Come-In (Part 3)
(Continued from Part 2)
Jule brought her bicycle to a stop in front of the wide glittering steps of the museum and looked up at Venus glinting atop the dome against a cloudless morning sky. She felt a flutter behind her ribs. Here we go.
She leaned the bike on a rack with a few dozen others and crossed the lawn. The wide legs of her chambray jumpsuit flowed as she walked, the buttons beneath the deep neckline skipping in time as her unrestrained breasts jostled with her long stride. Although she didn’t pay much attention to it, Jule turned heads most places she went. Today was no exception.
In through the gate to the sculpture garden. The space was enclosed by a high cypress hedge, and two attendants Jule had never seen smiled at her as she entered. Lots of people had already arrived, some of whom she recognized from the checkout line at the co-op. A string quartet of college students warmed up at the center of the garden. She walked straight to the marble statue of a centaur drawing his bow to the sky, the spot she and her unknown companion had arranged to meet.
Where are you Virgo? she whispered.
Ash walked in through the gate no more than a minute later. She had caught a ride at a carpool stop with a group of out-of-towners headed to the event, but parted ways on the lawn, turning down their repeated invitations. Ash was looking for someone in particular.
She wore a pair of faded high-waisted bluejeans that (according to her landlady Eva) made her butt look great, and a cropped marigold t-shirt. Standing against the dark hedge as she surveyed the scene, Ash was an image of carefree sensuality. Her dark chin-length hair was up in loose Dutch braids. Jule noticed her immediately and made eye contact across the garden.
“You’re not a Sagittarius by chance?” Ash asked conspiratorially when she arrived at the centaur.
“I am,” Jule replied, playfully matching Ash’s tone. “You must be a Virgo.”
The women clasped hands and giggled. “Are you as nervous as I am?”
“There are mad people here,” Juro said, surveying the sculpture garden. “Are you afraid of seeing someone you know?”
“Not really,” Luc replied.
It was a lie. He had been glancing around nervously since they arrived. So far he had only spotted a few fellow students, but they weren’t the people on his mind.
The young men, both barefoot in shorts and t-shirts, had dived into the river from the Promenade on their way across town. A morning dip to settle the nerves. The black canal boat Ecstasy had reappeared overnight moored up near the Celandine.
“Oh Luc!” a vaguely familiar voice called from the River Steps.
Luc turned to see Tati smiling and raising her hand, looking rather stunning in a flouncy black linen dress. Her companions kissed her goodbye and wandered off toward the museum. Luc hadn’t seen her since their evening spent in the sauna and showers at the Wellness Center the previous summer.
“Who is this?” Juro asked discretely as they walked over.
“Someone I’ve been hoping to see again,” Luc whispered with a smile.
Tati pulled Luc in for a hug and kissed his cheek. She offered a handshake to Juro, introducing herself.
“Did you boys come to see what the fuss is all about?” She raised her eyebrows in a way that sent tingles down both their spines.
“We couldn’t resist,” Luc replied, remembering the entrancing grace of her naked body. “Do you plan to… stay?”
“I do,” Tati said tentatively. “But my friends may have cold feet. You wouldn’t want to join me, would you?”
“We would love to,” Juro answered before Luc could open his mouth.
But Luc was distracted. Across the sculpture garden, weaving among strangers, he saw Margot & Lena cross toward the far end of the River Steps.
Nora & Quinn stepped in through the gate and set their tote bags on the grass. People were arriving in numbers, and the space was beginning to fill with the laughter and chatter of anticipation. The string quartet, who Nora recognized from school, had begun to play a lively tune.
“Here’s your blanket,” Nora said, fishing it out of her bag. “Hand me my water bottle?”
“Where are you meeting your friend?” Quinn asked distractedly as she took in the scene.
“Over by the nymph statue. You?”
“Down on the far end of the steps by the water.”
“Good. Have a nice time,” Nora said curtly, but not without warmth.
“You too sis.” Quinn leaned in to kiss Nora on the cheek. “I hope it’s a veritable flood.”
The girls laughed as they went their separate ways.
At the sound of a deep standing bell, the crowd that had gathered in the museum’s sculpture garden fell silent. All faces turned to the curved stone steps where Yvette, the curator, stood wrapped in an orange sorbet robe holding a slender mallet. The mellow tone of the bell hung in the air.
“Welcome, neighbors, to the first Fern River Come-In,” she said with the pace and projection of a seasoned public speaker. “Please help me welcome the minds behind this special happening, the captivating Maaike & Peter.”
The crowd cheered and whistled as the couple came out to join Yvette. They wore matching light orange robes.
“You are so beautiful,” Maaike said, beaming at the crowd. “Are you ready to share your beauty with us all?”
More cheers and whistles.
Peter took a step forward. “We invite you to take off your clothes now.”
The three orange robes dropped nearly in unison, leaving lovely Yvette and the magnetic Dutch couple completely nude in front of the adoring crowd. Clothing began to fall to the grass among the sculptures.
(Continued in Part 4)