However, as quickly as the thought had entered his head, Mark decided against it. Mark walked to school every day, and he didn't want to do anything out of the ordinary, for fear that it might make his parents suspicious. Mark decided that he would walk to Sunny Palms.
Mark knew how to get to Sunny Palms. He had the coordinates set on his GPS. It wouldn't be much of a walk. After all, he lived a reasonable walking distance from Fresh Cafe, and, since Betsy had come to Fresh Cafe on her walk, so did Betsy. Therefore, it couldn't take all that much longer to walk to Sunny Palms, despite the apparent fact that neither of Mark's parents knew the place existed at all.
Mark headed down the road, his GPS in his hands, guiding his way. He felt a combination of rebelliousness, that he was going against his oppressive parents to do what he wanted, excitement at seeing Betsy, nervousness, as he had never been to a nudist resort before, and a tinge of guilt that he was lying to his parents and to the school.
As he strode along, the nervousness was really getting to him. His parents were so stringent that they hadn't even enrolled him in gym class in school. They didn't want him to be naked around others for any reason, and that included the locker room. He did own a bathing suit, but his parents only allowed him to use it in their pool and hot tub at home.
Nonetheless, Mark was determined. He kept the thought of Betsy in his mind, and this was the light that kept him going. He was going to see Betsy, and hopefully meet many other happy people, and do many fun things.
When Mark arrived, Susan was already at the gate to greet him.
“I'm Mark,” he explained, “Mark Turner. I'm Betsy's new friend.”
“Well yes, Betsy has told me all about you. Please come on in. I am Susan, the manager.”
She opened the gate and Mark stepped inside.
“I'm only staying for the afternoon, so I don't need accommodation,” Mark explained.
“I know,” replied Susan. “Betsy has let me know.”
As soon as Mark stepped into the general portion of the grounds, Betsy caught sight of him and hurried to meet him.
“You're here Mark!” she cried. “Isn't it lovely?”
“This is so strange,” Mark stuttered. “I don't know where to look.”
“Just look like you normally would,” Betsy replied. “Naturally, that's what I've done my whole life. Every sight in nature is just as pretty as any other, and people are a part of nature too.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Mark said. “I think I'll stay dressed though. I feel awkward enough as it is, and I don't want to step any more out of line than I already am.”
“Very well, if that's what you want,” replied Betsy. “Where do you want to go first, Mark?”
“To the pool. It's such a hot day, and I'm craving a cool swim. I packed my bathing suit, because I'd feel too weird undressed. I only came out here to see you, not get naked.”
“No bathing suits are allowed in the pool,” Betsy explained. “That's a rule at pretty well any nudist club or resort.”
“No bathing suits? Oh!” he cried. “Well, I guess that leaves me with no choice.”
Mark removed his shirt. Then, he put his thumbs under his shorts and underwear, and made a struggling sort of expression.
“NO!” Mark cried at last. “NO! I can't do it!”
To be honest, Mark felt sheepish and silly inside. Here he was, standing beside this girl, whom he was just getting to know as a friend, who had spent her entire life naked, because she had an allergic condition that forced her to live a clothes-free life, and here he was, wanting to respect her, wanting to become her friend, but he was unable to force himself into a state of being that she had taken for granted her entire life. Mark turned to face Betsy once more.
“Does it humiliate you?” he asked. “Is your life one big, endless, continuous embarrassment, having to live like that?”
“No,” Betsy replied. “This is what I'm used to, as it is all I have ever known. It is awkward though,” she admitted, “and inconvenient. I feel no shame, no self-consciousness, no embarrassment, but a lot of the time I feel even worse off than the disabled people of this planet: the blind, the deaf, those with mental or physical impairments. At least they have respect, care and compassion from society. They can take comfort in knowing that there are other people like them, and that they're not alone, not alone because they're cared for and not alone because there are others who also have their affliction. But me, I am truly alone. There is no one else on Earth who has my affliction, and most people are so absorbed in thinking that nakedness is indecent that they don't give a hoot about me. I feel like a stranger, a ghost, bound to the face of the Earth, hearing of so many people living successful, happy lives, while I am always shut out, alone, even though I can see, hear and use my body perfectly well.”
“Oh Betsy,” Mark answered. “I am so sorry. I understand how hard everything must be for you. I fully respect your choice to take your issue to court to have one day to be yourself. If I had been in your shoes, I'd have probably tried to sway a court to make my entire life like that.”
Mark struggled once more, and with shaking hands, and a sweaty face, he managed to disrobe.
“DON'T LOOK AT ME!!!” Mark hollered when he was down to his bare skin.
A few other people around jerked their heads towards Mark, startled.
“Oh God!” Mark cried, clasping his hands down to cover his genitals. “I can't believe I just did that. I feel like a criminal.”
Betsy made a warm, sympathetic smile. “Good for you for trying,” she soothed. “Look, we can take a quick dip in the pool. As long as you stay underwater, you won't be easily visible.”
“You think?” Mark stuttered. “What if some weird voyeur bobs underwater to take a look at me?”
“Mark,” Betsy reassured him. “Nobody is going to do that. The people here are not like that. For eleven years before I came to live here, my family frequently brought me to this place, so I could have a chance to live the way I am and be accepted. In all that time, not one person has done any such thing to me or to anyone else.”
“Take me to the pool then,” Mark stammered.
Mark and Betsy passed by the usual chlorinated pool, and Betsy stopped him at the un-chlorinated little pool the managers had set up for her, when she first came to Sunny Palms.
“This pool is made specially for me,” Betsy explained. “It has no chlorine in it, so that I can swim in it without my skin reacting to it. The managers have taught me how to keep it clean. I drain and refill it every day, like a bathtub, and they clean it out once a week, so that the water doesn't get dirty.”
“I see,” Mark replied. “I understand how it would get dirty quickly.”
Mark stepped into the water quickly, in a hurry to hide his body.
“There,” he breathed. “That feels better ... I think.”
Betsy and Mark spent the next five minutes soaking in the water, listening to the birdsong, feeling the breeze, before Mark spoke up once more.
“So?” he asked. “Do you see anything of your family anymore?”
“I see my parents from time to time,” Betsy replied. “They last came here at the end of December to visit me at Christmas time.”
“You have any brothers or sisters?”
“I have one younger sister, Laura,” Betsy explained. “She'll be sixteen in February. There's nothing wrong with her skin, or anything else about her, except” Betsy paused, “she has grown away from me. She doesn't feel comfortable being around me anymore, and that's why I have moved here to stay. It's kind of funny really. She used to come here with me and our parents, and she once enjoyed it, but now she finds it embarrassing and uncomfortable. Just before I left my parents' home to live here, Laura said that she's not even sure she'll come out and visit me. So far she hasn't, and I don't know if I'll ever see her again.”
“Yes, I understand. That's tough,” Mark commented, “but she's sixteen, pretty much. I bet she feels her reputation is
at stake, so she feels like she has to distance herself from you.”
“Do you have any brothers or sisters Mark?” Betsy asked.
“I am the younger of two brothers,” Mark explained. “My older brother, Roger, is a chip off the old block from my parents. He's five years older than me, and he's moved out now, and to tell you the truth, the day he moved out, and ever since, I felt it was good riddance. He's selfish, cold, unfeeling, rigid, and I daresay, downright cruel. A bully, to put it simply.”
“I'm so sorry Mark,” sighed Betsy. “I thought I was having a hard time with Laura, but it sounds like your brother takes the cake.”
“Believe me Betsy,” continued Mark, “compared to Roger, your sister is an angel. You miss Laura, but I rejoice at not having to see Roger. To make matters worse, Roger was always my parents' favorite child. Every hard, cruel lesson they taught, Roger absorbed it hook, line and sinker. He never thought for himself, never questioned his upbringing, not once. My parents spoiled Roger rotten, calling it 'rewards for his good behavior.' Roger would kill me if he knew I was here, and would kill me twice more if he found out I was talking to you, as would my parents for that matter.”
“What's Roger doing, now that he's moved out?”
“He's got a wife, Rochelle,” Mark explained, “and they have a two-year-old son, Xavier. I only hope and pray Xavier doesn't grow up to be like Roger and my parents. I saw their son a month ago, when Roger and Rochelle came over at Christmas, and he's such a delightful, spunky little boy. It would be a terrible shame if he got turned into something like his father and grandparents.”
Betsy decided to change the subject.
“Look,” she smiled, “it's a lovely day. It's so peaceful here. Can't we just be happy for a while?”
“I suppose,” Mark replied, “but isn't there a quieter place we can be? There's too many people around here, and I feel overexposed.”
“We can go to the sauna,” suggested Betsy. “It's much quieter there, and there's usually little to no people inside.”
“You're on,” Mark replied. “Let's go.”
Betsy and Mark left the pool, and walked over to the sauna. They stepped inside and closed the door behind them.
“Whoo this is hot!” Mark called as soon as they were inside.
Much to Mark's relief, there was nobody else inside the sauna.
“This is much quieter,” Mark breathed in relief. “If only I could stay here forever for just a bit of privacy.”
Betsy wished that Mark could be content, just for the six hours that he was away from school, but she knew that wasn't going to happen. Betsy just sat on her silicon pad, happy to be with Mark, happy that she was helping him to come out of his life of torment.
He was definitely on his way, Betsy thought. He already respected her enough to skip school to see her, to listen to the story of her life and be interested, and tell her everything about his own life. Maybe, Betsy thought, just maybe, give it some time, and he would become a close, true friend, as happy and free to be naked, as she was. Of course, she would still think Mark was an awesome guy if he didn't. She would still like him, but maybe, he might yet take the final step of shedding his inhibitions.
Betsy's attention was drawn away by Mark sniffing the air. When Betsy thought about it, she realized that there was a burning smell. The sauna seemed to have grown hotter as well.
Then, all within a split second, a flame shot up from a board near the floor, licked Mark's leg, made Mark scream, and the board fell crashing down, in flames, into Mark, scorching his abdomen, and Mark yelled in pain and fright.
He and Betsy yanked the door open and hurried out of the sauna, but Mark was already badly burned.
“The sauna's on fire!” Mark hollered, and collapsed onto the ground, unable to move any further.
A nearby man called 911 on his cellphone.
As Mark was sprawled on the ground, Betsy grabbed hold of his hands and pulled him away from the burning sauna.
“Mark,” Betsy cried, when they were a safe distance away, “I'm so sorry Mark. I shouldn't have suggested we go to the sauna.”
“It's all right,” Mark gasped. “You didn't know it was going to catch fire.”
Mark and Betsy looked back at the sauna, which was, by now, nothing more than a huge ball of flames. Mark stood, staring in fear and worry at the burning sauna. He looked at his leg and chest, which were dark red and crusty. “The secret's out,” he stuttered. “What am I going to tell my parents?”
Betsy didn't answer. She didn't know what to answer, and Mark wasn't expecting an answer. It was a rhetorical question, expressing his own fear and horror at the situation. He was in big trouble. He knew it. It was inevitable and there was no way out.
A few minutes later, a fire truck pulled through the gate. They pulled out a hose, and sprayed the sauna until all the flames had been put out. An ambulance arrived and loaded Mark onto a stretcher.
“Take me!” Betsy cried to the paramedics. “He's my friend. I must see him in the hospital.”
“You are not fit to go to the hospital, unless you, yourself, are in critical danger,” one of them instructed. “We do apologize, but that's the way things are.”
The paramedics whisked Mark away, leaving Betsy behind in tears.
16 A Rude Awakening
Mark awoke in the hospital, to find himself lying in bed, wearing a gown. His right leg was aching and burning, and even with the drugs the medical staff had provided, Mark felt like the pain would never go away.
“You have visitors sir,” a nearby doctor told Mark.
“Betsy?” Mark thought, “Could it be her? Please let it be Betsy.”
He knew it was a silly thought. The hospital staff would never let Betsy into the hospital, and she'd probably get arrested on the street if she even tried to walk to the hospital. But Mark was aching to see Betsy. Despite the fact that he knew, to his core, that Betsy couldn't possibly be here, Mark had a faint, desperate hope that maybe, just maybe, it was her.
Mark turned onto his side to see who had come to keep him company.
“Oh no!” he groaned out loud. There, by his bedside, were his parents.
“What happened to you?” cried his mother. “You had better have a solid explanation for this, young man.”
Mark's mind reeled. He didn't know what to say. He couldn't say anything about Betsy, about Sunny Palms, or about being naked. He would be in the worst trouble. Mark thought of the most plausible sounding story he could think of.
“It happened at school,” he began, “we were in chemistry class. We were heating some (Mark looked around the hospital room, and caught sight of some milk of magnesia that was being administered to the patient adjacent from Mark) milk of magnesia over a bunsen burner. I dropped my beaker on my foot. It caught fire, and the fire spread all the way up my leg. And now, here I am.”
“Oh really?” inquired his father. “That sounds rather far-fetched, but we will call your chemistry teacher to see how real this is.”
“It's real,” Mark insisted. “Just as real as this hospital around you. There's no need to call the school. That's really how I got burned.”
“Well, we'll just make sure,” Mr. Turner insisted.
Mark's father called the school.
“Hello?” ... “Called in sick? No, Mark left home today and went to school.” ... “What do you mean he didn't come to school? He wasn't sick. We saw him as he headed out the door and he was perfectly fine.” ... “What's that you suggest? He skipped?” ... “Okay, well I'll talk to him about this. Thank you for clearing this up.”
Mark's father hung up the phone. “Young man?!” he growled at his son. “What's this I hear about you calling in sick? Did you pretend to be sick so that you could skip school and go off someplace else?”
“Well,” ... Mark paused. The truth was going to cost him everything. He fumbled for the right words to minimize the reaction from his father. “Okay, I did, but it's no big deal. I didn't go anywhere
real special.”
“Where did you go?” his father demanded, “and no lying about it.”
“Hey, I'm all sick and bandaged up,” Mark protested. “Can't we give this a rest until I get better?”
“Where did you go?” Mr. Turner repeated more sternly.
“If you must know, I went to the movies. 'The Actor Does a Trick' had just come out and I had to go see it.”
“'The Actor Does a Trick?' That came out four years ago.”
“Well, I'm all burned up, and I'm dopey. My memory, for dates right now, is not so good.”
By now, both of Mark's parents were furious. They were determined to get to the bottom of this. Mark could tell. They didn't even care that their son was injured. All they cared about was the truth for why he had lied about being sick so that he could skip school, and they wouldn't shut up until they found out the truth, once and for all.
“Why did you miss school today?” persisted his parents. “What were you doing?”
Mark sighed. He was cornered now. There was no way out. He would have to tell them about Betsy and the nudist resort. Mark knew it was in vain, but deep down, he hoped and prayed they would at least be gracious enough to have sympathy for Betsy, and see reason.
“Okay okay, I'll tell you,” Mark sighed, whilst shaking in fear of what his parents' reaction was going to be, and sweating all the while, “I went to see Betsy Parker. She's that girl who's been in the news a lot, the one that recently won that writ to have a day nude in human society. While she was having her walk that day, she met me in Fresh Cafe. We had a lovely talk. She's a wonderful person. She really is. She invited me to come for a stay, with her, at Sunny Palms, so I did. That's what I was doing when you thought I was in school. I got burned because we went to the sauna and it caught fire. Betsy has been through so much. Please have the grace to at least understand her, and go easy on me since I told the truth.”
The expressions on Mark's parents turned from impatience to disgust, and from disgust to outright horror.
The Sheltered Life of Betsy Parker Page 12
