in the sun

[assistingconsultant]

It had been a long time since Joan had gone to the beach. She had worn her swimsuit through the door and brought with her as many of the essentials she thought she would need. The first of these – a towel – she unfolded on the hot, gleaming sand. The second was an umbrella that she had rented; it had the logo of some beer brand flashing across it. Wherever they were – she didn't ask too many questions, uncertain of how deep she should dig through each door – it was someplace with a thriving tourist industry, and they spoke Spanish.

“Thanks for coming with me,” she said again, making sure the umbrella was embedded deep into the turf. “I haven't been to the beach in so, so long.” She cast a grateful look at Natasha. The other woman had agreed to come out with her, though there had been some concern over sunburn. Which Joan heartily understood.

“I brought the stuff from Australia,” she added, pulling out the bottle. “You know, the stuff that no matter what is the highest SPF possible due to sun safety regulations, regardless of what it's labelled to be. Australia's figured it out.”