Gordon Mays got up early Saturday morning. He gathered some flowers from the garden and drove the short distance to the cemetery where his parents, sister and other family members were buried. This was something he often did, especially on Saturday. Jane saw him leaving through her window. She had accompanied Gordon to the cemetery a few times, but generally avoided the trip. Gordon could go and spend a couple of hours there sometimes, and Jane never could understand why it seemed to take him so long. She knew that he had more people there, including the twin sister he lost when a toddler, but cemeteries just did not seem to carry the same meaning to her that they did for Gordon. She knew that they contained only bodies and their markers, but she thought that Gordon must seem to think that some of the spirits of the departed lingered.
Jane began to attend to her usual Saturday morning routine of checking her business email and, finding nothing requiring instant attention, started cleaning up the kitchen and getting it more into order. After she had been working for about an hour, the phone on her wall rang. Jane answered it.
“Hi, Jane,” a female voice asked, “Is my uncle there?”
Jane did not place the voice and it took her a moment to figure who might be calling Gordon her uncle. The word did get used liberally around the Compound because there were so many uncles and nieces and nephews, but she couldn’t remember anybody using it to refer to Gordon. The caller ID was blocked, but after a couple of seconds she figured that it had to be Christina.
“Uh, Christina, he’s not here. I think he’s still at the cemetery. Do you want me to take a message?”
”No, that’s OK. You dressed right now?”
Although Jane was Christina’s step-grandmother, that relationship had never been apparent in their interactions. Jane was generally infuriated by the young woman she suspected little more than a rich tramp.
“It is none of your business, young lady, and I am hanging up.”
She hung up. She returned to what she was doing for about thirty seconds and then decided that it might be best to call Gordon. He might want to know that Christina might be looking for him.
“What’s up?” he answered.
Jane told him that his niece had just called and warned him that she might be on the way to the cemetery.
“Well, I just left so she’ll miss me. Got any idea what she wants?”
“I don’t know. She didn’t ask for you by name but as ‘my uncle.’”
“That’s probably not a good sign,” he answered. “Maybe I better call her and hold her off. You got her cell number?”
“Just a second.”
She grabbed an old-fashioned personal phone book and located Christina’s number which she gave to Gordon. They disconnected and Gordon gave Christina a call.
When he contacted her he asked why she had called him.
“Well, you know that Edna and my mother and I and the mayor and some others were out the night before last seeing how well the city was adapting to the new situation, don’t you?”
“Yes. That has gotten around.”
“Well, Justin and I want to go back this afternoon. We wondered whether you might want to join us.”
Gordon knew that Justin had had no part in the matter and suspected that he had not even heard of it yet. He also knew that he had never gone anywhere with his niece that family business had not mandated. He wondered what she was up to.
“Where were you thinking of going?”
“Well, we went to Yankee Joe’s last night, so today I think we just want to walk around Central Park to be sure that nobody is getting hassled for being naked. And maybe to Java Juba Lee. I’m still not sure that Laura is in on the program. And just a good walk downtown wouldn’t hurt.”
“I know that you and Justin will be naked. He probably won’t see another day dressed until you go back to school. But I’m not in a mood to do that. The right to public nudity is something I believe in, but do not intend to use that right myself, at least not now. Kind of like abortion, in a way. A lot of people support the right who won’t ever have one.”
That’s OK. We want a mixed group, both naked and dressed. That shows how tolerant we all are. And Justin’s mother will like it better if we have a lawyer handy. She still isn’t believing in this whole thing.”
“Well, I imagine that there are a lot of people who aren’t convinced. But you don’t need a lawyer. Why don’t you get Anna? She’s closer to your age. She’ll stay dressed, but won’t look so out of place with you as I would.”
“I already talked to her. She might. I think she thinks some of her girlfriends might go to the movies instead. But she is becoming a cool kid. But we’re not worried about you looking out place and you shouldn’t be either. Hey, maybe I should see if Uncle Simon wants to be pushed around town today.”
“Leave him alone. Anytime Uncle Simon wants to go, he’ll go. He’s earned his peace. I know you see him every day, but give him some space.”
“Well, I was just speculating, but you are right. Well, we’ll probably be going around two or so, so give me a call if you want to join us. OK? Or maybe I’ll just call you back.”
She disconnected. Gordon pulled into the A&W stand and ordered two hot dogs and a big mug. He sensed some relieve when the car hop came out completely dressed.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Saturday N-Day +2 Angi, Linda, and Cyd
Angi had worked at Jim’s until midnight on Friday night. Jean usually sent her home earlier when business had tapered below a certain leve, but the night had been busier than normal. hen Early in the evening Joan had had her bouncer deny service to two naked men in their forties who had come together. Angi had not recognized either of them and wondered whether Joan had barred them because of their nudity or perhaps some perceived gayness. Had she had time to think more about it, she would have understood the first situation and condemned the second, although she realized that Jim’s was not really in a situation to become a gay bar. But that was the only time that any one had tried to enter Jim’s naked that she knew of since N-Day.
She went home and showered the smoke out of her hair, slipped on a night shirt, and went to sleep. When she got up at nine in the morning she went downstairs. Cyd and Linda were both on their computers communicating with people from somewhere. Cyd was on the front porch wearing only a pair of black cutoffs and smoking a cigarette while doing something on her laptop. Angi knew that Cyd did not smoke often and surmised that something had her concerned.
“What’s happening? This isn’t the usual Saturday activity,” she asked.
“Pretty much we expected,” Linda answered. She handed Angi some printouts.
“Look at these. The early copies of some of the bigger Sunday papers are out. There are a couple of big ads financed by who knows who and they don’t sound very polite, shall we say. This may be the worst. It says it is funded by ‘Citizens for Families.’ It blames our new clothing optional state on ‘godless and foreign agents and their legislative and judicial cohorts and lackeys’ and calls for the removal of all present office holders except for the attorney general who they say should be installed as governor now because she is the only state office holder qualified to hold any public office. They want everybody replaced by people who will respect the constitution and families and oppose public indecency, and who will end any program which gives any state money, including medical or housing assistance, to anybody who engages in non-coital sex or outside of legal heterosexual marriage.”
“Aren’t they just hotheads?” Angi asked.
“Maybe,” Linda answered, “but they have a lot of money and they have the support of some mainstream politicians, at least from the past, it seems. Does the name of Clark Quentin Throneberry mean anything to you?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Well, he is one of the signers. He used to be governor, a Democrat who some people thought was a liberal, who served two terms and retired to making money almost forty years ago. He’s almost ninety now, but I don’t think he has burned all of his bridges. Some of our correspondents have been telling us that he still makes all the right parties and still meets with prominent people. He is quoted as saying that while the decent people slept that outside forces came and took things over. In increments. First liberalized divorce, then abortion rights, then gay rights, and now the right to ‘flaunt what should not be flaunted’ and says that we need to undo all of these things. He was one of the state’s first prominent supporters of choice, so it really seems strange.”
‘Well, if they’re attacking what so many people are doing, don’t they think that they’ll just be making too many enemies to get their stuff done?”
“We can hope so, but remember there’ll be hell to pay if we’re wrong. That’s why we have to mobilize and do it now. Linda and I and all of us have just too much to lose.”
“I understand.”
She went to the kitchen for a bite of breakfast.
She went home and showered the smoke out of her hair, slipped on a night shirt, and went to sleep. When she got up at nine in the morning she went downstairs. Cyd and Linda were both on their computers communicating with people from somewhere. Cyd was on the front porch wearing only a pair of black cutoffs and smoking a cigarette while doing something on her laptop. Angi knew that Cyd did not smoke often and surmised that something had her concerned.
“What’s happening? This isn’t the usual Saturday activity,” she asked.
“Pretty much we expected,” Linda answered. She handed Angi some printouts.
“Look at these. The early copies of some of the bigger Sunday papers are out. There are a couple of big ads financed by who knows who and they don’t sound very polite, shall we say. This may be the worst. It says it is funded by ‘Citizens for Families.’ It blames our new clothing optional state on ‘godless and foreign agents and their legislative and judicial cohorts and lackeys’ and calls for the removal of all present office holders except for the attorney general who they say should be installed as governor now because she is the only state office holder qualified to hold any public office. They want everybody replaced by people who will respect the constitution and families and oppose public indecency, and who will end any program which gives any state money, including medical or housing assistance, to anybody who engages in non-coital sex or outside of legal heterosexual marriage.”
“Aren’t they just hotheads?” Angi asked.
“Maybe,” Linda answered, “but they have a lot of money and they have the support of some mainstream politicians, at least from the past, it seems. Does the name of Clark Quentin Throneberry mean anything to you?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Well, he is one of the signers. He used to be governor, a Democrat who some people thought was a liberal, who served two terms and retired to making money almost forty years ago. He’s almost ninety now, but I don’t think he has burned all of his bridges. Some of our correspondents have been telling us that he still makes all the right parties and still meets with prominent people. He is quoted as saying that while the decent people slept that outside forces came and took things over. In increments. First liberalized divorce, then abortion rights, then gay rights, and now the right to ‘flaunt what should not be flaunted’ and says that we need to undo all of these things. He was one of the state’s first prominent supporters of choice, so it really seems strange.”
‘Well, if they’re attacking what so many people are doing, don’t they think that they’ll just be making too many enemies to get their stuff done?”
“We can hope so, but remember there’ll be hell to pay if we’re wrong. That’s why we have to mobilize and do it now. Linda and I and all of us have just too much to lose.”
“I understand.”
She went to the kitchen for a bite of breakfast.
Saturday Morning N-Day +2 At the Bowman house
It was Saturday morning, shortly after 7:30 a.m. Public nudity had been legal for almost 44 hours. So far Alicia Bowman had only seen three people naked, a young couple with a toddler being carried by the father. Her husband Tim had decided not to ban naked shoppers at his hardware store, but had told her that he had not seen any yet. A few naked people had been seen about town, but whatever onrush of naked people some had predicted did not seem to be happening. Alicia was glad, in a way. She had come to the opinion that she was not really opposed simple social nakedness, but really was in no hurry to see it and even less to participate.
She just seen her husband and their 14-year-old son Derek off to a day’s work in the hardware store the and was preparing to spend the day at home with her daughter Deanna and her sister Carla’s daughter Brittany. She suspected that their friend Shelly Michalski would be stopping by. She usually did.
Alicia and Carla often exchanged Saturday day care for their children, especially for their daughters who were about the same age, enjoyed each other’s company, and at ten and eleven years of age they felt was a bit too young to leave alone for long. Alicia figured that the girls would spend the morning watching cartoons and playing video games while she prepared for Sunday dinner and worked on the hardware store books. She also wanted to give the kitchen floor a good scrubbing if she could work it in since it had been several days since it had had more than a simple mopping.
The doorbell rang. She had her head in some business books and since she assumed that it was Carla with Brittany, she yelled, “Come in.”
She looked up and saw Shelly come in. Shelly was completely naked. Although she was the same age as Deanna and Brittany, somehow she had not realized how much older Shelly looked than the other two girls. She had not been looking forward to Deanna’s puberty and adolescence with any special zeal and a glimpse of naked Shelly reminded her of uncomforting things. She also found herself concerned for Shelly’s welfare.
She paused for a few seconds before figuring out what to say.
“Good morning, Shelly. Did you bring any clothes with you today?”
“No, Mrs. Bowman. Don’t need them no more. Didn’t you know that?”
“Well, you don’t need them to be legal, but you can’t just go anyplace without them. How did you get here?”
“I walked.”
Alicia wanted to send Shelly home to get some clothes, but the Michalskis lived three blocks away. Alicia was already shuddering at the idea that Shelly had made the trip across the neighborhood naked already and certainly did not want the child making another trip home by herself naked.
“Can I call your mother to have her bring you something to wear?”
“She isn’t home.”
“She didn’t leave you home naked by yourself, did she?”
“Oh, no. I wasn’t naked when she left. Mark is supposed to be looking after me, but he said it was OK for me to come here.” Mark was Shelly’s older brother, about sixteen or seventeen years old.
“He said it was all right for you to come here naked?”
“Well, I just did that. He didn’t say anything about that and he didn’t see me when I left.”
“Well, you need to go home and get some clothes, but I don’t want you walking again –not naked through the neighborhood. You don’t know what kind of people you’ll meet making the trip. Can you call Mark and have him bring you something.”
“He won’t do it. He doesn’t like to touch girls’ clothing, except for what he is trying to get them off his girlfriend. And he’s probably not there. I’m sure that as soon as I left that he left too.”
‘Would anybody be home?”
“Probably not.”
“Can you call him, anyway. I know that nakedness is legal now, but I’m not sure I want it here in my house and I am not sure that Deanna and Brittany will be comfortable.”
Alicia had not noticed that Deanna had entered the room from the door behind her, but her daughter spoke up.
“I think she’s cool, Mom. I was thinking I could maybe take mine off too, only as long as we stay here, but I’m not sure that Brittany is cool with it. In fact, she probably isn’t.”
“Keep your clothes on, young lady. We’ll talk about all this some other time,” Alicia told her daughter.
Turning back to Shelly, she repeated her request for Shelly to call her brother. Shelly grabbed her phone and called him. Alicia was not encouraged by what she heard.
“Can you bring me some clothes? I’m at Deanna’s. … No, I didn’t wear any. …”You didn’t say I had to, either. Nobody told me I had to. … Where are you going? … OK, thanks.”
Turning to Alicia, she said, “I was right, Mrs. Bowman. He skipped out as soon as I left.”
“Well, I better call your mother.”
She called Ann Michalski’s cell phone. The girls could hear her groan when she discovered that she had reached voice mail. She left a message for Ann to call her, but imagined that a response would not be immediate.
“Well, Shelly, you are welcome here, but I really don’t want you here naked. Deanna will see if something of hers will fit you well enough for you to get by for the morning. Your mother and I will need to talk later. Go ahead girls. Go up and see what you can find.”
The two girls went off to Shelly’s room.
“Your mom’s kind of bent on this, ain’t she?” Shelly commented.
“Well, she’s pretty cool, I think. But something about this nakedness thing confuses her. She and my dad kind of promised me that I’ll be allowed to go naked, but they haven’t told me when or where. And Derek is scared shitless that somebody is going to make him do it. That really creeps him out.”
“Scared shitless” was a phrase she knew her parents did not approve of, but she had heard her father and some of the older people in her family use it, so she used it sometimes herself.
Shelly commented, “I think my brothers are all scared shitless too, but I know that any of them will do it if enough other guys call them chicken. And I think that the right girl might get them to do it too. Mark is trying so hard to fuck Morgan and I don’t think she’s ever going to let him. It’s funny. He wants to get her clothes off, but I’ll bet that she has his off first.”
Deanna knew that her parents did not like to hear the f-word spoken and did not use it herself, but somehow accepted that Shelly had no such compunctions.
“You ever seen him naked?”
“Yeah, and I don’t think Morgan will like it if she sees it. It doesn’t look very long.”
“Well, you haven’t seen very many, at least not grownups in person.”
“Well, no. But it doesn’t look like much to me. If he ever gets to fuck her, she’ll be disappointed.”
Deanna knew that her parents had been clear that she was not to use the f-word and she never used it herself, but she knew that Shelly was responsible to a different parent. She had never thought of Derek attempting sexual intercourse and somehow it just did not seem right to be talking about one’s big brother’s sex life or lack thereof.
They looked for something for Shelly to wear. Shelly was taller and heavier than her friend, but they found a pair of Deanna’s sweats which covered her up, although they were a little tight and left some midriff bare and only came down to a few inches above the ankles.
As they finished getting Shelly dressed, Carla had dropped off Brittany and Brittany ran up the steps to greet them. They had started to watch the television in Deanna’s room when Alicia came up to them.
“You girls behave now. I know you will, but I always remind you. I’ll be downstairs. And sorry, Shelly, about that misunderstanding. You can wear those sweats home when you go.”
Alicia left the girls alone but stayed close enough in the house to hear anything louder than usual.
She just seen her husband and their 14-year-old son Derek off to a day’s work in the hardware store the and was preparing to spend the day at home with her daughter Deanna and her sister Carla’s daughter Brittany. She suspected that their friend Shelly Michalski would be stopping by. She usually did.
Alicia and Carla often exchanged Saturday day care for their children, especially for their daughters who were about the same age, enjoyed each other’s company, and at ten and eleven years of age they felt was a bit too young to leave alone for long. Alicia figured that the girls would spend the morning watching cartoons and playing video games while she prepared for Sunday dinner and worked on the hardware store books. She also wanted to give the kitchen floor a good scrubbing if she could work it in since it had been several days since it had had more than a simple mopping.
The doorbell rang. She had her head in some business books and since she assumed that it was Carla with Brittany, she yelled, “Come in.”
She looked up and saw Shelly come in. Shelly was completely naked. Although she was the same age as Deanna and Brittany, somehow she had not realized how much older Shelly looked than the other two girls. She had not been looking forward to Deanna’s puberty and adolescence with any special zeal and a glimpse of naked Shelly reminded her of uncomforting things. She also found herself concerned for Shelly’s welfare.
She paused for a few seconds before figuring out what to say.
“Good morning, Shelly. Did you bring any clothes with you today?”
“No, Mrs. Bowman. Don’t need them no more. Didn’t you know that?”
“Well, you don’t need them to be legal, but you can’t just go anyplace without them. How did you get here?”
“I walked.”
Alicia wanted to send Shelly home to get some clothes, but the Michalskis lived three blocks away. Alicia was already shuddering at the idea that Shelly had made the trip across the neighborhood naked already and certainly did not want the child making another trip home by herself naked.
“Can I call your mother to have her bring you something to wear?”
“She isn’t home.”
“She didn’t leave you home naked by yourself, did she?”
“Oh, no. I wasn’t naked when she left. Mark is supposed to be looking after me, but he said it was OK for me to come here.” Mark was Shelly’s older brother, about sixteen or seventeen years old.
“He said it was all right for you to come here naked?”
“Well, I just did that. He didn’t say anything about that and he didn’t see me when I left.”
“Well, you need to go home and get some clothes, but I don’t want you walking again –not naked through the neighborhood. You don’t know what kind of people you’ll meet making the trip. Can you call Mark and have him bring you something.”
“He won’t do it. He doesn’t like to touch girls’ clothing, except for what he is trying to get them off his girlfriend. And he’s probably not there. I’m sure that as soon as I left that he left too.”
‘Would anybody be home?”
“Probably not.”
“Can you call him, anyway. I know that nakedness is legal now, but I’m not sure I want it here in my house and I am not sure that Deanna and Brittany will be comfortable.”
Alicia had not noticed that Deanna had entered the room from the door behind her, but her daughter spoke up.
“I think she’s cool, Mom. I was thinking I could maybe take mine off too, only as long as we stay here, but I’m not sure that Brittany is cool with it. In fact, she probably isn’t.”
“Keep your clothes on, young lady. We’ll talk about all this some other time,” Alicia told her daughter.
Turning back to Shelly, she repeated her request for Shelly to call her brother. Shelly grabbed her phone and called him. Alicia was not encouraged by what she heard.
“Can you bring me some clothes? I’m at Deanna’s. … No, I didn’t wear any. …”You didn’t say I had to, either. Nobody told me I had to. … Where are you going? … OK, thanks.”
Turning to Alicia, she said, “I was right, Mrs. Bowman. He skipped out as soon as I left.”
“Well, I better call your mother.”
She called Ann Michalski’s cell phone. The girls could hear her groan when she discovered that she had reached voice mail. She left a message for Ann to call her, but imagined that a response would not be immediate.
“Well, Shelly, you are welcome here, but I really don’t want you here naked. Deanna will see if something of hers will fit you well enough for you to get by for the morning. Your mother and I will need to talk later. Go ahead girls. Go up and see what you can find.”
The two girls went off to Shelly’s room.
“Your mom’s kind of bent on this, ain’t she?” Shelly commented.
“Well, she’s pretty cool, I think. But something about this nakedness thing confuses her. She and my dad kind of promised me that I’ll be allowed to go naked, but they haven’t told me when or where. And Derek is scared shitless that somebody is going to make him do it. That really creeps him out.”
“Scared shitless” was a phrase she knew her parents did not approve of, but she had heard her father and some of the older people in her family use it, so she used it sometimes herself.
Shelly commented, “I think my brothers are all scared shitless too, but I know that any of them will do it if enough other guys call them chicken. And I think that the right girl might get them to do it too. Mark is trying so hard to fuck Morgan and I don’t think she’s ever going to let him. It’s funny. He wants to get her clothes off, but I’ll bet that she has his off first.”
Deanna knew that her parents did not like to hear the f-word spoken and did not use it herself, but somehow accepted that Shelly had no such compunctions.
“You ever seen him naked?”
“Yeah, and I don’t think Morgan will like it if she sees it. It doesn’t look very long.”
“Well, you haven’t seen very many, at least not grownups in person.”
“Well, no. But it doesn’t look like much to me. If he ever gets to fuck her, she’ll be disappointed.”
Deanna knew that her parents had been clear that she was not to use the f-word and she never used it herself, but she knew that Shelly was responsible to a different parent. She had never thought of Derek attempting sexual intercourse and somehow it just did not seem right to be talking about one’s big brother’s sex life or lack thereof.
They looked for something for Shelly to wear. Shelly was taller and heavier than her friend, but they found a pair of Deanna’s sweats which covered her up, although they were a little tight and left some midriff bare and only came down to a few inches above the ankles.
As they finished getting Shelly dressed, Carla had dropped off Brittany and Brittany ran up the steps to greet them. They had started to watch the television in Deanna’s room when Alicia came up to them.
“You girls behave now. I know you will, but I always remind you. I’ll be downstairs. And sorry, Shelly, about that misunderstanding. You can wear those sweats home when you go.”
Alicia left the girls alone but stayed close enough in the house to hear anything louder than usual.
Saturday Morning N-Day +2 Java Juba Lee
Thursday afternoon and Friday had been uneventful at Java Juba Lee. Although Laura Lyon, the owner, had decided that she would tolerate but not encourage nakedness for her customers, nobody had made any attempt to enter undressed. But even as she entered her establishment at 5:45 in the morning, she knew that the first time would come soon, likely that day. She remembered blanching a bit last week about the possibility of seeing a naked Clyde and wondered whether her Saturday morning regular would impose himself upon her in such a way.
She picked up her stack of newspapers and went inside. She put her purse in her locker and started preparing for opening. At about 5:55 Twyla Morris knocked on the back door and Laura let her employee in.
“I didn’t see Clyde’s pickup out there,” Twyla said to her employer. “Do you think we might be lucky and he’s not coming?”
“Well, I don’t know if we’re lucky when customers don’t show up but I know what you mean,” Laura answered. “Let’s just get open and see who shows.”
Nobody was at the door when they opened at the appointed hour. That was not surprising, especially on Saturday. Usually, Clyde was the only one there right on the hour. The others usually took a bit more time to arrive.
Several people came and left during the next two hours. Saturday morning differed from weekdays at Java Jubilee,. Total sales were generally a bit less, but business was more consistent and did not have the surges and lulls that weekdays did. Among those who had come and gone were two J. G. Cherry professors. Laura was able to overhear them discussing something about the nudity laws and campus life, but did not really understand what they were concerned or interested about. Ashley Wilkinson had stopped by and bought a beverage to take with him to his pharmacy. He told Laura that nobody had entered his store naked yet, but that one of his employees had asked if she could work naked. He said that he told her that he would have to study the matter, but confided to Laura that he didn’t think that he would let it happen.
Laura and Twyla had been able to handle everybody comfortably. Clyde had not shown up. Lontrell was scheduled to join them at 11:00 and Laura figured that she would use his arrival as an opportunity to run a few errands, including taking the deposit to the bank. That was her usual Saturday routine and so far everything seemed routine.
About 8:00 a.m. Karen Cahill entered with her partner Taylor. They grabbed a booth and Twyla walked over to serve them. Laura figured that she had time to greet and speak to them briefly while Twyla was tending to their orders.
“I see everybody’s dressed,” Karen noted. “Has it been this way all day?”
“So far nobody since N-Day, but I know that won’t last.” Laura replied. “How is it going for you?”
“Well, we had our first clothing optional evening session last night. There weren’t many swimmers, but of course, we hadn’t done any advertising since it was intended to be a trial run. The swimmers we had seemed to have a good time, but we did have a problem outside the fence – gawkers, maybe a dozen or so, mostly male, and they weren’t always nice or quiet. Well, I guess that nice wouldn’t be the right word. Gawkers are not nice by definition, but they hooted and hollered and pointed out some of the swimmers anatomical disadvantages, but I didn’t hear any of major complaints from the guests. Of course, unhappy customers usually don’t complain. They just don’t come back. Our security people tried to get them to move on, but they seemed to know that they were on public property. Two of the city’s finest came by and told them that they were causing a disturbance on a public sidewalk and suggested that they were loitering and it shut them up for a while, but it didn’t take for the rest of the night. And I can’t say how many cameras there were, but there must have been at least one per person. But I was very pleased at how our staff handled everything they could handle. They took it all maturely and professionally. The security people I got did well too, but I think I will need to talk to Scully about more police presence. We may just have to hire an off-duty cop to patrol the perimeter. And we may still need to put up some kind of opaque fence, especially on the west side where last night’s gawkers found were looking through the chain link.”
“Well, you knew that you would have problems with gawkers. I guess that’s almost an inherent risk for a water park, even when they’re wearing suits. I’d hate to see you have to put up a wall along that edge instead of the chain link, but I suppose you might. I know that if I was a perv with a camera that I would run to your place a lot quicker than I would come here. I may get a few naked people yet, but most of the people here will still be clothed.”
“Well, you may get your first naked people today. I know that my neighbors are going to check out some places to check on what the atmosphere for unclothed people is, but I am not sure they are coming to Conway, much less which places that would be.”
“They nice folks?”
“They’re good people,” Taylor interjected. “They came into town with Karen and I the night before last when we went to the Conway City Inn and the Telegraph Room. They aren’t from around here and we were there with Edna and the mayor and some of the Family and I think they were more shocked that they were socializing with the Family than they were by naked people. They’re younger and seemed to take up with Christina and her boyfriend Justin quite easily.”
“Well, that Christina is just as sneaky as her aunt,” Laura noted. “But I have some more people here and I’d better get back to work. Good luck over there.”
Laura went back to work and Twyla brought Karen and Taylor their orders.
She picked up her stack of newspapers and went inside. She put her purse in her locker and started preparing for opening. At about 5:55 Twyla Morris knocked on the back door and Laura let her employee in.
“I didn’t see Clyde’s pickup out there,” Twyla said to her employer. “Do you think we might be lucky and he’s not coming?”
“Well, I don’t know if we’re lucky when customers don’t show up but I know what you mean,” Laura answered. “Let’s just get open and see who shows.”
Nobody was at the door when they opened at the appointed hour. That was not surprising, especially on Saturday. Usually, Clyde was the only one there right on the hour. The others usually took a bit more time to arrive.
Several people came and left during the next two hours. Saturday morning differed from weekdays at Java Jubilee,. Total sales were generally a bit less, but business was more consistent and did not have the surges and lulls that weekdays did. Among those who had come and gone were two J. G. Cherry professors. Laura was able to overhear them discussing something about the nudity laws and campus life, but did not really understand what they were concerned or interested about. Ashley Wilkinson had stopped by and bought a beverage to take with him to his pharmacy. He told Laura that nobody had entered his store naked yet, but that one of his employees had asked if she could work naked. He said that he told her that he would have to study the matter, but confided to Laura that he didn’t think that he would let it happen.
Laura and Twyla had been able to handle everybody comfortably. Clyde had not shown up. Lontrell was scheduled to join them at 11:00 and Laura figured that she would use his arrival as an opportunity to run a few errands, including taking the deposit to the bank. That was her usual Saturday routine and so far everything seemed routine.
About 8:00 a.m. Karen Cahill entered with her partner Taylor. They grabbed a booth and Twyla walked over to serve them. Laura figured that she had time to greet and speak to them briefly while Twyla was tending to their orders.
“I see everybody’s dressed,” Karen noted. “Has it been this way all day?”
“So far nobody since N-Day, but I know that won’t last.” Laura replied. “How is it going for you?”
“Well, we had our first clothing optional evening session last night. There weren’t many swimmers, but of course, we hadn’t done any advertising since it was intended to be a trial run. The swimmers we had seemed to have a good time, but we did have a problem outside the fence – gawkers, maybe a dozen or so, mostly male, and they weren’t always nice or quiet. Well, I guess that nice wouldn’t be the right word. Gawkers are not nice by definition, but they hooted and hollered and pointed out some of the swimmers anatomical disadvantages, but I didn’t hear any of major complaints from the guests. Of course, unhappy customers usually don’t complain. They just don’t come back. Our security people tried to get them to move on, but they seemed to know that they were on public property. Two of the city’s finest came by and told them that they were causing a disturbance on a public sidewalk and suggested that they were loitering and it shut them up for a while, but it didn’t take for the rest of the night. And I can’t say how many cameras there were, but there must have been at least one per person. But I was very pleased at how our staff handled everything they could handle. They took it all maturely and professionally. The security people I got did well too, but I think I will need to talk to Scully about more police presence. We may just have to hire an off-duty cop to patrol the perimeter. And we may still need to put up some kind of opaque fence, especially on the west side where last night’s gawkers found were looking through the chain link.”
“Well, you knew that you would have problems with gawkers. I guess that’s almost an inherent risk for a water park, even when they’re wearing suits. I’d hate to see you have to put up a wall along that edge instead of the chain link, but I suppose you might. I know that if I was a perv with a camera that I would run to your place a lot quicker than I would come here. I may get a few naked people yet, but most of the people here will still be clothed.”
“Well, you may get your first naked people today. I know that my neighbors are going to check out some places to check on what the atmosphere for unclothed people is, but I am not sure they are coming to Conway, much less which places that would be.”
“They nice folks?”
“They’re good people,” Taylor interjected. “They came into town with Karen and I the night before last when we went to the Conway City Inn and the Telegraph Room. They aren’t from around here and we were there with Edna and the mayor and some of the Family and I think they were more shocked that they were socializing with the Family than they were by naked people. They’re younger and seemed to take up with Christina and her boyfriend Justin quite easily.”
“Well, that Christina is just as sneaky as her aunt,” Laura noted. “But I have some more people here and I’d better get back to work. Good luck over there.”
Laura went back to work and Twyla brought Karen and Taylor their orders.
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