The Mountain Rats by Boklim Choi

Author:Boklim Choi
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Seoul Selection

Robbed of My Sun

It was a very hot day in Jamaica, ninety-three degrees and very humid. The sun bit the skin like it had teeth. Scantily dressed beachgoers, some nearly naked, found the heat to be quite unbearable and punishing. People swam in the water, or found shade under a tree or beneath parasols. Some sought shelter indoors to avoid the stifling heat wave.

Sharon O’Malley sat in the sun after a one-hour swim. She seemed not to care about the glaring sun. She spent the whole day at the beach, drinking soda and eating snacks. She was determined to get as much sun as possible. Sharon was a strikingly attractive woman in her late thirties, perhaps past the peak of her beauty, but not far. She had an easy smile and was well mannered. Looking at her up close, a sharp-minded person would discover her intelligence and charm. Her gaze was powerful, confident, and unwavering. She was looking toward the horizon, where the ocean and mountain meet. An innocent cloud formed a tunnel and a few ships sailed under it. She took pictures with her big Canon.

Sharon flew to Montego Bay two days earlier from New York City. It was snowing and cold in New York, twenty three degrees with five to six inches of snow. It had already snowed three times, and it was only December. Once the snow started to melt, another few inches fell to cover the ground. Sharon was sick of it, so she decided to use her timeshare vacation program. She was seduced to buy one several years earlier by a different resort in Jamaica. She regretted it at first, but then used it regularly. It was an escape from the cold and the hustle and bustle of stressful city life. She felt exceedingly happy on this Caribbean island. Jamaica always embraced the snow birds seeking a winter haven near the equator.

As soon as her plane landed, she took off her heavy jacket and changed to shorts and a light top. She felt as if she could fly like a bird.

A slim, athletic woman a bit older than Sharon sunbathed nearby. Sharon noticed that she swam for at least two hours. Sharon wondered how such a slender body stored so much energy. She swam effortlessly and gracefully. It was fun to watch. She finished her round of afternoon swimming and approached Sharon.

“Hi, I am Alice from Minnesota. Where are you from?” she asked.

“I am Sharon from New York. I live in the city that never sleeps. Always awake.”

“Was it cold? Did you get snow?”

“Oh, yeah, about five inches. The temperature was not too bad. Above freezing.”

“That’s nothing. We had ten inches and the temperature was hovering in the low teens.”

“I can imagine. I have a friend from St. Paul. She always complained about the cold. She said she would never go back there. Her body simply refused to be exposed to that cold.”

“I was born there and never had a chance to get out. I’ve been stuck there for forty-seven years.

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