Rainy Day Stories

Lost and Found -- The Beach Edition

Slamming the newspaper down, Mrs. Clyde Barrow (aka Natalie) guzzled her mimosa. She'd thought of ordering another and remembered how champagne impaired her judgment in choosing her wedding dress. She placed the empty glass on the table picking a better choice -- her coffee. Crossing her arms, Natalie decided to pout for a little while. After all the humiliation she'd had to endure, she was allowed.

"Hey, beautiful! Did you order breakfast?" Her husband's eyes were filled with love. It seemed too petty to pout.

"No just coffee and a mimosa." She blushed. He'd heard about the bridal shop incident. Everyone had heard. Clyde reached for her hand. He brushed his lips softly across her left hand. Her warm gaze focused on the wonderful man in front of her.

"What's in the paper?" He reached for it. Natalie thrust her finger pointing to the column written about their wedding. Clyde laughed.

"It isn't funny! They're mocking us!" Natalie's tear-filled eyes glistened.

A large photo of Clyde looking dapper in his tux and Natalie wearing her barely-there mini wedding dress had an equally large caption below it -- 'Clyde Barrow and his "Bonnie" Bride Married in Gangsta Style'. Clyde bit his lower lip trying to keep from laughing his ass off. Looking at Natalie's sad face, he immediately sobered.

"I'm the envy of every man out there. Not many women could have looked so hot in that little dress. How 'bout after we eat, we head down to the beach?" Natalie smiled broadly at her wonderful guy.

The Barrows headed down to the beach as planned. Natalie had her new bikini on with a matching shawl tied over her hips and a floppy sunhat. They almost didn't make it out of their room when Clyde saw her in her swimsuit. But at Natalie's insistence (her beachwear had to be seen), they headed down to the sand. Clyde threw his bride over his shoulder and ran down into the water tossing her into the waves. The happy couple cavorted in the water.

****

Further down the beach, Clarice Travers and Miss Lydia walked along the shoreline getting some exercise and picking up sea glass and shells. Miss Lydia had decided she wanted to go the seashore. When you get to be an octogenarian, you don't put off things. A woman's scream had Clarice jumping with surprise, and Miss Lydia put her hand over her heart.

"What in tarnation is going on? Those young people are going to give cardiac arrests to all of us gray-hairs." Miss Lydia shook her head stooping over slowly to pick something up. "Clarice, lookie what I found. Do you think someone lost this?"

A tiny bikini top dangled from Miss Lydia's fingers. She laughed so hard she had to hold her sides.

****

Natalie, in the meantime, hunkered down in the water while Clyde searched for her missing top.

"I'll find it, sweetie," he promised.

"Never mind. Just get something I can cover myself with."