“Have you ever wondered why I became a figure model in the first place?
Why I wasn’t embarrassed to be nude in front of so many people?”
“And why I don’t have any hang-ups if you see me nude around the house?”
She blushed and looked down. “I kinda like that part.”
“Well, that’s good,” I said, “’cause there’s more to it than just being a closet exhibitionist.”
“Um… you’re not really in the closet about it.”
“True,” I chuckled. “There’s still more to it, though.” I took another deep breath and steeled myself for what I was about to say next. I’d told Trip and Wren and Sara, and probably others I couldn’t recall, but none of them had been quite like Christy.
“I’m… a nudist,” I said at last.
“No, I mean, like, officially. My whole family.”
She frowned, but with uncertainty instead of disapproval.
“We don’t have membership cards or anything, but… well… we’re nudists.”
“When you say ‘nudist,’ what exactly do you mean?”
“We go to a nudist camp. Where everyone’s nude all the time. Meals, games, swimming, volleyball, hiking, you name it.”
“All with no clothes?”
“All of it. All the time. No clothes.”
“Wow. Okay. That isn’t what I was expecting.”
“Yeah, sorry. I really wanted to work up to it, but…” I shrugged. “If you still want to go with me to Gunny’s funeral, you kinda need to know.”
Her eyes flared. “Why?”
“We’re staying there. At the camp. They have motel rooms. And… um…
it’s a nudist camp.”
“You mentioned that.”
“We can probably get a real motel room, but… I don’t know where. I mean, I do, but… the camp’s kind of in the middle of nowhere. For obvious reasons. So the closest motel is near town. It’s a pretty seedy-looking place, though, if you ask me. Susan owns a real hotel by the interstate, but it’s even farther away. So… if we want to stay close, and stay with my family, it’s the camp. The nudist camp.”
“Yeah, you said that already. A couple of times.”
“Sorry. I’m just nervous.”
“Why do you think? I don’t want you to be scared or surprised or… break up with me.”
“You’re the strangest guy sometimes,” she said, more to herself than me.
To me she said, “Why would I do that?”
“Lots of people are pretty narrow-minded and judgmental. Not that you are,” I added quickly. “Just… lots of people. You’re a lot more open-minded than I thought. Still… being a nudist isn’t exactly normal. Although, let’s not get into what I think is normal.”
“To thine own self be true,” she said with a turnabout smile.
“Right. Use my own words against me.
