Nereids Ch. 04

He loved his job too much for that. So he let his mind wander, from thoughts of the men on the ground to what he wanted to do when their cruise was over. August would arrive soon enough, and the Ranger would sail back to the States.

He wondered how Susan was getting along with Beth. He wondered if they'd even talked about swinging, or anything even close. Susan hadn't mentioned anything in her letters, but she assured him that she knew what she was doing. He trusted her judgment (not to mention her experience). Still, he was impatient to see her with another man, impatient to have sex with another woman.

These days, his entire sex life revolved around his right hand and a vivid imagination, and he yearned to feel a woman's touch. The girls in Po City weren't even his type. Besides, they weren't a challenge. For two dollars and a couple of beers, he could have any of them. So why bother?

No, what he wanted was more difficult, more time-consuming. He laced his fingers behind his head and stared up at the gray bulkhead.

Why can't I be like other guys? he wondered. Why can't I be happy with a wife who loves me and sons who make me proud? Why do I want more? What's wrong with me?

He pondered that for a moment. Was something wrong with him, simply because he wanted to experience more from life?

The steel bulkhead didn't have any answers.

Are David and Beth even the right couple?

David certainly wasn't a stickler for The Book. During their first trip to Po City, he cheerfully helped a half-dozen men avoid the Shore Patrol when a group of destroyer officers tangled with pilots from the air wing.

The men from the tin can had been scooped up, but the pilots had escaped in a jeep David "requisitioned" for the occasion. David simply drove to another bar, ditched the jeep, and rejoined the party. He'd been the hero of the night, and even the fighter jocks had bought drinks for him.

He wasn't uptight or puritanical, either. He made jokes and told stories with the rest of the pilots. He eyeballed pretty women and flirted just as outrageously as Keith or Ed. He never acted on any of the opportunities, but he didn't shy away from the chase, either.

Best of all, David was attracted to Susan. Talking about another man's wife was strictly against the unwritten code they lived by, but David had let enough comments slip.

One night, after too many beers at a Po City bar, David had leaned close and said, "You oughtta see Beth when she's not pregnant. God, is she sexy... just like Susan. Don't get me wrong, she's sexy as hell when she's pregnant, but when she's thin...? Oh, sweet Jesus, I'm the luckiest guy alive! But then, you know what I'm talkin' about, Jack... you've got Susan."

After sharing that quiet, drunken confidence, David had passed out with a smile on his lips. Jack, Keith, and Jerry had carried him home and poured him into bed. Jack had been pretty drunk himself, but he hadn't forgotten the comment. Nor had he forgotten the look on David's face when he passed out.

He knew that David would have never said anything if he hadn't been drunk. Very drunk, at that. The man wasn't a hound, and he wasn't about to make a move on another man's wife. But he might be adventurous enough to trade...

I hope so, Jack silently admitted. And if Susan thinks Beth's the right woman...

Jack smiled to himself.

The bulkhead didn't smile in reply, but Jack didn't care.

**

Winter slowly turned into spring. As the weather grew warmer, Beth and Susan started walking in the mornings. Beth had lost most of her baby weight, but she wanted to look good when David returned. More importantly, she wanted to look good for herself. She hadn't been happy with her body for many months, and she wanted to feel good again, to feel pretty.

So, with Erin in the stroller and Paul either walking or being carried, Beth and Susan made a long circuit around the neighborhood. They talked while they walked. Some of their conversations were simple—the weather, the houses and lawns they passed, people in the neighborhood. Other conversations didn't fit into one category, but continued from day to day, ranging far and wide.

Beth was surprised that two women from such different backgrounds could be so alike. Susan hadn't traveled much as a child, while Beth had never lived anyplace for more than two or three years. Susan was an only child, while Beth was the youngest of three. Susan's father had groomed her to take over the family business, while Beth was convinced that her parent's highest ambition was to see her marry a Naval officer.

She had married an officer, but she told herself that she couldn't help whom she loved. If that happened to coincide with her parents' wishes, then so be it. But she hadn't done it to please them (and she certainly wasn't like Ginny, who often did things just to spite them).

As the days passed and the miles fell behind them, Beth grew a little happier each time she looked in the mirror. Her breasts were still heavy with milk, but her stomach was trim again, if not as trim as it had been when she was nineteen. Her arms were slender and had even started to show a little definition (she wanted to be slim, not muscular). Her thighs no longer reminded her of turkey drumsticks, and her calves were taut from all the walking.

Unfortunately, she had to live with her hips. She'd tried everything, from magazine "secrets" to a weird fad diet—she gave up the diet quickly, since she was still nursing. Her hips used to be slender and almost boyishly slim. Unfortunately, those days were long gone—giving birth to two children had seen to that.

An hourglass isn't so bad, she told herself one morning, looking at her reflection. It's a classic figure.

She wasn't entirely convinced, though, and kept walking in the hopes that her hips would magically return to their college shape.

With the exception of her hips—although they were starting to look better—she was happy with the way her body looked. Even Susan commented on it, which made her blush furiously.

Susan hadn't changed much at all, even after two months of walking. She was still as slim and attractive as ever. Beth smiled to herself whenever she saw the two of them together in the mirror, though. They looked like sisters now more than ever, one blonde, one brunette.

Aside from looking like Susan, Beth realized that she'd begun thinking like her as well. They didn't have to finish sentences sometimes, because the other just knew. An arched eyebrow or even a slight frown did the work of a half-dozen words. A wry smile and a half-voiced "Hmm?" could mean anything from "Ice cream tonight?" to "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

They had an easy, deep, abiding friendship, and Beth took a lot of strength and comfort from Susan's company. So she was surprised when they returned from walking one day and Susan grew nervous. She was obviously working up the courage to say something important, but Beth couldn't imagine what it was.

"You know my father owned a vacation resort, right?" Susan said at last.

Beth felt her brow furrow. "Of course."

"It wasn't your everyday resort, though."

"Oh?"

Susan shook her head.

Beth waited.

"It... it was actually a nudist resort," Susan blurted at last.

Beth tried not to gawk. The revelation didn't surprise her—Susan's nervousness did. There must me more, she thought, and composed her expression.

"We didn't wear clothes," Susan continued into the silence.

Beth waited for the other shoe to drop. "And...?" she prompted at last.

"And what?"

"And... is that it?"

"What do you mean 'is that it?'" Susan asked, confused.

"Is that it?" Beth repeated. "It was a nudist resort?"

"Yes."

"And that's what you were worried about telling me?"

Susan looked more puzzled than ever.

"It wasn't some secret Communist hotbed?"

"No."

"It wasn't built by slave labor?"

"No, of course not," Susan said. "My family never owned slaves."

"It wasn't a front for the mob?"

"No."

All of a sudden, Beth laughed.

"I don't get it," Susan said.

"I thought you were going to tell me something serious."

"I am serious."

"Oh, I know," Beth soothed. "But..."

"But...?"

Beth shrugged. "I thought you were going to tell me something really dark, really secret."

"I grew up at a nudist camp," Susan said with a touch of hysteria. "I didn't wear clothes most of the time. There were other people there. Boys. Men. They didn't wear clothes either."

"So?"

"So? So I grew up at a nudist camp."

"What was it like?" Beth asked suddenly, surprising even herself.

"You don't think that's... strange?"

"Heavens, no," Beth said, her laugh trailing off with a sigh. Then she grinned wickedly. "I knew six or seven girls in college who grew up at nudist camps."

"You did?"

"No, not really," Beth said, fighting not to snicker. "But I don't think it's odd."

"You don't?"

Beth shook her head. Then she shrugged. "You've said things," she said. "And... and you're comfortable with your body... and the way you talk about... things." She shrugged again, her cheeks heating. "I'm not surprised. That's all."

Susan leaned back and released her held breath. "I thought you might be shocked, or appalled, or... or worse."

Beth laughed. "You know me better than that," she said at last. "We've talked about everything from breastfeeding to... to masturbation... from topless sunbathing to our husbands' equipment."

Susan grinned.

"So what makes you think I'd be shocked that you grew up at a nudist resort?"

"I don't know," Susan said at last. "I've just never... I've just never told anyone before. Jack knows, of course, but..." She shrugged. "It's not something I share with many people. Obviously."

Beth smiled. "You could've told me months ago," she said.

"I tried to," Susan admitted. "But I lost my nerve."

Beth rolled her eyes. Then she felt them grow keen as she leaned forward. "So... what was it like?"

"What was what like?"

"What was it like growing up at a nudist resort?" Beth asked, her voice full of mock exasperation.

"Do you really want to know?"

"Are you kidding? Yes! It sounds like fun."

Susan looked at her for a moment longer, trying to decide if her sincerity was real or feigned. Finally, she shook her head, nonplussed.

"Are you going to tell me, or not?" Beth asked. "If you don't want to..."

"You really want to know...?" Susan said. "I guess you do." She took a deep breath and then smiled diffidently. She looked up again, uncertain, but quickly mastered her emotions. "Where to begin? In the beginning, I guess. Let's see... We went to our first camp when I was seven..."

Susan talked for what seemed like twenty or thirty minutes. Then she looked at her watch and jumped up.

"The boys'll be home any minute," she said. "I completely lost track of time."

Beth looked at her own watch and felt her eyes widen. The "thirty minutes" had actually been more than two hours, and it was nearly three o'clock.

During that time, they had fed Paul and Erin, eaten their own lunch, put the children down for a nap, and cleaned the kitchen. Beth vaguely remembered doing all those things, but her mind was still abuzz with tales of Susan's teenage years—tales of her changing body, the boys at camp, the lakes and streams, the boys, hiking, boys, and more.

Susan had had an exciting life growing up, and Beth felt hers pale in comparison. She thought she'd led an adventurous life? Fooling around with boys and experimenting? Ha! Compared to Susan—

"I'm sorry," Susan said. "I need to go."

Beth jerked her thoughts away from Susan's past.

"I hate to chat and run, but..."

"Go," Beth said, smiling.

Susan turned to find her jacket, but then stopped herself. Instead, she turned back and smiled. "I just knew you'd understand."

They hugged and laughed.

"Of course I understand," Beth said when they stepped back. She felt a flush creeping up her cheeks, but she tried to ignore it.

"I knew you would," Susan said. She smiled, still in a bit of a daze. Then she snapped out of it and glanced at her watch again.

"Go," Beth repeated.

Susan smiled.

"I'm sure we'll talk more tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," Susan said, smiling as she dithered with the collar of her jacket. Her blue eyes sparkled with warmth, and her breathing came a little quicker.

Is she blushing? Beth wondered in astonishment.

"Tomorrow," Susan said again, her grin turning silly.

When she'd gone, Beth leaned against the front door. Her cheeks were afire, and she fanned herself with her hand.

"Oh, my," she said aloud.

Oh, my, indeed. She furtively looked at her watch, wondering if she had time for—

She broke off at the sound of Erin crying. Her arousal died as Erin's cries went from hesitant to insistent. With a resigned sigh, she smoothed her dress.

Later, she promised herself. Later.

**

For the next two weeks, Beth and Susan went about their lives. But Beth felt a connection she'd only felt once before—with David. Susan felt it too, and commented on it.

"It's funny," she said. "When I think about something, I want to tell you before I think about Jack."

Beth laughed. "I know what you mean. I was writing a letter to David last night and I kept telling him things that I'd tell you. I had to tell myself that he doesn't care about all the things we do together." She paused for a moment. "It's not that he doesn't care, but..." She shrugged expressively.

"He has bigger things to worry about than whether we go out to dinner or fix something at home."

"Exactly!"

"So what did you do with the letter?" Susan asked a moment later.

"I threw it out and started a new one." Beth felt her cheeks heating, and she grinned sheepishly.

"Oh?"

"I think he's going to need some time alone in his cabin when he gets this letter."

They both chuckled.

"I sent Jack a real scorcher last week," Susan said. "I was planning what I want to do to him when he gets home."

"Mmm," Beth said, her thoughts wandering. A moment later she sighed. "I miss David."

"I know what you mean."

"And it's not just his dick, although I certainly miss that too." She felt her mouth water at the thought. "Okay, I miss it a lot."

Susan sighed wistfully and moistened her own lips.

"Oh, my," Beth said at last, her cheeks flushed. "I'm sorry," she said, several moments later. "What were we talking about?"

"We were talking about David's dick," Susan said facetiously, recovering herself. She held her hands several inches apart and arched an eyebrow. "How big did you say he is?"

Beth rolled her eyes, but then smirked. "Bigger than that."

Susan spread her hands.

"Bigger."

Susan arched an eyebrow, but spread her hands another half-inch.

"Bigger."

"Really?" Susan burst out. "Are you kidding?"

"I told you," Beth said, "he's pretty big."

"I'll say."

"Let's change the subject," Beth said.

Susan looked a question at her.

"If we don't, I'll get all hot and bothered, and then I'll have to go take care of things."

"I just might join you," Susan said.

To Beth's utter shock, a quiet voice in the back of her mind said, I'd like that.

**

Copyright © 2006 Nick Scipio. All rights reserved.