Caught Off Guard

If ever there was a time in my life when I wish I could just vanish, this would be it. Someone wise once said, “Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.”  Well it seems as though I may be more than sufficiently talented. If this was the first time I demonstrated this talent I wouldn’t be so blasted upset but, unfortunately, it isn’t.

It was a delightfully sunny September afternoon. Just the sort of day when I loved to sneak away to the secluded warm springs. I parked on the turnoff about a hundred feet from the foot path down to the springs, hit the beeper to open the trunk of my car, grabbed my towel, my book, my mp3 player, and a bottle of water and hiked on down to the springs. It was simply marvelous, I was all alone, the cool air was brushing my hair gently, and I was listening to Jean Pierre Rampal playing selections from Bach, Handel, Telemann, Vivaldi. I watched the hawks soaring above, chipmunks and squirrels scurrying around the tree base gathering provisions for the upcoming winter, and I loved the the faint scent of pines.  I was totally in my element, surrounded my nature, fresh air and time to myself. After an hour or so I noticed that I was still quite alone and undisturbed by others.  I decided that I wanted to take a quick dip in the warm springs. Since my only company was the critters on the ground and the hawks above, I made a hasty decision to go for a skinny dip. It was a weekday, too late in the day for lunch time visitors and too early for after dinner visitors. Oh but the water felt grand as it slid over my body as I swam. After reveling in sheer delight I was ready to head home. As I made my way towards the bank I looked up and OH MY GOD. a ranger was coming down the footpath!  I turned and dashed back underwater.  “Excuse me,” he called out, “would that be your Subaru parked up on the turnoff? If so, do you know you left your trunk door open?”