Tom Simpson - Sink

Mike Summers, standing at the opposite side of the gleaming azure blue Olympic size pool, winked at his twin brother Mark who was just coming out of the maintenance shed carrying a leaf net.

“Well Mark,” he whispered”, she certainly spices up the scenery around the old pool, huh.”

“You got it, buddy.” Mark replied in a hushed voice. “She could eat crackers in my bed any day of the week.”

“How old do you think she is?” Mike questioned. “Maybe thirty-five?”

“I don’t know.” Mark stated. “It’s times like this I wish we were a few years older. Eighteen just isn’t appealing to a classy women like that.”

“Oh, I don’t know. Remember the Graduate. Dustin Hoffman was about our age in the movie and he nailed that older chick Mrs. Robinson.”

“Yeah, but that wasn’t real life.” Mark answered. “No women that looked as good as that would have anything to do with kids like us, but we can sure dream, can’t we.”

“Well let’s finish cleaning the leaves out of the pool and get back to reality with those two new girls that arrived yesterday. I got dibs on that cute redhead, Sally. She had nothing but admiration for these biceps of mine. I can tell we’re going to get lucky tonight.”

“That’s fine with me, bro, I liked that brunette, Beverly, better anyway. I could feel her eyes on me as soon as she got out of the car with her mother and her little brother yesterday.

The way those girls acted I think you are right. We are definitely going to score tonight.”

Mark and Mike Summers had been hired by the corporation to be part time lifeguards and part time maintenance personal. They were one year younger than Paul Zangallio and had just recently finished their first aid training. They graduated from high school in June and had planned to make some money working in the summer before they started college in the fall. Though Paul had a baseball scholarship, both of the twins had received academic scholarships to the University of Florida because of their high scholastic scores and they both wanted to major in criminal law. They came from a wealthy family and money was no object for their college educations but they were proud that they were able to obtain scholarships on their abilities. They both could have lazied around during the summer but making their own money instead of sponging off of their parents gave them a sense of responsibility that they could carry into their future. The twins were very hard workers and the corporation told them they would always be assured a job if for some reason their college plans did not work out.

Mark and Mike were well liked by their fellow employees and they both thoroughly enjoyed the sunshine and freedom of movement working for the corporation. After they graduated from the University of Florida, they both planned to attend Stetson College of Law in Gulfport, Florida and open a partnership law practice in Tampa after they passed the Florida Bar. When their practice was in full swing they planned to invest in a resort similar to the one they now worked for and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air whenever time allowed. The boys in the meantime had what normal eighteen-year-old boys had on their mind and that was young women. Someone to enjoy the formative years together with. The twins had many girlfriends over their high school years but not any they had been serious about. These two girls from out of town might actually change that and Mark and Mike Summers thought, oh well, might as well have as much fun as we can before we have to bury ourselves in our books. You only live once.

The bright red convertible screeched to a grinding halt just past the ornate double doors at the front entrance and the acrid smell of the burnt rubber drifted from the three-month old Michelin tires past the assembled crowd of groupies and uniformed doormen. The entire group of people startled by the sudden noise all turned just in time to get a more than ample peek at a very tanned, very shapely female leg emerging seductively from the opened driver’s door of a new Mustang. Tiffany Royal, star of movies and her own television series stepped slowly out of the car and left the door standing wide open. She turned toward the crowd, carefully removed her very expensive sunglasses, and flashed an Emmy winning smile. Hardly noticed by the excited throng of people, the passenger door had opened and an owlish looking forty-year old man had climbed out and had hurried around the back of the car.

“Justin, be a dear and grab my makeup bag out of the trunk. I have to definitely put on a new face before the flashbulbs start going off. Find out from that beastly manager Dilly Baleford or whatever his name is where I can freshen up before my fans completely surround me. I want to look especially radiant for Brandon Miles, my new co-star, in Desert Sweat. I haven’t seen him since we finished filming outside Palm Springs last month and I think that handsome young devil has a really big crush on me, of course who wouldn’t. I’m young, very gorgeous, with a sensational body and of course I am now filthy rich. How could anybody resist that? Now hurry up. I don’t want to get all sweaty in this Florida sunshine, it might even cause God forbid, wrinkles.”

The crowd of people standing outside stared as Tiffany Royal walked toward the front door. Justin Knowles, Tiffany’s personal assistant, followed meekly in her wake pulling a large red suitcase on wheels. The two doormen, one on each side of the large ornate doors stepped back and stood at attention as the movie star strolled past. Once inside, the assistant hurried over to the front desk to obtain the location of the manager, Dilford Bailey. The desk clerk picked up the phone and after dialing several three digit numbers and having brief conversations with various individuals the desk clerk told the assistant that the manager was in the bar seeing to some little problem and that he would be out shortly. Justin Knowles nodded his thanks and walked briskly over to Tiffany and told her she would be taken care of very shortly. Tiffany, in her usual impatient manner frowned and told her assistant to hand her a pen. She might as well sign autographs while she waited, she thought, at least she would make her fans happy.

The two ecologists, Kevin Backlin and Bill Forham, dressed in tuxedos for the grand opening, were sipping spiked punch and smiling at the many guests that were milling around. The crystal wine glasses that they were drinking from were of the finest quality and blended nicely with the elaborate decor. The lavishly dressed people that walked past the two, all looked genuinely impressed at the entire setup and many scattered bits of conversation floated back to the men from around the room.

“This place reminds me of the Astor but, much more modern.”

“I saw the same type of floral display when I was in that plush hotel in Paris. This is simply breathtaking.”

“Did you see all the video monitors? This place is extremely well protected.”

“The manager was very gracious with my husband. I remember when he managed the Royal Titan in Chicago. Everything was letter perfect.”

Kevin leaned over to Bill and whispered in his friend’s ear.

“Let’s go for a walk Bill. I think we need to talk.”

Bill nodded his acceptance and the two men walked toward the back of the room. The security guard stationed outside the rear of the building, waved at them as they opened the back door and walked out into the bright noonday sunshine. Kevin and Bill walked slowly away from the single story section of the resort and glanced toward the tennis courts.