A SLEEPING BEAUTY
The excitement proved too much for her. It was her first night of clubbing in quite a while. It was her birthday, and she and her sisters decided that Las Vegas was the only place to be on such an occasion. But by day’s end she had had too much drinking…too much dancing…too much celebrating. She had been pinched, squeezed, groped in mostly innocent sexual ways by men and women that night. Her blue diaphanous dress was rumpled by nights end as was her brown tresses (newly coifed that morning by her sister). She was exhausted to the point of near collapse. She had to be helped out of the club by a pair of strong male arms into a waiting taxi. She was too heavy drunk to be lifted by her sisters. Once back at their hotel, another pair of male arms helped the limp and laughing birthday girl into her bed. He was a gentleman, and didn’t notice that her dress had pulled up around her thighs, revealing a pair of skimpy, black panties. Her sister quickly pulled a blanket over her, and, with caring hands, plaited her hair in a circular braid atop her head. She fell asleep with a Mona Lisa-like smile on her face.
I STAND NEXT TO HER BED AND WATCH AS THE PAST YEAR’S TROUBLES DRAIN FROM HER FACE. She now resembles a very young and innocent girl. My heart skips a beat as I watch her lying there. Her eyeballs flutter under her closed, painted eyelids, and I know that as a signal she is dreaming. I ENTER HER DREAM. We are walking hand-in-hand along a white, tropical beach. The gentle sound of nearby ocean waves lapping against the shore is like music to us. The scent of pineapple and coconut fills the air with delicious perfume. She breaks away from me, and rushes into the warm ocean--screaming with laughter. Before I could join her, she emerges--dripping golden beads from her tanned body. Her bikini clings even tighter to her athletic body. Under my speedos, my manhood grows firmer. I grab her hand and pull her completely out of the water and into my arms. After a quick kiss, we run to a nearby grove of palm trees, where previously we had laid out a blanket on a grassy spot. On top of the blanket was a bottle of wine, some cuts of exotic cheese, island crackers, and, of course, a book of Wordsworth poems. AT THIS POINT SHE FALLS INTO A DEEPER SLEEP, AND DREAMING ENDS
