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Lawrence scraped his toe as he levered himself from the pool. It wasn’t a bad scrape, but he whined anyway.
He was inclined to whine.
Alison turned over on her lounger to avoid dealing with it. She wasn’t a bad person, but she was on holiday.
She felt she was owed it.
Greg looked up from his iPad and said something sweet. Alison mouthed her thanks. Greg was a nice guy
But he annoyed her.
A plane flew over. The noise drowned out the whining.
Greg swan three lengths underwater while Lawrence timed him. He was proud of his recently acquired athleticism.
Lawrence loved him.
Roberta called from the house, ‘Anyone for a cold drink?’
‘Yes, Coke please!’ shouted Lawrence. ‘No thanks,’ responded Alison, Although she wanted one.
Greg meticulously applied sun lotion. He was aware of being watched. He stopped, put on a shirt, sat in the shade, and went back to his novel. His last one.
A plane flew over. The noise drowned out the silence.
July 24, 2023