Sharing Nature's Bounty

Anita examined her naked body in the mirrors that formed the four walls of the L.A. hotel bathroom. She liked what she saw. Her body shape was perfect—thin waist, broad hips and superlative busts. She needed just six more inches in height to measure up to Venus de Milo in all ways except the face. Anita's face, even in her estimation, needed major alterations.

Anita had seen the real Venus in Paris, and though she had to view the statue from the railings five yards away, the shape of the breasts and smoothness of the pubic mound impressed her. Hers was no different, but to what purpose? Whoever saw it?

It was Anita's considered opinion that woman's reluctance to show their body under the pretext of female modesty was a trick they play to hide their ugliness. Yes, the female body when seen with no clothes on is definitely not a thing of beauty except for a few young things, and for a few short years before motherhood. The breasts are either not there or sag with nipples like unshelled peanuts; the buttocks are voluminous and flesh rolls from the waist. As for that hairy pussy the less said the better. So what does a woman do? She calls herself an acme of modesty, and hides behind well-chosen clothes that hides all the ugliness, and selectively exposes only what is worth looking at. Even the husband sees them in dim light. Has a husband ever seen his wife walking about the house in the nude? As the result splendid specimens of the female form like Anita's have to lie hidden.

Anita once again saw herself in the mirrors. She rather liked the mirror-surrounded wall of the bathroom in these American hotels. It is as if the designers had thought of the likes of her when they built the hotel. She heard the sound of someone moving in the bedroom. She covered herself with the bath towel, and opening the door a slit she peeped. It was the young Hispanic named Ricardo who did their rooms. He was an innocent looking twenty-year-old with dark hair and a pleasant handsome face. Anita, who was the same age, suddenly had an idea. She closed the door and thought for a while. She decided that it was all right. 'Lucky fellow', she said to herself and wrapping the towel closer round her body she opened the bathroom door and went into the bedroom.

"Good morning, miss," said Ricardo.

"A very good morning to you, Ricardo," said Anita cordially. Ricardo was busy collecting the towels from various parts of the bedroom. His job was to clean the bathroom, change the sheets and pillowcases, make the bed, and replace the towels. Ricardo went into the bathroom and presently Anita heard him sluicing the bathtub. Anita crept to the other bedroom door, opened it, and poked her head in. Her mother and father were fast asleep. They had been to a late night party. Anita walked back to the telephone table collecting a paperweight on the way. She stood with her back facing the wall, and unwrapping the towel she held it in front of her allowing the whole length of her bare back exposed to the large mirror behind her. She took the phone off the stand and placed the paperweight on the phone rests. She then conducted a phone conversation with herself. She was ready to serve Ricardo the treat of his life.

When Ricardo entered the bedroom he stopped dead. In the mirror he saw the naked back of Anita—the marble smooth rounded shoulders, the narrow waist and those shapely buttocks. Anita was apparently talking intensely to someone on the phone in a language Ricardo did not understand. Anita who had studied French in school just mumbled some French poems she remembered.

"Arrange the table before changing the sheets," she said pointing to the telephone table against which she was standing. Ricardo came gingerly. As he came closer she moved away facing him all the time while he did the entire length of the long table. As he moved she also moved constantly keeping her towel-covered body facing the young man.

"Have you taken all the towels?"

"Yes miss I have."

"Sure?" said Anita smiling.

"Except the one you are holding," said Ricardo. He was smiling too, a bit nervously for his cheek muscles were twitching.

"Take this also," she said, and pulling off the towel she threw it at Ricardo who was so stunned by the sight of the naked female body that he allowed the towel to hit him on the midriff and fall on the carpet. He stood inert, apparently in a state of paralysis.

"Ricardo, what's matter?" Adrenaline was pumping into Anita also, but she managed to continue. "Don't tell me you have never before seen an unclad female body." Ricardo had collected himself by this time.

"Nothing like this," he said, in apparent sincerity.

"OK, drink you fill," she said and the boy stood and stared.

"Had enough?" The boy nodded uncertainly as if to say 'Can anyone have enough of it?'

"Now I'll help you do the beds," she said. And the innocent boy and the naked girl started doing the beds. There was not much bed making that Ricardo did. He stood holding a sheet with wide-open eyes glued to her in a peculiar stare. Anita was in no better shape. The unblinking intensity of his stare scared her. They heard footfalls from the bedroom, and the girl disappeared into the bathroom. Ricardo was still holding the sheet when mother entered the room. He then dropped the sheet and moved out leaving Mom perplexed.

Anita bolted the bathroom door and stood under the shower shivering with fear and excitement. Gradually she calmed down. Yes, fear had largely gone leaving a feeling of exhilaration. She was trembling still, but it was a pleasant sensation. She bathed and towards the end of it she had recovered sufficiently to hum a tune. An hour later Anita and her father and mother were in the reception area having breakfast prior to checking out.

"What was the commotion at the swimming pool," asked father of the steward, for shortly before they came for breakfast there saw a crowd near the pool where a tall man of military presence was striding to and fro angrily waving a baton. The steward explained so softly that the father alone heard him.

"What was that?" asked mother.

"I'll tell you later," said father conspiratorially. "We'll check out at once. This is not a good place." Soon they were on the road.

They drove along. Anita lay curled up on the back seat facing away.

"Are you sleeping?" asked mother turning round. There was no answer. Anita was savouring her adventure of the morning. But there was no denying that she was scared stiff when confronting the unnatural stare of Ricardo. Luckily she heard footfalls from her parent's room and was able to get back into the bathroom and lock herself in. But the sensations that followed were, well, exhilarating. She had no other word for it. Her heart was still fluttering, but it was not a wild flutter, but one that had rhythm to it. Like to repeat the experience? She asked herself. Sure, why not?

"Are you asleep Anita," said mother again. Anita wanted to know what the steward had told her father. It was clearly something he would like her not to know, and precisely for that reason she was eager to know what it was. She did not answer.

"She is sleeping. What was the steward telling you?" asked mother.

"About this boy who was attending to our room, I forget his name." Father spoke softly, but Anita heard every word.

"Ricardo?"

"Yes Ricardo. He appears to have misbehaved with a girl who was coming out of the pool. He embraced her and started kissing her. Of course two of his friends pinned him down, and it was all they could do to prevent the father of the girl from thrashing him there and then. The boy must have lost his head for he was screaming in his language about some naked woman. He probably has a record of mental disease. Anyway the owner managed to placate the father. The boy, who till now had an excellent record, has been admitted into a clinic for mental diseases."

"It could easily have been our Anita," said mother shivering. "He was in Anita's room when I entered this morning. He was holding a sheet and staring at the wall. It was the way mad people look at you. He just dropped the sheet and without making the beds he went away. Just imagine what would have happened if instead of me Anita had come into the room."

"Shocking thought. I hope we get a better place to stay in San Diego," said father.

'I hoped so too,' said Anita to herself.