A WEEK AT THE SHORE

There was, at first, a question and it's answer was evident.

"Do you need a vacation?"

Of course I do, but I am not disposed to take one, due to my many responsibilities. The arrangements that would be required to be made would take as long to convey as the vacation itself. So, sort of self-defeating. But after some rather adamant convincing from senior management, I managed the time in my schedule to do it. It was done very quickly...too quickly for my taste, but with management breathing down your neck it's wise to get out of town rather quickly.

With only last minute arrangements, I managed a stay at the seashore. The fact that it was February didn't cross my mind ‘til I got there and found it wet and dreary. 

The accommodations themselves were 'obvious'. I couldn't afford The Ritz so my choices were the Bayfront, and...well, there really wasn't an "and", because the Bayfront's what I could afford, so the Bayfront it was.

The room itself was adequate, if you didn't mind the draft, and the mold. The mold wouldn't be so bad if you could open a window.. If you could open a window, which means, of course, you'd freeze your nuggets off.

For laughs, I'd take long dreary walks in the rain, just to get out of the room. Meals tended to be a choice between greasy or bland, so I tried to eat in balance, so's the 'constitution' wasn't disrupted. It was disrupted on that Wednesday when I erupted, and didn't leave the room. Next day was 'bland', and then I was back on track. The owner of the inn was a surly old bastard, especially in the off-season, when the staff was thin, as was his skin, and he didn't take lightly to being put-upon, so I tried to keep my distance which was his plan all along. When I had the 'disruption' I had to suffer in relative silence rather than request something from the nearest pharmacy. But we learned our parameters, that day. 

Did I mention this "innkeeper" had a daughter? He did. A most stunning young girl of maybe seventeen. Too young for me, but captivating nonetheless. I finally got to meet her, and when the old man went out for supplies, I did my best to charm her ass off, ‘til he got back. I found myself trying to impress her with witty banter and card tricks. She laughed and laughed, but it was all I had up my sleeve, and after an afternoon of it, I could tell she'd had enough. Then he returned and it was business as usual, which meant, 'Go back to your room until dinner.' 

I read magazines, I read books, I did jigsaw puzzles and I walked in the rain. Such was my week.

Mercifully I returned to work.

But that one afternoon, it was magic. 

V