Summer Fling

I had a hard time believing where I was. I also had no idea what to expect from the vacation that had pretty much been forced upon me. I can say though that when I arrived in Islo Paradiso my emotions, instead of being dark and frustrating to deal with, became a blank state instead. I took it as a good sign- an opportunity to shape myself back into the happy person I wanted to be. I actually managed to sleep well that night before I left, but I did have to wake up early to catch my flight. Tinaldor would be at the house all the time while I was gone, and I was going to be a gone a whole two weeks. Ithilas drove a weary me to the airport where I promptly fell asleep after I boarded the plane. An arraigned taxi picked me up to take me to my resort, which was one of the best on the whole island. I got to my room in a good mood.

Until I discovered something absolutely horrible.

I hadn't been the one who packed my suitcase. Ithilas had said he would do it so I could go to bed. Naturally, I had assumed he would simply take some clothes out of my dresser and closet. What I found in the suitcase wasn't my normal clothes at all! I thought at first I had grabbed the wrong suitcase by mistake at the baggage claim, but the tag had my name on it. Then I found a card inside from Ithilas- he hoped everything would fit. I couldn't believe he had not only gone out to buy me essentially a whole new wardrobe, but there was not one thing that would cover me modestly. He was really forcing me to do this whole vacation thing properly. I put on what would cover me the most, and I still felt embarrassed even in my own suite with no one else around. Naneth would have had my head for me merely thinking about putting the outfit on at all.

I had no choice but to go out wearing it or else I would be spending the two weeks hiding in my suite. I tried to at least not draw attention to myself by pretending not to be bothered by the large amount of skin I was showing. I understood if I acted awkwardly then awkward looks is what I would receive. After wandering about the resort for a while, it was safe to say I had familiarized myself with it pretty well. There was everything there I could possibly need. As I spent more time outside I slowly and steadily stopped paying attention to my clothing. Everyone else was showing just as much skin as me, and some were showing much more. Most didn't even look in my direction. I was simply another person to them. With my hair hiding my ears as always, there was no way anyone could even call me out as an elf since I didn't have my normal clothes that were usually a dead giveaway. It was surprisingly freeing to be merely a face in the crowd for once after standing out for so long.

Unfortunately, I really did stick to the resort for most of the day. As far as I could tell, I was the only one who was there alone. Everyone else had come as a couple or family. That would be the norm though, wouldn't it? I wasn't sure how I was supposed to preoccupy my time without butting in on someone else's vacation time with their loved ones. I must admit I wasted time eating a lot more than I normally do. The food was that good, and it helped that I didn't have to do the cooking or cleaning myself. I went through three plates before I realized how much I was consuming.

The day got later and later. I had used most of the sunlight sleeping away in my room catching up on all the rest I had missed for so long now. The sun began to set, and I felt guilty. I hadn't done one thing of worth. Not one tiny thing, and I continued to have no idea how I was supposed to fill my days. What was there to do on these islands? I suppose the main reason I struggled so much was because of the fact that I had not had so much time to myself to do what I wanted since I lived back at home. I really didn't know what to do when I was alone anymore. I got up and went with a usual routine of mine. I took a walk. It was about nine in the evening, but it was still very sunny. I had a good time even if all I did was walk along the shore. Islo Paradiso is astonishingly beautiful, and I thought it might be nice to live here someday even if it only happened to be a for a short time.

I continued my walk until it finally got dark. I returned to the resort, had a bit more to eat, showered, relaxed, and went to sleep.

However, even though I knew I had not been productive with my time, things did not really change the next day. At least, not at first. My children had put forth a lot of good money to send me on this wonderful vacation, and I wasn't making the gesture worth the expense. I understood I had to do something I enjoyed. I did enjoy relaxing out by the pool, but I could do that by the local pool at home. Adventure was what I really needed.

I got up and went to the beach again. I know it was only thirty feet away from the resort, but it was at least better than being at the resort, right? I didn't have any time to wonder about what to do for I arrived just as a little situation started. A husband and wife had begun to argue about something. They seemed rather stressed for a family on vacation. Their son was trying to calm them down by saying they should come and play, and their daughter played with the sand clearly trying to block the whole thing out.

Naturally, I felt bad for the children. Their parents weren't doing that much at that moment to make the vacation fun for them. It made sense at the time for me to go over to the girl and ask if I could play in the sand next to her. She was was hesitant, but she was more excited to have someone play with her. My request was eagerly agreed to, and so I joined in the sandcastle building. The girl, who told me her name was Cristina Hatcher, cheered up quickly. It wasn't long before the two of us were talking like good friends.

The parents did eventually spot me though after they stopped arguing, and instantly told Cristina to go play with her brother while they talked to me. Their suspicious attitude towards me was much expected. I would be the same way if any adult had randomly approached my child the way I had approached Cristina. I knew in hindsight I should have gone about the situation differently, but after talking to Daron and Latisha for a while they understood I had meant no harm. They then became guilty when I said I had only wanted to cheer Cristina up. Latisha admitted they almost never fought in the manner I had seen. It was just that someone had stolen one of their bags, and they had been taking out their frustration on each other. I was reassured when I recommend that they go to the police that the bag only contained a few towels and nothing else. It was more the fear that something valuable could have been lost that caused the tension.

With the confusion and worries all cleared up, the three of us began talking properly. Daron noted how good I was with children. I revealed I had five of my own. The two believed I had a baby face as they thought I was far too young to already have five children. I didn't bother contradicting them or consider telling the truth about how many child I actually do have for I wasn't in the mood to have to explain everything- or anything for that matter.

Cristina came back over to ask me to play tag with her and Adam, her brother. Daron and Latisha told her not to bother me, but I said I had nothing better to do. I would love to play tag. Daron and Latisha kind of shrugged, and took seats in some loungers nearby. They talked while they kept a close eye on me as the three of us ran about, but the more comfortable they grew with me the less they began to pay attention. We were playing tag for a long time. Adam reminded me a lot of Nonion in that he did not tire easily at all. He had no problem being "it", and in fact preferred being the chaser. I would tease him by stopping before moving out of the way just in time before he could tag me. He thought it was hilarious. Cristina, however, frequently grew weary and would take breaks every now and again.

It was around mid-afternoon when we finally stopped playing. I had assumed I would split from the Hatcher family then, but Daron invited me to join them in their trip to the local summer festival. Having no idea that this town had one too, I agreed. I noticed as soon as we arrived at the park that Daron and Latisha pretty much left Cristina and Adam in my care as they moved about to do what they wanted. Honestly, I truly didn't mind at first. I went right ahead and roller-skated as was my want, and Adam and Cristina simply decided to join me of their own accord. They admitted they had only skated a few times, so they weren't very good. Adam, a seemingly natural athlete, managed to circle about on his own before too long though. Cristina stuck to me constantly even after I knew she would be fine by herself. It was easy to tell she had rapidly grown fond of me. I could tell that while Daron and Latisha were fine parents in their own manner, they were not the type who became very actively engaged in their children's playing. It made sense why Cristina and Adam were bonding with me so quickly with all the attention I was giving them.

Those two children being so ecstatic with just have my presence around them allowed me to push away my slight annoyance when the day continued on in the same manner of me watching them while Daron and Latisha were doing their own thing. I suppose it was half my fault as well. I had no obligation to stay with the family. I could have been more assertive, and simply told Daron and Latisha I was going to head my own way. Clearly, I did not do that. I continued my unexpected job of being completely in charge of someone else's children. My annoyance peaked when dinnertime came around, but I could not find Daron or Latisha at all. I had to use my own money to buy Adam and Cristina food. I enjoyed eating with them, and then I found out their parents' momentary disappearance had been because they went to nearby ATM to get cash. They had planned on buying me dinner. They reimbursed me what I had paid, and I felt better about the whole thing.

It was before the sunlight faded and I finally separated from Daron, Latisha, Adam, and Cristina when I felt a presence lingering nearby. I turned slightly to notice a man who was drinking lemonade staring right at me. When he realized he had been caught, he stared for a second longer before casually turning and walking somewhere else. I rolled my eyes, and shrugged the whole thing off. I figured he was just taking advantage of the rare sight of me barely having clothes on. I truly didn't think anything of him at the time.

When I went to bed that night, I fully assumed my time with the family of four was done. I knew where they were staying, but I had no intention of purposely meeting them. If I bumped into them again, fine. If I didn't , my time was my own.

Well, guess what ended up happening. I started at the park the next morning so I could explore the other buildings surrounding it. The art museum was my second destination. I spotted Daron and Latisha on the second floor shortly before I was tackle-hugged by Cristina. I couldn't even say anything for she began pulling me around to show me everything she and Adam found interesting. The two children were simply so charming I didn't have the heart to tear myself away from them. We saw many things. Some I was impressed with. Some not so much.

Adam and Cristina became momentarily preoccupied. I saw a sitting area out back, and when I went there to explore another coincidence happened. The staring man from last night was there as well. He was mildly surprised to see me, but only gave me a small smile before returning to whatever he was doing at the bar. I ignored him, and looked at the scenery. I would become surprised myself when he appeared next to me holding out a glass. It was only soda. The man introduced himself as Wesley Bales after I suspiciously accepted the glass. I told him my name to be polite. I thought he would question my name and its strangeness as most people do when I reveal it, but Wesley, he refused to let me call him Mr. Bales, didn't seem to care about its foreign sound. We simply began talking. It was a normal conversation between two people who happened to be at the same place at the same time.

I found it weird how quickly I grew to trust Wesley. He somehow seemed to be just a naturally respectable and trustworthy person. The conversation continued smoothly until Wesley asked me how long I had been a nanny for. What did he mean? Wesley thought I surely had to be a nanny since all he had seen me do was watch over Adam and Cristina while Daron and Latisha were elsewhere. I was not a nanny, I revealed. My own children had sent me here on a vacation to relax, because I had unfortunately grown rather stressed and testy. I had met the four others yesterday, and the result was me hanging out with the children.

Wesley held up his hand to stop me from talking. He was stunned. I was actually wasting my children's generosity like this? I was supposed to be taking a break from a mother's responsibilities, but here I was babysitting some random couple's kids without even getting paid for it?

Um, yes?

Wesley shook his head at me. That was no good at all, and something was going to have to change. He suddenly told me he was going to show me how to use my time properly. When he asked where I was staying and I revealed it, we discovered we were not only staying at the same resort but our rooms were right next to each other. Wesley told me to go into my room and change into my bathing suit, and we would continue with the next part of the plan. I was instinctively hesitant to go along with him, but I did agree with what he was saying. Adam and Cristina were sad to see me go. I told them I would try my best to play with them again if I could before they left.

It was much harder to come out of my room wearing my bathing suit- alright, it was a bikini- than it had been to come out in the other clothes. Now I really was wearing next to nothing. I cursed Ithilas again. Wesley was waiting quite a while before I built up the courage to come out, and he didn't understand my embarrassment. I admitted then that I normally dressed incredibly modestly, but my son had sneakily replaced those clothes with what he was seeing. Wesley smiled widely, and said he was glad with what Ithilas had done.

That only made me feel worse. Wesley saw he was pushing my tolerance for him, and softened. He told me in a genuine and sincere manner there was no reason to be embarrassed, and that I was beautiful. I revealed it wasn't so much that I was self-conscience of my appearance. It really just was the amount of skin I was showing. Wesley was sympathetic. He said we were going to be in the water soon anyway where I wouldn't notice it so much. Then he unexpectedly wrapped his arm around to give me what I reason was meant to be a pat on the back. You would think the gesture would make me more uncomfortable, but it was instantly clear Wesley meant nothing inappropriate by it. I actually found myself instinctively reaching out for him as well. His touch was mysteriously reassuring. Wesley simply smiled again and nodded before leading me to the beach.

What Wesley had planned for us to do was snorkeling. It, and diving, has always been a passion of his. He not only had the best gear, but a spare set which I was going to use. I was too eager to get into the ocean, so Wesley gave me a little lesson on how to wear the gear and use it properly while we were in the water. And he was correct too when he said I would stop noticing my exposed skin once we were swimming. I completely forgot my embarrassment. After the lesson, I was supposed to watch the demonstration Wesley did. Honestly, I didn't pay attention. It was all ridiculously straightforward. I instead took in the beautiful sights around me until I noticed the suspicious way Wesley was circling me. He was definitely not looking at the ocean floor.

He surfaced once I shoved his shoulder, and said he was looking for treasure when I asked what he was doing. I asked him if he had found anything. Wesley replied yes- he had found some nice booty. With our relationship still being pretty much strangers, I think under different circumstances I would have instantly swum back to shore and never given him a minute more of my time. However, there was just this constant honesty and likability surrounding the man that I found myself laughing instead of getting mad. I splashed him. We goofed off for a minute more before I put my gear on and we snorkeled as was the plan.

Neither of us found anything exciting. That was to be expected though given how close we were to the shore of a popular beach. We would have to go somewhere more isolated if we wanted to actually find anything at all. I had a lot of fun snorkeling though, and the view was stunningly wondrous. Wesley admitted he was surprised it had gotten to the point where we had to stop because he was tired while I was still full of energy. He had supposed it would be the other way around given his experience and my lack of it. I recoiled slightly within my mind. I had not made it a point to reveal that I was an elf. I had missed the opportunity at the beginning, and the timing never felt right after that point. I brushed the matter off for the moment.

After a shower and a bit of rest, Wesley and I made our way over to one of the smaller islands to explore. It was nicer seeing as it was considerably less crowded than the main one full of tourists. Everything I saw was so different from home. I made sure to take a lot of pictures for I knew there was too much I would never remember. Wesley stopped me when we walked past the salon and tattoo parlor. He said I hold told him I wanted to be adventurous on the trip, right? That was right. Walking past the salon gave Wesley the idea that perhaps I should cut or dye my hair.

I declined right away. I loved my coloring, and there was no way I was cutting my hair. Elves almost never cut their hair, which is why the men sport long styles in contrast to human men who prefer their hair short. Wesley then suggested I could try a temporary dye instead. Temporary dye? Yeah, Wesley said. I could color the tips of my hair as was a popular thing to do currently, and if I got temporary dye it would wash out by the time I was ready to leave for home. I hesitated a moment more, but I steeled my nerves and decided to go along with the idea. I had to start taking risks if I wanted to get a change within me during this vacation. Wesley told me I should chose my favorite color when I asked what color I should get done.

I got lilac then.

I regretted the entire thing as soon as I sat in the stylist's chair. I wanted to tell her to stop during the whole time, but it quickly got to the point where a protest would have made no difference. The color was in my hair whether I liked it or not. I sat very still as I silently panicked inside. Wesley watched for a second, but soon went to talk with one of the other employees. I was on my own for the most part.

Then the work was done, and I saw the results. The regret washed away. I somehow liked the change- really liked it. It instantly caught my attention in even the dullest of reflective surfaces. It truly was that first step towards making a change while I am here. I certainly won't keep the color while I'm at home, but I think the lilac suited the environment I was in very nicely.

Wesley thought it looked amazing when I showed him the final product. I told him he better be happy I liked it too, otherwise he would have gotten into big trouble for convincing me to go along with it. That got a laugh out of him. He then said for everything to be equal, he was going to take a risk and get something done as well- that being a tattoo. I became a bit flustered. That's was too extreme. A tattoo was permanent. Wesley reassured me. He had only been lightly teasing me for this was something he had been thinking about doing for a long time. He had spent the time I had been busy getting my hair done talking to the tattoo artist. They were actually just about to start too. I watched for a little bit, but I quickly had to go outside to wait. Seeing the needle make those everlasting marks in Wesley's skin made me a bit nauseous. I hoped he had honestly thought the whole thing through properly.

Wesley came outside to find me when he was all done. I wanted to see the tattoo, but I was told I had missed my opportunity. It was bandaged now. I would have to wait until tomorrow when the flare calmed down.

We realized we were both getting hungry. Our lunch had been a small something we had grabbed at the resort before we left for the smaller island. Wesley and I wound up on another smaller island in order to grab a table at the nice restaurant that was there. It was a quiet and calming atmosphere, which meant our conversations slowly but steadily turned to more serious topics as we relaxed and opened up more with the other. I explained in greater detail the problems I faced back at home, and all the horrible emotions I had been experiencing as well as the awful way I had been treating my children. I continued to leave out the small fact that I was an elf sent by a deity to live amongst humans and bear 100 of their children in order to trigger a chain of people who would influence and shape the world in order to save it from the dark path of destruction it was currently on. It just seemed a little too much.

Keeping quiet about myself allowed Wesley to tell me his own story, which was rather heartbreaking. He had a fine childhood, and a good adulthood- for the most part. Things had changed over the past year and a half. His wife of seven years had come to him to reveal she had been sleeping with another man. She claimed that she loved both men equally. Wesley had been so desperate not to lose her that he had been willing to share his wife with this other man. He naturally didn't like the arraignment at first, but he had been growing to accept it. Then several months ago his wife made another confession, which was that she didn't love him anymore. She only loved the other man, and wanted a divorce. So they had divorced. The process had just ended, and Wesley was on the islands to do something of a spiritual and emotion cleanse before he had to deal with the real world again.

I wasn't really sure what to say after hearing all of that, but I said to Wesley that I'm glad we had met no matter what circumstances had brought our meeting about. He had already saved me from wasting my precious time. Being with me had made me feel better than I had felt in many years. I also knew even from only this one afternoon that he was going to be able to find a truly wonderful life for himself after these few weeks were over. Naturally, Wesley had looked rather downtrodden when telling his story. My words somehow managed to a bring at least a small smile back to his face. He thanked me for not saying he had been stupid about the whole thing like ever other person he had talked to so far. I replied that the route he had taken might not have been the most logical or conventional path, but if the three of them had been willing and open-minded to give such a relationship a try then I didn't think it was stupid at all. I've come to learn after all my years on this side of the wall that there's many types of love to be found.

Since we had brought the mood down with all our talking, Wesley and I knew we had to do something silly to lighten our hearts again. During our shopping we found a store that sold all sorts of fireworks. We purchased perhaps about half of the sparklers they had. It was a good thing they were so cheap. We lit them off back at the resort, and I saw the truly childish side of Wesley. You would have thought he had never seen a sparkler before in his life! I laughed so hard at his wide-eyed enjoyment that my sides began to hurt. We went through our boxes quickly. Mostly this was due to Wesley's fascination with lighting off four or six sparklers at a time.

It was getting really late when we finished with the fireworks, but neither of us were tired. The two of us walked around for a bit so we could find a quieter spot outside the resort where we wouldn't bother anyone. We discovered a very tiny island of sorts at the entrance of a small, circular bay. It was perfect. Wesley and I waded across the water to sit on the soft grass. Sitting was all we did for a while. We didn't even speak- the silence spoke for us. I remarked to myself how long the day had felt. The previous two days and even the morning when I was with Adam and Cristina had flown by so fast. However, the second I met Wesley it felt as if I experienced eternity within a day. I hadn't been burdened with anything. The only time I had thought of my children at all was when I had been discussing them at dinner, and I didn't feel guilty for not thinking of them. I said it before, but his trip truly is for me to distance them from me so I can find myself again. I had finally been doing what I needed to do.

The day was minutes away from ending, but I never wanted midnight to come. I wanted that day to last forever. The relief I had gotten from it was too addicting. I stared at the beautiful stars above absolutely absorbed in my happy thoughts. I didn't notice Wesley kept looking my way....

Until he put his arm behind me and leaved closer. Honestly, I had been expecting him to do something inappropriate all day. There was some part of me that believed his nice behavior had just been to lure me into doing something with him. I thought that moment was the point where he was going to try something.

It wasn't. Wesley kept a respectable space, and forced nothing. His movement was merely a gesture of invitation, which I accepted after a moment. Right after I leaned closer towards him Wesley asked if I wanted to have a summer fling with him. What? I was confused. Wesley repeated the idea. I thought he was joking, but he was entirely serious. Wesley said it was clear we both enjoyed the other's company. Why didn't we spend the weeks together instead of wasting time wandering about aimlessly dogged by the thoughts of all the negatives that had happened to us? This afternoon with him had done more for him than I would ever know. Didn't several weeks of non-committal fun sound like a good idea?

I considered the proposal. One short afternoon with the man next to me had done wonders. I couldn't image what I would be like if I spent another two weeks with him. I agreed. Wesley asked if we were going to have a summer fling just to confirm it. I laughed softly, and said yes. I leaned more against him as our eyes both turned star-ward once more......