This is the 4th story in the series about Rodney's travels.
For some background about Rodney, I recommend to read first the initial paragraph in 'Rodney's travels. Manaus Brazil.'
It was in early July. The weather was unbearable. Hot, humid, yuch... People say it's global warming.
Whatever the reason is, I had no intention to stay here and suffer.
It was time to search for a nice cooler place, preferably by the sea.
I checked several potential destinations abroad and eventually chose Brighton Beach in England.
It's a nice touristy place in southern England with mid day temperatures around 70 degrees. And over there the English language, the only one I could speak, was an asset.
The advantage of being an unmarried adult without children... I didn't have to rely on somebody else's mood or schedule. Once I made up my mind, flight tickets, hotel reservation and a car rental took less than an hour to arrange.
Two days later I was on an overnight flight to London Heathrow airport.
My small car waited for me. I consider myself a good driver (I guess most men feel the same, whether they are good or not...). However, the wheel was on the right side and the driving was on the left side of the road...
The good news - My drive to Brighton Beach was mostly on a straight road that lasted about 1 hour.
I am not sure that the other drivers on the road appreciated my maneuvers, but no accidents to report...
The hotel I booked, Leonardo Royal hotel, was situated in a perfect location. It was near the famous beach.
My room wasn't ready yet.
In the lobby's bathroom I undressed and put a swimsuit on. I found a service cart and borrowed a big towel.
I left my carry on and a backpack with the concierge and crossed the road to reach the beach 2 minutes later.
Unlike most beaches I've been to before, this one was highly organized, with people keeping 'proper distance' between them and their neighbors, nobody interrupts anybody, no threatening balls flying around...
'That's England...' I thought.
The combination of cool air (It was still morning and around 60 degrees Fahrenheit) and cloudless sun above were perfect for my tan.
I arranged my towel on the sand, lied down on my back and pretty soon I dozed off.
I woke up hearing people talking near me. It was already noon time.
I looked around me. There were 3 couples, one of them with small children, 2 older guys reading a newspaper and a single woman. She was overdressed for the beach with baggy clothes, large sunglasses on and a big hat. Neither her face nor her figure could be identified. Obviously she wasn't interested in meeting new people, otherwise why hide behind all of the above?!...
I stood up, got rid of the residual sand on my body and towel and went back to the hotel.
My room was ready. I arranged my stuff in the closet and drawers, took a shower and walked slowly to get lunch.
In the afternoon I went for 'tea and biscuit on the veranda'. This was semi-formal gathering for an afternoon tea (if you were English you might consider adding milk to it) with several types of biscotti. Was it intended to give hotel guests the opportunity to show off the their fancy clothes and jewelry? A chance to mingle and bond?...
I took my black tea with lemon, added a couple of buttery cookies and went on the balcony to look at the hotel property.
I sat down appreciating the neatly cut bushes and colorful flowers.
At one point the hair on my neck stood up... I had a hunch that somebody was watching me.
I looked around.
A very skinny young woman of around 20 years old was looking in my direction. Her eyes were not visible due to her large sunglasses.
I did not recognize her, but the way she was sitting and her sunglasses suggested that... perhaps she was the same woman I saw earlier on the beach...
While her stare was in my general direction, her right hand was blindly searching for something on a small table by her side.
I stood up and approached her, "Lady, can I help you find what you are looking for?"
Her face tilted in my direction and I saw a hint of a smile, "Thank you sir. I was observing the calm sea. It happens often that the waves hypnotize me... My hand tried to find my cigarettes."
I saw a pack of Camels on the floor near her seat and picked it up, "Is this yours?"
"Thank you. Clumsy me..."
"Ma'am, I'd light one for you, but I do not smoke and I don't have a lighter or matches..."
Her smile broadened, "It's nice to see a real gentleman..."
"My name is Rodney. I arrived earlier from the USA."
"Nice to meet you Rodney. Actually, if I am not mistaken, I think I saw you earlier on, you were tanning the beach... My name is Dora."
"Dora is such a beautiful name! Your name reminds me of somebody from my youth, but for the life of me, I can't recall who she was... Eventually I will. I feel so old! My Alzheimer is taking over..."
Her laugh was cheerful and sounded to me like nice little bells, "Grandpa, thanks for the compliment about my name..."
"Dora, I am curious. People on the beach have swimsuit on or they wear very summary dresses. Why the 17 layers?... Are you hiding from a jealous husband?!..."
Her sweet laugh again... "Not really. My skin is pale and very sensitive to sun rays. I used to be jealous of people with dark skin, because they seemed to be better protected, but not anymore..."
"Dora, we hardly met, so it may be too intrusive... Most of the people in the USA have trouble with too much fat on their bones. What is YOUR secret? Are you a model or actress who has to keep a low weight at any cost? Are you using a special diet?"
"Well, I was never a great eater. Some of my relatives even tried to spy on me in order to see if I have Anorexia, Bulimia or other eating disorders... I eat only 3 times a day and not stuffing myself, in addition to inheriting the right genetics..."
"Dora, I am jealous..."
"Rodney, you already forgot that I saw you in a swimsuit few hours ago! I tried not to ogle, but a glance verified that you are all muscles without an ounce of extra fat..."
Chuckling, "A nice lady like you stared at my body?! I thought that English women are too conservative to 'assess' a man's body in public..."
"Rodney, your notion about us British is too old fashioned..."
"Dora, I apologize... I was too personal and rude... Can I make it up to you by inviting you to a dinner in a fancy restaurant, a movie or any other fun stuff that Brighton Beach has to offer?!..."
"Rodney, relax. I wasn't offended. It's just that too many foreigners stigmatize English people as extremely conservative, snobbish, lifeless, bad teeth, bad food..."
"OK Dora. You are right. I think that you are too much of a snob to be seen with me around. Isn't it the reason you didn't accept my invitation?!..."
Her cute laugh again, "I never said 'no'. I'll be happy to go to a good movie with you. Going with you to a restaurant may not be a good idea. I do not like people pushing me to eat more than what I feel is good for me..."
"Lady, I promise never to push you to eat more than what you want! Scout's honor... So a movie it is. Now, you'll have to help me. How many theaters exist around here and what movies they play? More importantly, what kind of movie you wish to see - Drama? Action? Romance? Sci-Fi?..."