Chlorine Dreams

"We were supposed to alternate weekly, me and Paul. But he asked if I'd take straight nights. I think he got a second job. Lets me sleep in, do bike rides in the mornings."

She nodded.

"And...," she hesitated, "couple my friends got boyfriends... they... well... talk about what they... I'm so far behind... I'm the youngest, well pretty well, one's a couple months younger than me."

She stopped, I kissed her quickly.

"Oh, I'm soooo experienced at this," I hoped my full body shrug conveyed the proper way those words should be interpreted. Her instant stiffness frightened me but then she relaxed and nodded. The smile was broad.

"You are a younger man," she said lightly, my words properly understood, but I grunted a question at that. There was no great and obvious age difference but the details were unknown.

"I just finished my first year at the community college," she said as she snuggled back under my arm before she affected the heavy accent again, "and your gringa lifeguard said you just graduated high school and you're going to the University end of the summer. You're a rich boy like her?"

"Oh, hell no," I exhaled, "scholarship. Only way I have any hope of going!"

"Sports? Or the President's one?"

I exhaled hard. "That one. I'm good at soccer, bike racing, but nothing they offer scholarships for."

Her laughter was light and conveyed more than words would. Joy, frustration but as earlier an acceptance that Things Were the Way They Were and we were just hoping to make our way through.

"Si," she said, "the one for top students from shit schools and are too poor to pay up! I had a classmate get that, doing computers, I think. I always liked him, he played baseball, but he never noticed me and I was too shy back then to ask. He was good, but the rest of his family... mierda!"

I decided to leave that last comment as it was.

"That's good for me," I said softly. She wiggled against me.

"So I get to be with an older woman?"

She exhaled with a quick laugh. "Well, I'm nineteen, I'll be twenty in a few months. And..."

"I'll be nineteen in the fall, so yeah. Ooh, I've always wanted an older woman!"

"Hah! But I coulda gotten that scholarship, but I wasn't ready for the big place top of the hill. Yet. But if I get my associates I can get aid and then I'll come up and kick your ass."

"Lookin' forward to it! What're you studying?"

"Business, not sure what I want to do. What are you going to be?"

"I dunno. I like architecture. Drawing, designing things. Or maybe engineering."

"Nerd," but her voice didn't have the tone of derision I'd become so used to, "turn the light on again."

I did and she glanced at her watch and grunted before she sat up.

"Take me home?"

"Sure, should I pull my pants up?" I turned the light off.

"Nah, mama will want to see what you have."

Yeah, I bet!"

We separated and I reached down and restored my shorts. She tied the flaps of her shirt and followed that by doing up two buttons as I slid back into the driver's seat. She stayed on the passenger side but in the dim light offered an apologetic look but she reached and squeezed my hand. I smiled and nodded. I keyed the ignition.

It was only a couple of blocks. Were we, I, going to meet her mother? The car smelled strongly of sweat. Cleaning solution. Chlorine.

And cum. I recognized mine but there was another... something new to me.

Her house was small but the yard was well tended, like the whole block. Her bike out of the trunk I adjusted the quick release hub a quarter turn and locked it. She guided the bike with one hand and grabbed my hand with her other as she led me up the driveway past the incongruous and beautiful El Camino to the one-car detached garage. She pointed and I lifted the door and she rolled her bike in, I pushed the door down and she set a padlock on a hasp at the side. Then she grabbed my hand again and led me to the side door and into the cute house, its decor functional and pretty without being cluttered. Suddenly a woman came around a corner, an older version of Lucia in a house dress and slippers, dark hair pulled back, pretty, other than a few fine lines in her face she only differed from her daughter being stouter around the middle and a shorter hairdo. But certainly attractive, their blood relationship obvious.

"Ah, que este es el chico de la piscina?"

"Si, mama, esto es Jeremías."

"Buenas tardes, Señora Baca," I said, "I'm Jeremy. Jeremy Danko."

Her nose moved, my eyes flashed to the bits of red handkerchief that poked out of Lucia's front pocket. But she just quirked an eyebrow and nodded at me. I felt Lucia's grip tighten on my hand.

"A que barrio de la iglesia vas?"

I tried not to smile too broadly. Her specific question was which ward I was in but her tone made clear confirming one would not be a good idea.

"Nuestra Señora de Lourdes."

Lucia's mother smiled, then she shook her head and laughed softly. Her accent was only stronger than Lucia's by a notch.

"Well, Jeremy the pool boy, thank you for getting my daughter home safely," the emphasis on that last word indicated just that amount of doubt as to how safe the journey had been, "now, Lucia, walk him to his car and wish him goodnight."

Lucia nodded and led me by the hand out the door and up the driveway.

"Good night, Jeremais," four hands held in a knot kept our bodies slightly apart.

"Tomorrow? Or...," I said but trailed off.

"Working," she said, "but sometime. Okay?"

"Oh, yeah. Oh, hell yeah," she smiled and we leaned forward and kissed but our bunched heads kept us slightly apart. Even with that the kiss may have been longer than was proper at the moment. We touched foreheads before we each let out a long exhale.

"Good night," I said. She nodded, squeezed my hands a last time and released them to walk up the driveway. I stood at the driver's door, she stopped at the side door and we waved.

Plans

Had we thought Thursday hot, Friday showed up its predecessor and there was little surface water to be seen, it was all heads and shoulders. I'd been steadily feeding granulated chlorine much of the day to just keep the chemicals at the minimum level since the gas bottles were already giving their all and I'd cut sampling time to every twenty minutes. I rather hoped the health department showed today for one of their random checks, I had the pool at safe levels but my log sheet would tell a story and arguing about it live was better than them getting a sheet of paper after the fact. Maybe then we'd get the upgrades to properly support the demand for this pool in an area where household air conditioning wasn't widespread.

I grunted as I turned from the pool with my latest sample and stopped short. I recognized the young woman as one of Lucia's posse, this one maybe an inch shorter and with blonde hair that needed roots to be addressed sooner rather than later. She had a sedate two piece suit and her figure was more svelte than her friend's curves.

"Hi, Jeremy," her barely-there accent was similar to Lucia's, her tone friendly but without her friend's warmth, "Lucia asked me to pass this to you."

She held out a square, blue envelope, the kind a card would be in.

"Let's get out of the way," she nodded so I led her to the door to the shack, away from the crowds at the pool and I reached in and set the test kit on a nearby shelf before I wiped my hands on my grungy shorts and accepted the envelope, "what's in it?"

"Dunno, I don't pry, I'm just supposed to give it to you and get an answer," her tone was still friendly but I had the feeling she wanted to know. Just the tip of the flap had been glued. I popped that and pulled out a plain piece of paper with cursive writing.

Lucia's penmanship put mine to shame was my first thought. Finally I read it.

'Jeremías,' guess that's my name now, 'Take me to a movie Saturday after work?' It was signed with a large, calligraphic 'L' that included a loop on top.

"Tell her yes, wait, tell her definitely yes," the blonde snorted but nodded and with her task done she turned and walked away. I looked over and found a couple more in their usual corner, both sets of eyes stayed on me as the blonde walked away. I was happy I'd managed to resist giving my real answer, 'oh my freaking god, yes, yes, yes!'

I stepped into the shack to record the readings and dump in some chlorine.

Saturday accepted that Friday had been over the top and had turned the dial down a couple of degrees. Fortunately, this evening had subtracted a few more degrees to be only toasty because I was hot enough. I'd brought nice jean shorts, not cutoffs, since I figured I should keep my legs in view, and a light button-down short sleeve shirt. I'd brought soap and shampoo and used the shower in the men's changing room to clean up.

I hadn't yet mentioned Lucia to my parents, dating and girls hadn't been a regular thing and had been utterly absent the last third of my senior year and the summer since and I wasn't ready for a Conversation. I'd met up with buddies after work off and on for a late meal or movie since starting the job the first week of June so packing a change of clothes and offering I'd be late didn't lead to an inquiry.

I was checking the front doors on my final walkthrough when I saw a car turn off of Ninth West. It didn't look like the run of anonymous vehicles that occupied the far corner. And as a rule, they didn't enter this side to have to drive through the park when using the other entrance meant a direct shot. So...

I'd already set the pumps and chlorine tanks for the off day. A security patrol would stop by sometime Sunday, but they'd not enter the building unless it'd been broken into or was in flames or little more than a smoking crater. I quickly checked locks and went through to the shack and collected my sports bag and ice chest, stepped out and did up its locks before I stopped at the chain link gate.

The car had parked behind mine. It was a Chevy Malibu maybe five years younger than my car.

But there the comparison ended.

It had a primo paint job, a red made deeper by the shadows. Chrome wheels. And it had been lowered and the windows tinted enough that with the low light I couldn't see any occupants. It was a beautiful car. Maybe I needed to get them to help me do up my Ford's body.

I did the usual transit through my gate and walked toward my car with my bag and ice chest. Halfway there both front doors and the far side rear door opened and three young men got out.

Cholos. Not that I'd use that word in seriousness, these were 'lite' or more likely pretend versions. The outsider's mistaken view of this area as a gang-ridden hellhole was based in part around sightings of guys like these. Like any stereotype, there was some basis. And I'd seen real ones around but they didn't advertise their presence unless they meant real business and they tended to not start trouble at a neighborhood park the locals frequented. The area also suffered from bordering the derelict industrial area on the other side of the freeway and train tracks which was ruled over by the Mongrel biker gang from their lair in the abandoned church. I'd take these guys over them any and every day.

The trio met me at the back of my car, I set my bag down as the leader offered me his right hand.

"Jeremy Danko," I said and took it.

"Luis Alcides," he didn't introduce his friends who stood with crossed arms and silent glares a couple of steps back. They were all about my height and age and dressed in loose, oversized trousers and white lightweight button down shirts, "we just wanted to meet you."

"Ah, sure," I said, my impression was his accent wasn't naturally as strong as he'd made it, "I hope I make a good impression. Beautiful car, did you do the body work?"

His face pushed down the quick smile to a more neutral expression. But he answered.

"I helped, mainly my big brother. Maybe I'll take you to their shop?" Yes, his accent wavered.

I pointed at my car. "They might be the only ones up to this challenge." He smiled at that and his expression showed he felt they very well might be.

Just then the rear passenger side door opened and Lucia hopped out and brushed her dress down. I stared and the trio all turned. That dress could've been painted on, it was a very lightweight, peach colored summer dress with a halter top ruched to both support and emphasize those incredible breasts. Unlike her bike blouse this was high-necked in front but the flow offered visible swells on each side. It fit snugly but not skin-tight around her abdomen and flowed over her hips to end not more than a very few inches below where those bike-toned thighs met those hips. She had a small purse over her left shoulder and a thin, white sweater in that hand and low sandals on her feet.

"Suficiente, primo Luis," she walked forward past all of them and I quickly set the ice chest down to free my left arm and slid it around her as she lifted slightly so she could kiss me on the cheek before her right arm went around my waist, "he'll take very good care of me."

He snorted. Primo... Cousin! A... close relative. Not boyfriend wannabe.

"Lucia might not be our sister, but she IS our sister. You better take good care of her," the accent returned.

"Don't worry, Luis, I'll make sure she gets whatever she wants." Lucia kissed my cheek again and laughed. He snorted again.

"Te vas," Lucia said and waved her left arm at them. They shook their heads and forced on hard frowns as they piled back into the car, Luis in the driver's seat. The Malibu's engine fired up with a throaty roar and he did a quick U-turn.

"Should I prep my will?" I twisted to her and said.

"If you don't treat me right," she said as she lifted her head and I kissed her softly. She still wore no lipstick but had applied a touch of mascara and eyeliner that emphasized the intelligence and beauty in her dark eyes. And little stud earrings that caught the streetlights.

"Let me put this stuff away," she nodded and released me and I popped the trunk and stored my bag and ice chest, both of us had a sheen of sweat that wasn't simply from the day's lingering heat. That done I opened the passenger door for her and she repeated last night's actions.

"We didn't discuss what kind of movies you like," I said lightly, "I checked a few listings. We can get the late show for 'Animal House' at Streetcar Square, we can see what university life will be like. Or maybe it's like that for you at the college."

"Oh, like a bigger high school?" She shrugged. "I heard it's funny, let's do that."

On the way she'd told me she'd gotten the evening off by trading a shift to double tomorrow afternoon and midnight, the overnight Sunday shift undesirable enough that there were always folks eager to take another and vacations and a couple of people quitting meant the diner was short handed and she'd grabbed extra shifts all the coming week. She'd rarely been with her friends because she'd done this regularly, overtime pay plus extra tips went a long way to allowing her to navigate the school year with a part-time work schedule to ensure she met her goal of graduation in the spring.

And somewhere deep in my brain but not acknowledged, at least not yet, was the hope that she managed that and made it to the University in a year. And that offered more incentive to ensure my own studies so I would still be there.

She'd prepped well for the movie. Mostly. We'd acquired a shared bucket of popcorn and colas and found our seats. The late hour and the fact this was the movie's second weekend meant we had plenty of elbow room and the sweater provided protection against the slightly over-aggressive air conditioning for her bare shoulders and back.

But the thin cloth that struggled to contain her chest offered no resistance to the growth of her nipples.

It hadn't acted alone. As the movie had proceeded and our snack supply shrank she'd slid down slightly to better accommodate my arm over her shoulders and leaned into me. With little effort I easily reached one breast that way and with the popcorn finished an easy reach allowed me to coax both nipples to a state resembling the previous evening's, although I hoped to repeat the oral treatment.

Beyond an initial huff, she'd not objected once she'd double-checked our isolation, the rest of our rear row empty and the row in front had another couple to the far right and maybe a third of the seats further on occupied. Once the emptied popcorn box had migrated to the floor from my lap her hand replaced it. Maybe skipping underwear again had been a mistake as her ministrations left me chafed as I'd been forty-eight hours earlier.

At a scene where the dean's wife gets involved with the slob frat's lothario, I slid my left hand to Lucia's left thigh, which was crossed over her right. As I slid to the inside of her thigh fingers pushed under the hem of my shorts and searched out the head of my prick and I huffed when she found it and she let out a soft laugh and at that point uncrossed her legs to allow me to wrap her inner thigh with my hand and she parted them slowly as I rose toward her crotch.

It was her turn to exhale sharply when I found her pussy, covered only by cloth thinner than her dress. And already damp. She'd shifted her attack to using the edge of her hand to trace the constrained length of my shaft, the head remained hidden but not by much, short shorts being the accepted style of the time. I nudged against each of her thighs in turn and she opened them more, the dress offered no resistance to being pushed against her pubic region to allow me access. I used the edge of my own hand to slide up her slit and this time felt the hard nub that most focused her attention. The denim hadn't allowed such clear determination that first evening. Glances had told me they were slightly pinker than her dress but close enough a casual glance might fool people to what they'd seen.

Fortunately the movie's soundtrack and dialogue was sufficient, or so we seemed to agree without discussion, to hide our heavy and staccato breathing. We drove each other as the movie played out to its insane conclusion and we both blinked and scrambled slightly to adjust our postures as the lights rose. We stood and almost bashed our heads when we both leaned to retrieve our empty popcorn and drink containers but somehow avoided the collision and stood with our 'bounties.'

"My friends say they like you to leave the garbage behind," she said and we turned to see an attendant had just entered rolling a large trash bin, "but I don't like to."

"Same with mine," we both shrugged and dumped our trash in his bin on the way out, the male attendant's eyes widened at Lucia's well displayed chest, erect nipples perfectly framed by her sweater. We turned and she took my hand as we emerged into the hallway that connected the theaters.

"Think he noticed?" She glanced down her body.

"Nah, probably not," I managed a deadpan and got a hard nudge. She pointed to the women's room and I nodded in agreement and took advantage of the men's room.

Together again and relaxed from our enforced avoidance of efforts at each other's bodies and the toilet visits we entered the parking garage.

"The community college," she said, "is NOT very like that. Are there frats and sororities at the university?"

"Yeah, saw them mentioned in the guide," I shrugged, "did a one day orientation, had some guy and a girl do talks during it. Didn't sound like the movie..."

She slipped her sweater off as we laughed at that.

"It was funny," she said, "thank you for picking it."

I keyed the miscolored passenger door and opened it.

"Mama expecting you home?" My question had a tone I hoped was nonchalant. Her grin told me it wasn't, not quite.