The Beach House Ch. 05

Looking around, I could see Freddie was leaving the party with number eleven. And his wife. Good for her.

By the time I was finally able to get back to my table, Curt and Shelley, and their two unwanted companions were gone. Left behind were a large number of empty wine bottles and glasses, more than what one might think normal for just four people. It looked like I was on my own tonight. I could probably go back and pick any one of the women who I had been dancing with earlier, but I realized that they had all been just using me to get back at their own companions. It would just be empty sex for both of us.

I decided instead to take a long walk so that I could think things over. I headed out into the night, deep in my own company. When I reached the beach, I thought that I heard a voice above me calling out my name, but when I looked up to the top of the stairs I couldn't see anyone.

I turned then and continued along the shoreline. What had I become? Two days ago, I was basically a one-woman man, only being with Heather, except for the one time with Janet. Sure, we had agreed to be with others, but I never really had.

It seemed that Heather had not been the same way with me, but I had always prided myself on my dedication to the ones I love. Had I added more people to that list, such as Shelley, and did that make my actions of the past two days OK?

What were my feelings about what I'd found out about Heather? Was I angry? Happy? Resigned? Where were the two of us going to go from here?

I had been upset tonight because none of the six "partners" I had considered for the night were available. Six partners? How the hell had monogamy turned into six women? I felt that I could justify Shelley, she had almost become a part of my family, and I felt very tender and protective about her. Kelly had just kind of come along with that package. But why should I feel free to be with any of the others? Look at what happened when I didn't recognize Freddie -- that might have been even more awkward then it had turned out to be.

Not really paying attention as I walked along the shore, I suddenly noticed a bonfire a few hundred feet away from me. Looking closely, I could see that it was the beach party Heather and the others had gone to.

There was a large crowd of young and beautiful people having the kind of fun one is supposed to have at such parties. Drinking, Frisbee, beach volleyball, and mountains of snack foods were a part of the mix. Although some of the women were wandering around topless, it didn't appear to be the all out sex-fest that the main party was becoming. I guessed that these people were the workers, not the visitors. With so many temptations around them all of the time, how did they escape the orgy that always seemed to go on back at the main house?

I stopped before I got close enough to the party for someone to see me, deciding that with my current mood I was not really up to a party anyway. It was good to see that one could escape all sex, all the time, and it gave me hope. I realized that maybe I didn't really need any companionship tonight, I could just be by myself and have a quiet night.

I made it back to the stairs leading up to the lodge when I heard voices, or more properly, one voice. Someone above me was screaming at someone else, all I could hear from the second person was crying and occasional muted responses. As I got closer, I began to be able to make out what the shouting person was saying.

"That's what you get for being a fucking breeder, you get a broken heart again! You fell for this, this, this, MAN, and just like every other man I've ever met, he let you down!"

I could hear a low voice in response, then back to the screaming woman. "Sure, he's different, they're ALL different! I served food to that MAN this morning and tonight, and he's no different than any of the rest! You should just give up on all men anyway and be like me! I won't let you down like a man would!"

More sounds of the low voice, followed by "If that's what you think, then I'm done with you this weekend. My poor little love-struck sister can find her own place to crash tonight, because you are not staying with me! Go ahead, see of one of these MEN will let you stay with them, but believe me, they'll want something in return!"

I could see the screaming woman's face in a light as she stomped her way back up to the house, even from this distance, I recognized Marly. Thank God I hadn't hooked up with her, it turns out that she was a psycho bitch man-hater. It had been a very close call indeed.

I just wanted to get upstairs to my room, but that would have meant walking right past the crying woman, who had remained somewhere at the top of the stairway. Remembering that I had decided to try to be different around here from now on, I slowly made my way up the stairs.

At the top, I found her sitting on the lawn. She was curled up in a little ball sobbing, her arms wrapped around her knees and her head buried between her arms. She was wearing one of the extremely short white dresses of the female serving staff at dinner, so she must have been working the dining room tonight.

"Hey, are you OK down there?" I asked. "Can I help you out or anything?"

"Noooo." came her wailing reply. "Nobody can help meeee. Tonight is a mess, it's not going anything at all like I wanted it toooo."

I sat down on the top stair, asking "Is it really that bad? I find that things usually aren't as bad as we think."

With her head still covered by her arms, the woman replied again, although with a little more control. "It is, believe me. I had these plans, ya know? There's this guy, ya know? And he seemed so decent when I met him yesterday, but he's ignored me any time I try to get his attention today, and I, I...

"Oh hell! I don't know, I just thought he would be someone that was nice to me for a change, and he's just a jerk like every guy from around here is."

"Well, I don't know who this asshole is, but he sounds like he's not worth your time." I began. Damnit! How did I keep getting roped into building up women's self esteem this weekend? Yet on I went. "And I don't know you, but you just sound like you want a guy who appreciates you, and you're disappointed that he wasn't it.

"I had plans tonight too, with a woman who I only met yesterday but really thought I liked, as a matter of fact. But, as it turns out, it's a good thing my plans fell through, because it ends up that she's a total bitch. In fact, she's the bitch who just left you down here crying."

When I said that, she raised her head from her arms, looking at me for the first time. I jumped back a bit when I saw her face, as did she when she saw mine.

"You?" we both said at the same time.