Author's note - This story is a long story, a long build up so if you are looking for something quick, this is not it. Enjoy!
No one ever looks at the older, dad-bod looking guy sitting on the beach along the water soaking up the sun and the sights and the sounds that the ocean has to offer.
Over the last few weeks, over a month so far, I have been coming down to the beach, feet in the sand, a good book in hand and taking the occasional frolic in the ocean.
My employer allows me the flexibility in the summer months to work from home, or in my case, my second home at the beach and this flexibility is a luxury that I take full advantage of. I will clock in to work in the early morning hours and also in the late evening and nights for my oversea clients. Which means that I have all day to spend being lazy and plant my ass on the beach.
Over the past four to six weeks I have seen the summer tourists come and go. The small families and large "reunion at the beach" families. The young couples getting away and the older ones that look like they have been married for decades. The obnoxious beach goers who kick up sand next to you or shake their blankets and towels all over you without any consideration for which way the wind blows or plays the radio so loud for all to hear. And of course the friendly tourists that are polite, courteous and considerate.
I do feel that being in my mid forties, dad bod type, I am invisible at the beach. Way too old for the lovely young ladies who are seemingly single or with their girlfriends. Of course, there are other lovely younger ladies who are with their husbands and children. But again, I feel like I am not ever seen.
Maybe it's the graying hair. Thankfully, I am not balding. I thank good genes for that. But the gray game is strong.
It has its advantages, being invisible. The conversations that I hear on the beach. Young local teenaged boys trying to pick up the teenage tourist girls. The stories these guys will tell as they hit on the girls. Or the large family conversations about who can't stand who. I could write a book about these overheard conversations.
But there is a different story I wanted to tell. One that starts with me standing at the waterline of the ocean, the salt water washing over my feet and then receding over and over. The light breeze off the water that was cool and refreshing on this late morning summer day.
I was standing there in my swim trunks and nothing else, my usual beach attire, watching a pod of dolphins about fifty yards out. And watching the kids on their boogie boards riding the breaking waves, all smiles and laughter as they navigate the surf.
A woman approached the surf from my right and took a position close to me and looked out over the water. She was close enough to have a conversation with but I chose to remain silent and instead, using my side view, took the opportunity to look her over.
She seemed to be in her late thirties or very young forties. She was curvy in all the right places wearing a flattering one piece bathing suit. She had a good tan going which meant that she had been down at the beach for a few days or she tanned before coming to the beach. Either way, her skin had a radiant glow, sunkissed. And her white painted toe nails contrasted the tan and sand covered feet.
After a few moments of us standing there I pointed out the pod of dolphins that were swimming by. "Oh wow, they are close. They are so amazing," she replied.
"They are out there feeding and following the small fish. If you look closely you can see the fish jumping out of the water ahead of the dolphins," I said.
We watched the dolphins swim down the beach, following their food until they were almost out of sight.
"It was nice talking to you," I said to her before walking back to my chair.
Sitting down in my beach chair, I could see that she was still standing there looking out over the water. This allowed me to observe her from behind, her curvy but shapely body. Thick thighs, plump ass and a full torso. I was fully appreciating what I saw.
She must have been feeling my stares because she looked back over her shoulder at me. With my sunglasses on and my poker face I did not flinch at getting caught because for all she knew, I was looking at something else.
She turned away from the water and walked back to her beach spot that was over my right shoulder. I tried to play it cool, not look overly curious or nosy and took my time looking behind me to where she was. I noticed that she seemed to be alone on this day.
Throughout the day I kept noticing her when she would walk to the ocean's edge to feel the cool breeze or when I would get up to go to the surf I would look back and see her sitting there. And it would be mid afternoon when I saw her pack up her things and leave the beach.
The following day, by mid morning, I returned to the same area of the beach that I always go to. Setting up my things first on the sand I then went into the ocean before sitting down and taking my book out to read.
Only a few pages into my book I notice movement alongside me. The woman from yesterday was setting up next to me. I politely nodded my head to acknowledge her and she smiled in return. Today she was in a different one piece bathing suit. Different style and different cut in a maroon color. I watched her navigate the beach down to the water and admired the movement of her body as she did.
At one point in the morning her and I were standing at the water's edge again within conversation range of each other. "No dolphins today," she said.
"No, it does not seem so today," I responded.
We talked idly for a few moments about nothing really. Lack of dolphins, problematic sea gulls, tides and anything else beach related before I stated that I was going to return to my chair. And A few moments after she returned to hers.
At some point, I must have fallen asleep in my chair because I awoke with the woman standing next to me, her hand on my arm and gently nudging me.
Non Aggressively she was saying, "Hey. Hey. Wake up"
I wasn't quite fully awake to respond coherently but she continued, "You are getting really red. Did you put sunblock on? You have been asleep for a while"