SUN ON THE ROCKS – EPISODE ONE – THE MALIBU CASE
One
Malibu, California, near Surfrider Beach, Seven AM
She counted no cars and one sleepy jogger during her early Monday morning walk to her favorite spot. Clarity Nice raised the volume of her mp3 and listened solemnly to the last notes of Pachelbel´s Cannon as she gazed at the peaceful Pacific Ocean before her. The sun was emerging slowly behind the hills and the sensation of serenity was complete. She took off her earphones, reached for the laces of her running shoes and in a couple of swift movements she was walking barefoot, coming face to face with a large wood panel anchored a week earlier by officer Packwood: Private Beach Area: 1 mile – no shoes and no naked sunbathing or swimming allowed. She pushed aside a red and white barrier and stepped on the sand, feeling the pleasant sensation of the smooth surface on her soles. The sound of Dancing in the moonlight by Toploader on her cell phone alerted her of an incoming message from her colleagues at work: Happy Quarter Century Clarity!
She grabbed her long, auburn hair and used a band to turn it into a ponytail. Her flawless five foot seven, slim body was still waking up after a long weekend of dinners, presents and late night slumber parties. She checked her left pocket and noticed the small bulge of her private diary bookmarked by a voucher offered as gift for turning twenty five. She walked a few minutes and reached her favorite spot, a small cove surrounded by large rocks, far from the eye of the onlooker. The ground was made of oval gray and white pebbles, and it made walking uncomfortable for the untrained foot. She climbed one of the largest rocks and sat down in a lotus position, breathing clean air deeply. She filled the diary entry with a black fountain pen: You can change your own destiny by changing what happens around you, namely your circumstance. For the next twenty five years, I will work on steering my circumstance and improve other people´s circumstance. Starting point: Find a good shopping circumstance for my hundred dollar birthday voucher.
She set her eyes on the rock formation across her and noticed a white patch on the otherwise beige surface. She walked closer and immediately recognized the shape of a thong on the rocks and a pair of shorts. Before she could react to such a finding, a sultry voice startled her from behind.
“Hi, I´m Shazaiah, early time to come here.”
Clarity glanced behind her and swallowed in full the body of the beautiful, dark haired woman before her. She must have been in her early thirties, wearing a white tank top which cupped her firm, apple shaped breasts. A small detail made Clarity gasp: She was naked from the navel down.
“He…hello, it is early, I usually come here on my own and don´t find anybody.”
“Would you like to exercise with me, I just completed a new yoga morning routine?”
“Sure, I just hope officer Packwood doesn´t see you, he may not like what you´re wearing, I mean, what you´re not wearing.”
“Oh! I thought I´d jog like this today, tank top on, bottom free. It is enjoyable, healthy for the body, and it doesn´t harm anybody.”
“Ad…admirable,” said Clarity.
“Why is it that you cannot wear shoes on the beach in any case?”
“Apparently, the city gets dirty with sand from the shoes and officer Packwood says keeping shoes clean saves a million dollars in city cleaning expenses within five years…what do you do by the way?”
“I´m a motivational coach, I also do some work as a freelance journalist. Let´s forget about Packwood and exercise,” she continued.
She listened to Shazaiah explaining the difference between Hatha Yoga, based on physical control of gestures, motion and breathing, which was preparation for Raja Yoga, an eight way path towards the mystical enlightenment. The Asanas, or postures, were an easy entry point for the uninitiated like Clarity. The triangle, Trikonasana, was easy, spreading arms and legs in nice, geometric form. Vrksasana was slightly more challenging, right foot bent and placed on the left thigh, arms held up high. Shazaiah followed with five additional asanas and continued the warm up with Upavista Konasana, sitting down, legs spread out, hands reaching for toes. Clarity liked the exercises and the woman so much that she invited Shazaiah to visit her office, leaving her a business card.
“Drop by some time,” said Clarity.
They ended the half hour session with a sitting meditation and Clarity dozed off for twenty minutes after that, tired from all the weekend partying. When she woke up, bathed by the morning sun rays, she had an idea that felt so refreshing, it brought complete sense to all the diary entries she had been keeping for the past three years. She searched for Shazaiah but the woman was gone. She looked up in the distance and saw the woman´s thong on the rocks. Intrigued, she picked up the garnment, folded it neatly, and ran to the office less than ten minutes away before the alarm bell of her cellular phone alerted her it was time to work.