Unfinished Symphony (Logan 3)

"No, I'd rather not. I'm really not that good," I said. "If there is one place in the world modesty doesn't work, it's L.A.," Mel said. "Here, you're considered weird if you don't blow your own horn."

"Then I'll be considered weird," I said firmly, "because I don't."

Bobby laughed.

"She plays the fiddle, stupid," he said, "not the horn." "I bet you're good," Mel insisted. I didn't reply.

"Come on," he said poking me, "let's get wet."

He got up and dove into the water, a smooth, graceful dive that barely made a splash.

"Come on in," he said when he surfaced. "It's great." I looked at Bobby, who shrugged and said, "I took one bath already this week."

Mel treaded water and Sandy and the other girls began to splash him. He splashed back. It looked like they were having fun so I got up and sat at the edge of the pool. Mel swam over and seized my ankles.

"Come on. You won't drown. It's only five feet deep." He tugged and I went forward, falling into his arms and into the pool. The girls came to my rescue, splashing him so much he had to dive under. I joined in, but when they turned to me, their ey

es widened with shock. I paused, curious.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Sandy swam forward.

"Your suit," she said and I looked down at the top of my mother's bikini. In water the suit became transparent. I was as good as naked.

"Oh no," I wailed, wrapping my arms around my breasts.

"Just wait a minute," Sandy said and climbed out of the pool. She got my towel off the lounge and returned. I got out and she wrapped the towel around me. Everyone was looking at us, and some of the men who had arrived were shaking their heads gleefully. Even Bobby Dee was laughing at me.

Embarrassed to the bone, my face and even my body turned so red I looked like I had gotten a had sunburn.

"Thanks," I told Sandy. "It's one of my . . . moth-- my sister's suits. I didn't know it would do this," I explained. I looked at the others and then grabbed the apartment keys off the table by the lounge and fled.

When I got up to the apartment, I looked at myself in the mirror. This suit was obviously not meant for bathing, I thought. I got out of it quickly, dried off and put on my clothes. As I was drying my hair, I heard the buzzer. It was Mel, bringing the rest of my things.

"Now that was a dramatic exit," he said when I opened the door. "You're definitely an actress. You made a big first impression."

"Thanks a lot. I'd rather not have been noticed. I didn't realize that suit wasn't meant for swimming. I borrowed it from my sister's dresser drawer."

"No explanations necessary. I kind of liked it," he said, leaning in close to me.

"I wonder why," I said sarcastically, and then reached for my robe and sandals. "Thanks for bringing these."

"No problem. I'll see you at Sandy's," he said. "Dressed?"

"I'm not showing my face," I wailed.

"That's silly. Everyone understands. Something like that happens around here regularly."

"Not to me," I cried. He laughed as I closed the door. When Mommy and Richard Marlin came home, I took Mommy aside and told her what had happened.

"Oh, I haven't been down at that pool ever," she said. "Those suits are for modeling jobs. You don't want to get too much sun when you're my age. It brings out wrinkles," she explained.

"It was very embarrassing," I said and she just laughed.

"I bet it made you instantly popular with the young men around here," she said, with a tinge of jealousy in her voice.

"I'd rather not be that popular."