WARMER DAYS... on to Florida (Part 156s)

WARMER DAYS… on to Florida (Part 156s)

Dinner that night was mega boring. My parents had been coerced into joining two other couples. Elle and I were an extraneous part to the dinner. The men regaled us with their business conquests and the women tried to outdo each other with places they’d traveled. I don’t think Elle spoke more than a dozen words. We all retired to the bar for an after dinner drink at which point I was frustrated enough to order a Cherry Heering, an incredibly sweet liquor. I ended up seated next to one of the men and was finally able to engage him in a conversation about something I had some interest… baseball. The man was a Board member of a large Pittsburg corporation and mentioned he had a small ownership with the Pirates baseball team. A classmate of mine from boarding school was a very good pitcher and had been selected by them. He made it up as far as AAA ball with a West coast team that was affiliated with the Pirates. To make conversation I asked if he’d ever heard of my friend and that brought forth a loud laugh. I had no idea what was so funny but I didn’t question it. When he calmed down he, in a sort of sneering tone of voice, asked if I had any idea of just how many players came and went during a year in the Pirates organization. He then closed the conversation by saying he’d never met any of the minor leaguers… that was for the “underlings” and turned away.

Up until I attacked the sand dune on our way back from Marineland the pain in my ankle had been tolerable. But, the bending of my foot in  the unstable sand had aggravated it. That, added to the haughty attitude of the businessman, was about enough for me. I made a half hearted attempt at being civil as I excused Elle and I from the group. Before leaving I got Ben, the bartender, to wrap some ice in a towel for my ankle hoping it would help. As we approached our room it was obvious that even though it was after 10pm the air temperature was still very warm. I asked Elle if she would sit with me on the sea wall for a while until the ice melted. We walked away from the flood lights before we sat down.

Up until then we hadn’t really decided on a plan of action for Thursday. I hadn’t know my father’s need for his car. I pretty much knew we were headed back to St Augustine for the Fountain of Youth to appease Elle. Without tennis on our schedule we had the whole day. It turned out my father’s need for the car was minimal so it was up to us to decide what to do and when. After a brief discussion Elle said she’d like to go back to the pool and cabana area first. It didn’t matter to me as I knew I wasn’t going to do any more diving. By the time the ice had melted on my ankle we decided we’d head for St Augustine after lunch. By then we both admitted to being tired so headed back to the room.

Again, the bright sun woke us in spite of the blinds. With nothing to do until the dining room opened for breakfast I decided to try again for some “morning delight”. I won’t give you any details other than to say Elle was more than willing. I’ve written on a number of occasions how my preference for sex was in the morning. It always seemed to set a positive tone for the day. Without any thoughts of the kids interrupting it made for a really enjoyable start for the day. Our joint shower was like icing on the cake.

At breakfast it was obvious that people were still arriving for Ed and Thea’s big closing shindig. We saw suitcases being piled in front of the main desk. There was a small bus outside the entryway. As we were seated I watched about a half dozen people enter and line up to check in. Because we weren’t going to be there and a part of it I’d not taken the time to find out just what was planned and made a mental note to find out before we left to return home. Walking out for the shuttle that would take us to the pool I thought I recognized one couple from back when I’d been there as a teen. The lady saw me and walked up and gave me a hug. It was embarrassing. At that point all I wanted to do was to escape to the pool. The shuttle only took a few minutes and by 10am we were comfortably ensconced under an umbrella at the pool. Even though the air temperature was probably in the 70’s, it sure was nice to be swimming in a heated pool. We decided to stay and eat our lunch while there and then head South. Elle spent a good portion of time in the pool itself.
                

She didn't...

I wasn’t tired but found myself falling asleep. I was awoken, not by Elle but by my mother and the lady who’d given me the hug. Not who I wanted to see. We hadn’t seen my mother that morning before we left so she was unaware of our specific plans. That worked out to my (our) benefit as I lied telling them we were late in heading for St. Augustine for lunch. Elle was surprised when I told her we were leaving but didn’t say anything to embarrass me. My mother’s arrival with her friend worked for us in an unexpected way. My father had driven them to the facility and had run into an acquaintance so was still there. I tracked him down and he agreed to let me have the car. Elle and I’d worn our clothes and had changed into our suits at the pool. So, all we had to do was change and be on our way. In getting dressed I’d suggested that Elle wear a sundress in case of an ‘emergency’. She readily agreed. I’ll now admit I had another idea (or two). The only thing about leaving early was that we’d miss out on the snack bar’s shrimp salad for lunch, I told Elle there was always the next day as we walked out to the car.

To be continued…