[After all that philosophy / nonfiction, my friends have been begging for fantasy. A legitimate demand, I guess: fantasy releases the soul to soar high up into the ozone layer. So, here goes. I'll keep it really short today, because work beckons.]

We were having a family weekend -- my wife, kids and I. The occasion: my wife's birthday. I had booked a big tent on the beach, within a stone's throw of the surf...

And guess what?

She didn't like the surprise at all. "You should have known I wouldn't like getting sand onto our beds, in our clothes, our hair... everything!" Our kids liked it, however, and so they and I stayed out till late in the evening wading, building sand castles, and came back to find her curled up on the cot with her feet tucked up, reading a book. She's had her hair tied in a towel.

"Well, enjoyed your shower?" I ask. "Yes, if you call that canvas-bathroom thing a shower-stall," she cribbed. "I got sand between my wet toes walking back, and I feel awful. Can't you talk to the management to shift us to one of those regular cottages that we see there?"

"I'll try," I said, but soon came back with a negative; resorts like that can't be anything but overbooked on a Friday evening.

Shucks. It looked like the weekend was going to be a total washout, and I gloomily contemplated returning home prematurely. "See if you can get used to it by tomorrow morning, otherwise we'll leave after lunch tomorrow. A few thousand bucks down the drain, but what's the point of prolonging the agony if we all aren't going to enjoy it," I said.

Later, when it was nearly bedtime, I heard her talking to some guys outside. "Some of the guys in those cottages are having a campfire out there. Wanna come?" She asked. I was already curled up with a kid on each arm, reading them a bedtime story... and the younger one was already snoring. "I'll pass," I said sleepily, and continued reading. "You go out and enjoy."

"OK!" She said, pecking me on my forehead. And she was gone. I awoke around midnight and looked out of the tent, hearing a guitar, bongos and cheering. And I was happy to see, by the orange glow of the campfire, that she was dancing -- she and another girl. Swishing their long skirts to the music, and some dude was singing La Bamba, and everybody was clapping, whistling, cheering... She looked lovely, and ten years younger. I had never seen her glow like that before!

I kept the tent flap up and fell asleep, watching her.

When I awoke again, the campfire was a dull glowing heap on the beach, and the revellers were all gone. I turned and looked around on our cots, among the sheets and generally in the tent. Nope, she wasn't in here with us. Glanced at my watch: 3.20 am.

I needed to take a leak anyways, and so I went out of the tent and wandered some way onto the beach in my shorts. Then I turned and scanned the scene.

Starlit sky. Geez, I had forgotten how beautiful the stars looked at night. Back in the city, there were no stars.

I gazed at our tent, and the other tents in the row. Dark and quiet, with no signs of life. Everybody was asleep.

Then I gazed at the cottages. The porch lights were off on most of them, except one. And then I heard sounds of laughter.

As I walked gingerly, barefeet, towards that cottage, I saw three men playing cards. Young fellows, still enjoying their bachelor lives. Was my wife with them? My blood quickened at the thought.

As I walked closer, I heard her unmistakeable voice... one set, two sequences... Rummy. That's what they were playing. Her favourite game. And I didn't even like playing cards.

Good, so she had made some friends here. Now she was going to enjoy her weekend, playing cards late into the night.

When I reached the porch, and climbed those two stairs, there she was, reclining with her head and shoulders on one guy's belly, and studying her cards as he ran his fingers through her hair. With his head on her lap lay another young fellow.

"Hi. Are you coming?" I asked, giving a smile all around, and sitting down on the steps.

She looked up and smiled. "Hi. Are the children asleep?" she asked softly. "Fast asleep," I replied. "Then can I stay for awhile?" she asked, gently easing out the hand of the guy on her lap from under her skirt. "We're having fun."

"Ok!" said I. "Mind if I sit and watch for awhile?"

"Not sleepy?" She asked, drawing me closer, and holding my hand. Then she had a sudden rush of affection. She ruffled my hair, kissed my hand and held it to her bosom. "What would I do without you to make my life so heavenly?" she whispered into my ears.

"I wanted to be the first to wish you on your birthday," I said, kissing her tenderly on her cheek. "It's already tomorrow. Happy birthday, darling."

"It's your birthday! Wow! Happy birthday!" said all the three guys, sitting up. Then the fellow that had been lying on her lap said, "May we kiss the birthday girl?" 

"Ask her," I said mildly. "May I?" he asked her. She looked at me and laughed. Her eyes sparkled and gleamed. She offered him her lips, pouting, eyes closed. He kissed her on the lips. Smack.

"That's not a kiss, my friend!" she said, glancing at me with laughter in her eyes. "This is," and then she seized his head and proceeded to kiss him, open-mouthed, for several seconds. At first he seemed stunned, passive, and then he reciprocated with energy, embracing her passionately.

When he freed her, she rubbed her lips with the back of her hand, glancing at him, and then at me, with wide eyes.

When I left her and returned to the tend after maybe ten minutes, it was getting windy and chjilly, and they had moved into the cottage.

"We'll sit on the cot and play another couple of games," she said, as the guys noisily pushed two cots together in the middle of the room. "I'll be back in an hour," she promised.

"No, I won't hold you to that, darling," I whispered into her ear, "Have a good time, enjoy yourself, I'll take care of the kids... Good night... and a very happy birthday. Many, many happy returns of the day!"

She blushed. The flush on her slightly swelling lips, the colour on her cheeks, the beauty of her careless, windblown hair was priceless. I gazed at her for a long time, drinking in her beauty with my eyes, before turning and walking back in the cold night air to our tent.