Brighton shingle crunching beneath toes, ice cream melting, deckchairs flapping in a sudden wind. Seaside holidays populated Vince’s memory of childhood.
This holiday was different, illicit, thrilling. Away from her family, he would finally lie with Ayesha. The one bed in their apartment offered a shocking promise.
Her transformation created the real shock. She entered the bathroom wearing hijab and enveloping abaya, and emerged in a wraparound floral skirt, her nipples visible against the T-shirt. She was beautiful.
“Don’t you feel undressed, without your normal clothes?” he asked.
“Those aren’t my clothes,” she laughed. “That’s my sexual Chemical-Biological Warfare suit.”
Friday fictioneers is a weekly challenge to write a 100-word story in response to a photo prompt. You can find other stories here
Neil MacDonald Author 
I like this, it paints a picture of two very different individuals. One point, should it be away from [his] family.
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No, it’s her family they’re escaping. They would kill her and him if they knew
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Dear Neil,
I love the description of childhood seaside holidays. Quite a transition. He’d better pray they never get caught. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks, Rochell
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I looked up the meaning of CBW but I doubt she meant the definition “Crash, Bang, Wallop” that I found. I was also going to say, if that’s Saudi Arabia, they could both end up headless in a public square from what I’ve read, unless they’ve changed the law.
Well done, Neil. 🙂 — Suzanne
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Chemical and Biological Warfare. Thanks, Suzanne
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The secret worlds. Well done.
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A very interesting story. I also had to google CBW.
Hopefully the offered promises are fulfilling enough to be worth the risk!
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Well damn! I’m going to have to spell out CBW and that means I’ll have to find another two words to cut
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Sorry, Neil, but your CBW punchline went over my head too.
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Damn! I’m still trying to cut
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Oh I really enjoyed this.
they had better watch their backs.
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Yes, there will be a price to pay
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You know Neil this is a thought provoking piece. We in America don’t always have consciousness of how blessed we are. The Founding Fathers such as Washington, Jefferson and Adams are owed a HUGE thank you!
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Thanks, Joe
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I loved the transition between 2 very different experiences 🙂
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Thanks Helen
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I like how she refers to her ‘normal’ clothes – as if wearing them can protect her from unwanted sexual fallout! A nicely risque story, Neil. And like the others, I enjoyed the transition from Childhood memories to adult adventures. Great stuff 🙂
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I think she means they protect her from unwanted sexual advances. Thanks Lynn
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Let’s hope their forbidden love doesn’t get them into trouble 🙂
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I’m a bit torn on this one. Part of me feels he should see her beauty with whatever she wears, another part of me sees it has a fun, sexy piece. Dunno.
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Torn is good. Vince is a very flawed person. There’s a lot Ayesha doesn’t know about him
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A clash of cultures maybe but we’re all the same underneath. I understood her description of her clothes as though she is forced to wear by her society. Not the real her.
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Exactly
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Oh yes.. those “normal” clothes would be quite different I think… better hide well from her family
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I love how you show both cultures – and how often, someone else is hidden beneath!
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Thanks, Dale
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Love her last line!
Guess you would have heard of the new warfare tactic – the latest Jihadi technique is to proliferate and populate the world by forced encounters.
Is she a perpetrator of it?
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Close encounters, huh?
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Two very different sides to her life – I wonder how widespread that it?
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It’s not uncommon. The final line was something a colleague really said to me when I first saw her in T-shirt and jeans in her home
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Hijab and Abaya will definitely work as a deterrent here in our homeland.
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Now THAT’S what we would say in America, “Being loaded for bear.”
You sank the Bismarck, Neil. Fantastic!
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Thanks so much
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Great modern love story – would love to read more of this. I’m kind of cheering them on, but I guess it won’t all be roses.
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Sadly not. He’s not exactly who he appears to be
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Apparently ladies who wear those all-enveloping garments are just like the rest of us underneath!
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I enjoyed reading this. The atmosphere of fun that’s all the more exciting because it’s forbidden was well-established. The phrase “sexual Chemical-Biological Warfare suit” is fantastic in its own right, but also creates an interesting contrast with the softer imagery of the earlier lines. Why did you choose to end the story on the “warfare” note? Just curious.
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Ayesha feels it’s something like a war, needing to keep herself covered up to avoid catcalls and touches. Away from her home environment she can shed the armour
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Wonderful (and somewhat sexy) piece of writing! The contrast between the innocent-seeming memories of his childhood at that beach, and the imminent carnal delights and accompanying dangers that are hinted at in the second section gave me a pause.
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Thanks for reading
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My pleasure!
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the contrast of the innocent beginning and the ‘a bit sensual’ ending is done flawlessly. 🙂 I hope they will not get caught. 🙂
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Sadly, they will. Or there would be no drama
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well that is true.
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I have been looking for that warfare suit since my teens…I need to talk to Ayesha and find out where she shops. Nicely done story – the end was a surprise twist.
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Thanks so much, and good luck in the war
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I like how you started this with the childhood memory. Now that seaside will mean something totally different to him now. Her new outfit is quite a departure from her standard required one. Nice one, Neil!
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Thanks,Amy
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Seaside frolics – always good fun. Your story had me all relaxed and ready to reminisce with him about childhood holidays, but not for long. I’ve worked for many years with students (adult) from other cultures, and the varying attitudes the women have towards the garments you mention always interests me. I’ll tell you about one who was a bit of a rebel. She wore the required cover-up clothes, but on her upper arm she had a tattoo of her new country, she loved it so much.
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That’s a lovely story, Margaret
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You squeezed a lot into your fabulous little tale but it didn’t feel squashed. Very clever.
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Thank you so much
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Vince tries to bite off more than he can swallow, I think. If he thinks it only takes different clothes to free a woman, or to change her attitude, he’s in for a big surprise.
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You may be right about Vince, but Ayesha is more than willing. The attitude she’s shed isn’t hers but that of her menfolk
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Well written Neil, there is a lot of back story and character in so few words. I liked the “shocking promise”, a stand-out phrase that re-evaluates the quaint memories of childhood holiday
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Thanks so much
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That last line cracked me up. I don’t know if it was meant to, but it did.
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It cracked me up when a friend said it to me
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I love that she can laugh about her ‘Chemical-Biological Wafare suit. I hope their holiday goes to plan, though I suspect there will be a price to be paid somewhere down the line
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There’s always a price
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Great take. I enjoyed reading.
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Thanks so much
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