Human Blend (5 page)

“Well, move along. People will think you are
up to no good,” Mr. Crane said, before moving back from the ledge.
Austin and Julie both held in the laughter that threatened to erupt
in them both.

“We better keep moving. Old man Crane
considers himself the park police,” Austin explained.

Once they had laughed and stumbled their way
up the hill, Julie was treated to a beautiful sight. Just over the
hill was the lake. It was wonderful. It had a beach front entrance
where lots of families had gathered on this warm May Sunday. The
lake seemed to go on forever. Austin seemed to read her thoughts,
“One hundred and eight acres,” he stated. Julie stared in awe. She
could even see fishing boats out in the distance.

“It's beautiful,” she sighed.

It was like a picture postcard. Everyone
relaxing, having fun. Kids were running in and out of the water,
screaming in delight. Julie focused on one of the children eating
something, “Water ice!” she exclaimed. “They have water ice!” she
tugged on his arm. Austin laughed at her exuberance.

“Yes, they do, follow me.” They were both
laughing now as they ran in the sand across the beach to a wooden
stand located at the far end. They were out of breath when they
reached the stand. “Wh-what flavor?” Austin asked, slightly bent
over. Julie tried to catch her breath.

“B...Bl..Blueberry,” she stuttered out.

Austin slowly regained his breath and ordered
one blueberry and one strawberry water ice. Holding the paper
cones, Julie and Austin began walking back down the beach. “I
didn't realize you were a water ice groupie,” Austin teased.

“Nothing beats water ice on a hot day,” Julie
replied, relishing the cool treat.

“Hot chocolate, in front of a roaring fire,
with a foot of snow outside,” Austin challenged.

Julie laughed, “Okay, almost nothing,” she
corrected.

The two found a nice quiet spot on the beach.
They sat down to finish the quickly melting ices. “So how are you
liking this place?” Austin asked.

“I'm really liking it,” Julie replied.

“Good,” Austin replied, a big grin on his
face.

“What?” Julie asked, noticing the grin.

“You look like you are turning into a smurf.”
He laughed. Julie laughed too imagining how blue her lips must be
from the water ice.

“You look like you put on lipstick without a
mirror,” she came back with. The laughter came easy. Julie couldn't
remember a time when she felt so relaxed. She was having fun. An
activity that had been denied.

She drank the remaining blue liquid that had
once been her water ice, then looked around for a trash can. There
was one a few yards away. Austin was already on his feet, his hand
extended down towards her. The moment reminded Julie of her initial
meeting of Austin in the marketplace. “I'm all sticky,” she said,
reluctant to take his hand.

“So am I,” he said. Julie placed her sticky
hand in his as he pulled her up. They disposed of their trash. “We
can wash off in the water,” he suggested, kicking off his sneakers.
Julie did the same. She tucked her socks in her shoes and rolled up
the hem of her jeans.

They walked to the water's edge. It was warm.
Julie liked the feeling of the wet sand squishing between her toes.
She couldn't recall if she had ever felt it before. She felt like
she was sinking and grabbed hold of Austin. “Have you ever been to
the beach before?” he asked. He had been watching her.

“Um, I don't remember,” she said, stepping
sideways.

“You must have had a deprived childhood.”
Austin was teasing, but Julie felt herself grimace at the comment.
She shook off her mood change and reached down into the water.
Instead of rinsing off, she splashed Austin. “Oh, you are in for it
now,” he said, splashing her back. A water fight ensued between the
two. Julie laughed and screamed as Austin tackled her, knocking
them both underwater. They continued the playful romp until both
called time out.

They dragged themselves back onto the beach.
Julie sat down near her shoes. “I'll be right back,” Austin said.
Julie gave a little shiver. The sun was starting to go down. She
smiled to herself. Even though she was soaking wet and
uncomfortable in her clothes, she wouldn't have traded the feeling
for the world. She felt free. The smile was still on her face when
Austin returned carrying blankets. He shook out one big one. “Sit
on this one,” he instructed. Julie scooted onto the over-sized
blanket. He then wrapped another blanket around her shoulders
before wrapping one around himself as well. He sat down next to
her.

“Where did these come from?” she asked.

“It's all who ya know,” Austin said, smiling.
Julie knew there was more to the story, but didn't pursue it. She
was just glad to be warming up.

The beach was clearing out. Families packed
up their belongings, and headed for home. Lifeguards walked the
shoreline, making sure no one still lingered in the water. One of
the guards approached Julie and Austin. “Park closes shortly after
sunset,” the guard said. He did a double take then. “Oh, sorry
Austin, buddy. Didn't recognize you,” he said. Austin and the guard
shook hands,

“No problem, Ted. We'll be heading back
soon,” Austin said.

“Whose this?” Ted asked, smiling at
Julie.

“This is Julie,“ Austin answered.

“You must be new in town. I know I've never
seen you before,” he said, extending his hand towards Julie.

Julie smiled and shook his hand. “Nice to
meet you, Ted,” she said. “Austin has been kind enough to show me
around,” she said, confirming her 'new' status.

“Lucky him,” Ted said with a wink.

“How long have you been a lifeguard?” Julie
asked. She caught a sense of something in Ted during the brief
handshake.

“About 3 years,” he answered.

“You must go through gallons of sunscreen,”
Julie commented.

Ted laughed, “You would think, but not
really. I use a little bit here and there, I don't burn easily,”
Julie knew what it was that she had felt then.

She told herself to bite her tongue as both
men eyed her curiously. “I'm kind of a freak with sunscreen,” Julie
explained, “I'm always worried about Melanoma and stuff,” She just
had to say something. “You should go for regular screenings,” Julie
continued unable to stop herself.

“Are you like premed or something?” Ted asked
with a chuckle.

“Something like that,” Julie replied.

“Well, thanks for the advice, doc,” Ted said,
standing. “You two enjoy the rest of your day.” Ted gave Austin a
playful punch and went along his way.

Julie pursed her lips and rested her chin on
her knees. “So you are a water ice and sunscreen fan,” Austin
teased.

Julie turned her head towards him and smiled
shyly. “I hope I didn't embarrass you,” she said, “I get carried
away sometimes,”

Austin laughed. “Actually, I thought your
concern was adorable. I think Ted did too,” his voice took on a
deeper pitch when he said Ted's name.

Neither one spoke more about it as their
attention was drawn to the beautiful sunset out across the
lake.

Austin placed an arm around Julie's shoulder.
Her mind was quiet this time, no more warnings being received. She
didn't bother to wonder why that was. She snuggled closer to him
and rested her head on his shoulder.

As the remaining light of the day began to
wane, he softly said, “We should head on back. There's just enough
light left to make it back on the trail.”

“What time is it?” Julie asked, not wanting
to move.

“Little after six, most likely,” Austin said.
Julie was surprised. They had been there most of the day.

Julie felt her stomach rumble and laughed.
“Yep, my stomach knows exactly what time it is,” she said and they
both laughed.

“Speaking of food, “ he began, “I have an
idea for that, if you are not sick of me that is,”

“I'm not sick of you,” she said softly.
I
want to kiss you again.
There was the voice again. “So, did you
plan out the whole day?” she asked, trying to distract herself.
Austin's smile was his only response.

Standing, Julie shook out the blanket. “You
could have at least told me I was going to need a change of
clothes,” she said, feeling sand everywhere.

“Well that part wasn't actually planned,“ he
said, laughing.

“Tell me that this idea includes me being
able to shower first,” she inquired as they walked back to the
trail.

“Yeah, most definitely. I'm still damp in
uncomfortable places,” he said, walking funny for effect.

Austin walked Julie back to her hotel and
told her he would be back in an hour. She rushed up to her room,
anxious to get out of her clothes. The shower had never felt so
good to her before. It seemed to take forever to rinse off the
sand. She felt so much better. She dressed and checked the time.
“Ten minutes to spare, not bad.”

Julie decided to wait out front for Austin.
She had chosen a lightweight camisole with a long sleeve button
down top over it, just in case it was cooler. She was glad she did,
as a northerly breeze had settled in. She didn't have to wait long.
“Feel better?” he asked, as he approached.

“Much,” she said.

“Ready for the evening?” he inquired.

“As long as it doesn't involve sand, I'm
ready,” Julie remarked.

Austin frowned. “Did you not have a good time
at the lake?” he asked.

“I had a great time, Austin, one of the best
in a long time,” she spoke truthfully and watched his face
brighten. “I just didn't like feeling sand in places it shouldn't
have been,” she said as they both laughed.

The two walked hand and hand for a few
blocks. The cool breeze seemed to add to the beauty and charm of
the town, if that was possible. There were a lot of people
strolling about. Austin was stopped at least half a dozen times by
people he knew. He introduced Julie each time. “Everyone knows
everyone, don't they?” she noted.

“Yes, the best and worst of living in a small
town. Everyone helps each other, but everyone knows your business,”
he explained. Julie nodded.

They reached their destination. A small
outdoor cafe, surrounded by torches to create atmosphere and
warmth. The hostess, Marie, who also knew Austin, was going to seat
them along the walkway. Austin asked her for a less trafficked
spot. “Thanks, Marie,” he said, as they were seated.

“No problem, Cindy will be your waitress.
She'll be over shortly to take your order,” Marie explained, before
leaving them. Austin seemed to know Julie was curious about the
seating choice.

“If we were to be along the walkway, everyone
passing by would stop to chat, usually just as you had a mouthful
of food,” he explained.

“Good call,” Julie laughed.

Julie took in the surroundings. The
peacefulness seemed to radiate through everything. “Is it always
like this?” she asked.

“Like what?” Austin wasn't sure what Julie
was referring to. “This... wonderful,” she tried to explain. “It
just seems as if this place is right out of book. As if someone
imagined it and created this place brick by brick,” she
related.

Austin looked around, trying to see the town
through Julie's eyes. He had lived here forever and never thought
much about it. “It's always just been home to me,” he said.

Julie smiled at him. “That's exactly it,” she
said.“It's like home.” Austin still wasn't sure what she meant, but
seeing the smile on her face was worth the confusion.

The waitress came to their table with two
glasses filled with water. “Hey, Austin,” she greeted. “You must be
the new girl, I'm Cindy,” the waitress said to Julie.

“Hi, Cindy. I'm Julie.” Julie realized that
everyone now knew of her existence in this small town. She didn't
panic. No one knew anything of her previous persona, except what
she herself had manufactured. She was confident in her ability to
have covered her tracks, but still fought the urge to look over her
shoulder.

Cindy handed Julie a menu, a one page
laminated sheet with printing on both sides. “You want one, or are
you having your usual?” she asked Austin.

Julie gave Austin a knowing look. Austin
grinned back. “I might... want something else,” he said, looking at
Julie the whole time.

Julie laughed and shook her head. “Creatures
of habit,” she said, quietly, but Austin had heard. He fought to
hide the smile as he recalled the similar situation they had at the
breakfast place. He took the menu from Cindy.

“Can I start you off with something to
drink?” she asked.

“The water is fine for me,” Julie said, as
she scanned the menu.

“Diet Mountain Dew,” Cindy said at the exact
time with Austin. Julie stifled a giggle that was dying to escape.
Austin made a face that was a cross between a grimace and a smile.
“Coming right up,” Cindy said and walked away.

Julie tried to focus on the menu but kept
stealing glances at Austin. Finally she spoke, “Austin, stop
fighting yourself.”

“I'm not fighting myself, I'm trying to
decide what to get,” he replied.

“It's okay to get the same thing, just get
what you like,” Julie encouraged.

“What are you getting?” he asked.

“I'm actually considering getting what I had
last night.“ Julie said. “The hotel makes an incredible bacon
cheeseburger,” she mentioned.

“Did you go down to the restaurant when I
left?” Austin asked.

“No, room service,” Julie said.

“Oh, my buddy Rick works there delivering,”
Austin said.

Julie pretended to be concentrating on the
menu to avoid looking at Austin. The menu was suddenly plucked from
her hands. “He hit on you, didn't he?” Austin asked.

Julie did not want to have this conversation
right now. “Look, Austin,” Julie began.

“It's okay, “ Austin interrupted, “It's his
M.O. He thinks he is Joe Gigolo, that woman will just fall at his
feet. Sometimes they do,” he finished quietly.