Meg didn’t know what to do for the rest of the day, but as she didn’t know how long she’d stay she thought it was time to visit the beach. She realized she hadn’t packed a bathing suit so she had to go shopping. She found a little shop called Sunset Sisters where she went inside. There were a lot of souvenirs and other knick knacks but also a room filled with clothes. “Hi, can I help you?” a young woman her own age said “Yes, I’m actually looking for a bathing suit of some kind” Meg said. “We got a selection over here” she led Meg over to some shelves “Anything special you had in mind?” Meg shook her head “I don’t know, I thought I’d spend the afternoon at the beach and realized I hadn’t packed a bathing suit” “One or two piece?” the woman asked “Oh, I’ll go with a one piece” Meg laughed and was shown the selection “Do you have a fitting room?” she asked “Yes, over there, please call me if you need any help. My name is Gaby” the woman went over to the counter to help some tourists with their purchase. Meg tried on a couple of her choices and chose one. She brought them all over to the counter “I’d like this one please” she said to Gaby “A wise choice I believe” Gaby said “Are you here on holiday maybe?” she asked “Yes and no, I don’t know yet” Meg said as Gaby packed her suit in a bag “I have to see, but I’ve got two weeks off from my work in Kansas and I think I’ll stay that long” “Maybe we’ll run into each other again the, the town’s not that big” Gaby handed her the change and bag “Maybe, I’m helping out at this club ‘The Deep’ this week” Meg said “Then I’ll definitely see you, I’m planning on going there tonight” Meg held out her hand “I’m Meg” they shook hands.
Irritated Ben went back to Surf Central when Mark came just after lunch. As usual when he was feeling like this he dressed in his sweatpants and went for a run. Just as he rounded the corner to the road that would take him down to the beach he bumped into someone “I’m so sorry” Ben said and looked at the person “Carmen, are you ok?” he asked his mother-in-law “Yes I am” she said in broken English, she was originally from Mexico “How about you? I was disturbed by the cards this morning” she said “I’m ok” he didn’t know if Maria had told her mother yet “I know you relay a lot on the cards, but believe me I’m ok” Carmen took his hands “If the cards were right and they always are I’m so sorry Ben, I never believed this of my Maria” “Don’t worry about me Carmen, I can take care of myself. I better run along though” Ben said and left “Oh oh oh” Carmen shook her head “You don’t know what’s in the future for you Ben” she walked the few blocks home.
Meg came to the Deep around six in the evening, there were a few guests that were having dinner, but that was all. “Great, you’re here” Mark said “Ben told me to take a few shirts out for you to try on, they’re up in his office” Meg looked around “Ok if I do it at once?” she had dressed in a skirt and white blouse this evening, much better than her flower-patterned dress she had on the previous evening. “Sure thing” Mark said and Meg went up the stairs. Some of the guests wanted Mark’s attention so he didn’t notice Ben walking in and straight for his office until it was too late. “I’m so sorry” Ben said when he found a half dressed Meg who startled turned around “No worries” Meg pulled the shirt on. It wasn’t much Ben saw, but he liked what he did see. “Do you want me to go so you can try the others on?” Ben asked when he saw the other shirts “No, I’m done. I think I will leave you to it instead and get to work downstairs” she smiled and left the office. Ben sat down at his desk and went thru some paperwork. He had been seeing his lawyer to make a draft he could present to Maria for the divorce, he’d also look into buying a property further down the beach, the house there now was worn down, but he needed something to do and renovating it would be fun. In his mails he found a message from Dorothy. Ben wasn’t too sure about if he should set up a meeting or not, officially he was still married to Maria, he hoped the divorce would be quick. His lawyer had told him he was foolish when he had presented his idea. Maria was to get the house and a pretty fair sum of money, the only she had to do was to agree to the divorce at once. He sighed, a part of him still loved Maria, although she had betrayed him in the worst way he could imagine and from talking to Annie it had been going on for quite a while. In Annie’s defense she had stayed loyal to her best friend even though she and Ben too were close. She had been really sorry about not being able to tell him about it.
Downstairs the evening was getting busy. Michael had showed up again, this time he introduced Meg to Vanessa, his journalist girlfriend. Meg also got to meet Casey and Rae, Casey too was a lifeguard and Rae was a doctor. Gaby came together with her sister Paula. Meg was surprised at this many guests a Monday evening, she had to remind herself that she wasn’t in Kansas anymore. Just in a few days she had noticed that California had a totally different lifestyle, one she started to like already. “A penny for your thoughts” Ben said, Meg sighed “I just can’t win with you can I?” she thought back to the previous night when she had fallen asleep in the office totally exhausted from the weekend’s escapades. Ben had to laugh “I hope you were thinking happy thoughts” Meg smiled at him “Yes, I left all the bad back in Kansas” ‘Kansas again’ Ben thought “You mentioned Kansas before, from where in Kansas are you?” Ben asked “It’s just….” He didn’t get to say more because some customers needed service and Meg was off “I have to stop this” he said out loud to himself. “Stop what English?” he heard the familiar voice of his wife “Don’t you bother about that Maria, what are you doing here?” he asked “Enjoying myself, spending time with my husband who’s been distant the last few weeks” Maria tried to touch Ben but he pulled away “Maybe there’s a reason why I’ve been distant” he didn’t like it but the bitterness wouldn’t go away. Once before just a few weeks after they had started dating Maria had gone out with someone else behind his back, just for a week so he took her back but made the promise to him-self and Maria that if it ever happened again he wouldn’t be so nice. Maria went to sit at a table, if she needed to she’d wait until closing and then talk to Ben, she was missing him like crazy. Meg noticed the new customer and went over “Welcome, can I get you anything?” “The usual” Maria said looking challenging at the new girl “Sorry Miss, I’m new here so I don’t know what your usual is” “Oh right, you see my husband hasn’t talked much to me lately or I’d know he had gotten new staff” Meg looked surprised at her “Is Ben your husband?” “Of course he’s my husband” Maria flashed her rings in front of Meg and Meg felt a sting in her heart, she hadn’t seen Ben wearing a ring, well maybe he was the kind of man who didn’t like jewelry. “Here’s your wine Maria” Ben said and put down a glass “Meg, I think Todd needs some help with the glasses” Todd was the kitchen help “Ok” Meg said and turned again to Maria “Nice to meet you Mrs. Evans” Ben looked at Maria “If you’re staying here I hope you will be nice to all of the staff both old and new” Maria was known to be able to stir up trouble whenever she liked it.
A few hours and glasses later Maria got tired of waiting for Ben, he had ignored her most of the evening, not even when she had been dancing challenging with some guy he hadn’t bother. Usually this wasn’t her style, but she had seen Annie do it millions of times with the result that all the guys in the club were staring at her. Maria got up and went home. One by one people left the club, for most of them it was a working day tomorrow. Meg started to clear and clean the tables. As Ben passed her on his way to the office she stopped him “So, how much do you clean every night?” she asked “When I waited tables at college we did it all in the evening” “The cook cleans the kitchen and then I’ve got a cleaning service for restrooms and floors, but please put the chairs up” “Ok, I’m almost done then. Is there anything else you want me to do?” Ben shook his head and left. ‘Ok, then’ Meg thought ‘strange guy’. As Roger still was cleaning the bar when Meg had put the chairs up she handed him the apron and said good night and walked home. A few more days passed this way and Meg enjoyed her time in Sunset Beach. She walked around exploring the town, spent time at the beach and then worked at the Deep in the evenings. She hadn’t seen much of Ben since that evening when his wife had been in and the little she had met with him he had seemed grumpy. When she went for her breakfast at the Java Web Friday morning she was met by Mark “Good morning, what a great DJ-session you had yesterday” she said “Thanks” Mark smiled “You really love it don’t you?” Meg asked “Yeah, but I doubt I could make a living off it” Meg had always loved to solve problems “Have you ever tried out for a radio show?” Mark shook his head “Why not, I’ve been listening to the local radio station and they could need someone like you” she suggested. She noticed how he was hesitating “Someone told me just a few weeks ago to follow my heart and chose an adventure, why don’t you make this your adventure?” she told him. Mark laughed “Will you be quiet if I say I’d try?” Meg stood up and hugged him over the counter “Yes” Mark was called to the kitchen to get Meg’s breakfast it was a routine that she sat at the counter eating. “There’s only one problem” Mark said when he came back “Who will work here if I get a job elsewhere” Mark had always been very loyal to Ben all since Ben took him in when he came to Sunset Beach as a runaway. “What about me?” Meg shrugged her shoulders and dug into her fruit salad “Mmm, I don’t think I ever can have too many strawberries” Mark laughed at her enthusiasm “Have you forgotten you’re going back to Kansas in a week” he reminded her “Oh Mark, don’t remind me. To be honest, I don’t want to leave” Challenging Mark looked at Meg “What about an adventure?” and they both laughed, this was how Ben found them when he arrived at the Java Web “What’s so funny?” he asked “Adventures” Mark and Meg said at the same time “Adventures are good, I told some a few weeks back to try out an adventure” Ben said. Meg was still laughing and didn’t hear Ben very well. “Seems to be in the air then” Mark said and then told Ben about the morning. “And our most loyal morning guest is she enjoying her breakfast?” Ben asked Meg “Of course, I think the cook put extra strawberries in today” “You know with your charm you’ve wrapped all my staff around your little finger” Ben said “Me?” Meg looked at him “I’m just being myself”
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All connections to Sunset Beach and real life characters are purely for your pleasure.
©tinadolphin@comhem.se 2012-
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