat strict and
probably quite set in my ways in the running of BB, as I'm sure Anya
can second. I expect you to behave decently at all times of course and
to do your job, whatever that happens to be. BB is a place of fun and I
know for a fact you will pass many hours comfortably inside it's gates.
But I want to make it totally clear right from today that I will not
tolerate any half heartedness as part of the BB team. I will leave you
with an application form tonight, although I do not want you to fill it
in before tomorrow morning. Tonight, I want you to think very hard
about your life to date back in England. I want you to make the choice
not because you have to find work, I wish that you should want to work
for me. The pay will be sufficient and since you certainly won't
understand the value of it, I will not bother to bore you with obscure
details just yet."
"Have you any questions?" She asked.
"I am sure I will have, but nothing comes to mind at this moment." I
said, although something had occurred to me right then. "When do I
start?" I added after a suitable pause.
"Probably some time around tomorrow lunchtime. When, things, have
settled down for you." I registered the slight pause around that word,
but I didn't think she meant anything more than surroundings adjustment
at that point.
"It started off, that I didn't know what I was getting into." I said,
feeling that I needed to say this. "Now I know what I'm going to be
doing. I am sure that you can lay to rest any doubts you might have
about me ma'am, on the way here tonight I realised how glad I am to
have finally found the opportunity to strike out properly on my own."
She nodded. "That's good, commitment is important. But remember to have
fun too. BB is a fun place with a very special purpose, which you will
learn in time. But still, I want you to think right back as far back as
you can and contemplate your life back in England.
Almost without realising I suddenly noticed my hand was almost in the
pocket with my return ticket. The woman looked down at my hand,
knowingly.
"Ahh yes." She said slowly. "That, is your lifeline isn't it. Right now
that ticket has greater meaning to you than any amount of money."
"Perhaps you could tell me a little about the park?" I suggested,
trying to steer the conversation away from private feelings.
"Certainly. We're an entry based park, which means we charge only for
admittance..."
She explained about the rides and about the general layout of the park,
a few things I already knew from the map I had studied earlier.
Whenever she referred to the punters though, it was always as, the
girls, or in other feminine instances. I asked her about this and she
replied that at least 96% of the visitors were girls. She then confided
that one of the fundamental ideals of the park was to make somewhere
where girls could feel better about themselves without having guys
salivating at the sight of them. I could kind of relate to that,
although aside from the peculiar, unexplainable feeling from before
when I'd looked at the gate, I could not see exactly how she kept the
guys away. During this dialog, Anya listened intently to the
conversation and about half way through, Jeff returned.
We talked for a good while and then Anya offered to show me to the room
they had prepared for me.
The room had a largish window by the bed and I passed the night infront
of it, looking out over the shadowed park, occasionally guessing the
shapes against the sky, to the landmarks on the map.
After texting mum with the phone number of the park, which Anya had
given me to pass on, I thought for a long time about the death of my
father and the holidays I had with him, the schools that I'd attended
and all of the people I knew. The college and part time work I'd
undertaken but when we moved away, lost touch with. I thought too about
all the shitty jobs I'd had in the past, the labouring, the
backbreaking toil. I thought about the agencies. And, as I drifted off
into a light sleep, I remembered how that man had grabbed my arm and
changed everything. I awoke early on in the morning, just after sunrise
and the first glance over the park made me smile.
The mountains of earth that formed the pinnacle of the park, were jaded
golden red by the sun behind them. It was a sight, which would make
anyone, pause to consider the boundless beauty of infinite nature.
Birds flew from the top of the nearest of the two peaks and I felt a
certainty which strengthened me greatly. I looked back into the room
and saw the folded application form sitting neatly on the desk with a
pen beside it. I moved off the window sill and to the desk.
I'm not exactly sure about what happened back there, or since, although
I have come to terms with it, I do not pretend to understand things.
The paper seemed of a kind I had not really felt before, it was not the
soft sheets that could cut like razors and it was not the soft satiny
kind, which bends like cloth. It felt like satin to the fingers, but
there was a strength in that sheet of paper. It both, to my
imagination, seemed to glow and shimmer in the light of the sun. I
hesitate to use the word papyrus here, but in my fingers it seemed to
have the same mythological feel.
Almost, I joked, like you would expect the devil's contract to feel.
Not that I am in any way religious.
I picked up the pen on the desk and delicately wrote a capital S in the
name box at the top of the page. It came to me then, that I could
change my name if I like, perhaps be a Luke, or even a Jesse. It was
the land of opportunity, I could be anyone I liked.
Sanity, which in fact also starts with an S, drew my attention back to
the page and the mark I had already made, crushing my dream. Oh well, I
probably would never have gotten used to being called Jesse anyway. I
added the remaining four letters of my own name and then my surname.
Except...
Except I thought I did. But when I looked back at the page, what I read
was 'Sarah'
"What the hell?" I said, though to myself and it was a good job too
because my voice was not my own. The accent was still there sure
enough, but the pitch and calibre of my voice had become higher. "What
the hell is going on?" I said, my eyes widening as I listened to
myself. Instinctively I reached up to my throat and felt smooth skin.
My throat was different. My Adam's Apple had vanished.
What the hell was I thinking, how could it have vanished, maybe I just
couldn't feel it this morning. It was probably some peculiarity of the
climate, or the air pressure or something. I imagine such things exist.
Having nowhere in evidence a second replacement form, I decided to
continue with the rest of my application form on the grounds that a tin
of tip-ex (correction fluid) would be around here somewhere and the
name mistake would be dealt with. One further odd thing happened
though, when I came to the bottom of the contract and attempted to sign
it, the pen wouldn't write. Barely moments after this, the door opened
a crack and Jeff's head poked around the door.
"Hi again." He said. His eyes flicked down to the almost completed
form.
"I think this pens out of ink." I said. He came into the room and
looked down at the paper, picking it up.
"Hmmm." He said. "Oh well," He folded the paper up and put it in his
pocket. "It'll be okay for now. Probably best if you don't sign it yet
anyway. Glad you have you aboard."
"Thanks." I replied weakly, self-consciously hearing in my own voice
the gentler pitch I had noticed earlier.
"We rise pretty early in this part of the world." He said. "Not like
you Brits. You'll get used to it. Anya's already gone to the park. If
you want I'll give you the dime tour before the gates open. Anya's gran
wouldn't want us wondering around with visitors around, not till you're
properly dressed anyway. We've got some serious stuff today, so when I
ask you to, I want you to pay attention.
"Sure." I said, feeling alert already, I was about as receptive as I
was going to get to instructions and I knew I'd make the most of it.
***
There were three cars parked in front of the gate besides Anya's today.
We were waved through the turnstile by Holly who gave me a mischievous
smile and said, "Big day for you today."
I smiled back at her and followed Jeff.
"We've got an hour and a half, so I'll show you where all the rides are
and then we'll go get showered and you can meet the gang. Anya's gran
is very particular about cleanliness so please don't touch the water
till after you have showered."
I nodded, seeing sense in the half-truth. Jeff guided me around the
park, showing me the various rides. I took care not to contaminate the
water, I imagined the showers contained anti bacterial stuff to
sterilise people or something. By the time we did finally reach the
showers though, I was dying to get my feet wet in the rides, hopefully
to ride a few if I was allowed to.
Anya was just coming out of the men's shower room when we approached
it, she waited for us to get close.
"I've put some gear inside for you both, some towels and there's some
costumes in my locker for you both." She gave me a quick twinkle with
those eyes. "I'm afraid I had to guess your size Steve."
"That's okay." I said.
I figured if there were a big difference in size at least Jeff would be
able to help. I didn't think that Anya was the type of person to make
too many mistakes though. Her grandmother would be a perfectionist, I
imagined and therefore so would Anya have to be.
"Good luck." She said, looking at Jeff. Then almost as an afterthought,
she turned to me and said. "To both of you."
I wondered why she had wished Jeff good luck, but it was no use, I
might as well have been shooting ducks at midnight.
Jeff pushed open the door to the showers and we slipped inside. Jeff
led me down the line of lockers to several larger ones at the end. Each
one of these Orange coloured ones, of which there were five, had a
small numerical lock.
"This one should do you for today, till we get you sorted over in the
staff block. All these have individual codes, but there's a master code
to unlock them all, its 422, easy to remember. Four twenty two, the
magic number."
He paused, handing me a towel. "You do believe in magic don't you?"
I didn't know exactly what to say. I'd always thought of magic as
pulling rabbits out of hats, escapism. Not exactly walking on water,
more kind of skating on ice, science and logic in combination with
spectacle. That was what I thought of when I thought of magic.
Jeff twisted a knob on the wall as we finished undressing. "Remember I
told you earlier I wanted you to pay attention?"
"Yep." I said, wondering if he was going to show me where the soap was
kept or something.
"Well, I'm not into any gay shit before you hear this next bit. I just
want you to understand that this part is paramount to your employment
here. Now I want you to come and watch me in the shower."
I think my eyebrows hit my hairline.
His smile showed a little bit of humour. "I know what it sounds like,
okay, but you've got to watch this bit or you'll never be able to work
here."
Was this blackmail? Watch me in the shower or you haven't got a job? I
bet if someone said that to a girl they'd be in the dock (arrested)
for... my thoughts trailed off, as I couldn't find the right word.
Whatever it was it was wrong. I was wrong to have come here, I wondered
why I ever had.
"Okay, I really put that wrong." He admitted. "But if you like, I'll go
ask Anya, or any of the others and they'll say exactly the same. You
have really got to understand this part. It's important.
That kind of startled me. If I went and got Anya and the rest, even the
grandmother, would he really think they'd back him up. They all seemed
like sensible people so far.
So you have to watch him shower, big deal, it's not like you're soaping
him up is it? It's not like you're picking up the soap for him.
"Okay." I said guardedly and he smiled.
"You kind of frightened me there Steve, for a moment I thought you
weren't going to..." He left the sentence unfinished.
I watched as he walked into the group shower, his towel left on a peg
by the entrance. The showers were already pumping away merrily and he
just stood there in the middle.
I wondered exactly what I was supposed to be watching. If this was gay
porn at it's height then it was a wildly uninteresting pastime. But
then, something did catch my interest. The dark brown hair on his head
was moving, some of it was getting wet in the jet from the showerheads
which were spraying out almost horizontally from the walls transforming
the room into a kind of glorified spray shower.
But then, a snake of black seemed to cascade down the back of his neck
and I realised his hair was growing. His hair stopped at his shoulders
and he half turned around. My jaw dropped open as I saw the chest hairs
thinning out and pulling back inside him, his beginnings of a beard
faded and I swear this is true. His nipples seemed to double in size.
All the time, the water was running over his skin, but it seemed to
have a shimmer to it, like there was a kind of oil reflecting the light
in it.
He finished the turn and my eyes immediately went down to his privates,
I couldn't help it and they found nothing but the black of his pubic
hairs. His belly seemed to slowly shrink and his chest began to grow as
if it were sucking water into his breasts through his skin. There was
one more second of movement where everything seemed to jump at once and
then, there was a naked woman in the shower looking out at me.
She walked forwards and I shrank involuntarily back, my mouth still
hanging open. She reached around the corner and took the towel from the
hook, wrapping it around her chest and tucking it in.
"How..." I finally stammered after she'd remained looking at me for
more than a minute, just waiting.
She smiled and her voice was different to what Jeff's had been. "Magic.
Like I said before. This bit is very important."
"But... Are you..."
"I'm still Jeff, yes. Although I'm also Jane now."
"Wha..." I stammered.
"There's something magical in the water, Anya's grandmother controls
it." She paused, looking me up and down. "Come on, it's your turn."
That really did make me cringe back further against the lockers. It
wasn't an actual thought, it was more a kind of automatic reaction.
"Come on Steve, there's nothing to be afraid of, it doesn't even hurt.
It'll feel kind of weird sure, but it's nothing to be scared of."
She reached out for my hand. "I promise I won't look if you like. A lot
of people would feel self-conscious, especially for the first time."
She did not add that the lockers behind were near enough reflective and
I was too shocked to notice.
I was shocked sure, I'd never even thought that there'd even be such a
choice for me to make, aside from a little experimentation with a bra
and a top, I'd never even contemplated transsexuality.
There, I said it. One big long word and with the English so homophobic,
A fine example of a Brit I was being.
I walked forwards and tugged the towel loose, passing it back to her. I
did see her face in the reflective surface though, she gazed at me for
a second, then she turned away.
"Sorry." She said. "I really shouldn't. I promise I'll keep my eyes
shut till you grab the towel."
The water was running around my feet now, but I knew somehow it wasn't
enough. I had to be in the stream I stepped up to the nearest, feeling
the warm water.
It was just like water, but it wasn't too. It seemed to soak into me
and also run through me like I was a sponge. My chest was the first
thing I really noticed and I leaned up against the wall, looking down
at myself. Seeing the small buds growing steadily, feeling the water
running into them from somewhere in my chest. It felt kind of like
having something beneath your skin you want to scratch but can't. It
felt like water against the inside of my skin, coupled with that
internal itch I felt the rivulets running down between my legs, seeming
like sandpaper for one brief moment, then I could feel that penis
pulling back into my belly, could feel it there in my belly making me
feel slightly sick and then it was completely gone. My hips creaked as
they widened and my belly flattened out. My legs too, were longer. I
walked towards the entrance and to the blue towel that was still held
on an outstretched hand. I put the towel around me, noting different
bumps and curves where I'd never experienced them before. My hair
though, aside from growing into ridges, hadn't changed length.
"Welcome to the world Sarah."
I blinked. Sarah was the name on my form.
"You really are lucky Steve. I've got to say. You look like a Russian
gymnast with a decent chest."
I looked up at Jane and wondered if perhaps I should feel violated. I,
I was a girl!
The mere idea wasn't too appealing.
Jane must have seen what I was thinking from my eyes. "Oh relax,
seriously, if you never go into the water you'll never learn to swim.
As they say."
"And seriously does Sarah have the better deal Steve. I'm not kidding.
But then, I think you're smart enough to have realised what employment
means here now don't you."
She can't have known that yet and I knew that she'd said that
deliberately in order to stimulate my thoughts in that direction. My
first urgent question, nagged at me. But I hadn't done any more than
open my mouth when Jane responded quickly.
"Sure, it's not permanent, well, not yet anyway."
It was stupid of me behaving like this, but I was really very shocked
by what had happened, I imagine anyone would be. I'd written quite a
few stories on my computer back home where magic was involved. Why
should I be so shocked by it when it eventually happened to me?
I knew the answer to that though, it was because of the method I used
to describe it. In the stories, the magic had been my own imagination.
Whereas, this was real. Was it really so hard to grasp?
I knew I was being stupid, but then, by the time I'd realised that, I
knew I was or would soon be, back to normal. At least as far as my
thoughts were concerned. Shock doesn't last after all.
"I can change back?" I asked, thinking of my family back home. To this
girl, to me, they weren't family at all. They were strangers.
"Yes." Jane said quickly. "The change usually lasts about twenty four
hours, give or take an hour or so."
She didn't add that I was a special case and didn't even have that
flexibility. I'd learn more about that later. Oh, I'm not saying I
couldn't change back, just that there was a difference to what Jeff, I
mean Jane, had told me. But right then, I had no reason to doubt him.
To be honest, I had a kind of new respect for Jeff. It was probably
something to do with teacher student psychology, but I think I felt
comforted to know that I wasn't alone in this, Jeff, even if I didn't
know him, was approaching this from the same angle.
"Hold on." Jane said.
She was looking down at my naval, I looked too. Jane crouched down and
put her hand on my hip. I saw it then, a thin scar just below and to
the left of my belly button. It wasn't much but we both knew what it
was. An operation scar. My first guess was that, as the old saying
goes, my tubes were tied. And I learned later on, from an unexpected
source, that I was right.
"Looks like an old scar." She said. "You must've had it a while. I
swear I wouldn't have noticed it if you hadn't turned like that. It's
an expert job. I don't think you'll need to worry."
She stood up.
"Don't look so down about it Sarah. It really is not so bad. Come on,
let's go meet Anya and then we can have some fun. Let me get our
costumes."
Jane went to the first locker and opened it, pulling out three bathing
costumes. "Your choice," She said. "one or two piece. I'd recommend the
one piece myself especially as it's your first day. They grip better.
I nodded and she passed me the tight suit. There was a logo on the
chest, which proclaimed "Bikini Beach Staff Member."
"No, no." She corrected immediately. "Put your leg through there..."
It was hugely different putting that one piece on, than say a good pair
of shorts and to be honest, just then I think I knew which I preferred.
With this new costume I had to prune out the folds and tuck in pieces
of my anatomy I wasn't sure if I really wanted. The breasts were a
nightmare, I just get one side into the costume and the other side pops
out. Eventually I figured to pull the cloth around one side while
pushing the other in. Perhaps Anya had been a little off when she'd
guessed my size, this thing felt like two sizes too small.
I dropped the towel away from me and for the first time since the
change, I felt better. With the towel it seemed that everything that
was protesting at this experience had just dropped away with it. I was
still Steve, although Sarah was a large part of him.
I could feel everything though, the costume was front and back only, it
didn't cover my sides. My hips had never been so bare, my arse seemed
naked while my chest, felt like they were being squeezed together and
pressed down at the same time.
"There are two things I think I should tell you at this point, before
we go any further. First off, remember that you are a REAL girl,
whatever you do, could and very well may affect your other life.
Secondly, you should know that from today, you have always BEEN Sarah.
If you have family back in England then they will know you as Sarah,
not as Steve. One of the guys, who used to come here, didn't get on
with his mom, but then he changed, just like you have done now and his
mom was the best parent anywhere all of a sudden. Sex has a lot to do
with relationships and most of what you know emotionally has been
turned on its head." She paused. "I'm telling you this because I've
learnt it myself."
"What about Anya?" I asked.
"She's a real girl." Jane smiled, "but I think her and Vicki are the
only ones on the staff who are. Except grandma of course. Oh, everyone
from this park who knew you as Steve, knows the situation as well. The
other staff members don't know anything yet though, but word will get
around."
She walked with me to the door of the changing rooms as we carried our
gear wrapped up in the towels. She'd already put my clothes into a
plastic bag and now we walked out IN THE OPEN, towards the girl's
section, which was a lot bigger. Holly waved at us from the gate,
grinning. I could feel the wind on my naked cheeks and especially on
the chest of my swimsuit where everything seemed uncannily
hypersensitive. When I was a guy I don't think any part of me was so
sensitive as this new chest. Perhaps it was because of the grip of the
suit, or maybe because I wasn't used to it, but it did seem strange,
almost raw. Mind you, that also applied to every inch of exposed skin.
It seriously felt like I'd shed a huge heavy coat.
We walked into the girl's locker room and it was and it wasn't like I'd
imagined before. It was true that there were a lot of naked girls, a
lot of sexy stuff, but although I could still appreciate girls, it was
more on the eye, than lust. Practically all the girls turned to see me
when I entered and next to all of them smiled.
"Well done Steve." Someone said. "Yeah, well done." Echoed someone
else.
"You all know the rotation today girls, so let's go, gates will be
opening in ten minutes, be sure to be in place by then." Anya said,
emerging from the back.
"Cool Steve, or should I say Sarah. Looks like you've bloomed here."
She commented. "Make sure you go with Vic and Jen for lunch though.
It'll be good for you to get out into the world."
"Yeah." Vicki said, coming forwards, "Stay with us, hehe, we'll teach
you everything you wanted to know."
The girls had different kinds of uniforms as to their particular jobs.
Several of them had an additional halo around the BB logo to indicate
they were also lifeguards. Vicki caught my arm and pulled me towards
the mirrors in the wall.
"Come on Sarah, have you seen yourself yet."
I held back just for a second, trying to prepare myself but she was
stronger than I was and when she tugged, I was pulled into view of
myself.
My jaw dropped open. The swimsuit I was wearing fitted perfectly
looking at it from here and I was almost staggeringly beautiful. Anya
appeared behind us in the mirror, looking down at me. She was a good
foot taller than I was. Jane appeared, putting an arm around Anya's
waist.
"I think Sarah's the perfect face for the sign out front." Jane said
with a smile.
"Whoa," I turned around, "Hold on..."
They appeared amused by my reaction.
"There is no need to worry Sarah," Anya said, almost glaring at Jane in
the mirror. "BB is a big family, as you'll soon discover. If you do any
work for us, it'll be of that stated in your contract, perfectly normal
stuff. Don't let Jane scare you."
Vicki moved to the wall and came back wearing a black plastic headset.
She handed me one and I put it in my ear.
"One quick word before you go Sarah." Jane said, fishing into her
towelled bundle. She pulled out the folded contract and passed it to
me. "Now you know everything, you'll be able to sign it. But before you
do, be aware that this is a magical contract and believe me you don't
go back on something like that. So..."
"So..." Anya finished. "You should know that signing that, you're
agreeing to remain as you are for a whole three years."
"But you told me, we can change back in a day." I said, looking at
Jane.
"We can." She said. "But you, you're new. New staff has to agree to at
least three years, it prevents unnecessary situations. By the time you
get the choice to change back, you're already adjusted and everyone
knows you."
Three years was a long time. I kind of felt staggered by the whole
situation.
"You don't have to sign it of course Sarah," Anya said. "Anytime you
want to go back home, you can give me that contract back unsigned and
I'll take you back to the airport. No strings attached."
I nodded. I knew I needed to think this over. I looked back into the
mirror, noting my own eyes staring at me from a strange face. I didn't
know how to feel.
"Looooooove the accent Sarah." Called a few girls as they were leaving.
Again, there was that peculiar feeling of being someone else. The
person looking back at me out of the mirror wasn't Steve, not by a long
way, although the eyes were the same and perhaps the nose and the mouth
looked slightly similar, prettier, but the same. I was more than a
dream girl, I was living the dream and that made it kind of alright. I
had people here who would help me and for the first time in a long,
long time, I smiled.
Jane touched my shoulder, "Looking good kid. You need any help, you
come talk to me. I promise I won't laugh, whatever it is."
I turned and unlike myself, I hugged her. This startled me as much as
her I'm sure.
"Thank you Jane." I said looking at her. "Thanks for making me go
through with it. You're right, I never would have understood."
Vicki tugged at my arm. "Come on Sarah, we've gotta get to our
positions."
Anya laughed as we scooted away. She called after us. "Don't monopolize
her Vic. Sarah, you can explore the park today if you want, try out all
the rides. You don't even have to queue up now.
***
When we'd gone and they were left alone, Anya said to Jane. "Wow."
"I know."
"I think I'd better tell grandma. Sarah's going to need to be kept an
eye on. It won't be long till she's in guy trouble."
Jane rubbed Anya's shoulders, then made for the door. "I'll see you
later."
"Granny wants us to have lunch with her today Jane." Anya called after
her.
"I know, I'm looking forwards to it." Jane smiled although neither of
them were sure if it was a lie.
***
I know that perhaps this has been stated already, but girls really do
have the better deal. Walking in the park, even at this time when there
were barely more than a few dozen people between us and our post, but
that didn't stop me and Vic from running most of the way there.
The suit really helped there. Girls often can't run because of their
t...their boobs...why on earth had I corrected myself like that. There
was nothing wrong with tits, even thinking it, why on earth should I
suddenly call them boobs. And why wasn't I thinking like I usually did.
There was nothing wrong with swearing.
But there was, I could feel it, my personality was changing even now.
Very slow and minute changes, like vocabulary would be the first
things. God I hoped I didn't start thinking what I thought of as
'blonde' thoughts. But I knew I probably would.
I wasn't the best thinking gu...girl and it was natural really.
Vic looked back, noticing I was lagging behind. "Come on, nearly there
now."
I caught up with her and she giggled.
"Where're we going?" I asked, thinking back to when I'd wandered around
with Jeff.
"We're on OMR, a nice easy day."
OMR turned out to be the river flowing around the bottom of the larger
of the two hills in BB. Vic told me that it was almost half a mile in
length and had four pitstops along the way in which people could get
off if they wanted. Most parks have rides like that, they're much nicer
to ride than to walk, especially as the park is a large one. The
running of it was fairly easy, Vic explained it to me in about three
minutes.
The four stops each have coloured rings around the outside of the
floats, which floated down the narrow channel around the park. Whenever
one of the green ringed floats came around the corner, I pressed a
button to push out this hydraulic bar, which guided the float up onto
the conveyer, for people to first abandon the float, then for the queue
to replace them. It really was simple. There were the buttons to stop
and start the conveyer, an EM stop button which was law to have I
think. But other than that, the small panel was blank. There was a
small box built around the controls and it was here that I put the BB
contract I had yet to sign. The box was otherwise uncluttered apart
from four large plastic water bottles, which a girl had come round with
just after we were settled in and opened up. Two for each of us, Vic
said they were energy juice drinks.
It was my first interaction with customers when the first pair turned
up. It also proved to be the most trying part of the whole day for me,
because they were grade A, first class and although I hesitate to use
the word bitch now, I had to use it here. Female animosity wasn't like
guys scrapping. It was all in the eyes and the expression.
Vic came over immediately as she saw I was having problems.
"Hey, is this ride working?" The first asked, her thin hair waving in
the wind, bleached almost white but very slightly tinted blonde.
"Yep." I said simply, waiting for them to comment on my accent,
secretly I knew I'd be asked that a lot and I knew I'd enjoy the
attention. "As far as I know the rides open with the park." Just in
case they hadn't picked up my accent the first time. I missed the note
of sarcasm in my own voice, enjoying the anticipation of the
forthcoming question.
"We didn't ask you if you knew anything." The other girl scolded. I
caught up at this point, seeing why she was angry.
"Sorry, it's my first day." That would surely work.
"Well, you were rude. I think you need to be taught a lesson. I'm going
straight to the management to complain about you and your phoney
accent. It's not even real accent anyway."
"Everything alright?" Vic asked although she clearly could see that
things weren't.
"Miss England here was being rude." The same girl piped. Vic looked at
me once and knew it wasn't true.
Much more experienced with custom, she replied. "I'm afraid that I
couldn't help hearing the conversation from where I was working over
there and it seems to me that perhaps Sarah's innocent comment was
taken the wrong way to which it was intended. If you feel so strongly
about her comment then you are welcome to return to the management
section of the park, to the left of the entrance and register your
complaint there."
"So you're saying that we've got to walk all the way back to the
entrance, to complain?" The first of the two said. "Is this place
unorganised or what?"
"Well, as far as I know, the park doesn't shut it's gates until
visitors have left, so you have plenty of time to leave the park if you
feel so strongly about the organisation. Shall I perhaps call you an
escort or would you like to piss off."
She swore at them so naturally that there was a collective pause. She
followed up immediately and I knew it was intentional.
"Go and whine about something real, instead of bugging new girls with
your whining attitudes." Vic said. The two turned and walked away
without another word. Vic turned to me and smiled. "I love those type
of people." She said, with a laugh. "They always whine because they've
got it all and other people haven't."
"Vicki." Came a voice in our ear. "That was NOT very diplomatic."
"Sorry Anya, but they were giving Sarah a hard time." Vicki grinned at
me.
I had to admit, I was starting to really like Vicki now. I looked up
and down the lane, there were no queues and the path was almost bare
except for a couple of girls strolling down towards us from the south.
"Anya?" I said
The reply came back immediately. "Yeah?"
"Do you mind if I take a walk around?"
"Go ahead." She replied. "Just will you do me a small favour?"
"Sure."
"It's just a two minute job." She explained. "One of the runners is a
little behind on her rounds, if you could take a couple of bottles of
Rucco over to Gail on the big slide. You can pick them up from the shop
right outside the changing rooms and the big slide is just up the path
from there."
"What's Rucco?" I asked. But Vic was already pointing to the water
bottles of energy drink.
"It's that stuff that you've got to drink there." Anya said. "Oh and
one other thing. You're going to get sunburned today, I expected that,
that's why I had them bring you some of that Rucco, so drink plenty
today. Any of the girls will lend you their spare bottle if you ask. So
don't worry about it, just remember to drink loads. The shops will give
you some, it's free to staff."
"Okay, thanks."
"Enjoy yourself Sarah."
Vic looked at me for a second then she smiled, handing me one of the
bottles. I took a long drink. It tasted a lot like Lucozade but it was
more fruity.
"If you want," Vic said. "I've got a belt here you can use so you can
carry them around with you."
"Nah, I'll be okay." I said, unsure how I'd look with a belt on.
I didn't even realise it myself, but I was almost comfortable with my
new body. The shock of the change had all but worn off, now everything
felt as simple as it had before. I had yet to make the minor points
known to myself, but things were looking up.
"You want me to keep this contract here for you?" Vicki asked.
I knew just then that I wanted to sign that contract now. I wanted
this, it was so natural, so friendly that there was no way I could go
back to England and be Steve again. I couldn't continue being him any
more.
It was partly that I knew I'd always wonder what would have been if I
chose to refuse this opportunity, but I knew that anyway, ever since
I'd decided to get on the plane back home. No, the majority of my
decision was evident that in the hours and hours I'd spent practicing
my writing skills, in all that time I had described myself becoming a
girl. In one way or another, that was the main, recurring theme in my
scripts. I may have written about it from the third person view, but
those stories were always conceived with the main character sharing
some, if not all of my characteristics and then changing.
Steve wanted to be Sarah. That's what it came down to. So I don't think
I really had a choice to make. There was no way that I could not sign
it now. But I decided, to pass on my judgement until later on. I must
not be rash in this, I needed to consider everything. If I found some
flaw in my logic, some obtrusive factor, which I hadn't considered then
there might be cause for regret and I didn't want to regret it.
I remembered from the map that there were twenty three water rides in
the park, not counting the other swimming pools and such. When I had
gone on all the rides, I would come back and sign.
So when the next float came along, I jumped into it and waved Vicki
goodbye.
***
The ride was smooth enough except for a couple of places where the ride
sloped. It was a lazy ride, which I'd seen a lot of people eating as
they got on or off the ride. I took the moments I had alone to look
myself over. I mean from Steve's point of view.
I guess I was pretty well equipped. My legs were slender and very
attractive, my form neat and without fat. I remembered the picture the
mirror had presented me. I had been athletic, but not muscley. 'A
Russian gymnast' Jane had called me. I could see the reasoning if I
looked from Steve's point of view.
I took a long drink on the single water bottle Vicki had given me. I
kind of felt contented. The sun was warm, reminding me of our trips to
southern France. I could feel the warmth in place I never had done
before. I had always been a shirt and shorts guy, never just shorts
unless swimming. I guess even as a guy, that had been strange.
I'd written a lot of stuff, invented a lot of things which were quite
embarrassing looking back on them. But they were developing a talent I
suppose, giving a voice to my thoughts, presenting me with ulterior
idealism which was all my own. It's amazing how clear things can become
if you think about them enough.
The next station was coming up now and I knew I had to get off. This
was where I stopped. I waved to the attendant who smiled and waved
back, even though she was way out of hearing range I spoke, knowing the
microwave could carry the sound. I didn't know that the others had to
switch theirs on and that my own had been put on constant short range
broadcast by Anya.
"Can you let me off here?" I asked.
She pressed her ear and said, "Sure Sarah."
She offered me her hand when I got out of the boat and I took it. More
or less instantly someone from the queue took my place in the float.
"I'm Erica." She said. "I know how corny it sounds but I think your
accent is so cool."
I grinned, I knew I'd never hear the end of it about my accent, but I
guess I'd get used to it. In truth I was already beginning to. I was
back at the entrance to the park now and to my surprise I saw a few
boys in the queues at the gate, which was virtually across from us.
There were only four and they were surrounded by giggling girls. Erica
saw where I was looking immediately and grinned.
"It's not an exclusive park." She whispered. "Those boys will get the
shock you went through earlier. Go and follow them, Anya's grandmother
is kind of sneaky about boys like this. She lets them in and they don't
change all at once like she does for the few of you who are, y'know..."
Erica brought up the next float and a few more girls got into it. I
realised she was deliberately blunting the conversation around the
punters. I took the hint immediately.
"She doesn't?"
"With them, they'll be in the water before they realise it." She said
smiling mischievously.
As I left the ride, the guys were just talking to Anya at the gate. The
shop, which Anya had told me about, was nearby, between the changing
rooms and I walked across to it. Watching the guys all the way who had
noticed me staring at them. I realise what an idiot I was being
watching them like that.
"Hello Sarah." Jane said from the shop.
I turned, seeing her for the first time. "Er...Hi Jane."
Jane's eyes flicked upwards and I noticed a directional mirror up
there, she could see the boys approaching now. "Oh..." She said, seeing
what I was doing. She handed me another of those bottles and took the
one I had which was nearly empty anyway. "Remember to keep drinking
Sarah."
"Looks like you made an impression. I think they're coming over."
There weren't many girls around in that part of the park, most of the
people who entered went straight on to the changing rooms and then off
into the park itself. There was the queue at the float ride, but that
was all. I took a drink and waited, surprised at my own courage. But
then, I guess I did feel bolder, my guess is it was something to do
with the feeling of nakedness I'd got first off.
The guys approached the counter and looked over the menus. I just
pretended to lean on the counter, looking out over the park as I drank
the Rucco. I couldn't stop thinking about what I was doing though, it
was sort of thrilling that these guys were eying me up and they were, I
just took pains not to notice.
"What can I get you?" Jane asked, starting the conversation, the menu
wasn't that expansive. I turned, deliberately and caught a sandy haired
guy looking right at my face. He had beautiful blue eyes. I wondered
why I'd thought that, his hair wasn't a particular colour that I hadn't
seen before, nor were his eyes. But then, I guess it could be the
conjunction of the two features, which made the connection in my mind.
He was clearly a lot braver than I was because he spoke then, avoiding
the awkward silence. "Hi."
"Hello." I said, taking another drink.
"New to the park?" Jane asked. I was glad she'd chosen to interrupt,
I'm not sure how ready I was to meet a guy yet. Everyone turned to her.
The boys nodded.
"Remember to shower before using the facilities." Jane said.
"Yeah," Said one of the others. "We know already. Like the woman on the
gate said it like a million times."
The sandy haired guy turned back to me and I saw his eyes flicking down
to the logo on my chest.
"You're staff?" He asked.
I nodded my head. "Just started actually."
"Oh, you're English too..." He said.
But one of the guys grabbed his arm then, Jane having given them some
drinks. I hadn't even noticed the others ordering.
"Come on Romeo." He said. The sandy haired guy turned back as he
started backing after his mates.
"What's your name?" He said. I couldn't help it, I smiled.
"It's Sarah." I said.
"Nice to meet you Sarah. I'm Matt." He winked and turned to follow his
mates.
Jane waited until they were inside the building before she started
laughing. I had to smile, I saw the funny side of it as well. After a
moment Jane leant down next to me.
"You mind if I give you some advice Sarah?"
"Go ahead." I said, turning around to face her.
"Get his phone number when he's coming out. That guy was cute." She
said. "And he was all but drooling over you." She paused. "I guess I'm
not the best person to tell you what to do with your love life, but
everyone's got to have one. I'm married to Anya as you know and I've
neve