It took some courage for Beth to understand that an outdoor shower was normal, and that it was equally normal for two naturist "friends" to share one.

She was a lot more shy than Mindy, however: we didn't actually get under the water at the same time, but somehow, taking the shower seemed to have helped her open up.

I got the impression that before that moment, she was nude and that's it. She was all doing things that she could have done without being nude.

But taking a shower with a younger girl, outside? That was something completely outside of her comfort zone, and I think it helped her open up.

We dried ourselves, and she invited me over to her cabin.

Like ours had, this one had a mini fridge, but her cabin didn't have a restroom. It was a single bedroom, with a single bed on one of which were her clothes, folded. A picture of her with her parents and their dog was on the bed, in a frame, by the clothes.

"I'll run for a lunch and get back to you, if you don't mind"

"I'd like that", she said. "I'll wait for you", she added, smiling. Almost.

I ran, leaving my towel with her, to Mindy's house where I found our parents, all five of them, busy preparing food for lunch.

I know I wanted to say something like "Mindy and I made a new friend, she invited me over to her cabin, can I have a lunch on the go so I can share it with her and make her feel welcomed", but, the thing is, I was winded, the adults were in a funny conversation with a few of the laughing and all my mother got was "I need a lunch on the go"

I was given a paper bag, a sandwich, a juice box, a muffin, two cookies, a banana and a peach. In short, far too much, but that is what you get when you have two mothers filling a single bag. The muffin was from Clara, who wanted me to taste it, while the cookies were from my mom, who cooked them yesterday for the occasion. The banana was from Clara, since it's Mindy's favorite fruit, and a peach from my mom, since they are her favorite. As I was going out, she was almost running after me to add red grapes. I ended up shoving them in.

I didn't run back to Beth, as I was afraid of tearing my bag apart.

I was sure I had closed the front door when I left, but it was open when I got back. She might have opened to feel more inviting?

She smiled when she saw me, and even stood up from her bed.

Inviting me in, she prompted me to sit by her side.

We each had a sandwich. Mine with actual chicken breast pieces, some lettuce, tomatoes, bacon and mayo. If I had a third piece of bread, it would have been a wonderful club sandwich. It's only later that learned that the plan was to make club sandwiches, but... they didn't have enough bread for everyone.

Beth just had a simple ham sandwich with some lettuce and, well, nothing else. No mayo, no ketchup, no mustard. Just 2 or 3 slices of ham and some lettuce.

"Want to trade half of our sandwiches?"

"No, but you can have half of mine. I never eat both halves", she says.

Right, probably anorexic, I can't help thinking as I am writing this.

She did take a few of my grapes when I offered them but refused one of my cookies. I did give her one piece of the delicious muffin that Clara made.

Was it the best I ever ate? No. It was then, but I've eaten better ones since, but all of them were also made by her!

"Can I ask how you became a naturist?", asked Beth, rather shy.

I began telling my story on her bed as I ate my banana. I am not much of a fan, but I was hungry.

Beth was truly listening.

Do you know how, sometimes, people listen to your stories only so they can tell theirs? Or they are listening to get juicy bits for making jokes later or for blackmail? Ok, maybe not the second one, that might be a form of paranoia on my part.

The point is, this wasn't Beth. She truly listened and only interrupted me to ask questions. I couldn't sense any point of malice or judgment from her.

As I commented on more delicate parts, she seemed even more accepting. I ended up telling her my story. I won't repeat it, I basically gave her the cliff notes for the first 30 chapters of this book, but without mentioning Edith.

She drank it all in, until I finished on my last grape, she had taken three of them, where I said I met a nice teenager and ate lunch with her in her cabin.

She smiled.

"And that's when she decided to tell me her life's story", I told her.

She stiffened her back. This hit a nerve.

"Oh, this is an experiment"

"An experiment? What is the main question and hypothesis, if I may inquire?"

"Ok, I'll bite", she says, smiling. "The hypothesis is that a burn victim with severe body image problems might feel better about it after a visit to a naturist resort by herself. "

"Interesting. What are the parameters, the procedure?", I said, trying to be all serious even if I was on the verge of laughing.

"The visit shall last 24 hours, during which the subject will try, weather permitting, to remain nude and socialize lightly with other naturists"

"And how will the results be analyzed?"

"Ah, the patient will return home and evaluate changes in her behavior and personality."

"Interesting. May I propose more socialization than just remaining cloistered in the subject's cabin?"

"Is there a risk?", she asks

"Everything has a risk, but there are rewards. Like being accepted."

"What do you have in mind?"

"I am here with my family. I do not know what my parents and Mindy's parents have in mind, but perhaps we can go talk to them and see what they do have in mind. If it's not interesting, Mindy has a Wii, we gave it to her, we could play a game, or do sports outside. There is a cool Pinball machine, there are a few board games in the community hall and Mindy has more. I suspect she will want to be with her boyfriend, but she has a naturist magazine collection. We could try to find articles about people with scars or other image problems and see if they have some insight."

"I'd like that"

"When does the subject leave?"

"In theory, around 6 pm, but the cabin needs to be vacated by 3pm"

"Perhaps the subject could bring her things to Mindy's house?"

"Do you think she would mind?"

"If she does, my family has a camper, and my parents won't mind."

"You are nice, Julie"

"You'll find that most naturists are. I hope you will come by again"

"Well, this is a one-time thing. That's the deal with my parents. When I am 18, I'll think about it"

Now, a note about this. I never saw her again after that day. I hope she is ok, and if she reads this book by chance, Beth, even if I got your name wrong, I never forgot you. You were stronger than you think you were. Well, that I think that you thought you were. Ok, back to the story.

"They only allowed you to come once?", I asked

"Well. It's more complicated than that. Neither of us wanted this. I didn't want to come, they didn't want me to come. But when the suggestion was made, it was negotiated between us. It's a sort of Hail Mary. They called the resort for weeks with questions, I did too. I almost came this summer, but I think there were too many people, and my parents wouldn't be allowed to be dressed for long. We ended up settling for one day, and mostly me alone, and that's today. "

"But you enjoy it, right?"

"I don't dislike it. My parents initially wanted to stay the evening in case I panicked, but I soon realized that the worst wasn't the other naturists seeing me but being with them. Like, I don't know. I don't know you guys, but I know them, you know?"

"Well, I might be a naturist, but I am not open about it at school, so yeah, I know what you mean. There are few classmates that I would be terrified of them even knowing I was here, so I can imagine what you mean"

"Good. That's one thing I was afraid of. That the naturists would judge me for only coming once, you know?", she says, all shy, playing with her hair, even if quite short.

"So you prefer short hair?", I asked to change the subject

"I think I prefer to blend, you know?"

"I guess"

"No one knows about my burns at school, you know?"

"But you do. And it made you become shy. "

She just nodded

"So, need help packing?", I said, jumping on my feet.

But she didn't have much to pack. She didn't have a packed supper, since the plan was for either her to eat at the dinner, which her parents proposed she do to meet people, or her sandwich if she ate lunch there. She could have eaten both meals at the dinner too. The plan was really for her to do everything she wanted to socialize.

She has a bag and puts in it her clothes and her toiletries. There was no place for her running shoes, so she put them on her feet. As simple as that. No socks, which I still feel is an aberration, but who am I to judge?

I was the one who reminded her to bring her sunscreen, which was on the floor by the bed, but she realized she was due, and I tried not to watch her put it on, but I think I failed. A lot.

Don't blame me! She was putting the sunscreen on the burn scars as if it was normal skin. I wonder, was she a kid? A baby? How long was she affected by this?

The scars were cured, or however it's called when they are done "healing", so it wasn't a few months ago.

She did one last turn of her cabin and locked the door.

"I guess I'll drop the key so I don't forget", she says, hesitant

"Whatever happens, I promise I will find you a safe place to be if something goes wrong"

She smiles. I correctly guessed the problem!

Both of us were in heaven walking to Mindy's house. I was for having had enough empathy to spot her issue, and she probably was because she found someone who understood her.

At Mindy's house, the two moms were playing Wii bowling, while the three dads were nowhere to be found. I know I shouldn't have to mention, but they were dressed according to naturist resort decorum.

"Clara, mom, this is Beth."

"Hi Beth", says my mom, while Clara is throwing the bowling ball with the remote. "First time here?"

"Yes. My parents dropped me off yesterday and are picking me up later tonight"

My mother grows serious. "So you are here alone?"

"Well, that was the plan", she says. Clara has finished playing and joins the conversation.

"Right, you hung out with Mindy, my daughter, a little yesterday, no? I think she met your parents"

"She did. "

"Clara, would you mind if Beth dropped her things at your house until her parents pick her up tonight?"

"Not at all. My home is your home, Beth", she says, smiling.

"Thank you, Miss"

"Just call me Clara. And if you even want to come back here, we can find a place in our home for you if it can reassure your parents that responsible adults will watch over you"

"Oh, I am not sure if I will be back", says Beth, all shy.

"Is something bothering you? Is there a problem?", says Clara, concerned

"No, everything has been perfect", says Beth, smiling

"No one bothered you when you wanted to be left alone or ignored you when you wanted company?", says Clara

"No, it's been perfect. The few people I spoke to were all friendly and respectful. No one made any bad comments or anything"

"And did you manage to get comfortable in your nudity?", she says, sitting back on her couch to be less threatening

"I think so? I mean, I've been nude since I arrived. It was a little cold last night, but I resisted the temptation. I did go to the campfire that Mrs Thompson did. I mean, I was walking, a little cold, and I saw the fire. I was scared at first, but then Mrs Thompson came to talk to me, and slowly, she got me to sit with her and her husband, and we grilled marshmallows"

"Mrs Thompson is the best. Her husband was a plumber, and he helped build the heated pool. She makes an outstanding carrot cake"

"She offered me some, but I didn't want to impose", said a shy Beth.

"Nonsense. Now, tonight, we have a feast prepared, and you are eating with us, Beth. Not if you don't want to. You don't have to eat with us, but if you'd like to, there is a place for you. And if your parents come to pick you up, and they haven't eaten yet, I'll feed them too. Heck, I'll feed them even if they did eat. No one leaves my home hungry"

"I... ok. I will come."

"So, tell me, and this changes nothing in my invitation, but why do you think you won't come back? Is it a money issue? Because we can invite you next summer for a weekend or two, for free. Even the food."

"No, it has nothing to do with money"

"Is it the place? I know it's a little boring right now, but next weekend is Halloween, and we will have a lot of cool stuff. And we have teens in the summer. My daughter is friends with a girl your age you would get along with."

"Oh, I am sure I would"

"So, is naturism itself the problem?"

"I am not here because I want to become a naturist"

"You are here for body image issues, right?"

"Indeed Ma'am"

"Ouch, that hurts. Ma'am. Are my breasts sagging that much? I am not old enough", Clara says, pretending to be hurt.

Beth seems worried, so Clara tells her that she is joking.

"My point, Beth, is that regardless of why you came here, once you joined us, your reasons might have changed. We had a man come here for horrible reasons, and by the end of his first day, he was as pure as any of us. Not that you have to be. It doesn't matter who you are or why you want to be here, Beth"

"No, you don't get it", she says

But something hits Clara

"Perhaps I don't. So, I'll drop it. You live your life as you and your parents see fit. If you would like to come back, my door is open. If you don't, you don't, and it's that simple. Did you girls want the Wii? We can leave the room for you"

My mother intervened.

"You are only saying that because I am crushing you", she says

"You are not crushing me"

"129 to 64 is double your score", says my mom

"Perhaps you can finish your game, and we can play the four of us?", I propose, looking at Beth, who seems ambivalent.

"That suits me", says my Mom.

Clara nods and goes to play her bowling square. I look at Beth.

"So?", I ask

And she nods.

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