© 2014, All rights reserved - mimaster
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
THWAK
The sound of a perfectly struck shot resonated against the thicket of surrounding trees, the echo making the noise more pronounced. The tiny ball started low, soaring down the narrow chute before rising quickly into a high majestic flight. It hugged the tree line on the left, and began curving as it reached its apex, turning gently to the right toward the natural opening. It landed on the plush green grass of the fairway, catching a gentle slope and rolling out of view.
"Beautiful shot. I love how you draw the ball," Neil said as he stepped up toward the tee.
"Ah, just a turn of the ol' wrists. Helps being cack-handed," Jeremy shrugged as he handed his driver to his caddie. "Will that do, Eddie?"
Eddie nodded and said, "Perfect. You hit the downside of the hill... that'll get you wedge into the green."
"Excuse me? Cack... what?" Sam, one of their playing partners asked with a puzzled look on his face.
"Cack-handed."
"What's that mean?"
"I'm a leftie... a southpaw. What do you Yanks call it?"
"Uh, left-handed," Dennis, Sam's friend chuckled.
Neil chuckled too, but not because of Dennis' rather obvious retort. He was laughing at Jeremy, and the way he was pretending to be unaware of the local customs.
The two of them had arrived at the posh Miami country club where they were playing, gaining access through the time-share that Jeremy's parents owned. They'd called ahead for a tee time, and because they were just a twosome, they were partnered with another pair. The two young guys hailed from Kansas City, both in Florida for a business conference that was to start the next day. What those unwitting friends didn't know was that Neil and Jeremy actually knew each other. What they also didn't know was that Jeremy was accentuating his Kiwi roots, using them to their advantage.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ann and Neil had landed at Miami International Airport late on Sunday Night. The two flights to get there had been uneventful, and even though they had a layover, in Denver of all places, it was a much smoother day of travel than the one they'd experienced on their way to Michigan. It was storms over Colorado that had cancelled their original flight on their way to Dawn and Jeremy's wedding, and had caused countless problems even the day after.
This trip was much better. Their luggage even made it to their final destination on the same flight. It was a long day of travel, but compared to what they'd been through the two days before, it was a walk in the park.
Ann was beside herself when she found out they were going to Florida, especially the idea of heading to Miami. She'd vacationed many times with her parents on the gulf side of the state, near Tampa. But she'd never gone that far south, and Miami seemed, well... exotic to her.
Much of that perception came from her love of
Miami Vice
. Yes, there was an element of danger that hung over the shows concept. After all, it was a drama about crime, and drugs, and corruption. But woven into the fabric of the episodes was the backdrop; a posh metropolitan playground filled with excitement and adventure, and yes... sex.
The way the show portrayed the city, with its heavy Latin influences in the culture, the pristine white sandy beaches filled with beautiful scantily clad women and men, along with the incredible nightlife the area had, it seemed like they were jetting off to a foreign land; one within her own country. At the very least, it would be foreign to her, and she found herself turned on just from the idea of being there. Obviously they wouldn't be hanging out in places that were dangerous. But vacationing in someplace tropical and sexy appealed to her in many ways.
The layover had actually been fun. By changing planes they had three hours to kill, and they took advantage of that by sitting in a dark little pub off the main terminal. They found a quiet booth in the back and relaxed as they sat next to each other, enjoying a nice late lunch and a couple of beers. With nowhere to go and time on their hands, they stayed put for the longest time, nursing their drinks as they talked.
It didn't take long for Ann to bring up the last time they were in Colorado. Neil arched his eyebrow, a quiet smile appearing as he looked at his wife.
"And?" he asked, wondering just where she was going with the conversation.
"Oh, nothing... it's just a happy memory for me. It's hard to be sitting here and not think of what we did."
"I don't think you were here. Annabelle was."
"Hmm... I suppose that's true."
"So what are you saying?"
"Nothing, baby. It just popped into my head, that's all."
"So you're not thinking about -"
"It's still going to be a quite a while before I want to be her again," she said with a sly grin. "Right now, I'm very happy being just Anna for you."
"Is that because of the times you were Anna Renee?"
"No, not really. She's different." She paused for a moment, contemplating whether she should say what was on her mind. Taking a breath, she said, "Neil, can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Does it bother you that I have so many... personalities?"
"What do you mean? It's not like you're a schizophrenic."
"I know. But at the same time, I do feel different whenever I'm acting like one of them."
"I think the key word there is
acting
, babe. It's a role. It's something we do together."
"I know that too. It's just... does it seem weird to you that I have all these sexual sides to me?"
