Bella scooped fresh cantaloupe with a spoon while Shirley looked onward at the beach through a pair of sunglasses. She didn’t seem relaxed as Bella or satisfied with their secret getaway. Something was on her mind that clearly disturbed her inner peace.
A cool breeze picked up on them on the patio, blowing tufts of Bella’s hair that framed around her face. She received multiple compliments on the day-glo green sun hat worn stylishly on her head.
“I wonder how far in life you can get by blowing a whistle?” Shirley speaks softly, resting her chin on top of a closed fist.
“That’s what you’ve been thinking about?” Bella exclaimed.
“Lifeguards have it made, don’t they?” Shirley went on, watching the shirtless young man leaning back in a high chair in red swim trunks, facing the rolling waves and the people floating through them. “You have them sitting in a tall baby chair all day, waiting for someone to drown, or get attacked by a shark, just so you can hear them blow a whistle. It’s truly inspiring and overpowering.”
“I think the sunshine’s been roasting that pretty, intelligent head of yours,” Bella remarked, eyeing Shirley above her own pair of sunglasses.
“Maybe,” Shirley said, turning back around to her plate. She plucked a few seedless red grapes and popped them into her mouth, feeling the bittersweetness invade her tastebuds.