That first time (short story)

This is another short story which I put out into the wild some time ago. I hope many downloaders are non-naturists, who get interested and will give doing nude a try.

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"It's happening, isn't it?" Rosa looked at Gerard, her husband.

"It is." He didn't sound very thrilled anymore either.

Rosa and he had agreed to visit a nude beach, with friends who went there often. They'd found out about Roy and Shawna being naturists a while ago, and despite the weird subject, it had popped up in more and more conversations since then.

Roy and Shawna had talked about it as if there was nothing to it.

Gerard looked at his wife. "We can still cancel. It's just a phone call away..."

"Yeah. Maybe." Rosa looked down at herself and made sure her dress was nice. "I don't know. Do you think I should pack a bathing suit? Or that new bikini? Just in case?"

Gerard shook his head. "That's not the kind of place for it. Remember, they said it's all naked." Now it was his turn to look down at himself. "I wonder who wants to see me naked."

Rosa quietly agreed with him. She had the same thoughts about her appearance. Neither Gerard nor she had great bodies. They had given this a try, the night before, in their bedroom. They'd gotten out of their clothes, and just stood there, looking at each other. It had been awkward.

"At least you're still looking pretty good without clothes," said Gerard, very conscious about his belly, and the bumps and scars on himself.

"I guess you didn't wear your glasses last night," Rosa countered.

"Maybe we should..." Gerard picked up his phone, the idea of canceling the visit to the beach. The device was barely in his hand when it rang. He almost dropped it from surprise. "It's them," he told Rosa, before answering. "Hey, this is Gerard."

"Hi Gerard, Shawna here. Are you still on for this afternoon? Roy asked me to call and check."

Before Gerard could say anything about their hesitations and worries, she carried on about how great it was for him and Rosa to come along and finally experience some real freedom. "You're going to love it, and meet wonderful people too," she said. "We have lots of sunscreen, so you don't have to worry. Just have some towels with you, to sit on, and you'll be all set. So we'll pick you up in about an hour. See you then!" And with that, the call was over.

"That was Shawna," he said to Rosa. "They'll be here in an hour."

"You don't sound like you look forward to this." Rosa knew she didn't either. At first it had sounded like fun, but now this was becoming a reality. A scary one. She'd always admired Shawna and Roy for being so happy and spontaneous, for looking the way they did. It wasn't a real surprise for her and Gerard, to hear they were naturists. Or nudists. Or something like that, as the couple threw both words in at random.

"We'll see what happens. They did offer to get us home again quickly if we don't like it," Gerard said, accepting their fate. He took her hand. "We'll survive this. We lived through a lot."

She squeezed his hand in silence.

The next call was Shawna, announcing they were only a few streets away. "If you can come outside, we'll be on our way sooner," she said. It made sense, but for Gerard and Rosa, that made it more tense too.

"Yes. We will," he agreed nonetheless. "They're coming. And want us to wait outside."

"Then... we should, right?"

He nodded and got up, and so did she.

A few minutes later, they stood on the pavement, waiting for their ride - and the inevitable. Of course, they both knew it wasn't that, but neither of them wanted to admit that to the other. It might do something bad to their, already feeble, resolve to go through with this.

A minute later, Roy and Shawna arrived. The two were happy to see their friends, who got into the car. Gerard and Rosa tried to be as cheerful about the trip and their destination as the ones who'd picked them up, but that proved to be difficult.

"You don't have to worry," Roy assured them once more. "We're going there. You give it a try for, let's say, an hour. Or half an hour. If you hate it, I'll get you back home."

"That's very kind of you," said Rosa, whose thoughts were with the view in the mirror, last night. She really didn't have a nudist body.

As the drive continued, Shawna explained a lot about the park they were going to visit, about the swimming pools, the lazy lawn for people who liked to lie in the sun, and the sports facilities.

Gerard laughed at that. "You did see us, right? We're not made for sports. I think we're more set for the lazy lawn."

Shawna laughed and said they'd see about that later, and with all the chatting going on, suddenly Roy pulled up at the gate of the nude folks place.

This was it. This was the point of no return, Rosa thought. Her first impulse was to get out of the car and start the walk home. She'd make it. No need to bother Roy with that.

Roy and Shawna, however, had a membership pass. It was scanned quickly, and the gate rolled open. Rosa's moment of escape had passed.

Roy pulled the car to the side. "Right. Usually, we get naked here and drive to the parking, which isn't very far away. Are you guys okay with that? Do you want to get out of those clothes too?"

"Ehm." Gerard looked at his wife, who was already casting the same doubting glance at him. "You two go ahead. We need a bit more time to... acclimatize."

"Cool." Shawna was already out of the car, and quickly stripped down to her skin. Gerard looked at her, curiously, knowing he shouldn't. They had told him and Rosa it wasn't polite to stare. He reminded himself he wasn't staring.

Roy got out of the car too, and took his clothes off.

"She has a big scar on her tummy, see that? And one between her breasts," Rosa noticed. She had never expected that from Shawna. She'd always looked so perfect and healthy.

Sitting in the car, they also noticed Roy wasn't the image of health and perfection, as they'd thought he was. Lots of scars and bumps were hidden beneath his clothes, and now they showed.

"They don't seem to mind people seeing that," Gerard whispered, just before the two others got into their seats, after putting something on them to sit on.

"And here we go!" Roy drove to the parking, where lots of cars had already convened. Near some of them, people were undressing and gathering the things they'd need during the afternoon.

Gerard and Rosa left the car and hesitated. So many people here, Gerard thought, and they'd all be able to see him and Rosa.

As if Shawna read his mind, she said, "If you fear they can see you, remember you can see them too. There's nothing to it. We're all just people here, without artificial additives like clothes."

"True." Rosa recalled Shawna saying that a few times before. She steeled herself and actually began taking off her blouse and then the skirt. "And we leave this here, in the car?" It was a question she'd never thought asking, standing next to a few cars in her underwear. She then realized how Shawna hadn't even worn underwear. No wonder she was so quick, getting undressed.

"Yep. No problem, but if you worry about your stuff getting stolen, we can put them in the trunk," Roy said, walking around the car. "We always leave our things on the seats. Never a problem."

Rosa asked if her clothes could be stored in the trunk. Somehow she felt safer about them being there. Roy opened the trunk cover and she carefully put her skirt and blouse there. Then she had to face the big moment. Getting out of her underwear. She bit her tongue, closed her eyes, and did it. Of course, she had to open her eyes again, to see where the garments had to go.

She slowly straightened herself. Here she was. Naked. In a parking. With two naked friends, and other nude people around, many of who were walking away already. Gerard was almost done too. Rosa admired how he did that. He was as much used to this as she was, and he did it.

Gerard put his clothes on the back seat. "Ready," he said. "Right?" He looked at Roy.

"Absolutely, Gerard," the man said. "Okay, let's grab the cooler box, and then we're off to the real good place."

As if to provide some safety cordon, Roy and Shawna walked left and right of Gerard and Rosa. They left the parking, and Shawna pointed out the places where they could go. The small restaurant, the pool area, the sports fields, the lazy lawn, and various other parts of the small park.

"Oh no! Look!" Rosa hoped she didn't call out too loudly. She saw a family of three, and the son, he was perhaps fifteen, had half his left leg amputated. He was walking along on a prosthetic leg, and didn't seem to have any issue with it.

"Look where?" Roy asked.

"The boy with the leg," Rosa said, almost whispering now.

"Yeah, that's Tommy. Great kid, always lots of fun. He's ace at tennis."

"Tennis?" Gerard frowned. "But..."

"He's got that leg for years. He can even run short distances with it," Roy explained. "Some drunk hit him with a car, which cost him that leg, but Tommy's made of cast iron. He doesn't let that get him down, and he makes the best of everything. Hey Tommy!"

The boy looked back. "Roy! Hey, Shawna!" He waved. "New friends?" Tommy walked back to the four. "Hi, I'm Tommy." His big smile immediately won Rosa over.

"Hello Tommy. I'm Rosa, and this is my husband, Gerard," she said, shaking the proffered little hand. She noticed the boy missed one finger. Probably also from the accident.

Gerard also shook Tommy's hand.

"Will you come watch me play?" Tommy asked Shawna. "I'm up against Carlita. She's really good but I think I can win today."

Shawna looked at Gerard and Rosa. "Are you ready to watch tennis today?"

"Ehm, sure, why not," said Rosa. "But you play against a girl?"

"Ha, don't think she's just a girl. She's *really* good. Cool, I'll see you there!" Tommy waved and jogged back to his parents, who were waiting for them.

"Amazing," said Rosa. "He actually runs with it."

"Yep." Shawna pointed. "Let's park ourselves there, on the grass, and then we see what we're going to do. Or not do."

She'd found a nice spot, not in the middle of the crowd, who'd already gathered there.

"I had no idea this would be so busy," Gerard said, looking over the sea of naked people. "And they're all having a good time."

"That's what we're here for," said Roy, who was spreading out a blanket for all to sit on. Gerard helped him, and put down the beach towels he and Rosa had brought along.

"Right. Next thing: sunscreen." Shawna dug out a silly amount of it, and for a while the four were occupied getting all sunscreened up.

Roy offered to do Rosa's back, which she found a bit odd, but accepted his offer, as he was closest to her. She put the stuff on her husband's back, and Roy also did Shawna's back. He was fast.

"And now we're all set," Shawna said. "Care to sit for a bit and just relax? Or do you want a walk around?"

Rosa looked at Gerard. She wasn't sure. To her astonishment, Gerard asked if they could visit the sports fields. He was curious where Tommy was going to play his tennis game against Carlita.

"Sure, no problem. Let's go over there," said Roy.

The four got up and walked along the lawn. They heard the noises and screams coming from the pool, which made Rosa laugh. "They have fun there."

"Always," Roy said. "We can go for a swim later, if you want."

"Maybe." Rosa couldn't remember the last time when she'd seen the inside of a swimming pool.

The walk to the sports fields wasn't very far. Gerard and Rosa actually enjoyed their walk, seeing so many people. Different people, in every shape and size they could think of, and many of those people said hi as they passed.

"You know," Rosa whispered to Shawna, "I feared I would be the odd one out here, with my body. But..."

"I know." Shawna involuntarily touched the big scar between her breasts. "This is the best place to get over body issues. This is where you meet real people. Not models or anything close."

"Am I impolite when I ask about that scar?" Rosa whispered the question.

"Of course not. Open heart surgery. It saved my life." Shawna looked down for a moment. "Trust me, I'd rather have a life and a scar than neither of them."

"I'm sorry I asked," said Rosa.

"Don't be." Shawna put an arm around her for a moment. "As I said, real people."

"That's the tennis court," Roy then announced.

Several people were playing the game already, three younger people and an older man playing double.

"They're good," Gerard said.

"Anyone is good at this compared to you," Rosa reminded him, and put a hand on his shoulder for a moment. She slowly lifted her hand. How long had it been that she'd touched his skin like that, just because? His actual skin, not a shirt. It confused her a bit, thinking about this.

"Hello!" Tommy waved as he appeared from behind a small fence. "Nice to see you again."

Rosa and Gerard greeted the boy, who warned them the game wouldn't start yet. "It's more than an hour. And Carlita isn't here yet either."

"You're early, Tommy," Shawna said.

"Putting my stuff here," the boy explained, "so I don't have to carry it around. Mom and dad are off to see some friends, and I didn't want to go with them." He looked at the tennis court, where the four people were playing. "Cool, huh?" he asked.

"It's... interesting," Gerard said.

Tommy grinned and asked if he'd ever played tennis.

"No. Never." Gerard admitted he could hardly figure out which side of a racket to hold.

"Want me to show you?" Tommy looked up at the man.

"I'm not sure..." Gerard hesitated. He didn't have the build for sports, he'd never even considered venturing beyond baseball and basketball on television.

"Sure, you should!" Rosa smiled and patted him on the shoulder. When also Shawna and Roy said he should give it a try, there was no way back. Tommy grabbed Gerard by the hand and dragged him off to the second court. The others followed.

Sooner than he'd thought, Tommy had handed Gerard a tennis racket, and picked one for himself too. Not wasting time, Tommy then took him along on the free court, and started showing him how to hold the racket, how to swing, and how to anticipate an oncoming ball.

"You're doing well!" Tommy cheered, as Gerard felt a bit more confident with the strange implement in his hand. The boy jogged around the field and took position on the other end. "I'm going to hit a ball to you now!"

Gerard looked at Rosa and the other two people.

"You can do this," Roy encouraged him.

"If you miss, that's okay," Tommy exclaimed. "I missed many at first too!" He threw up a ball and hit it.

Gerard saw it coming, did something with the racket, and the ball bounced off it, flying somewhere.

"You hit it!" Tommy cheered.

"That was by accident," Gerard said.

Tommy set up the next ball, and this time Gerard actually managed to hit it back. It didn't get past the net, but the ball went in the right direction. Gerard stared at the racket and the ball. He couldn't believe this had worked.

The two continued the practice for a few minutes longer. Then Tommy stopped, explaining he didn't want to use all his energy now. "I have Carlita to beat."

Shawna asked if she could have a go at this. Tommy gladly handed over the racket, and as he walked off, Shawna and Gerard continued playing tennis. Shawna had done it a few times before, and Gerard slowly built up confidence, as he started seeing how to return the ball.

They stopped only when the announcement for the official games of the afternoon were to start.

Shawna and Gerard put the rackets and the balls back in the chest where they'd come from, and walked to the seating area with Roy and Rosa.

"You did well, husband," Rosa said, her arm linked with his. "For a first time, you were amazing."

Roy and Shawna exchanged glances. He winked.

"How do you feel?" Roy asked the elderly couple. "Ready to go home yet?"

"Go home? We have to watch Tommy play," Rosa said, almost sounding dismayed.

"Okay, okay." Roy grinned. "Just asking, because you're all naked and such, remember?"

"We..." Rosa frowned. "We are. I'd forgotten about that..."

Shawna hugged her for a moment. "And that's good. That's how it should be."

Gerard smiled. "I hadn't thought about it either. I would never have imagined playing tennis today, before we came here. And now I did. And it was a kid who taught me."

Roy smiled too. Gerard didn't even need to mention he'd learned to play a bit of tennis from a *naked* boy. "Come on. Let's find a seat and watch the games."

Gerard and Rosa thought that was an excellent idea, and so the four were ready when finally their big game, between Tommy and Carlita, started. The couple held hands as they saw Tommy give it his best, and they cheered among the loudest when he managed to score a point. It was clear, from the start, that Carlita was still much better and faster than he was, so her winning wasn't a big surprise.

On the way home, late that evening, Gerard kept stating Tommy should have won the match. Tommy himself hadn't felt bad about it. After all, Carlita was older, she played longer, and she was just better than him. For now.

Roy assured him Tommy would get better, and one day he'd win.

Rosa then said, "I think we should go to that place more often, and tell him he's doing great."

Gerard nodded. "Yes. And maybe I can learn to play real tennis."

"Naked tennis, right?" Shawna looked back at the couple with a happy face.

"Absolutely." Gerard replied for both of them.