Island Cultural Center

by Marilyn Foxworthy

  I laughed and said, “No, you do!”

  She said, “What do you mean?”

  I said, “That’s how I felt yesterday. Remember how we had that little moment where I pushed back because I need choices?”

  She said, “Yes, and I needed that. But this isn’t about having choices.”

  I said, “No, I think it’s about having me in the store while Lisa picked out clothes for you. We all have an invisible influence. Babe, are you feeling Lisa’s influence over your plans?”

  She said, “Yes. And Brenda. Especially Brenda somehow. I know what you want. I feel it. But now…”

  She went silent and sighed and then said, “But now I sense Lisa and Brenda. They came into my universe and now they exert an influence. Oh man! I had a sun to revolve around. You. But there are other planets here, all exerting a gravitational force. It’s too complex. The math is too hard. There are too many dimensions!”

  I caught Cherry up in my arms and carried her quickly into the water, splashing my way out until we were chest-deep. She protested some, laughing, especially when the cool water hit her bottom and then her breasts.

  I held her still and let her float in my arms.

  I said gently, “Cherry, you have a family now. That’s all that’s wrong. It isn’t complicated, it’s just collaborative. A true conflict is when two people can’t both get their goals met at the same time. And we resolve conflict by postponing our goals or theirs. Let one of us work on a different goal that doesn’t cause a conflict until we can move on without being blocked. Are you saying that you can feel Brenda and Lisa the way that you feel me? The way that you know what I want to eat and when I wake up in the morning?”

  She nodded her head.

  I said, “Sweetie, that’s wonderful. Do you know what that means? It means that they are part of your circle of love. True connection. True otherness.”

  Cherry rested against me and said, “You were loud last night.”

  I said, “What do you mean?”

  She said, “Brenda and I were sitting on the veranda. There was a musician playing. But I started to feel weird. And it kept getting worse. Like I missed you and wanted to go to you. That I needed you to touch me. I got more and more anxious and uncomfortable. There was the smell of sex around me. Brenda didn’t notice. No one did. But then, somewhere with you, Lisa started having orgasms. One after another after another after another. At first I tried to block it out, but it was too beautiful. The waves of it washed over me, crashing against me. I told Brenda that I had to go to the bathroom, but instead I ran to your cabana office and sat on the sofa in the dark where you held me in your lap that morning and I rubbed myself the way that you were rubbing her. Instead of fighting it, I decided to lean into it and reach out for it and find you in it. I wasn’t going to tell you.”

  I said, “Because you thought I wouldn’t believe you? Beloved, I believe you. And it excites me. Cherry, what you feel is connection. But Sweetie, you don’t have to keep all the astral bodies in motion, orbiting the sun. They do that by themselves. All you have to do is relax a bit and watch the show and if you see something wrong, help us avert disaster. What are you going to wear this evening at dinner?”

  She said, “I don’t know. I can’t know.”

  I said, “But you told me that you felt freedom in that. You have a choice. You will wear what you want.”

  She said, “No, but that isn’t my decision. Lisa won’t let me.”

  I said, “Of course it’s your decision. You can decide to wear what Lisa tells you or you can choose not to. Do you know what will happen if you don’t wear what Lisa tells you to?”

  She said, “Um, no. I…I don’t know.”

  I said, “You could figure it out, but I’ll tell you. What happens if I don’t eat what you want me to eat?”

  Cherry said, “You won’t be as healthy. You won’t won’t have as much energy. You will get sick more easily. Ronny, please, I just want to make you happy. You’ll be happier if you feel your best.”

  I said, “And what happens if I don’t let you make a bed big enough for all of us, but instead insist that I like a smaller bed and can’t see how your way will be better?”

  Cherry wasn’t thinking clearly yet and tried to answer my question anyway.

  She said, “Then some of us are missing! It can’t work that way. Not the way it’s supposed to. I can’t explain what it does because it just changes things. It would have meant that this morning, maybe I wouldn’t have been sleeping next to you and we wouldn’t have done what we did. It just changes things. What if Brenda needs to hug you and she isn’t there? What if you are in bed with me and Lisa, but Brenda can’t be there? What if that hug was important? What did it do when Buttercup hugged Brenda? We don’t know. We can’t take a chance on missing out.”

  I said, “Can’t we? We could. We have choices. What if we put a yellow bedspread on the bed instead of blue?”

  Cherry said, “That doesn’t make any difference. Unless Lisa tells me to wear green panties instead of pink, it doesn’t matter. I’m talking about big things.”

  I said, “Your panties don’t matter much because they don’t change the way that you or I feel. But if you don’t wear any at all, there is an invisible influence on both of us. You feel different because you aren’t wearing panties. You are naked. You interact with the world differently. You interact with me differently. And whether I am conscious of the influence or not, if I know that you aren’t wearing panties, I interact with you and the rest of the world differently. But you can certainly choose to wear something other than what Lisa tells you to.”

  She said in frustration, “Ronny, if I do that, I miss out on…” and her voice trailed off.

  More calmly, she said, “Ronny, I miss out on something. And oh, you miss out on something. If I don’t wear what she senses we need, you miss out on what would be there if I did. The same with the bed. The same with the food. Oh, and the same with you pushing back and making me see that I’m not totally in charge. I gained something from that.”

  I said, “Sweetie, that’s the difference between sovereignty and control. I am mostly sovereign. I can do anything I want to. But I’m not in control. I don’t make anyone do anything. Later, I’m going to tell Brenda to strip and bend over the arm on the couch upstairs and I’m going to have sex with her. And she may not even have an orgasm because I’m not going to try to make her. But I will. Because I want to find out what a quickie is really like. And she is going to welcome me to do it. By her own choice.”

  Cherry smiled and said, “You can do that to me, too. I don’t have to have an orgasm to enjoy hugging you like this. I’d be happy to hug your penis and let you come that way.”

  I said, “And I’m happy to please you sexually and it won’t frustrate me that I didn’t get ‘mine’ as part of the deal. So, you don’t have to be in control. And you have your choices. There will be times that I tell you what to do. Brenda tells us what to do when she knows what’s probably best. You saw her tell Lisa what to wear, even though Lisa is the clothing genius. Let the planets rotate in their orbits. Help us be better than we are. But you aren’t forcing me to run miles a day yet. You are working with me at the capacity that I have right now. Simple adjustments, day after day, bit by bit, always a little better, always a little more wonderfully. Do you see?”

  She smiled in my arms and said, “I do. I see that I need you. I see that I need to learn a little more every day. That I need you to guide me, bit by bit, into an orbit that suits me. I need to be captured in your gravitational field and find my role in a way that is better than ever. Oh my gosh!”

  I said, “What?”

  Cherry said, “I have to find the role that suits me now! Beyond what I’ve been. Hell, Ronny, I was a comet! I passed through and things happened and I moved on. I saw the systems and changed them. Tom reacted to me that way! What is the comet doing in my system now? Why is she intersecting my universe? How will this change things? Why isn�
�t she predictable? Ronny, I need a captive orbit! With you! And with Brenda and Lisa. My gosh, Ronny, we’re a family!”

  I said softly, holding her in my arms in the ocean, “Yes, we are. And our family includes your daughter now. And Lisa’s. And we have to make time for that. It influences our planning and our schedules and what happens spontaneously and miraculously.”

  Cherry said, “Take me back to the sand.”

  I started to set her down, but she said, “No. I choose not to walk. Carry me.”

  I smiled and said, “If I don’t I’ll miss out.”

  She said, “I am so glad you think so. Ronny, I love you so much.”

  Back on the sand, we headed south again, but walking slowly.

  Catching a glimpse of something in the water, I pointed. Cherry looked where I indicated and frowned.

  She said, “I saw it too. What was it? A dolphin?”

  I said, “Maybe. It seems weird for it to be in the bay, here. I’ve never seen one here before.”

  We kept walking, holding hands, and soon quickened our pace, our feet in the shallow water of the gentle early morning waves part of the time. I kept scanning the bay to see If I‘d spot the dolphin again, and did occasionally catch a glimpse of something black and smooth popping up now and then.

  As we came to the very southern end of the beach, the part farthest from any people, something suddenly surfaced about 20 feet offshore. And it stood up and started walking quickly toward the sand where we stood. It looked like a child in a thin black wet-suit.

  Cherry exclaimed, “Oh!”

  I said, “It’s probably OK, she doesn’t look like she’s lost.”

  Cherry said, “No no no. You don’t understand, it’s… well, just wait. Maybe I should go by myself. No, she knows what she’s doing. But, come down into the water. No, wait on the sand. I didn’t expect this. At all.”

  The um, whatever, approaching us from out of the waves was definitely a “she”. And she seemed to be covered in a skin-tight, maybe Lycra, suit. But “she” looked like a young, beautiful, and very busty, centerfold. Like a girl from a spy movie, coming out of the ocean on a secret mission. It was probably an R-rated movie, at least. The problem, aside from her absolutely stunning figure, was that she was only a bit more than three feet tall. But she wasn’t a child. But she wasn’t a woman. But she was. She didn’t have the proportions of a midget or a dwarf.

  As she walked up onto the sand to stand in front of us, it was clear that she was something I’d never seen before. Covered in a black suit from head to toe and only her face showing. She wore a pair of swim goggles. The suit showed everything though. It was more like black paint than anything else. I mean, it was like she was stark naked, the way that the suit clung to her body. She was carrying a small waterproof case by its handle.

  Cherry said questioningly, “Pixie?”

  The girl, um, woman, um, mermaid or whatever, said, “Charlotte, that is a nice outfit. I’m glad to see you wearing something pretty. You have nice boobs. Your bikini should have polka dots, of course. You don’t but it’s an improvement nonetheless. I expected that you wouldn’t be dressed just right, so I had something put into the case for you. Get undressed and I’ll get it out for you.”

  The, um, ultra-sexy marine delivery girl, went to a dry spot on the sand and started to open her case.

  Cherry said, “Miss Tiffany?”

  The girl said, “Of course, Dear. Robby sent you a package. My chauffeur is in our pretty pink submarine out that way with my poodle. You can’t see them from here, of course. Here! Charlotte, why aren’t you undressed?”

  Cherry looked around and then grinned and said, “Well, I don’t know, Miss Tiffany. I was just so surprised by your visit,” and she started undressing there on the beach.

  Miss Tiffany stood up, holding a small bundle of fabric and said to me, “Hello, Roland Jackson. I shall call you Jackie Paper. Puff misses you terribly. Dragons live forever but not so little boys. Charlotte will help you find him again. Are you crying? Well, in that case, I’m glad I came. It’s because of Charlotte’s not having polka dots, isn’t it? Here, we’ll fix that right now. Charlotte, you look nice.”

  Cherry was standing fully naked beside me as she said, “Thank you, Miss Tiffany. Would you call me Cherry? I like Cherry.”

  Miss Tiffany said, “Oh, that suits you. We have a Cherry at home too. You can meet her soon. After the regatta, remind me to introduce you. Here is a bikini for you in the right colors. Pink with yellow polka dots. You are a married woman now, not a child, and you must properly attire yourself. I’ll put your old clothes in the case. Maybe you can wear them on laundry day. Now, it’s going to be warm, so you can stay all pretty and naked for the rest of the morning and put these on later.”

  Cherry took the bits of cloth and stood without moving, waiting for Miss Tiffany to tell her what was next.

  Miss Tiffany closed the case and handed it to Cherry.

  She smiled and said, “Cherry, does Jackie Paper have a nice penis?”

  Cherry said, “Oh, yes, Miss Tiffany. Very nice.”

  Miss Tiffany said, “Good. Then we won’t bother getting him a new one. In the case is some wedding presents from Robby. I had better be going. My poodle is subject to sea-sickness. Go find Puff you rascals. Cherry, top first. Always top first.”

  At that, the strange water nymph ran faster than I could have imagined possible and launched herself into the water and disappeared.

  Chapter 23 - Dots

  After she was gone, I said, “What was that?”

  Cherry said, “Yeah. That was Miss Tiffany. She’s a very um, special friend of Robby’s.”

  I said, “She’s right. You do have nice boobs.”

  Cherry said, “Oh, maybe I should get dressed. Um, she took my clothes.”

  I reached down and lifted her hand, the one still holding what Miss Tiffany had given to her. Cherry looked at her hand and the new polka dot swimsuit blankly.

  She said, “She has an effect on people.”

  I said, “I can see that. Cherry, I think some people up the beach are starting to notice that you might not be quite as dressed as you used to be.”

  Cherry said, “What? Oh, OK.”

  Cherry started to step into the pink and yellow polka dot bikini bottom that she found in her hand, but stopped herself with a gasp of horror and handed it to me to hold for her as she switched to put on the top first. When it was on and adjusted, she took the bottoms from me again and pulled them up her legs and over her butt.

  At least two couples walking along the beach had definitely noticed Cherry’s nudity. I saw both of them as the woman in each pair pointed and smiled and nudged their male companions. And I saw the men, both near my own age or a little older, smile and look away. Apparently, neither of these women were the ones who had complained to the resort staff about orgies on the beach; they seemed accepting and respectful in a way.

  The top of Cherry’s new suit was nice. It had a strap that tied behind her neck and another behind her back. The bottom though was full coverage. It rode high on her hips and looked very retro Hollywood. It was very cute. I liked it even more than the one that she’d had on before.

  I smiled and said, “What now?”

  Cherry tried to shake herself out of her dazed condition.

  She said, “Um, I really don’t know.”

  I said, “Well, the box is a gift from Robby. Let’s get the girls and have breakfast at the buffet by the pool this morning.”

  Cherry said weakly, “Miss Tiffany. What is she? She just appears and what?”

  I laughed and said, “Like you do?”

  Cherry said, “I guess so. She doesn’t have a chauffeur in her submarine with her poodle, obviously, but it’s like she believes that she does. And you believe that she does. And she’s always insisting that all the women wear polka dots.”

  We were headed across the sand toward the pool again and one of the couples that had seemed to notice us at the
edge of the water earlier was walking in our direction. It looked like they were going to intercept us, not just heading in the same general direction.

  Sure enough, when they were about ten feet away, the woman called out, “Good morning!”

  The couple was probably in their mid to late sixties. Maybe early seventies. The man had great hair and looked like he’d been successful in his career and wasn’t a stranger to good restaurants. The woman was short. Maybe five-foot-one. She had died blond hair. It looked good on her. If I was going to guess, I’d have said that she had been a very pretty woman when she was younger. She still looked good, she was probably heavier than she had been 30 years ago, but she had a look that said that she had been very attractive her entire life.

  We stopped and waited for them to catch up. Neither Cherry nor I was at all embarrassed. We had no reason to be. Sure, Cherry had been naked, but so what? She wasn’t ashamed of that now. If someone had a problem with it, it wasn’t her.

  Stepping close, the woman said, “Hi. I just wanted to say hi. You kind of made my day and I wanted to say thank you or something. Could we invite you to breakfast?”

  Cherry said, “Oh, that’s nice of you, but we have plans with our family this morning.”

  The woman said, “Oh, of course. We’re the Copelands. Bob and Sue. Anyway, we just wanted to say hi.”

  Cherry said, “It’s nice to meet you, Sue. I’m Charlotte. This is Roland.”

  I shook the man’s hand. He had a firm grip. But as I shook his hand, I knew that we weren’t going to be friends. I also noticed that Cherry hadn’t told them our last name.

  Cherry said, “Thank you for introducing yourselves. I’m sure we’ll see you around the resort. We’ll talk then. Are you here long?”

  The woman, I’d forgotten her name already, said, “No, we fly out this morning. There’s just time for a quick breakfast and then we have to go. Maybe we’ll see you on another trip. Enjoy the rest of your vacation.”