O'Connell Bridge - Pt. 6

When LC got off work the next morning, Caitlin met him on the stairs. “We’re going to the beach, and you’re coming with us.”

“I need to go to bed Cait, I just worked eight hours and feel like I’ve been whipped. Everyone in Porter’s Neck came to the ER last night, at least once and some more than once. And they all either bled or barfed on the floor.”

“Don’t be silly. Get your gear and meet me at the car. You can sleep on the way and at the beach—that is if you can sleep through Betty Jo’s singing.”

“I could sleep through a tank battle.”

Minutes later, dressed in a t-shirt and swim trunks, LC walked down the stairway, flip flops clapping as he walked. “I’m here,” he called toward the window. “In body only.”

Caitlin waved from her tiny Chevy Cruise. “Over here. I have the lotion, a cooler of beer and Pepsi, and a beach blanket plus two towels and a big umbrella.”

“In that tiny thing is there anywhere to sit?”

“Get in silly before I change my mind.”

“Cait, change your mind and I’ll let you tuck me in.”

“No chance buster, it’s Brits Donuts or bust. Here we come.”

“I thought Betty Jo was joining us.” LC crunched his knees up before finally finding the seat lever.

“She is, that is Betty Jo and her new boyfriend. They’re pretty tight. I think he lives in Monkey Junction. She said to meet at Brits, and we’ll all get in her boyfriend’s jeep for the trip to the beach.”

“Got it.” LC re-folded himself into the tiny car. “Mind if I sleep while you drive?”

“Not at all.” Caitlin pulled up the beach skirt to drive.

LC smiled. “Nice skirt.”

“You’re looking at my legs. Give it up LC, I can read you like a book.”

“Okay, nice legs.”

“Better,” she giggled. “By the way, sleeping men in my car may get molested.”

“You said men; I assume that means you have tortured someone else in this way?”

“Don’t be silly LC, of course not.” She giggled. “I haven’t always driven this car.”

“Don’t hit anything. I’ve been saved, but I bruise.”

Minutes later, they climbed out of the tiny car and met Betty Jo and the boyfriend, Todd. Importantly, Todd had a jeep with oversized tires. Caitlin stood beside the huge knobby tire trying to figure out how to climb into the metal vehicle. Finally, LC grabbed her around the waist and virtually tossed her into the back seat to join all of the gear.

“Move over, I’m getting in too.” He climbed up into the jeep and swung himself into the back seat next to Caitlin.

“Hold on,” yelled Todd.

They bumped and swerved up the beach road and finally settled on a high place.

Todd and LC unloaded the jeep and set up the two umbrellas while the women spread the beach blankets on the sand with coolers resting between.

Caitlin pulled off her cover-up and raced toward the water screaming as she went. “First.” Her two-piece swimsuit left little to the imagination and as she ran, she had to hold her top on.

Betty Jo followed, duplicating her roommate; however, her stylish one-piece suit seemed to move as she trotted toward the water.

Todd and LC followed at a respectable distance and dove into the water. LC found Caitlin’s feet and pulled them out from under her. She was immediately dunked in the salty water.

Caitlin bobbed up. “LC, I’ll kill you.” She jumped at him and tried to pull him down with her weight. A second later, she reached down and pulled his swim trunks down.

LC dunked himself immediately to grab his trunks, in which her foot was now pushing down. He grabbed her ankle and flipped her into the water.

Caitlin grabbed for her loose top a second late.

LC stood in the shallow laughing at her.

Caitlin dove again aiming for his legs but he caught her arms and pulled her up to his chest. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and he kissed her then he dove away.

When LC looked back, he could see Caitlin coming after him again. She grabbed him around the neck and kissed him deeply, then swam away laughing, but ducking into the water and surfaced holding her top up high over her head. She turned her back and reattached the loose straps and cloth.

LC dove after her, but too late. Caitlin swam away. He only touched her toes when he grabbed for her ankles.

After several minutes of play, they both got out of the water laughing and ran to the beach blanket. LC won the contest and reached in the cooler, bringing back a handful of ice which he poured down Caitlin’s top when she fell onto the blanket knees first.

She quickly lifted the bottom of the cups and let the ice fall out in the sand. LC watched with marvel. “You need to staple that thing on.”

Caitlin turned and seemed to try to be angry. “If certain men wouldn’t try to pull it off, it would be fine.”

“Hey, I never touched the swim suit.”

She shot back. “No, but you touched me. I’m going to call you LC groper from now on.”

“Did not. At least not on purpose.”

“Did too,” she laughed. “Kiss me and I’ll forgive you.”

“Maybe I don’t want forgiveness.”

“Well, you could kiss me anyway.”

LC leaned across the blanket. “I’ll meet you half way.”

As he leaned, Caitlin pulled his neck and he flopped halfway on top of her kissing and holding each other until she said, “LC, quick look at the sky.”

LC rolled off of her. In the sky a bi-plane was pulling a banner that read: “O’Connell Bridge.”

The plane made a turn and flew back down the beach pulling the same banner and then flew out of sight.

LC leaned back on the blanket. “Maybe we need to find out who it is.”

Betty Jo and Todd were nowhere to be seen, so LC and Caitlin walked hand in hand to the waterside and down the beach, then turned and walked back the other way. Finally, they returned to the blanket and cuddled. “They’re here somewhere.”

LC grinned mischievously. “Probably found a secluded spot to go skinny dipping.”

“Betty Jo doesn’t need a secluded place. I’m surprised she kept that suit on while we were bouncing around in the surf.”

LC circled his hand around in the sand. “Ya know Cait, I’m really glad you insisted I come along. Like I’m exhausted tired but having fun, he snuck his other hand around the back of Caitlin and started to untie the swimsuit top.”

Caitlin slapped his arm. “Stop it, it’ll get you in trouble.”

“What I was hoping.”

They played and joked and alternately searched the sky for another banner.

An hour later, Betty Jo and Todd arrived.

“We have to go.” Caitlin pulled her pull-over on.

“Something’s come up I have to get involved with ASAP.” LC dusted sand from his swimsuit.

“I’ll just drive you back to your car and come back,” Todd said to Betty Jo. “Comin?”

“Naw. This is fine for me. But don’t be long, I might run off with a lifeguard.”

Todd chuckled. “More likely to be seduced by a shark.”

“Go on. I’ll be fine and sharks are afraid of me.” Betty Jo opened a beer and watched Todd climb into the jeep. “Bring Brits.” She yelled.

LC this time lifted Caitlin into the passenger seat and he climbed in the back. Five minutes later, they pulled up to Caitlin’s car.

“Thanks, Todd.”

LC helped her down. “Yeah, man. Enjoy the rest of the day.”

Todd gave them a thumbs up and the big jeep roared away toward the beach entrance again.

“Nice guy.” LC commented. “But, quiet. He also forgot the donuts.”

Caitlin giggled. “Yeah, he’s more interested in Betty Jo’s boobs than much of anything else, I’m afraid.”

LC’s face burned as he got in the car. “Well, I was just thinking of a loose top and perfect, you know.”

“Don’t go there LC,” Caitlin scolded, then giggled again. “Look up airplane services like that one we saw; there has to be a company who pulls signs somewhere around here.”

LC quickly found a flight service out of Leland who pulled advertising signs and called. “Are you the people who pulled the O’Connell Bridge sign over Freeman Park today.”

The answer was affirmative. “It’s them,” LC said to Caitlin.

“Tell them we’re on our way.”

LC repeated the order and Caitlin headed the tiny car toward the Cape Fear River Bridge and the city of Leland.

After getting lost twice, they finally found the airstrip and pulled up to the hanger.

“Yeah, really strange order,” said a thin man in a grease smattered t-shirt and wearing a backward ball cap. “Fed Ex delivered this package this morning.” He held up the box. It was shipped from Wilmington International airport ground freight. “The box had the banner and an envelope with $1,700 cash. It said to fly up and down Freeman Park Beach between 11 this morning and 1 this afternoon. That’s more than we make during a political week. At any rate, the sign just said, “O’Connell Bridge,” nothing less nothing more. Cecil, my pilot, looked it up and said it’s a bridge in Ireland. Anyway, we thought maybe it was code or something, but it didn’t have any nasty words or call anyone any names, so we decided to fly it.”

“Interesting.”

“You know anything about it?” the man asked.

LC shrugged. “The reason I called is I got the same basic message not long ago, I thought it might be related. Maybe it is, maybe isn’t. Thanks.”

LC and Caitlin got in the car and started to drive away. Caitlin smiled, “You could have had him fly up the beach with an LC loves Caitlin Dugan banner.”

“I’d have to have it printed on a floppy top.”

“LC, if I weren’t driving I’d slap you.”

LC wasn’t worried. She was smiling. “Okay, it’s not 3 PM yet I can still get some sleep. I have to be at work by 9 PM, but I’m off for two days after this shift. Maybe we can make some time to explore this O’Connell Bridge thing.”

“We can make time to explore something alright.”

“Now who’s being naughty?” he laughed.

They got back to the apartment and LC kissed Caitlin and trotted up the stairs. He dumped his swimsuit and t-shirt on the floor and pulled on some boxers, slipped on his noise suppression head set, turned his phone alarm on to vibrate, and put it under his head. Minutes later, he was asleep.

He woke at 8 PM to the vibration of his phone and fought to open his eyes. Across his face was a woman’s swimsuit top.

To be continued...