Poolside Pow-Wow

   Crissy was turned about in her chair, resting on her crossed arms as she looked on with an expression of supreme contentment. As she had habit to do, she was biting her lip as she smiled. The object of her gaze was her husband Roger, as he helped Ed Carter man the barbecue. This scene was out back of the Carter home, near the gigantic swimming pool. Misty Carter was seated at her patio table across from Mrs. Ralphwit, both girls clad in their Creek Bend bikinis. Similarly, the men were dressed for swimming, although Ed had put back on a short-sleeved shirt. 

   Misty giggled to herself as she observed Crissy's naked appreciation of Roger. Not that she couldn't understand Crissy's attitude, as Roger was a fine specimen of masculinity. Technically, the Ralphwits were still newlyweds, and Crissy's posture betrayed that. It was also true, however, that in the short time of their marriage, Roger and Crissy had developed a mature relationship which had the pair thought of as pillars of the community. Still, for all the respect afforded them for their maturity and stability, it was their romance which really defined them. They were unofficially known as Creek Bend's most loving couple.

   Misty took another look at Roger as she puffed her cigarette. He was actually quite different from the man she had been introduced to a few months earlier. When Misty first met Rog, he was a slender man who carried a youthful look which gave no indication of his background as a career Army man. He was meek, and in fact even a little nondescript beyond his warmth toward the girl he planned to marry. Crissy had done him a lot of good. Almost immediately after the wedding, Roger had developed into a confident, even commanding force. He seemed taller, maybe for his carrying himself with a more confident posture after he'd married Crissy. He was physically bigger, too, his chest and shoulders having become more defined. He was coming close to matching Ed's own Herculean physique, in fact.

   Misty took another puff before she leaned forward and snuffed out her cig. As she did so, she turned her attention back to Crissy.

   "Roger looks a lot different than he did before you were married." Crissy turned around and tilted her head.

   "How do you mean?"

   "He used to be skinny. They say married life packs on the pounds, but that isn't usually muscle they mean. He's got muscles most men would envy, and in so short a time. You've really been putting him through his paces."

   "Well," Crissy admitted with a smile, "we can probably take credit for some of that, he's looking like he did in his Army days again, but I think there's more to it than that." Crissy got reflective. "I think whatever has the wolves going crazy also affects them physically. Roger'd dropped a lot of weight since he came back to Creek Bend, and it seemed to coincide with the psychological changes he was experiencing. Once he broke free, though, he's been returning to his former self."

   "Just how powerful is he?"

   "He can bounce me in his arms like I was baby," Crissy giggled, "but then I am pretty small. I told you about the bull he wrestled to the ground when it got loose at the market."

   "Must make things interesting, his being so much larger than you are. Has he had to make much adjustment living in that little house of yours?"

   "Oh, he has to duck when he goes through the doorways, but not as much as you might think. Fortunately, the ceilings were already pretty high. I suppose one of these days we should really move into a house built more for his dimensions. I doubt we'll ever find as nice a plot of land, though."

   "This area has a lot of nice places that are tucked out of the way. If I hear of any good locations similar to your place, I'll be sure to let you know."

   "Thanks, Misty." Crissy glanced back at Roger and sighed with delight. Misty giggled again as she took a sip from her drink. Misty mulled things over.

   "I wonder just what IS going on around here. It's not just the wolves. When you first came to me with your concerns about Roger asking you for a date, even I was thinking of annies in terms of predators and prey. I never used to do that. I can only remember my thoughts being that way for a few years."

   "Whatever it is," Crissy turned back to Misty, "not everyone is subject to it. I know I was, though. I remember becoming very timid and fearful, but all that passed once I got to know Roger. There seems to be a cure for it, whatever it is."

   "Maybe the cure is love, plain and simple. Roger snapped out of it just by falling in love with you when he first saw you. You came around when you let yourself fall fully in love with him after he got his teeth fixed. Whatever the cause is, the cure seems to be simple and immediate."

   "I've thought about it from time to time. It only seems to be annies who have been effected. I don't know if it has something to do with being an annie, or if it's more a matter of location. I haven't heard about it happening anywhere else."

   "Something in the water? Radiation, something like that?"

   "This land has been surveyed a lot. Even the guys from Pacific Tech have gone over it a few times. Nothing unusual has ever been found in the water or the soil or anything. It's a complete mystery."

   "Well, all mysteries are figured out eventually, be the cause physical or spiritual. I can't say how long this situation is going to last, but it'll be cleared up in time." Crissy nodded. 

   "Just about ready, girls!" Ed called. Both girls stood and walked toward their men. They were quite a stunning sight. Misty's form was lightly covered by a small black bikini. Crissy's uniform was a vibrant pink with tiny white polka dots and frilly trim. The Creek Bend Bikini Company could be proud of their work and how well it was worn by these two specimens of feminine beauty. Following a meal of hamburger sandwiches, the girls were content to lounge in the sun as the men occupied the patio chairs the girls had been using earlier. Ed offered a cigarette to Roger as he lit one for himself. Both men looked at their wives appreciatively.

   "We should do this more often," Ed sat the lighter back on the table, "it beats the formal affairs Misty and I are always attending."

   "Our place next time?" Roger offered. Ed nodded approvingly.

   "You've got a beautiful place out there."

   "Yours is pretty spectacular. Quite a bit different from ours. As much as Crissy likes your swimming pool, though, I think her heart belongs to that lagoon in the back yard."

   "I don't blame her for that. You guys have all the benefits of living on a deserted island with none of the drawbacks."

   "I'm blessed, Ed. I can't deny it."

   "Misty mentioned your story might make a good movie. I've heard others at the studio say the same thing."

   "I can't see it, Ed. Maybe because I've lived it. Most of what I saw after the War is classified anyway. Returning to Creek Bend brought on a period of my life I'd rather not reflect on. And meeting Crissy, well, that means more to me than it would to anyone else."

   "When you put it all together, you've got a good story, though. Have you ever considered writing a book?"

   "I don't know who'd want to read it. And like I said, my Army Intelligence days would be completely off the record."

   "I don't mean your spy activities. You don't have to go into any of that. Your personal story, though. What you went through after coming back home, how it all changed when you met Cris. You might be able to offer a perspective that could help people."

   "How?"

   "We all know there's something strange going on with the annies around here, particularly the wolves packing on the outskirts of the territory. You might have some inside angle on it that could make sense of it all. Maybe if we could figure it out, we could stop it."

   "I've mulled it over a hundred times, Ed. If there's something concrete that my perspective offers, even I haven't seen it yet."

   "Sometimes it helps to write things down."

   "I'll give it some thought. I guess a book from the perspective of someone who escaped whatever it is might offer something to someone. I don't know when I'd get to it, though." Roger stretched and eased deeper into the chair. "I've already got a whole lot of nothing on my plate. And honestly, I like it."

   "You've earned it for sure."

   "Not all of it." Roger eyed Crissy as she turned over, so close to letting herself fall asleep in the warm sunlight that blanketed her. "Some things a man could never earn. I'm blessed, Ed. That's all there is to it."