Mia's Complaint

"Simple," Bob said. "We're going to break her in easy."

He gave a quick explanation, and Jenny loved it.

But they were forced to put their plan on hold, for a summer storm hit them hard later that afternoon. For three days the clouds were ever threatening, often pouring, and the pool was very much out of the question. Bob made the best of it, treating Mia to all the stories he could remember about life in the Commune that were family-friendly. Though he was sure she'd figured out that there was plenty of sex being had in those wild days, he managed to steer clear of all that as he regaled her with photographs and scrapbooks from the good old days, including plenty of sightings of himself and Jenny in much younger days. "Wow, she was so gorgeous," Mia said of one photo of Jenny in a flamboyant peasant dress, her hair even longer than it was now. "I mean, she still is, of course --"

"Thank you, Mia," came Jenny's amused voice from behind her.

"Jenny!" Mia jumped up and set the photo album on Bob's lap. "I'm sorry!"

"Sorry for what? You called me gorgeous!"

"And you are," Jenny said with a sigh of relief. "I just -- I was afraid it sounded like I was only saying that, and I'm not."

Jenny and Bob both laughed, but Bob felt compelled to apologize immediately. "Sorry, Mia, that sounds very sincere, really."

"Then why did you both laugh?"

"Because it's just the sort of thing we all used to say to one another, knowing the outside world would call it saccharine," Jenny explained. "But it wasn't, not with us. So call it a laugh of knowing. We know what it's like to feel that way and not be taken seriously by anyone else. Is that any part of this 'discontentment' that you complained about, by any chance?"

"You know, I hadn't thought of that," Mia said. "But yeah, I think it is like that. Something like that anyway." She looked around the cavernous living room with its old but well-kept furniture, most of which was present in the photographs from decades before, and then down at the pictures in the still-open photo album on Bob's lap. "God, it feels like I missed out."

"You didn't," Bob said. "You've got a future full of this if you want it."

"And we'll find out at this mysterious event you've got planned?" Mia asked, looking back and forth between them both.

"That's right," Jenny said. "And it won't be mysterious for long."

"Then why don't you just tell me?" Mia asked in a frustrated tone.

"We will, when the time is right," Bob reassured her. "Trust me, you'll be glad we waited."

It rained so hard that night that Jenny decided to sleep over at the Commune. After the trio had closed down the café for the night, they split a bottle of wine and watched a movie, and somehow avoided any more discussion of the mysterious (to Mia) plan. Mia was the first to retire, as soon as the credits rolled. "God, I hope the rain stops tomorrow," she said as she stood up and stretched.

"Me too," Jenny said. "I've been dying for a swim, I don't know about you two."

"Oh, me too!" Bob said. And a tacit look between the two old friends confirmed that tomorrow would be the day, if the weather cooperated.

Mia didn't notice the meaningful look, as the mention of swimming had her turning away to avoid betraying her own secret. She was utterly mystified as to how she had kept it this long to begin with! Would it be so bad if they found out, really? She'd even said she'd like them to join her -- but then, they didn't know she'd been going bare...did they?

As she undressed now, Mia heard Jenny's footfall on the stairs. She recalled that day in the kitchen, how she hadn't been able to see any hint of a swimsuit under Jenny's robe, and how brazenly she had lied about wearing one herself. It had been ever so tempting to look out the window and see if her suspicions were correct, but that just hadn't seemed right. Only now did it occur to Mia that perhaps Jenny or even Bob had spotted her -- but they'd both treated her with such dignity all week!

Why, she wondered, did it seem so unlikely that they could be aware of what she'd been up to in the pool and still treat her so respectfully? It was perfectly plausible, and yet...and yet it was none of what she was so used to back in the real world.

As she pulled her nightgown on, all at once Mia felt very touchy-feely. On a lark, she opened her bedroom door and walked down the hall to the room Jenny had helped herself to. She noticed with a bit of relief that it faced the front of the house, away from the pool -- but that also meant it faced into the wind, so Mia could hear the storm pelting against the windows before she stepped into view of the open bedroom door.

Jenny was buttoning up her pajama tops, having evidently changed clothes without shutting the door. When Mia stepped into view, she smiled at her as if they hadn't seen each other all day. "Mia! Hello!"

"Hi..." Mia stepped gingerly into the room, which she hadn't seen before. It was decorated with pastel swirls and an ancient television sit. "Was this your room when you lived here?"

"I wish," Jenny said. "I always wanted it, but...well, I never had it. I'm sure Bob told you your own room was the coveted one, but I never felt the need to be the big enchilada. It was enough just being among the matriarchs."

"It's a lovely room," Mia mused. "Tell me, did you choose it because of the way the storm is blowing?"

"How'd you know, dear?" Jenny sat on the edge of the bed and patted the spot beside her.

Mia took the invitation and sat down. "Because it's what I would do," she said. "Hearing that pelting against the window, and us safe and dry inside, it's..."

"Romantic?" Jenny suggested.

"Exactly!" Mia smiled in solidarity, but, feeling entirely too close to the flame of intimacy, she also stood up. "Well, I don't want to keep you up, Jenny..."

"Mia," Jenny said gently, also standing up. "Would you like to join me here tonight?"

"What?!"

"A just-us-girls sleepover, no pressure to do anything. We could hold each other if you want, but we don't even need to do that."

Though she yearned with every fiber of her being to say yes, Mia forced herself to shake her head. "Thanks, but I -- I think I'd better not. Good night, Jenny."

"Good night. No hard feelings." And Jenny's gentle smile nearly broke Mia's heart as she withdrew for the escape back to her room.

She lay awake in her own room for some time, castigating herself. Why did I say no? Why deny myself such a beautiful thing? There were no answers that she could find on the dim ceiling that was her only companion beside the rain outside her window. She did, though, resolve to be more open to the love and affection that seemed to be just palpable throughout the house. If she could.

"I fear I might have scared her off last night," Jenny told Bob bright and early the next morning over their coffee. "The moment felt right, but I guess it wasn't."

"All the more reason for a stronger dose now, maybe," Bob suggested. "I'll bet you've at least got her thinking now about where this is going."

"I hope you're right." Jenny stood up and tightened the sash of her bathrobe. "Are we ready?"

"I can take it if you can," Bob said with a grin, also standing up, and they strode out to the backyard where at last the sun had broken through.

Jenny dipped a toe in the water and confirmed what they'd both suspected. "It's a little cold for swimming yet."

Bob pulled up two of the five lawn chairs that had blown over in the storms. "Want to keep our robes on for now?"

"I think we'd better not, for her sake, don't you?"

Bob nodded his agreement, and as matter-of-factly as they could, they both disrobed. Jenny, as usual, found herself giggling like a schoolgirl as she took in the view of Bob's middle-aged body and was ever so aware that he was doing the same to her. "God, how many times have we seen each other like this, and it's still a little weird?" she asked, looking down as if to give her own body the once-over.

"I know," Bob said. "That's why I want to make sure we don't put it off any longer for Mia."

They sat down and were soon deep in conversation like the old friends they were, utterly comfortable and barely even aware that they were both naked. It never did take long for the shock value to wear off. They could both only hope Mia would see that as well.

There wasn't long to wait before they found out, although the initial report of the screen door proved to be a false alarm. It was Jenny who figured out why Mia hadn't come out. "She heard us and went back inside to put on a bathing suit," she said.

"If only she'd stepped out a bit farther and seen how we're dressed," Bob said.

"She's probably feeling especially shy after last night," Jenny said. "But maybe it's best if she eases her way into it anyway."

Sure enough, the screen door opened a few minutes later, and Mia stepped out from behind the screen in a red bikini. She looked very happy with the company, until it registered with her. "Oh my God!" She whipped around and stood stock still. "Bob, Jenny, I'm sorry, I had no idea..."

"Mia, it's perfectly fine," Jenny said. "If we didn't want you to see us this way, we wouldn't have come out here, would we?"

"That makes sense." Mia didn't turn around yet, but she appeared to be fighting a losing battle against doing so. Then, at once, she did turn around with no sign of apology in her eyes. "Wait a minute, does this mean you know I've been swimming...naked?"

"I promise we haven't been spying on you, but yes, we noticed," Bob said.

"You noticed," Mia repeated incredulously, still looking a bit angry.

"We noticed," Bob repeated. "No offense, Mia, but it is my home and it used to be Jenny's and she still comes here all the time to swim. Either of us could have come out anytime and caught you. Did you really think there was no chance of that?"

"I was willing to accept that if it happened," Mia allowed. "It's not that that bothers me. It's the...not knowing you saw me."

"I saw you just long enough to see what you weren't wearing and I looked away," Bob said.

"I admit I looked a little longer," Jenny said. "I'm sorry. But we were both hopeful that you'd feel comfortable joining us as well."

Mia allowed a smile. "Well...I sort of suspected you two and your old friends probably used to do this all the time."

"Not just used to," Bob said. "And you're welcome to join us if you want. Or not."

"But you should know, Mia, next Sunday is National Nude Day and we will be hosting an event here. You're welcome to join us or to take that day off and spend it in town or up in your room, but do be aware that it's coming."

"Nude day?" Now Mia made no sense to hide her pleasure. "Well, that sounds great, actually! Yes, I'd love to join in. Oh, really it's a relief to have this out in the open, that I've been...you know." She sat down in one of the other lawn chairs, still in her swimsuit. "And Jenny, about last night..."

"I'm sorry I pushed you too hard," Jenny said.

"No! I'm sorry I didn't say yes! That's what I realized, a moment too late, I really wanted to join you, but I just, instinctively...God!" she buried her head in her hands. "This is what I've been getting at with both of you all the time I've been here. Always acting like I need to deprive myself, pushing nice things away when I get them." Mia looked ready to cry, but she kept a stiff upper lip. "And here the two of you make it look easy to share so much."

"Well, looks can be deceiving," Bob reassured her. "We were just saying, we've been skinnydipping together for years, not to mention having Nude Day celebrations where we're naked together all day long, and it's still a little awkward at first."

"It's human nature to be reluctant to let your guard down so completely," Jenny agreed. "But it's worth it."

"I believe that," Mia said. Then, despite some visible lingering reluctance, she stood up and untied her bikini top. With an embarrassed laugh, she let it drop, and reached down to also pull down her bottoms before she could lose her nerve. Standing naked before her two new friends for the first time, she struggled to keep a straight face. "How long before it stops feeling so weird?" she asked, looking down at her body.

"Depends on you, dear," Jenny said. "But whatever you're feeling right now, you look beautiful." She stood up and offered Mia a hug; this time she was accepted.

"Thanks," she said, though her tone gave every indication that she didn't believe it. "You both look really good, too. Really."

"Thank you," Bob said, though he couldn't help thinking Mia was getting the raw end of the deal. His chubby, middle aged body couldn't very well hope to compete with her beautiful curves and long, long legs, or the graceful jet-black triangle where they met. "No need to pretend I'm sexy, Mia, really."

"I'm not pretending!" she protested. "Opemnindedness, being comfortable in your body...that is sexy! It's also what I'm trying to achieve here, because I've really never felt it in my life. What you and your friends used to have here, that's what I want. That's why I forced myself to come out here naked that first morning."

"Wow." Bob realized too late that he was staring at Mia's breasts and bush. Though she didn't seem to mind, he forced himself to look back up into her eyes. "Mia, how can you not think you're beautiful?"

"Ask Jenny," Mia said. "A woman will understand, trust me."

"She's right," Jenny confirmed. "And Mia, it sounds to me like our little abode here needs you just as much as you need it.

"What do you mean?"

"What you've just said you're looking for, and the way you're going about trying to get it -- that's just what we were after all those years ago. And for a while, we found it. Or really, we made it, for one another. All these years since we lost Mandi and the rest of the gang went their own ways, Bob and I have been looking for younger people with that same yearning and the same mindset."

"And it looks like we've found one," Bob said.

"Wow..." Mia was deep in thought.

"Don't feel pressured or anything," Bob said. "It's only one day, and it's up to you how you feel about it all.

"That's not what she's thinking," Jenny corrected him. "She's thinking of all the naked guys she'll be sharing the pool with!"

They all laughed, and Mia conceded, "True, I am."

"Well, don't worry, there'll be some younger and hotter guys than me there," Bob said with a grin, standing up to get in the pool.

"Bob, don't be that way!" Mia jumped up and hugged Bob. Then he had to get in the pool, and right away. He didn't mind Mia and Jenny seeing his erection, but he didn't want them to notice the tears in his eyes.

The three of them spent the morning frolicking about in the pool, all shyness wonderfully forgotten. Mia had never felt so free in her life, and soon her heart was fairly bursting with admiration and love for Bob and Jenny alike. "I'm already sorry I didn't just ask about this sooner!" she said at one point.

"It's not the sort of thing you ask anyone you just met, is it?" Jenny pointed out. "Don't beat yourself up about it."

Mia nodded and smiled in reply. She was too serenely happy to think of anything else to offer up.

When Mia inevitably had to get out of the pool to visit the bathroom (she beat Bob to the punch with a joke about how suspicious they'd have been if she hadn't excused herself), Jenny took the opportunity to ask Bob about what she'd noticed when Mia had hugged him. "She sure knew the way to your heart there, didn't she?"

"I never would've guessed just how perfect she is for us," Bob said. "Mandi would be proud."

"Mandi would've hated her, Bob," Jenny corrected. "Listen, I miss her too and I'm sorry to have to say it, but you know how Mandi felt about preps. She wouldn't have even allowed Mia in the front door, never mind the pool."

Bob nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he said. "It is about time I stop putting her on a pedestal, isn't it?"

"It's past time, Bob. We all know how much you loved Mandi, but she was human like the rest of us."

Bob gave his old friend a probing look, and waited for the inevitable crack about how Mia was too young for him. But there wasn't one. Jenny responded only with a look of tender affection.

They all showered together in the poolhouse when it was time to go to work, and for the afternoon at the café no one had a clue what the three staff had been up to together beforehand. Mia was absolutely giddy and struggled not to burst into laughter every time she made eye contact with Bob or Jenny, both of whom welcomed the change from their heretofore angst-ridden young friend.

When Don and Kris put in an appearance in midafternoon, accompanied by a younger couple, Jenny called Kris aside for a private word. "It's on," she said, and with a nod towards Mia she added, "She's one of us! Who'd have guessed?"

"Is she!" Kris looked as surprised as Jenny herself had been. "Our friends over there will be glad to hear it. I hope you don't mind, I told Karina there about it and she said they'd both be interested if it happened."

"Really!" Jenny strolled back over to the table, where Don was chatting with the younger couple -- an Asian guy and a chubby blonde, neither of whom Jenny could recall seeing before. "Hello," she said, "Karina is it?"

"Yes," said Karina, shaking her hand. "And this is my fiancé Eddie."

"Hi, Eddie." Jenny shook his hand as well. "Don, I hear they're interested in joining us next Sunday?"

"Very!" Karina said. "Honestly, I've always wanted to try something like that!"

"If she's happy with it, so am I," Eddie added.

"The Pinders are going to be in the area, too," Don added. "With Sandy."

"Little Sandy!" Jenny exclaimed. "But I guess she's...what, twenty now?"

"Nineteen," Kris said. "And finally over her youthful disapproval of Mom and Dad's lifestyle. It'll be her first Nude Day."

"Sorry!" Don said, recalling Eddie and Karina had no idea who they were talking about. "The Pinders are a couple who used to live here with us, years and years ago. They live out in Oregon now, but they're on a road trip for the summer with their daughter."

"They moved out when she started school," Jenny recalled. "It was a little much for a kid to be living in a clothing-optional house, that's what they thought. She got a little too serious about it and became a real prude for a while."

"Don't most kids get that way about their parents and nudity, though?" Kris asked. "Really, I never blamed her. But I'm delighted to hear she's learned to embrace it."

"Not enough youngsters do these days," Don said.

"It seems like we're doing well enough with that for a change," Jenny said with a look toward Mia, who was busy at the cash register.

"She's in?" Don asked in surprise.

Jenny nodded. "You're going to love Mia, all of you are."

It was Bob's turn to supervise the evening shift that night, so Jenny and Mia found themselves comfortable on the couch with a bottle of wine after dinner. The television was on, but neither woman was paying much attention. When Mia was quite sure Jenny was sharing her own lack of interest in the show, she turned to her and said, "I'm sorry, Jenny, my mind's just been elsewhere since this morning! Do you feel it too?"

"Maybe not as much as you do," Jenny said. "Because I've been living this life for decades. But I had a wonderful time this morning, too, and I'm so proud of you for fighting back against your demons!"

"Thank you!" Jenny turned sideways and drew one leg up on the couch, not caring in the least that Jenny could now see up her skirt. "But...could I ask you something, Jenny?"

"We've seen each other naked, Mia. You can ask me anything." And they both laughed.