Enlightenment

After years of caring for his Mum, the holiday brochures had at last come to life. The Mediterranean lapped at his rolled up trousers whilst he was surrounded by happy people, but it was hard to share their mood. Vera's death was no surprise. At 94 she had lived a long and fulfilled life and after all, hadn't the Doctor said that she died peacefully? No suffering, her body had simply given up. It was not her death that upset him so much as the number of people who came. Just a dozen in a church that size, a lifetime helping others, remembered by so few.

That was 11 months ago. Today Fred was by the sea on his first holiday for 20 years. As a child, he had paddled in the sea in Norfolk but this was different. Here everyone seemed, well, undressed. The girls in bikinis, the children in short trunks, even the parents wore very little and not a cardie in sight. He knew the world had moved on from his childhood, but being confronted by it was unsettling.

Today is the day he told himself, life must move on ; his Mum would approve. Hadn't she always told him to have a good holiday in the sun as she had done before she had married George? She had told of a life of fun and relaxation as a child and teenager in her native Germany, she had even mentioned a place, he thought it was something like Efkaystrand but his half-hearted efforts to look up such a place in the atlas had come to nothing.

Safe with his rather large towel, Fred ventured out. It would be handy to cover up a bit if he felt shy. Being cautious, he had already given himself a generous coating of factor 60 sun cream, "one can never to too careful".

When his temporary neighbours Hermann and Anneli said "Guten Morgen" to him on the third day, Fred was a little taken aback, but they spoke excellent English and were very friendly. Over the next few days he ensured they bumped into each other, he preferred some company to being alone. He was delighted when Hermann invited him to join them at the beach for the day.

The further they walked along the path by the dunes, the bigger and emptier the beach seemed. An old Nature Reserve notice caught his eye; the sun had done its work, only "Natur.. " was visible along with some meaningless letters, "FKK S….", whatever they meant. He wondered quite what he would be able to see there, rare birds? Anneli had said they loved nature, so perhaps she could show him.

Setting their towels down, Fred looked forward to a swim, he had become a little hot from the walk. Anneli and Hermann said they would join him shortly and to go ahead, they wanted time to put on their suncream. Feeling rather bare without his shirt or his towel, off he went to the sea. The water was lovely and having no-one around made it better, he could splash around and feel less inhibited, he could be a child again.

What happened next astonished him. As he turned to look back up the beach for his new friends, there they were walking towards him, just 30 metres away, both completely naked. Both were deeply bronzed and without any sign of a tan line. He did not know where to look, what to say or do. He could not run, that would be rude. It was easier when they were both up to their necks in the water, then Fred felt able to steal a glance. Yes it was Hermann and Anneli and they both had the broadest of grins. How could they? They were naked and what is more, naked in a public place. They swam, laughed, dived, splashed and they seemed to be at one with the world and with each other. Anneli could sense Fred's embarrassment and told him they always came here to swim naked. She told him that in German, "Naturist Beach" was "FKK-Strand", didn't he see the notice? Now he knew what the missing letters were on the old sign!

Memories of his Mum came rushing back with a realisation of what she had said when he was a child. The reference to Efkaystrand and a life of pleasure and relaxation as a child in her native Germany. Of course, FKK-Strand! She had been a naturist, the very thought amazed him. His Mum nude in a place like this for all the see. His MUM! HIS Mum!

During the walk back to the hotel he felt saddened he had not made more effort but amid his embarrassment and confusion, a splendid idea came to him. He resolved that to honour his mum and for the sake of a new life, he would imagine her not as old and dying but beside him as she was as a youngster. Tomorrow he would go the FKK-Strand alone and he would walk nude down the beach and into the sea. And she would be there in his heart.

The spring came back into his step, the future looked bright and the memory of his mum took on an altogether new and easier complexion.