[bluethongguy]

THERE ARE OTHERS

One set of “regulars” at the beach was a trio of guys who typically arrived in a van just minutes after me. The three set up mid-beach. Two of them wore only shorts, like me, and toted a cooler. The third guy was the driver of the van, and each day he wore a cropped tank top, but no shorts, and a jade green thong.

Once the cooler was in place, the two lay their towels. All three would muddle around a few moments, but eventually the driver took off his shirt and the other two removed their shorts. Each revealed a thong swimsuit with a mixture of vibrant colors.

Since I ran along the water’s edge, we exchanged that casual wave “Hi” from a distance, not that different from others I met or passed when running. One morning, the tank top guy, by now wearing only his thong, ran down to the water to meet me.

“Hi, I’m Andy. Dude, do you realize we live in the same apartment complex?”

“No, I haven’t. Wow,” I replied.

Andy continued, “Yeah, I’m in the building across the parking lot from you. I see you leave on your bike just minutes before my other friends arrive. We leave just a few minutes after you do and come in my van, so we get here about the same time.”

“That’s amazing. I’ve seen you guys for the few days I’ve been coming. Do you guys come here every day?”

“Yes, almost every day. We work nights, so to relax we come here pretty early in the morning then leave a little after midday so we can get back to our places and get sleep before we have to go to work.”

“That’s the same thing I do. I guess I’m not the only person that thinks this way!”

“No, you are not. We all seem to think alike!”

Then, Andy dropped the question I wanted to hear. “In fact, the other guys and I want to ask you to hang out with us and maybe ride to the beach with us each day. Want to?”

I didn’t have a car. And they gave me the opportunity to be with other people who work the same shifts that I work and wear the same skimpy swimwear that I wear. Easy answer, “Sure. That can work for me.”

Andy added, “Finish your run, grab your stuff and come join us. You can ride home with us today, if you like.”

That’s exactly what I did. Andy, David, Alex and I lay on our towels and we sunbathed or we walked or ran along the beach. Shortly after noon, three of us put on our shorts. There was no doubt my shorts had the least coverage of any. Andy put on his tank top. David and Alex grabbed the cooler. At the parking lot, I put my bike in the back of the van and we drove back.

When we returned to the parking lot, David and Alex got out of the van and headed toward their places. I understood that David lived about a block to the north and Alex about two blocks to the east. When both left barefoot, I realized they had not left anything in Andy’s apartment and they enjoyed that same “freedom” feeling as me.

Andy asked me to help him with getting the cooler back to his apartment. He packs it each day and asks the others to “chip in” for the cost of the drinks and fuel for the van, which is something I was happy to do. Andy told me the group met around 8.

I returned to my place right on my normal schedule to eat and sleep before work.