The Beach, early Saturday morning

[stanleykeyworth.livejournal.com]

Stan was celebrating the Solstice. By walking along the beach a day or so after it actually happened, barefoot with his pants legs rolled up as the surf played with his tootsies, tackle box in one hand, fishing pole in the other, and fishing supplies (large umbrella, comfy folding chair, newspaper to snore under) slung across his back.

Open! here fishy fish fish fiiiish

Comments

[montecito-east.livejournal.com]

Mary was out on the beach for a walk before heading to meet the girls at the spa (http://community.livejournal.com/fandomtownies/1806638.html). She couldn't get over the view from the beach. To a girl who grew up in the desert, it was still so amazing to her.

She smiled when she spotted Stan. "Hey you," she called out.

[stanleykeyworth.livejournal.com]

"Hey, yourself," he said with a smile. "Great morning, isn't it?"

[montecito-east.livejournal.com]

"It certainly is," she replied. "I wanted to ask you something. What exactly happened on Monday?"

[OOC: I'm about to head out to a meeting, but I should be back in a couple hours.]

[stanleykeyworth.livejournal.com]

"On Monday?" he asked. "What do you mean?"

[montecito-east.livejournal.com]

"Well, we were talking about messages and phone calls but I don't think we were talking about the same phone calls, I think. Anyway, I felt kind of bad afterwards because I guess I came across as a little snippy," explained Mary.

[stanleykeyworth.livejournal.com]

"I don't think so. I've heard that some of the signals were crossed. I'm just glad I didn't make any calls that could have been misconstrued," he said with a smile. "And any possible snippyness is chalked up simply to a bad day, in my book."

[montecito-east.livejournal.com]

"Good," said Mary, "because I was a little worried there. And I admit that it was a really weird day. Gunther was driving me nuts with that burger mess."

[stanleykeyworth.livejournal.com]

"It was a little unusual, so much devotion to food. And every day is a bit weird here, so much that I'm beginning not to notice. Much."

[montecito-east.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," agreed Mary. "It's been stressing me out a bit. I probably need to relax more often."

[stanleykeyworth.livejournal.com]

"There's plenty of ways to do that here," he said. "There's the spa I've heard about, and there's always fishing. Or the company of good friends."

[montecito-east.livejournal.com]

"There's that too," said Mary with a tentative smile. "I actually went out with someone Thursday night and had a really good time, and today I'm meeting up with some of the girls at the spa."

[stanleykeyworth.livejournal.com]

"Thursday night? And how did that go?" He matched her smile. "Let me know how the spa turns out. I might have to frequent."

[montecito-east.livejournal.com]

"I thought it went really well," said Mary, "and I don't see you as the type to go for weekly manicures and pedicures, unless there's something you haven't told me."

[stanleykeyworth.livejournal.com]

"Having well-manicured hands is a perk in the business. Tax deductible, even. It's only for important clients, though. Everyone else gets to see me with garden dirt under my fingernails," he joked lightly.

[montecito-east.livejournal.com]

"I'll have to keep that in mind in case I ever change my line of work," said Mary. "Have you caught anything yet today?"

[stanleykeyworth.livejournal.com]

"Not today. I'm hopeful, though. I'll go out again later and see what I can pick up."

[montecito-east.livejournal.com]

"Hopeful is good," said Mary with a smile. "How was your week?"

[stanleykeyworth.livejournal.com]

"It was good. Mostly uneventful." He smiled. "Yours?" he asked, again wondering if he should invite her out to dinner.

[montecito-east.livejournal.com]

"It was unusual," said Mary. "I was at the park for that meteorite shower on Friday."

[stanleykeyworth.livejournal.com]

"I heard about that. Something similar to Graduation, on a smaller scale from what I heard. I'm beginning to think I should put up some fliers, generate some clientel. Possibly direct them to the hotel for food afterwards." He paused. "You okay?"

[montecito-east.livejournal.com]

"It takes a lot more than a few alien creatures to traumatize me. I've been through worse," she said with a wary smile.

[stanleykeyworth.livejournal.com]

"If you need help, or just someone to talk to, you know where to find me," he said sincerely. "Or a good meal?"

[montecito-east.livejournal.com]

"I have your number, and I know where you live in case the phones stop working again," she said jokingly.

[stanleykeyworth.livejournal.com]

"I--none of those were you, were they? I got several voice mail messages, and I have no clue who they are." He looked a bit chagrined. "I'm not sure who I reached."

[montecito-east.livejournal.com]

"Did you get the message where I invited you to dinner?" asked Mary. "I remember promising that your kneecaps would be safe."

[stanleykeyworth.livejournal.com]

"No, the messages I got was someone asking me for girl talk and someone exhorting their ninja abilities. I was quite confused."

[montecito-east.livejournal.com]

Mary cringed. That meant someone else got her dinner invitation, and there were the other messages...

"Oh, no," she lamented.

[stanleykeyworth.livejournal.com]

"You were the one calling about ninja abilities, I knew it," he said, trying to lighten the mood.

[montecito-east.livejournal.com]

She wasn't about to admit to being the girl talk caller.

"I think from now on I'll stick to the more reliable method of writing an old-fashioned letter," Mary said jokingly.

[stanleykeyworth.livejournal.com]

"That may be the best," he said. "Or the even older method of just dropping in for a visit," he teased back.