Isobel

Isobel Pt.12

The car is parked beside the seaside. Brendan sits on the beach. Isobel and Raymond are in the water together. Raymond has his trousers pulled up to his knees. They are both laughing. Raymond and Isobel throw water at each other.
Isobel turns towards Brendan. "Brendan! Come and join us!"
"It's okay! I'll stay here, where it's dry. It looks like you're having fun on your own, you don't need me," Brendan said.
Isobel runs out of the water towards Brendan, leaving Raymond on his own. Isobel sits down beside Brendan.
"What's the matter?" She said.
"Nothing."
"I can tell. You don't seem like yourself."
"I'm okay."
"It's such a beautiful day. Can't you appreciate the beauty?"
"I can appreciate beauty, but I'm not obsessed with it."
She smiles at him. "Do you only appreciate me?"
He turns to face her. She rests a hand on his leg. They kiss each other. Raymond is watching this from the water and slowly comes towards them. He stands directly in the sun-light, casting a shadow over them. Isobel and Brendan both look up.
"Won't you sit beside me?" She said to Raymond.
Raymond sits down at her request.
"Isn't this nice, just sitting here. It's a moment without any intrusion. A moment when we can just relax," she said.
"I can't help but mourn its passing," Brendan said. "I always jump ahead and visualize the end. It makes me sad."
"The end?" Isobel said.
"Yes! The end of an affair or of a pleasurable moment. It's always inevitable. It makes me sad, that it can't last forever."
"Nothing lasts forever," she said. "We're not the first to feel this way and we won't be the last. There are people dead and buried a long time ago who did exactly what we're doing now. There are people who haven't been born yet who will do the same. So whatever way you look at it eventually we are all going to be alone."
"That's depressing!" Raymond said.
"That's why we've got to enjoy ourselves while we can," Isobel said.
"But not at the expense of others," Brendan said.
"You should've been a priest, Brendan! She said. "What do you think, Raymond? He's certainly got the face for it'; a solemn look."
"Frig off!" Brendan said.
They all laugh.
It starts to rain as they all get up and start running for shelter.

They all stand under the promenade wet from the rain.
"So much for the beauty and the moment," Brendan said.
"Beauty is where you find it and the moment isn't over yet!" She said. She looks on ahead and sees a guesthouse not far off. "We could run to that guesthouse and get dried off."
"It's too far away, we'll get wet." Brendan said.
"We couldn't get any wetter," she said as she runs off towards the guesthouse.

Some of the guests look round at these strangers who have entered their own private sanctuary.
Isobel is cheeky looking as if she is up to mischief or about to plot some. She turns to Brendan, smiling, moving close. "Let's stay here tonight."
"I don't know it looks awfully expensive," Brendan said.
"For someone who doesn't care about money, you don't half go on about it!" She said.
"I do whenever it's my own."
She moves even closer to him. "Let's stay. I told you I'd make it up to you, didn't I?"
He looks in her eyes for a brief moment and the immediately begins searching for his wallet.
He goes over to the reception.
Raymond stands looking around the place.
Isobel comes towards him. "It's so good that we can be together," she said. She rests a hand on his shoulder. He looks at her as if she is letting him know something, secretive.
Brendan comes back with the keys to the room. Isobel gets excited.
They all make their way towards the room. Suddenly, she stops, she has just remembered something. "Raymond! Would you be a dear and get my bag from your car. It won't take long."
"But it's raining!"
Brendan lifts an umbrella that probably belongs to one of the guests and hands it to him. "There you go!" Brendan said. "I'll see you up in room #37, on the second floor."
Brendan and Isobel go towards their room, giggling to themselves

Raymond walks reluctantly to the car. Occasionally he looks behind him in the hope that he might be joined by a companion. He continues walking, disappointed.

Brendan and Isobel enter their room. She jumps on the bed, lying down. Brendan looks out of the window. He sees a porch and a swing seat. He turns to face her. She looks at him in a playful way.