A small pond no larger than baseball diamond rests motionless, emitting a subtle humid sweetness into the air.
A panel of meadow larks broadcast their daily melodies against the humming curtain of the day locusts.
A nearby dirt road occasionally announces a passing automobile with gravel pinging off the tires and fenders.
Underneath the canopy of the smaller of the two willows and upon a small patch of crabgrass lays thirty year old Sigmund Billings, shirtless and sleeping the afternoon’s heavy hours away after a short but well appreciated dip in the pond’s warm water.
Unannounced to Sigmund Billings, Ms. Annie Rushford makes her way to this very setting with her companion Penny Shafer. Their objective: none but to partake in the same hot afternoon remedy as our hero Mr. Billings.
“Oh my goodness! Mr. Billings!”
Sigmund Billings sits up swiftly and make every attempt at probing the panorama for the person calling to him, the sleep still weighty in his eyes displaying a bluish hue sight. His searching immediately lands upon Ms. Rushford and Ms. Shafer walking now closer to him. Mr. Billings calms at the familiar faces but just as he allows his guard to drop he abruptly realizes that he sat upon the grassy bed bare-chested and wearing only his undershorts.
“Ahh! Ms. Rushford! …Umm, Ms. Rushford, what on earth are you doing out here?”
Mr. Billings crossed his hands over his groin area in every attempt to conceal any visible male organs, but Ms. Rushford continued her forward path in his direction. Ms. Shafer stood off in the backdrop in an apparent full giggle with hands-to-mouth in full gusto.
“Mr. Billings! What exactly are you …Me? …Well I’m enjoying the afternoon air Mr. Billings and you are uh…”
“I see, yes. Umm. I’m, well I was somewhat sleeping…. Here… uh, I was sleeping here. If you would just provide me one moment I will retrieve my trousers and uh, my shirt.”
“Indeed Mr. Billings. Please take your time.”
Ms. Rushford, smiling and clearly enjoying her discovery, maintained her stare in Mr. Billings’ direction.
“Well then… umm…Ms. Rushford, if you wouldn’t mind just turning towards the pond perhaps a moment I’ll just secure my things?”
“Of course Mr. Billings. Please pardon me.”
Ms. Rushford quickly spun on her heels and stood with her back to Mr. Billings who now scurried about collecting his trousers, suspenders, collared shirt, and new straw boater with red and white band. He slipped into his pant legs, donned his shirt and buttoned the front. He tucked his shirt into his trousers and pulled his suspenders over his shoulders.
Upon hearing the suspenders clap Ms. Rushford peeked over her shoulder, and finding all was conventional she turned once again to Mr. Billings.
“And again I shall inquire of Mr. Billings business on this such a fine afternoon?”
“Yes, certainly… I, well, I was indenting to have my lunch out this way enroute to the Millbury farm. You see, I was to pay them a visit to talk of the possibilities of them perhaps upgrading their current farmland policy.”
“Oh you were, were you?”
“…yes. Only I ah…”
“Only you somehow found yourself at full ease in you undershorts, asleep in the grass?”
Peggy Shafer, now standing and smiling a bit closer, all but screeched a juvenile giggle upon hearing of Ms. Rushford prodding.
Mr. Billings crooked and raised his head to the side in order to consider Ms. Shafer over Ms. Rushford’s shoulder.
“Oh, HELLO MS. SHAFER.” Mr. Billings called out nervously.
“HELLO INDEED MR. BILLINGS! FINE AFTERNOON FOR A UH, NAP MR. BILLINGS?” Ms. Shafer yelled back across the distance. She stopped short on “Billings” to have another laugh at the state of affairs.
“My father would undoubtedly be cross should he ever discover that you were lazing-away the afternoon at Fuller’s pond instead of turning profits for his firm.”
“Undoubtedly, yes.” Said Mr. Billing bashfully.
“We shall have to ensure that he fails to ascertain such information shant we Mr. Billings?”
Mr. Billings, standing with his boater hat in hand and face casted to the ground, raised his eye to meet the young Ms. Rushford’s. He placed his hat upon his head, tapped it to a proper tilt, and placed both hands upon his hips.
“Why Ms. Rushford, I do believe you were mocking me in jest moments ago!”
“I was indeed Mr. Billings.”
“Well, I’ll be a… Here I am thinking that my new-and-barley-concrete career was facing certain termination and you were merely poking fun!” Mr. Billings, still with hands upon hips, smiled from ear to ear awaiting for Ms. Rushford’s reply.
“Did you happen to eat you lunch Mr. Billings?”
“Well, if we are being blunt Ms. Rushford, I didn’t even pack a lunch. I simply wished to relax-away the afternoon with a swim and a nap!” Mr. Billing’s laughed at the relief of the straightforwardness provided him.
“I am certainly not an opponent for escaping the madness of the town for an afternoon. In fact, bluntness in mind, I was to be seated in my uncle’s bank teller window for the afternoon, but informed him just this morning that my dear friend Penny Shafer had taken ill and I must drive out to see her."
Ms. Shafer giggled again, this time covering her face completely with her hands in full laughing hysteria.
“Penny and I happen to have actually packed a lunch should you care to join us Mr. Billings… alibi for alibi shall we agree?”
“I should be more than honored to have lunch with you ladies… and agreed.” The larks and locusts provided soundtrack to the trio laughing and eating in their afternoon hideout. The dirt road beyond the knolls hardly stirred.
As the later afternoon breezes set in, the Ms. Shafer soon announced that she must be on her way and departed soon thereafter, giggling at Mr. Billings’ bashful - yet perfectly successful - attempt of asking Ms. Rushford if he could drive her back into town after a few more hours of watching the hems of the willow trees tickle the tops of the tallest blades of grass in the afternoon New England breezes near the edge of Fuller’s pond.
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