Chapter 37 – About a Suit

Louisa stepped from the shower. "We're going to the beach, right?"

I eyed her warily, as I thought we'd have dinner. My watch lay on the bathroom counter which showed it was nearly half five. "If you wish, but you know I don't like to eat too late."

She flicked her towel at me and I dodged. "You ate lunch at two!" She tousled my hair. "Or have you forgotten?"

"No, only…"

"Come on, Martin!" she growled. "Or are you going to be a stick in the mud?" She wrapped the bath towel about herself and rubbed her wet locks with a hand towel. "If I'd known you were so… ugh… I'd never have married you!"

I whirled on her the mirror showing me the hurt expression on my face. "You know how I am, Louisa. You know what I'm like. Are you saying that…" I bristled at her, "we made a mistake?"

She buried her face in the towel and then burst out laughing. "Oh, my God, Martin! You should see your face! Poor thing." She kissed my neck. "Just teasing." She then hugged me which was some compensation for her jibe.

"Oh," I said but I really didn't know quite what to say.

"Sorry, Martin. I am. Truly am." She looked up at me, her eyes some eight inches below mine, the top of her lovely head barely coming up to my mouth. "Suppose you're still not very keen on teasing."

Oh the stories I could tell her about teasing and bullying! I cocked my head and let the moment pass.

Louisa got the message to let it go and picked up her bikini which was draped over the towel rack. "I'll wear this one, again. It's plenty dry now."

My heart fell. "I thought you'd wear the flowered one." As much as I liked the suit…

"Changed my mind," she said then slapped me on the backside and left the room. "Besides," she called out, "I saw you giving me the once over. Thank you, for that."

"Oh…" was all that came out.

I had taken a quick shower before her and was halfway through shaving when she flounced into the shower. She hummed to herself as she showed and continued humming away as she now dressed and brushed out her hair. "Besides," she called out, "I made arrangements for a special dinner."

"Where?"

"Secret. You'll like it."

I peered around the doorframe. "A secret."

"And I stuck my head out the window for a moment. It's cooling off nicely. Bit of a breeze." She started to put blusher on her cheeks.

Why women wore makeup to the beach was beyond me. "You stuck your head… outside? When you were…"

"No, silly! I wrapped in a blanket!"

"Oh." I finished with the razor, as I didn't like stubble, not the least of which was it looked messy and I knew the effect that short whiskers can have on female facial skin and other places. And considering… I cleared my throat.

Louisa came back in, draped her towels on the rack, and hugged me from behind as I splashed on aftershave, a very bland scent.

She sniffed the air. "I was wondering if you wanted some different aftershave. I mean what you use is fine, but it doesn't have much of a scent. Would you like me to pick out something else?" She looked up at me almost pleadingly.

She was changing me and somehow that was just fine. "If you wish, just…"

"Just?"

"Not too aromatic."

"All right Martin, bland and boring, just your style!"

I swung around. "Do I bore you? That it?" She might have been still teasing, but I was serious.

She hung her head for a moment. "Do you recall when I was lugging a surfboard up to the school and dropped the wetsuit?"

"Something about surf club, that it?" I had a vague recollection of the encounter.

"I put my foot in it then, didn't I? Said something about how I'd like to see you out of that suit… I meant in a wet suit! Course you were in a suit. I'm afraid I really did embarrass myself, didn't I?"

I looked down at myself wearing my swimsuit and a vest - one of those she bought here - and my gaze traveled up that long body of hers, now arrayed in the black and white polka dot bikini. There were faint stretch marks on her abdomen from the pregnancy. All because of me – us – being together – that gave life to a little human being back home, home in Portwenn. Which definitely happen after I got out of my suit.

I was stuffy and I knew it. I was bland and boring – no personality at all – and rude besides. No small talk at all came from me. And shy, Lord I was shy. Yet by being with Louisa and now married to her, I knew I was changing, and so was she.

"Louisa, I think you got you wish," I told her.

"What's that? What wish was this?"

"About the suit, uhm, seeing me… out of the suit. The suit coat and pants."

Her mouth fell open then she smiled after looking away then back. "Guess I should be careful what I wish for, right?" Her left hand took my left and she turned it this way and that so the bright lights of the bath made our rings sparkle. "I'm glad, aren't you?"

I could only nod as a giant lump rose to my throat.

Before I could answer, she took my hand and guided me to the door. "Get your sandals." She scooped up her bag. "Come on, beach time!" She pulled her white cover-up over her shoulders and plopped a floppy hat on her head. "Ready now?"

"Yeah," I told her. "Come what may."

She took my elbow and we left the bungalow.