Amare and Portia were outside of their backyard on their foldable chairs relaxing with a big cooler filled with ice and bottles of water and ginger ale. It was what some would call a lazy attempt to try to handle the summer, but with how hot the week has been and due to the fact that roads to the beach were blocked off, the fox and meerkat had no choice but to do this mundane task of attempting their own way of cooling off while being out in their swimwear.
Portia took a sip of her virgin strawberry daiquiri from a small glass and sighed while in her aqua colored swimsuit with Amare wearing his swim trunks. "So. You think after five minutes we should fill up the pool?"
"Yeah." Amare said as he looked over to the inflatable pool that was big enough for him and his wife to swim in. He sighed to himself. "Just can't believe it's around the 90's AND the roads are closed."
"I heard they still are scraping off those melted fruits. That's how hot it is on the roads."
"And hot in general." Amare added in while taking a bottle of water and opening it up. He started to splash some on his face to keep himself from feeling the higher than average Summer heat.
Portia took another sip and placed her glass on the small foldable table Amare had placed behind the cooler for them. They both were thankful that Andre had given them these tables last July. Without them, Portia would just be getting a cramp holding her glass all day or take the risk of putting it on their grass and having it fall over.
The sun was so blasting. So open with no clouds being near it to cover it. It would be nice to at least have something cool. Either the sun being blocked, or the wind giving a breeze, or just rain covering the mammals and getting their fur and bodies to not feel so dried up. Thank goodness for the lotion, for they would have had dried skin otherwise.
The fox had a drink of the cold water. Feeling the icy cold liquid entering his body made him almost gasp just from how hot it was and how refreshed he felt from the touch and taste of the bottled water. Portia was fine with her fruity cold non alcoholic drink.
"Phew. I think I will get started with that pool already." Amare said while starting to have his feet touch the grass and start to stand up straight. "Be right back in a minute." Portia nodded with what Amare had promised as he started to head on over to the backdoor glass and swing it open to feel the blast of the a/c hitting up on him.
A minute later the fox comes out with a box in his hands. It was almost the same size as Portia by just an inch shorter. He came over and sat down on his chair. He placed the box next to the cooler and started to open it with his claws and his strength. He got the deflated pool out that was in the bag along with a small machine that would be used to inflate it. He knew how to work this thing, so instructions weren't necessary; of course Portia was against it but would be there to say 'I told you so' in a friendly manner if Amare didn't do something correctly.
With another drink from his water, he got to feel the cool rush give him the strength to rip off the plastic and take the pool out of it. There he got up and walked over beside Portia to spread out the pool. After he was done spreading it out and getting it in the shape of a regular pool, he went back and got the small air pump machine and came back to the deflated pool.
He connected the small air pump hose in the hole that would be plugged up by a plastic cap that he had by his side. It was small also, but he knew he wouldn't lose it from it being white as a picket fence. He started the machine and heard the low hum as the pool was starting to inflate at a snail's pace. It would be a while, but he knew it would be worth it.
As he waited, he figured that he could rest and peek at the progress of the pool and see how it's doing while talking with his special meerkat. He walked back over to his chair and sat down and went back to laying on it and letting the sun give him the rays as he got his water all the while Portia went to get a bottle of water as well after finishing her drink.
Amare looked over to his wife who just enjoyed the sun. Having sunglasses on her to cover the brightness of the sun and to watch the clouds while basking in the sun. She can handle it thanks to her meerkat bloodline and ability to withstand the heat.
The fox could handle it, but only if water was by his side and was able to help quench his thirst. Ok, maybe he isn't as no greater ability than Portia; except for his chest fluff, for that one is bigger than Portia's hair.
Amare looked over to Portia. He couldn't help but smile at her beauty. She looked so beautiful. So dazzling that it would make the fox melt before the sun could. "Hey Portia?"
Portia looked over and had her glasses go up on her head. "Yeah?"
That big smile on the fox's face was a clear giveaway. Something was making him giddy. The faint blush was also not so hidden in the meerkat's eyes as well. "Something's got you happy."
"It's you that's made me happy." Amare boldly proclaimed, which got Portia to feel flustered by him.
"Awww. I'm just doing nothing." Portia took a sip as Amare nodded.
"True, but you just are so...understanding and forgiving." Amare knew that all the time, but today he thought she would change her way and be so upset with him.
She loves the beach. She loves the ocean water. She loves the sand. She loves the pier for its great food and drinks. So her knowing it was blocked off and the plans for the day at the beach were a real bummer to her. It was more upsetting news to Amare who planned the whole thing to begin with. To have his plan that was going so well after having a chance to relax and have a beach day with his wife suddenly turn into a disaster was not something he had a backup plan for. All he thought of was the chairs in the backyard, sitting in the sun, and having a cold pool ready for the two with drinks by their side. Nothing unique like at the pier, but good enough to keep themselves feeling energized and refreshed.
"Well I know you didn't cause that accident with the fruits in the roads...right?" Portia jokingly questioned as Amare just smirked.
"Yes. I did all of that just to ruin our plans to go to the beach." Amare returned a joke back as Portia grinned back.
"Well those seagulls can be a pain to you. They always swipe our food."
"Well Portia, if I ever get the chance to fight those birds I would. No more would those dang seagulls take my wife's food." It got a chuckle out of the meerkat, much to the happiness of the fox.
"At least we got ourselves to the pool." Portia said as she took a drink.
"Yep…" It didn't dawn on him at first. It wasn't until Amare looked at the pool to check and see it was inflated. "YEP! THE POOLS DONE!" Amare quickly got himself up and rushed over to the machine and flicked it off before the pool could get bigger and get to pop from the pressure. He didn't want to know how many seconds it would have taken for this pool to burst.
He took the hose out which created a hiss of air to ever so slowly be released from the pool. Amare was quick to get the plug and plug the hole up. The pool was inflated, looking like it wasn't ready to burst, and now he was ready to fill it up with the water.
He stood up as he was on his knees when dealing with the plug. Brushing the grass off his knees and going over to the hose that was close by, he hummed softly to himself. A happy music of his that he and Portia made together. He turned the vial til it couldn't turn anymore and went over to the pool. He started to spray the water in the pool with the 'Full' setting on the hose sprayer.
Portia watched her husband get to fill up the pool. Soon they would have their own cheap version of the beach, and relax with drinks in hand and maybe a small floatie. Maybe Amare could swing down to the small store near them and get one for her, but the meerkat thought that it would sound snobby to ask her fox to go out and get something while he already is doing so much for her.
Portia looked at Amare with a dreamy look on her face. His plan failed but yet he was pushing through like he was a force filled fox that stops at nothing and never would stop. He was like a train that never ran out of coal and kept pushing through despite his trail having bumps along the way.
She didn't know how long time had passed, but it must have been long minutes of staring as Amare was finally finished with the pool. It was full of cold water as he stopped the hose and putted it down on the ground.
"Alright! Finally got to fill it up." The fox's tail wagged so happily. "Now, to see how cold it is." He had to test out just how cold this water was going to be. Amare knew it wasn't going to be beach water cold, but still chilly enough for him to shiver.
He put his one paw in, and just as he predicted, he got that shivery feeling. "W-whoa that is cold!" He put in his second paw and that chilly feeling rushed up to his body as he half shutters and half laughs it off. "It's really cold!"
"Why not just slowly get in it?" Portia said as she watched her husband while starting to get off of the chair without him noticing.
"Just lemme get comfortable real quick." Amare said as the tip of his tail started to go into the water as he was following the meerkats advice. Slow and steady wins the race after all. He figured that after a couple of seconds he would start to squat down until his whole lower body was in the pool since it is big enough for the water to reach up Portia's chest after all.
"Hey Amare." Portia's calling had gotten the fox to look around behind him. Before he could say anything, the fox was sprayed on with the hose while hearing the laughter of his wife. "Haha!"
"H-hey no fair!" He managed to try to cover his face as he quickly got himself to squat down and use his one free hand to splash the water over to her direction. The meerkat was laughing while getting splashed on, with Amare being the same way.
"I love you, but you know not to leave the hose unintended when I'm around!"
"I love you too, but I will get that hose and use it against you!" Amare kept splashing while he kept getting sprayed on by the laughing meerkat. He took his chance to get out and have the meerkat run away with the hose as she still kept spraying at him with the 'Full' setting.
The sounds of the water hissing and the sound of their joyous laughter were all that could be heard by the neighbors. Quite frankly, they didn't care if the whole world could hear them. They were going to have the best summer 'vacation' ever and nothing was going to stop them. No traffic. No heat. No setbacks were ever going to stop them. The pool can wait, for now the fox and the meerkat were just enjoying themselves on the hot summer day.