Island Cultural Center

by Marilyn Foxworthy

  I walked back into the bedroom and called out, “Brenda?”

  Brenda stuck her head out the bathroom door, rubbing her hair with a towel and smiled.

  I said, “Sweetie, can I set out dinner for us tonight? Be honest.”

  Brenda said, “Honestly, that would be very nice. Thank you. And thank you for reminding me that way. We’ll be out in a minute.”

  I turned and left. Setting out the food only took a few minutes. What Brenda had thanked me for was reminding her to be honest. It would have been easy to try to tell me that she would do it herself and that it was her role and that I needn’t bother with it. But if she was honest, then yes, she was tired, and yes, it would be very pleasant to have me do it instead of her.

  I was just finishing up when Cherry came out onto our little patio. She smiled and helped me with some finishing arrangements, including a vase of flowers. Brenda and Lisa joined us a few seconds later.

  Chapter 26 - Influential Changes

  I held their chairs and seated them. I’d never really done that before; held a woman’s chair for her. It was an art that my father had never taught me. I needed to learn. I was a civilized man now and needed to figure out how to act like one. I’d known girls when I was much younger who were offended if you held a door open for them. That was back in the late seventies and early eighties. It felt like we were over that now. Women didn’t insist on it the way they might have decades before that, but almost everyone appreciated courtesy these days.

  The girls looked comfortable in the T-shirts. They were big on them. Like loose dresses. And they were long enough that the lack of panties didn’t matter at all. Lisa was the first one to mention it.

  She said, “Ronny, thank you for the shirts. For letting us wear your shirts. It’s a fun and sweet distinction. Oh man, am I tired.”

  The meal was green salads with fruit and slices of chicken breast, and water with lemons to drink. It was simple and light and healthy. It was perfect.

  I said, “I bought them for us to sleep in on nights when we want to. Or to, I don’t know, hang out in.”

  Lisa said, “They’re perfect. Can we wear them whenever we want to? I think that we should have a drawer full and just take one when we want it. Any time we want to feel close to you.”

  Brenda said softly, “That would be wonderful. What kind of fabric is this? It’s so soft.”

  Lisa said, “Bamboo.”

  Brenda said, “From now on, I want to at least half my wardrobe to be bamboo. It’s so good.”

  Lisa smiled and the look on her face told me that Brenda might feel that way right now, but though there might be a bit more soft fabrics added to the girls’ clothing, it wasn’t all going to be fairly shapeless T-shirts. They didn’t know about the ones that I had bought in other sizes for them yet. I was looking forward to those. The only problem might be getting Brenda to wear hers. She was going to be very conspicuous, not wearing a bra in a T-shirt a size too small. Maybe she’d just wear it around the suite.

  I didn’t get to hear about the girls’ day before bed. They really were wiped out. After dinner, we piled the dishes and pushed the cart out into the hall. We brushed our teeth and fell into bed. I think that all of us were asleep within five minutes of hitting our pillows.

  I didn’t sleep that well. I rarely did. And I was awake an hour before dawn. I lay there and fell back to sleep. When I woke up again, it was three minutes later. Hey, I was on vacation. I didn’t need to get up. I needed to relax. I could sleep until noon if I wanted to. I woke up again eight minutes later.

  I heard someone whisper, “Come on, I have your shorts. I’ll go with you.”

  It must have been Cherry. Her voice was coming from the foot of the bed. I had been sleeping between Lisa and Brenda and it took me a minute to get out from under the covers and scoot out of bed without disturbing them.

  Cherry laughed and said, “Next time, just wake one of them up and climb over her. Whoever it is will fall back to sleep fine. And it will give you a chance to get a warm hug before you get up. For goodness sake, don’t be invisible.”

  I reached the foot of the bed and slid off and Cherry reached for my hand to pull me up. As I stood, just inches from Cherry’s body, I ran my right hand up her side to see what she was wearing. I felt a pair of shorts, and traveling up and under her T-shirt, I didn’t find a bra as I cupped her breast warmly.

  Cherry gave a very quiet giggle and led me to the living room. In the light coming through the windows, I could see that she was wearing a very small backpack on her back.

  As she handed me a pair of shorts, I grinned and said, “You’re one to talk about not being invisible!”

  She laughed in a whisper and said, “I suppose so. I have had a high value for getting things done and appearing and disappearing essentially unnoticed until now, haven’t I?”

  I buttoned the shorts and said, “You certainly have. Do you feel like that’s changing?”

  Cherry smiled and said, “It is changing, I think. It’s not going away, but it is changing. You can see me, at least. No shoes. I really need to take us shopping today.”

  I followed her out the door, into the hallway, without asking where we were going. We went straight to the beach and started walking on the hard wet sand. The pace that she set was a bit faster than it had been the day before. This wasn’t a stroll; this was exercise.

  After several dozen yards, she said, “Yesterday was incredible. I missed you. We all did. It made me think about things.”

  I said, “You sounded like you were having a good time. And drinks.”

  Cherry gripped my hand a bit tighter and said brightly, “I was.”

  A few seconds went by and she said, “Ronny, we were naked. All day. And not just nude. We didn’t wear clothes, but we didn’t wear anything. No clothes, no make-up, no artificial persona, no fear, no shame, no filters, no ambitions, no jealousy or guilt or regret. And after the first hour, no insecurities. Pick up the pace a little more. Ronny, it changed us all. It was Buttercup. She says that we all have magic in us. She is…it’s hard to describe. So, I get things done, right? I see a thing and know what to do about it. Buttercup is like that emotionally. She sees a woman and knows what to do about her. Maybe you could say that I have magic powers for getting things done. Buttercup’s magic is so much more powerful, no, just different. Her magic is emotional healing.”

  I said, “It was weird how Brenda took her dress off in public. The top.”

  Cherry said, “No, it really wasn’t. It was actually a perfectly natural and reasonable response to Buttercup’s magic that was at work in Brenda at that moment. Brenda slipped into nakedness. Again, not nudity, nakedness. Her nudity was an expression of the nakedness being birthed inside her at that moment. Babe, yesterday, we were one with the universe.”

  I said, “How much did you guys drink?”

  Cherry laughed and said, “Again, not as much as you might think. No, it wasn’t the alcohol. That didn’t even start until much later in the afternoon. Here, take my backpack. Put it on.”

  I took the bag from her and slung it over my shoulder.

  Cherry said, “It’s still dark,” and with that, she whipped off her shirt and undid her shorts and stepped out of them.

  She handed them to me and said, “Carry these. Watch this. You see that woman walking toward us up there? Watch.”

  We walked straight down the beach in the dark, the woman that Cherry had pointed out walking in our direction. Cherry was beautiful, walking beside me completely nude.

  As the woman got close, Cherry gripped my hand and said, cheerfully, “Good morning. It’s nice out here, isn’t it? I hope you have a fantastic day.”

  The woman looked up and said, “Oh, thank you. Good morning to you, too,” and kept walking.

  Cherry said, “She didn’t even see me. She saw us, a couple out for an early morning walk before dawn. A man and a woman holding hands and in love. I am in love with you, by the way. It didn’t even r
egister with her that I wasn’t wearing any clothes. Did you know that I’m trained as a bodyguard? Martial arts? Stop for a moment. Put my shirt down so that I can sit on it and sit next to me.”

  Going to a dry bit of sand just beyond the high water mark, I put Cherry’s shirt out for her and the two of us sat next to each other, facing the ocean.

  When we were comfortable, she continued, “So I learned this story about the master swordsman, Musashi, and the Zen monk, Takuan. The two were sitting together meditating on a hillside one day and a snake crawls toward them through the grass. When it comes to Takuan, it crawls across his lap as if he wasn’t even there. A few feet later, the snake comes to Musashi and rears up and hisses and runs away. Musashi is very ashamed of the incident. He sees that his friend is so in tune with the universe that nature doesn’t notice him as being any different than the ground that they were sitting on, but that Musashi is so foreign to the universe because of his violent past and the discord of his person, that the universe recoils and runs from him. He had already given up violence and had devoted himself to painting and poetry and meditation, but that incident made him wonder if he would ever find the kind of harmony that his friend Takuan had.”

  I heard a voice behind us say quietly, “Good morning. Have a nice day,” and turned to see an older man hurrying down the beach on his morning walk.

  Cherry leaned against my shoulder and said, “He didn’t even notice. Whether I wear clothes or not no longer makes any difference. If I was uncomfortable with it, or if I wanted people to notice me, they would. But yesterday, We learned what it is to be truly Clothing Optional.”

  I said, “Cherry, he had to notice. He had to.”

  She looked at me and said, “But he didn’t.”

  I started to argue but quickly understood. I knew that Cherry was the most intuitive person that I had even met. Obviously, if she said that the man didn’t notice her nudity, then he didn’t. She would know better than anyone. And at that moment, I was ashamed of myself, too. And at the same time, thrilled and filled with joy. I generally felt very comfortable with my mindful practices. But I had things to learn and it was a slap in the face to have it demonstrated that Cherry knew that her nudity went unnoticed and that I was so unaware of her, myself, and the man passing by, that I would insist that the man had to have known when he obviously did not.

  I said quietly, “I see, Master. Or, I hope to. Please let me stay by your side that I may learn from you.”

  Cherry smiled and kissed my cheek and said, “Grasshopper, when you can make me orgasm with a single word from a distance of ten feet, you will be complete.”

  I said, “I will work hard, Master. Thank you for sharing wisdom with me.”

  Cherry and I both laughed and she made a move to stand and I got up and helped her to her feet. Taking the backpack from me, she opened it and handed me a pair of swim trunks and a bikini for herself.

  She said, “Get dressed. My powers of invisibility only go so far,” and she quickly pulled on the suit and tied the top behind her back.

  I noticed that she put the top on first and the bottoms last. Pulling on my trunks, she put our other clothes back in the bag and we headed for the resort.

  It was getting light as we lowered ourselves into the pool. The water didn’t feel cold. I noticed that Cherry walked like a queen. She wasn’t invisible at all now. She was regal. She was a woman nearly 60, wearing a bikini and looking good.

  The pool was huge, built in a circle surrounding an island with a bridge to the outer edge. Cherry and I walked laps, using the water as resistance. It was only four feet deep and walking kept our heads and shoulders above water. We did about four laps in 30 minutes. Afterward, there was no reason to sit in any of the several public hot tubs around the pool because we had a private one on the balcony of our suite.

  We held hands in the elevator on the way up. I suggested that we have an early breakfast in the room. Cherry would arrange it.

  I said, “Beloved, I’d like to spend a few minutes alone with Brenda this morning as soon as we get back to the room if possible.”

  Cherry squeezed my hand and said, “Of course. That sounds like a great idea.”

  I said, “And then, we’ll all shower together before breakfast. Will we all fit in the shower at the same time?”

  She said, “We will,” and grinned.

  Opening the door to the suite, Cherry went to see where Lisa was. She thought that it would be best if she asked Lisa to leave the bedroom for a while, instead of me doing it. Lisa would be fine with it, but this way there was no possibility that Lisa might feel that I was rejecting her in some way in preference to Brenda. Lisa would spend plenty of time with me and had a few nights ago, but still, this seemed like a smoother transition somehow. The thing was that Cherry and I didn’t even discuss it. She went to the bedroom and I knew exactly what she was doing and why. And she knew that she was helping all of us by doing this subtle thing.

  Lisa and Cherry came out of the bedroom. Lisa was in her T-shirt and stretching her arms over her head as she came more fully awake. The shirt was long enough on her that though it threatened to go high enough as she stretched to show a bit of crotch, it didn’t actually do it.

  Lisa hugged me and said, “Good morning. I’m going to help Cherry with breakfast. Brenda is still asleep. Why don’t you go see her while we straighten up? Gosh I love you!”

  I kissed her and headed for the bedroom.

  The light in the room was dim. The curtains were about three-quarters drawn and the sun wasn’t fully up. It was enough for me to see Brenda lying just to the left side of the center of the bed, the sheets and comforter pulled up around her body. She looked beautiful, lying on her side, asleep.

  Dropping my swim trunks, I slid into bed beside her as quietly as I could. Spooning her from behind, I put my arms around her and slid one hand up under her T-shirt and rested it under her wonderful incomparable breasts. She stirred in my arms and snuggled backward, pressing against me, pushing my erection harder against the cleft of her buns.

  She cooed sleepily, “Hi. You feel nice. All warm and cuddly.”

  I whispered, “Brenda, My Sweet, I want a quickie.”

  Brenda wiggled her butt against me and said, “I’m sure that Cherry could arrange one for you, but if you want, I’d be happy to take care of that. Your comfort is my role. Would you feel more comfortable and comforted with your hard pole wrapped wet and warm in my comforter?”

  I said happily, “I would, my pretty wife.”

  She said, “You’re a good man, Roland Jackson.”

  I said, “I should go get some lube.”

  Brenda held my arms close to her body and said, “I’m pretty sure that won’t be necessary. You’ll see. A quickie sounds really nice. Here,” and she rolled away from me onto her stomach.

  It was exactly what I was hoping for. Rolling on top of her, Brenda spread her legs and raised her hips so that she could reach for me between her thighs. Finding my shaft with her hand, she guided me to her opening. As the tip of my penis touched between her little lips, I felt moisture, promising to make the way inside easy.

  Brenda rubbed me gently at the opening for a minute and then pulled me closer, thrusting her luscious hips backward slightly, causing me to slide halfway into her body. I let my weight down onto her back, pushing the rest of the way in, feeling the warmth of her love envelope me. Somehow, the emotional acceptance of me by my wife was more intense than I had expected. Somehow, this was the warmest welcome I had ever received as a lover, Brenda on her stomach, opening herself to comfort me with her sexuality. My wife’s soft and shapely ass was a bosom of love and life now, hugging me, calling me, and even yearning for my love as she took me into the sweetly prepared and perfectly kept home of her eternally feminine pussy. This was my house, warm and cozy, smelling sweet, a fire burning in her hearth. Her cup poured to the brim with hot steaming comfort as I came into her from the cold of daily life, battling the elements and prov
iding meat from my hunt. For an instant I lay still, bathing in her energy, but when she squeezed me softly, I trembled and pressed harder.

  With her cheek on the pillow, she whispered, “Fuck me,” and then even quieter, “Feed me.”

  Oh, I couldn’t stand it. The love expressed by those simple words made me twitch. And the twitch made me feel how hard I was and how ready to climax already. I grunted and thrust hard against her, pushing as far as I could, and came instantly.

  Brenda sighed as if she were perfectly content, having received some satisfying gift, and I felt her relax beneath me.

  She said softly, “Turn over,” and she rolled to her side.

  I rolled with her and lay on my back. Brenda quickly lay on top of me and spread her legs again and guided me back into her sex. Propping herself on her elbows, her breasts on my chest, she looked into my eyes and I felt her squeeze me hard. Rocking her hips suddenly and closing her eyes tight, I felt her spasm and climax. Then she rested on my chest and I held her with my arms around her. After a few minutes, as my erection faded, Brenda slipped to my side and lay on my shoulder, her hand on my penis.

  She said, “I didn’t expect that.”

  I said, “Neither did I. What part specifically?”

  She said, “The part where I had an orgasm.”

  I said, “Oh, that.”

  She said, “It was nice. But you don’t have to worry about that. I wanted you. I know that if I don’t have an orgasm, there will be another opportunity soon enough.”

  I said, “And you can always ask me. But, you don’t mind?”

  She said, “If you have a quickie with me? Of course not. That was kind of my first. My first really good one where I really wanted it. Ronny, I’ve changed so much. You’ve done so much for me. Accepting me and loving me and letting me learn to be myself. And yesterday was amazing. What are your other little fairies doing now?”