I’ve been itching for some kind of social life, so instead of swimming in the lake right in front of our cabin, we headed out past Liberty to go swimming in a public lakefront. I got in my hot pink one-piece bathing suit and hopped in the car with the wee one and Jay. The grumpy ol’ bastard complained the whole way about me driving around in a skimpy suit.

“It’s a one-piece bathing suit!” I protested. It was the most conservative swimsuit in my closet.

“You don’t come to a puritan state and drive around like a country whore!” he ranted.

I laughed him off. You know how he is. You’ve heard him rant on our podcast.

When we got to the public waterfront, Jay set up his hammock between trees and lay in it. I spread our beach mat on the ground close to him, there to keep our towels and snacks clean. Jay is such an antisocial freak. I know he really wants to entertain at our cabin home, show off his prowess in lighting a one-match fire, have a delicious outdoor cookout. But Jay is a grumpy ol’ bastard who doesn’t like anybody. Sometimes I don’t blame him. Good friends are hard to find.

I went in the water with the wee one. We were surrounded by beer bellies and cellulite. A dog swam to fetch a ball thrown far into the lake. Silly kids wore goggles and flippers, sillier dads donned flippers to match their kids’.

Then this beautiful family came. Dad had blond hair, great haircut, cute in a skate punk kind of way. Mom is a brunette, skinny, long legs, love her two-piece bikini with a little skirt around the bottom. Little boy around 4 or 5 years old waved at me and the little one when they passed. I said hi! Mom said hi back. Little girl around 3 years old carried a doll in a toy car seat.

My wee one wanted to see the interesting toy. I was suddenly shy. They seemed like a tight little closed circuit. The kids played with each other, did not seem interested in playing with any of the other kids on the beach. The couple was just as tight around each other.

Just as my wee one and I headed close to where they were, hoping to start a conversation, they all four got up and walked across to the other side of the beach. Dad and Mom had their arms around each other, he was cupping her butt cheek as they went.

On the way home, Jay and I talked about the beautiful family we all wished we could have made friends with.

“Before they came, you were the hottest one on the beach,” Jay assured.