Life's Little Pleasures

He chased her in and out among the pilings in the darkness under the
boardwalk. A full moon, large and yellow, hung low on the horizon while
she ran from him laughing and screaming with delight as she escaped his
grasp.
"What's the matter Jake?" she teased. "Can't ya catch me?" The soft
night breeze cooled her skin as she skipped through the ocean
spray.
"Don't you worry, little Missie; I'm going to get you!" he said,
lunging at her again. "And when I do...." He allowed her to stay just
out of reach as the chase continued.
Laughing, she dodged behind another piling and jeered, "Oh, yeah? You
wouldn't know what to do if you ever DID catch me!"
"Oh, baby, if you knew what I have in mind for you, you'd be chasing
me!"
"I'm so sure!" she said, sticking her tongue out at him. She allowed
him to get just close enough for his fingers to brush across her bare
shoulder before she skittered off to one side.
Jake's eagerness grew as he watched Mandy's lithe body moving in and
out among the pilings. The yellow moonlight made her golden hair
shimmer. The rise and fall of her breast caused a rustling deep in his
belly. He made a more concerted effort to reach her and stumbled in the
process.
She squealed with glee as she evaded him and ran across the
now-deserted beach, her feet sinking deeply in the loose sand. She ran
to the blanket they had laid out on the sand and collapsed, exhausted.
Jake tumbled down beside her, laughing.
"Gotcha!" he shouted triumphantly.
"You didn't catch me!" she protested loudly, smacking him playfully on
the arm.
He growled, rolling over, pinning her down on the blanket.
"Grrrrrrrrrrr.... NOW, I've got you!"
"Okay! Okay!... I give up!" she giggled.
He lowered himself and kissed her, long and full on the lips. He was
pleased with himself that he had captured his quarry at last!
Mandy signaled her delight by emitting a deep guttural tone during the
most passionate of their kisses.
"God, I've looked forward to tonight all week!" she whispered
breathlessly as Jake stopped kissing her just long enough to slip his
T-shirt off over his head. Jake uttered an enthusiastic agreement, but
it was difficult to hear since it was muffled against the smooth, hot
skin of Mandy's throat. Her response was simply a sigh of
satisfaction.
"I feel so sleazy," she said with a sly grin, "sneaking out with David
sleeping right there on the couch. This is so exciting!"
"Sshhhh, don't talk about him right now. This is our night! Nothing
else in the whole world exists but me and you."
Before she could protest, he pressed his lips against hers in another
long, loving kiss. Her fingers lost themselves in the tangle of his
thick black hair. His hands explored the fullness beneath her thin
summer blouse.
For a while, they spoke only in the language of lovers, lost in a world
of their own creation. While they made their bed together on the sand,
David slept the sleep of the innocent less than a mile away.
* * * * * *

"Jake! Wake up!" Mandy said frantically, sitting up and disengaging
herself from his embrace. "We fell asleep! It's late! We've got to
go!"
Jake sat up, shaking the cobwebs from his head.
"Hurry!" she urged him. "You can put your shirt on in the car."
She took his hand and helped him up, handing him his shirt. They
gathered their things and ran laughing, hand in hand, to the car.
Later, standing by the back door, Jake put his hand on hers as she was
putting her key into the back door. She turned and looked up at him,
her face pale and beautiful in the light of the full moon that looked
down on them from high above. Jake leaned forward and softly pressed
his lips against hers. She placed her hand over his heart and stepped
into his arms. He responded by kissing her more deeply.
"Jake! Stop!" she whispered, turning away from him and looking toward
the little window beside the back door. Through it, she could see the
couch and a figure bundled up in a light blanket; the television cast a
flickering light on the room.
"I think he's asleep!" she said as she quietly turned the key in the
door. "Thank God!" The door opened and she stepped softly onto the
carpeted floor inside.
Jake's bare feet stepped in behind hers.
As she stepped into the living room, she stepped out of her sandals and
approached the couch where she stood for a long moment, staring down at
David.
While she stood there, Jake walked up behind her and wrapped his arms
around her waist and nuzzled her neck, growling playfully while he
nibbled her ear.
"Sshhhh... Stop that!" she warned, giggling, "You'll wake him!"
As the words left her mouth, David's slowly opened his sleepy eyes. His
eyes fixed on her, and he smiled.
And then he saw Jake.
His smile broadened as Jake reached down to run his fingers through his
sleep-skewed hair.
"There's my little man!" Jake said cheerfully as he bent down to lift
the happy bundle from the couch.
"Jake, don't!" Mandy urged. "We'll never get him back to sleep!"
As she said this, sixteen-year-old Courtney returned from the kitchen,
carrying a bowl of freshly popped popcorn. "Oh my!" she exclaimed,
startled. "I didn't hear you come in!"
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Mandy said. "We were trying not to wake anyone; and
you see how well that worked out!" She smiled and directed her
attention to her son who was now laughing and sitting high up on his
father's shoulders.
"Jake," Mandy warned, "you're going to be the one who sits up with him
if he won't go back to sleep tonight."
"He'll go back to sleep," Jake said, reassuringly. "Won't you, little
buddy? Yes! Yes you will! Yes you will!" The boy laughed and squirmed
as Jake reached up and tickled him.
"I hope he behaved for you," Mandy said to Courtney.
"He sure did," Courtney replied. "He was an angel, and Angela has slept
since nine o'clock."
"We really appreciate you staying so late tonight," Mandy said while
Courtney gathered up her things. "How much do we owe you?"
"The usual is fine," she answered. "I really enjoyed it. You have such
good kids."
"We think so too," Mandy said, writing out a check for twenty dollars
more than the normal amount. "And we appreciate all you do for
us!"
Courtney protested politely when she saw the dollar amount of the
check, but she kept it when Mandy insisted.
When the baby-sitter was gone and the front door was closed securely
behind her, Mandy went to Jake and took David from him. "Come on,
little fellow. Let's go tell your baby sister good night; it's past
your bedtime.
Followed closely by Jake, she carried sleepy little David into the
nursery where they all looked lovingly down at baby Angela who was
sleeping as peacefully as a lamb.
"Of all the riches in the world," Jake said, quietly to Mandy, "these
are the little pleasures that make life worth living."