Please note that this includes some earlier short stories plus new material.
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Chapter 1: Her Beginning
Patricia was fed up with her life. She had married 18 to the most handsome guy in her high school the day after graduation. But over the years she had grown and he had stayed the same guy she knew in high school. In addition, he had not wanted her to succeed at work and start making more money than he did. He discouraged her from trying too hard at work, telling her that she should focus her efforts on being his wife. Her husband had also been her only sex partner in her whole life. To make it worse, her sex life was limited to a once a week fuck. Basically he would flip her on her back and mount her. Once he came, he would just roll over and go to sleep. He had no consideration for her needs. Frankly, she didn't think he really understood lovemaking, part of his general immaturity. To top it off, there had been no children from the marriage, so she had nothing to tie her to this life. So here she was, 38 years old in a dead end job with minimal sexual experience and no children to warm her heart.
So she decided it was time to get a divorce. Out of her savings, she hired a paralegal to prepare the documents needed to file for the divorce. After filling them out, she presented them to him. She just said "I need to grow and become the woman I am meant to be. If I stay with you, I will never change. Never be the woman I truly am." He sputtered and fumed but he knew from her tone of voice that would not change her mind. She had always been stubborn and would never back down when her mind was made up. He moved out that same day after signing the documents in front of a notary public. She was Free at Last!!!
But his last comment to her was that she was nothing without him. He had told her for years that she was nothing without him and she had almost come to believe it was true. She never applied for a higher level job at work and just stayed quietly at her desk for all the years she had worked there. She was known as a hard worker but was too quiet to be considered for a promotion.
Chapter 2: She Rediscovers Life
After that she drifted through life for a while. Just going to work and coming home each night where she curled up in front of the TV. After a few months of this she knew that if she continued this way, he would win. She would have to break out of this blue mood in order to finally beat him. That night she watched a movie set on the beach. It looked so peaceful. Like a place where she could do some real thinking and relaxing. A place to start anew.
So she packed up her car and just started driving south. After a few hours, she was hopelessly lost but out her car window she could see the water. She pulled over to the side of the road and got out. Looking down she could see miles of pristine beach with lots of little coves. It looked perfect! A dream come true. This was definitely the place she wanted to spend the weekend. Now to find someplace to stay.
She gets back in the car and starts to drive. Noticing a little road leading off toward the beach, she impulsively turns on to it. As she drives along, she notices what looks like a large old house on the beach side of the road. It is set among some trees and is rather hard to see. As she approaches it, she notices a small sign "Mildred's Bed and Breakfast." She can't believe her luck! She pulls in, hoping they have a vacancy. This seems rather unlikely since places like this are always booked up far in advance.
She pulls into the small parking area and gets out. Entering the front door of the B&B, she immediately feels at home. The place has a southern style to it; in fact there is almost a whiff of tobacco leaves drying. But that must be her imagination. Almost immediately, an older woman appears with a large smile on her face. "Hello. How are you? I am Mildred. I bet you are looking for a place to stay. Well, you are in luck. I just had a cancellation for the weekend. I bet you and your man will be very happy here." All this just seems to flow from her mouth in that warm welcoming tone Patricia misses so much from her home in the south. The people in LA seem so preoccupied and driven. Patricia has never really felt at home there.
"Yes, I would love to stay here. It is just me. My ex-husband is not here to spoil my visit." Patricia couldn't believe she just said such a thing to a complete stranger. But this woman seemed like an instant friend.
"Well, good for you. Dear. This is a great place to make a fresh start or just get away for a while. Besides, magical things happen around here. Come on, let's get your bags and get you settled in. We don't serve dinner here, but Sam's up the road delivers a great dry smoked rib dinner with all the fixings. Oh, and don't forget to order yourself a picnic for tomorrow. I recommend the ham sandwiches. He cures his own and they don't have to be refrigerated. So you can take them when you go to the beach tomorrow. I'll put them in the frig here tonight. Oh and don't forget the iced tea. Oh, never mind. I'll call Sam for you. You can just put it on your bill here."
With that, Patricia was set for evening. When the rib dinner was delivered, it was even better than Mildred had described. After dinner, Patricia settled down with a good book and spent the evening just relaxing to the sounds of the waves crashing on the beach.
In the morning she woke refreshed to the smell of bacon frying downstairs. After a relaxing shower, she put on a light summer dress and went downstairs. Now, along with the bacon smell, she could smell fresh biscuits. "Good morning, dear! Come and sit. The other guests haven't come down yet but breakfast is almost ready. How about having some coffee with me?"
Before Patricia could even say a word, Mildred placed two cups of coffee on the table and sat down. They chatted away for a few minutes before four other guests appeared. They were two couples who seemed very much in love. Breakfast was a rather quiet affair despite Mildred's attempts to engage the other guests. They were just too much into each other to say much.
After breakfast, Patricia went back upstairs and laid down. The heavy breakfast combined with the relaxing atmosphere made her sleepy. But after a short nap, she decided to explore the beach. She got into her bathing suit and put a light robe over it. She also picked up a book to read.
Going down stairs, she found that the rest of the guests had already gone out. Mildred appeared as if by magic with a picnic basket containing her lunch. As if Patricia could even think of lunch now after that breakfast. Along with the basket, Mildred gave her a large towel and blanket.
Taking her supplies, Patricia went out on the beach. Since both ways seemed equally beautiful, she took the way without any footprints. She really didn't want to run into anyone. She strolled along, admiring various seashells and watching the sea birds as they swooped along the beach.
Before long she found a little cove that seemed as though it belonged in some advertisement. There were trees hanging over the sand that gave a nice deep shade, something she would like later when the sun got too much for her. But for now, she wanted the sun. So she spread out her blanket and took off her robe. Finding suntan lotion in the basket, bless Mildred, she rubbed it all over her front. She lay down and just soaked up the sun. It was a glorious day! God must be watching over her particularly well today.
After a while she noticed a sound coming from further up the cove. Looking up, she noticed a man coming out of a path that she hadn't seen. He was a distinguished looking man, perhaps 40. A big man with a nice build, but with a hint of the spread that hits us all at 40. He had a little bag in his hand and a book in the other. Clearly he was here for the same purpose as she was.