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Chapter 17 - The Glamour Fades

Is there anything more insufferably cheery than the bingity-bongity, bleepy-bloopy tune a cell phone plays when the alarm goes off? Coming slowly to consciousness Polly realized that her knees were a bit chilly. Cracking one eye open did no good, as the sun had not yet risen and the only light in the cabin was the glow of the cell phone, which abruptly shut off before the second eye could be peeled back.

"You awake?" she mumbled to her bedmate.

"Did you even sleep?" replied Sheila.

"I must have, that damned alarm woke me up."

"Glad you did. You know something?"

"It's too early for questions."

"Whoever decided that 'sleeping together' was the proper euphemism for sex didn't know shit. I like you in my bed perfectly fine when we're making love, but I've never actually tried to sleep with anyone in my bed before."

"Yeah. I like having a hot girlfriend, but in an cabin without air conditioning you put out a lot of heat, sweetie."

"Look who's talking."

"Actually, my knees are cold."

"Poor baby."

"I think my nightgown has migrated upwards."

"Mmmmm, you're right."

Polly felt a warm hand sliding over her leg.

"Mmmmm, that part certainly feels warm."

"That's not my knee."

"I figured that out."

"Do we have time for this?"

"Probably not."

"Then you'd better stop."

"Spoilsport."

"Tonight?"

"I hope so."

"I suppose even if this nightgown leaves my knees cold it does have some advantages. Stop that!"

"Having you in this bed has some advantages, too, even if I didn't sleep all that well."

"So you never shared a bed with someone before?"

"Not to actually sleep, if you know what I mean. It's different."

"Nice though. I hope makeup will hide the lack of sleep."

"Turn on the light or we'll be late."

"Spoilsport."

"Tell me again why I'm doing this?" whined Polly.

"Because you're getting paid?"

"That helps, but how can you schlep sheets and towels and make beds all day long?"

"Poor baby, we're almost done and it's only eleven. Having second thoughts about women's work, are we?"

"I suppose it beats coal mining."

"See - a positive attitude makes the work light."

"Then you carry this mass of sodden towels to the hamper. How can anyone use so darn many towels, anyway?"

"You don't know my brother, do you?"

"I'm not that I'm excited about meeting your family at the moment, you understand."

"If it didn't mean I'd be grounded for life, it would be amusing to see how you handled it. I hope you will do better than you're doing with the less glamorous side of being a woman."

"Sure, rub it in. I'd like to see you try to be a man."

"Honey, with these honkers it would be a failure from the get-go."

"With my recent personal experience in needing breast support I wouldn't want to have you run around without a bra if I was your size."

"Damn! An understanding man - you're making progress."

"Only two more rooms - that's progress."

"Don't forget we need to help Rosie with the cabins."

"Oh my aching… back!"

"Polly, you look like you forgot to sleep last night," commented Russ as they entered the kitchen for lunch.

"I slept fine," Polly lied, 'but I never realized how much work it took to run a place like this."

"Ah my patatino, there are easier ways to make a living, eh?"

"The phrase 'a woman's work is never done' was coined for hotel maids, didn't you know that?" grinned Rosemary.

"Which is why men are not maids." interjected Russ' wife Rose as she entered wiping her hands on a towel. "Men don't have the stamina to clean a house, let alone a hotel."

"I know one thing," replied Polly, "I'll never work for a cleaning service."

"I heartily agree," responded Rose. "Which is why we use a laundry service for our linens. It isn't cheap, but the time to wash them and cost of maintaining the washers and dryers makes it the best option."

"Let us leave the laundry and stay in the kitchen. I have chicken tortellini soup for my hard working crew along with some bread fresh from the oven. Restore all that energy you have expended this morning so you may enjoy the afternoon refreshed."

"Thank you, Russ," Polly said. "I'm not going to get by on a salad and a diet soda after working all morning."

"You'll never make it on the runway if you eat like that, sweetie." Sheila chided.

"As if! I'm all for fashion but I would never wear some of the crap those supermodels wear."

"I'm not sure if you just betrayed women everywhere or made a profound statement on our popular culture."

"I'm too hungry to be profound."

"Then have another bowl of soup, topolino." offered Russ.

"Topo-what?"

" Topolino, Italian for little mouse."

"I don't think having a little mouse in the guest rooms would go over very big with the customers."

"Ah, but have you ever watched a little mouse at play? Most endearing. Our son raised mice for a time."

"Hey - I raised rats for my Animal Husbandry merit badge," said Polly

Which earned her a discrete kick and a mouthed 'wrong Scouts!' from Sheila. "I think you mean your Brownie Pets badge, don't you?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Rats?"

"Sure, they're very friendly little critters. Mine used to run down my leg and over to my dad and up his body to sniff at his ear."

"Uck!"

"I think it's time to go before anyone else mentions more creepie-crawlies," Rosemary said pointedly.

"Now who was it that was in love with Minnie Mouse when she was little?" grinned Sheila.

"Minnie never crawled up my leg."

"Not like Sam, eh?"

"Time to go!"

"God I'm tired!" moaned Polly as she sat down on the bed.

"Hey - I thought you Unitarians didn't believe in God."

"Typical Baptist misunderstanding. Some do, some don't. Me? I'm not sure but I grew up in a culture that loves to use His name for emphasis. Kinda like you did last night."

"Hmmm… It was heavenly. You do know how to treat a girl."

"I'm learning. You're a pretty good teacher yourself."

"Polly, uh Peter, can I be serious a minute?"

"Can you?"

"I want to try. You know I wasn't a virgin before."

"You've told me, and I don't think it matters. It's not like you could wear it out."

"I hope I've learned that lesson. You know that I never had an orgasm until we started loving each other."

"Really?"

"Really. I think that may be part of why I went so wild."

"That's sad. I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. I think there may be two reasons why it works with you."

"And…"

"I think that having Polly as part of you, you aren't trying to prove how manly you are, but take the time really consider my feelings. You really try to get me aroused and take the foreplay seriously. No one else did that."

"I'm so sorry!"

"So am I. I was stupid and it took time to learn better."

"I just couldn't think of doing it any other way. The whole idea of coupling means that loving is something you do together!"

"That's the second part, that there is love involved. I don't mean love-and-marriage forever, but we know each other and do things together besides grab a quickie whenever we can."

"You're starting to make me wish this ring on my finger were the real thing."

"Great minds think alike. It's too soon, you can't decide things like forever after only a few months. But for right now I love you, Polly. And I love Peter just as much. You've made me realize what I have been missing for so long."

"I love you too, Sheila. I don't know why you were so willing to help me find Polly, but finding you was the best thing that ever happened to me. We may not end up with 2.3 kids, a mortgage and a house in the suburbs, but I know I'll have a good, trusted friend for the rest of my life."

"That's beautiful, Polly. Thank you."

"Now we better get into this bed and sleep or we'll be dead in the morning."

"Hold me close?"

"You bet."