Wild Dancing with Annie in Ensenada
Even today, I can close my eyes and mentally see the mischievous glint in Annie's eyes as she bated me with her opening words, “Ah, I can see that you are the man of the house. Can I sit with you here?”
From the first moment, her sheer beauty dazzled me with her ringlets of hair framing her adorable smile that was directed toward me. I was sitting in a booth having supper with two other college co-eds in the cafeteria of Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles. . . .
These humble beginnings moved ahead with dizzying speed. In two days, we would be hitchhiking over four hundred miles together to the isolated and lawless town of Ensenada, Baja Mexico. We were still practically strangers; yet, the adventures ahead of us would knit us together into intimate friends.
At one point, we were held hostage by a dozen love-starved Mexican men waiting their turn to dance with my lovely Annie in their male-only cantina. At every point our understanding of small-town Mexican culture was stretched to the breaking point. . . .
Along with risk and adventure, WILD DANCING WITH ANNIE offers an unexpected love story that will knock your socks off. Here's a small step in its blossoming:
At 14:50, we arrived at Huntington Beach. Annie tells me that Huntington Beach has the reputation of being Surf City USA and that this is where the mild and mellow California beach culture finds its best expression. We raced to the water’s edge. Then we took off our overheated shoes and socks and walked hand-in-hand on the wet sand at the water’s edge. Spindly-legged sand pipers dodged in and out seeking an afternoon snack as the gentle waves followed their customary rhythm, breaking gently on the beach and then receded. This was the hottest part of the day, and the bronzed sun worshippers were out in great numbers.
This is the second great moment that I need only to close my eyes to remember. Annie is holding my hand and making little screams of delight whenever the incoming cold waters of the Pacific suddenly catch us off guard and wash and foam over our ankles. But, just then, an enormous wave of sadness rushes over my heartstrings as I recall all the times when I felt so utterly alone on beaches just like this. “But not today,” I explain to Annie. “Today I am holding the hand of my beloved. Today I am supremely happy to be here on the beach with my girl.”
But beware! WILD DANCING WITH ANNIE is not a children’s Cinderella tale where, at the end, everyone lives happily ever after. No. This is an adult story where risk and tragedy bump roughly and recklessly into each other. . . . ~~Don
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To read my eBook on your PC, get free app at https://www.google.com/search?q=kindle+reader&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
For a small price, I have made this Kindle eBook available. If you need to read this on any Apple products, go to http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01846R9WI/ and click on "Read on any Device" found under the book cover. If you register your email when purchasing this book, I will be pleased to send you periodic updates FREE of charge.
