Penny Saved

For me, how would my family, although small, accept it? My buddies at the bowling alley would probably be okay...maybe even jealous. Most guys would love to ogle a bunch of naked ladies.

To be fair, my brief experience revealed that many of the nude women I saw were not so easy on the eyes. It wasn't about being seen or voyeurism...although both elements do exist at those venues.

Penny would be going into a career where she'd be in the public eye. Would clients want a nudist (or in their opinion, a pervert) as an agent? Would men interpret her affinity for nudism as a sign that she's also promiscuous?

When I finally shared these concerns with Penny, she admitted that she shared those concerns as well. She could handle the men that thought she'd be an easy lay, but she knew that it might deter some from choosing her as their agent.

She had male co-workers in the past that thought she would be easy to get into bed with them. She politely but sternly informed them that they were wasting her time.

She had shared with Pete and Stacy about her nudist background and her desire to do it again. Pete believed that she could still be successful but that she could potentially keep others away. Stacy, along with Roni, had become very close friends with Penny.

Stacy was more reluctant. She agreed with Pete's assessment but also knew some of the power players in the industry were men that were known for their predatory ways with women.

Pete's advice was to keep it as low-key as possible. He had talked to his mentor, Eloise Subia, and she advised the same. He had learned to trust Eloise explicitly and knew she could keep things in confidence.

Penny meekly asked for another favor; although this was much simpler.

School was starting again the last week of August and her driver's license was due on her 50th birthday in October. She needed a ride to the DMV so she could renew. It would be easier to do this at that time rather than taking time away from school.

She hadn't driven a car in several months, but she had been saving for one. She insisted on paying for her license. I tried, but failed, to assist her.

I made one final concession about the nude resort. I did it in a way to surprise her on many levels.

My Toyota Highlander was 10 years old and had over 95,000 miles on it. I wanted a Tacoma pickup with the tow package for the tent trailer I had in storage. I also wanted a full warranty that was part of owning a new vehicle.

During Penny's first week back in school, I arranged to purchase my new pickup. The first trip was to storage and towed my trailer and parked it in front of my house.

I kept the trailer hitched to my new truck, fully opened, and the salesperson at the dealership brought my Highlander and parked it inside the garage.

As soon as Penny walked inside after returning from school, she was full of questions.

The new truck? That new trailer? It's still hitched?

I grinned as she kept asking questions. She made absolutely no effort to hide her curiosity.

"Well, I've been wanting a Tacoma...well, I finally broke down and got one. That trailer is hardly new. In fact, I've had it over 15 years. Remember I told you that Mandi and I liked camping in our trailer. That was the trailer. It's just been in storage for 7 years. Still in great shape."

"Does that mean you might take it to El Sombrero with me?"

"Might? No."

I saw her face drop.

"Might isn't the right word. I WILL take that trailer to El Sombrero. I'll give it a try for an overnight during Labor Day weekend. We have memberships now."

She jumped into my arms. Her hug was tight and prolonged. I thought she'd never let go.

"I'm not done with you," I said playfully.

She began removing her clothes.

"No, not that," I said laughing. Maybe later. There's also something in the garage."

She entered the garage from the utility room door. She saw the Highlander.

"Oh, I just figured you traded that one in."

"No...it's yours. All yours. I've already signed the pink slip. You will just have to go to the DMV with me one morning to process the paperwork. You may miss a couple hours of class time, but I think this might be worth it."

"I can't," she whispered as she fought back tears. "This is too much, Ted. A car? You've done so much. This is too much. I know this was worth at least a few thousand in trade."

"Why not, Penny? Do you think I'm going to force you to have sex with me because I gave you a SUV?"

I was grinning as I said that. That brought just a slight smile from her.

"You know what I mean, smartass," she said with a grin. "Ted, I have money set aside to buy a car. I'll give you that money right now. It's not enough to cover it, but it's the best I have."

We made a deal. When transferring ownership, California makes the buyer pay the sales tax on the sale price. I would write out a sales slip for 3,000 (much less than its true value) and she'd pay the sales tax from her savings. She agreed. The car would be hers.

"I don't know what in the world I've ever done to deserve you, Ted. I've done so much to mess up my life. There are others out there that have done the same, but they didn't have a guy like you to boost them up...and your motives were so pure."

I wasn't at ease when she spoke to me like that. It was equally important to let her know what she had meant to me.

"Penny, putting the sex aside, you've brightened my life in ways you can't imagine."

"My life has consisted of swimming, reading, and bowling for many years since Mandi passed. Even the bowling just came back in the past few years. My back surgeries and rehab took me away from that for over 2 years."

"You are the complete package. Pretty, smart, funny, honest..."

"There's not a pretentious bone in your body. Yes, I've helped you, but I still feel like I owe you more. What you've done for me is far more important than any single financial asset. Giving you that Highlander is nothing compared to your value to me."

I began to get emotional. I usually can control my emotions well, but the dam had busted and I was getting it all off my heart.

"Penny, I don't want you to leave this house. I want you here for good. Mi casa, su casa. My house is yours. Permanently if you want."

"No need for marriage. You will work hard enough, and you'll be earning more than me in no time. Still, I want you. As far as I'm concerned, it's your place as well."

I struggled with those words. It also marked a passing of sorts. It had always been Mandi's house. She had chosen the design. She had insisted on the heated pool because she loved to swim. She wanted the rectangular shape of the pool so she could swim laps like at the gym.

She loved the kitchen design and authorized the remodeling of our master bath. Everything about my house screamed "Mandi" at me.

"Yes!" Penny whispered. "I know this is tough for you, Ted. You've told me so much about Mandi. It's like I know her also. Still don't know what I did to deserve this, but I'm eternally grateful."

"I don't care about whether we're married or not. I'll still be a better wife than any legally married wife out there. Sweetheart, you have my devotion. You will not regret spending a night at El Sombrero. You will never regret picking up that ugly, dirty, and stinking redhead back in April."

After a Labor Day weekend visit to El Sombrero, Penny changed her course on her career. Her previous manager from Walker Temp, Shonna, had recommended her for an office manager position at a large electrical sales and service company. In the past, Penny had supplied them with temporary office help. Now, Shonna recommended that her to be the manager for the entire office.

Penny couldn't resist. It was Tuesday through Friday. Their office had always been closed on Mondays for the 70+ years they'd been in business. This worked perfectly for Penny. It gave her full weekends off to spend at El Sombrero.

Pete understood. He was hoping to be her mentor, but once she showed such a passion for something else, he knew to let her go. In his business, it takes a full commitment.

It would be fair to say that Penny's desire to spend more time at El Sombrero influenced her career decision. She took a lesser job, although for a well-established company, to accommodate her leisure activities.

After the first night we spent together at El Sombrero, I had become more at ease with the nudist environment. As much as I didn't want to enjoy it, I began to understand its appeal. The people I met there were easy to get to know and easy to like.

We both sang karaoke on that first Sunday night. Usually, karaoke was on Saturdays, but with a sold-out resort for the weekend, they added a Sunday night singing.

We had both sang karaoke before, and Penny knocked their socks off (if they had been wearing socks) with her rendition of Linda Ronstadt's "Blue Bayou". My baritone voice somehow pulled off the Jim Reeves classic "He'll Have To Go".

We both made new friends. After that, we became members and we visit there at least twice a month for a three-day weekend.

It's still tough to see her interact with other guys when nude. Being a hugger, she's always willing to hug nearly everyone; including any guy that wants it.

She's naturally friendly and sociable. I've already had one man ask if we were "players". I wasn't sure what he meant, then he mentioned the "lifestyle".

"Lifestyle" was a code (or synonym) for a swinger. Penny had told me about those that practice the "lifestyle." I was less than friendly when I made it clear that I had no interest.

I've sensed that there are at least two of the women at the resort that live that lifestyle. Although I've never been propositioned, some of their conversations with me leads me to suspect as such.

Many nudists speak so openly and freely about nearly anything; including sex. Body parts, even genitalia, are fair game for conversations and even some light humor. It's nothing too risqué, it's just not something I've ever encountered in mixed company.

Penny often jokes about her heavy growth of red pubic hair. Even in mixed company, she refers to it as the "red forest". Of course, that brings everyone's attention below her waist and her bountiful growth.

It took a few weekends, but I finally began to look forward to our time there. I finally realized that although her eyes may wander, her heart is set on me.

I finally understood why this place had been so special to her. The ownership, both the old and the new regime, had created a friendly and welcoming culture.

There may be wedding bells in the future for us. Her new career is off to a great start. She even wants to learn to bowl so we can bowl together in a mixed league.

It's been quite a journey from the day when I picked up some homely, haggard-looking redhead behind a convenience store and took her home.

I often remind that redheaded goddess that she has given me much more than I could have given her. That is said with all the sincerity in the world. I'm a blessed man.