Summer

Lauren found herself with two lovers. Errol was laid back but surf hard. She’d met him at a beachside bar. He taught her to surf, but not like him. He was sinuous and beautiful on a wave.

Ivan played guitar in a band. Cheryl knew the singer, hence Lauren’s invitation to the after-show party. Ivan’s bohemian sneer and world-weary humour were hard to resist.

One week she’d been single—not even on the look out. The next she was juggling assignations. Attention was being poured onto her and she wanted to soak it up.

Her day-to-day life of friends and family, things to do and relaxation disappeared in a whirl of passion. She spent every moment with one or the other, or thinking about them both.

By the morning Cheryl rang the pace was taking its toll. Lauren dismissed her friend’s concerns—cut the call short, She was due out. She threw on a crumpled dress. As she drove towards the beach rain began falling. When she parked she could see him on a wave. She stayed in the car. He’d be off soon in search of new beaches to conquer. The band would start touring, too. She’d be single again. A ripple of lightning broke across the horizon. She waited for the thunder to roll in from the blue.

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