JieMin kicked off his flip-flops and took off his lavalava. He folded it and set it on his flip-flops, then waded out into the ocean. When he was deep enough, he launched off into the water.
Swimming was easier than in the freshwater pond back home. Not only was this water warm, but it was salt water, and he floated higher than in the fresh-water pond. After several days with no exercise, it felt good to swim and he pushed himself, tried to wear himself out a bit.
After an hour in the water, JieMin came back out onto the beach to find that his lavalava and flip-flops were gone. That was disconcerting. One did not worry about theft or pilferage in Chagu, because everyone was Chen.
JieMin looked around. There were several hundred people on the beach, and most were nude, enjoying the sun. Several dozen more were in the ocean – all nude – enjoying the water.
JieMin shrugged and lay on the beach nude, like everyone else. After a half hour he went back into the water to cool off, and swam for another half hour. He then went back to the beach and sat, considering his situation.
He still had his communicator. Like many people who preferentially wore lavalavas, JieMin wore his communicator with a strap on his left upper arm. It was waterproof and he had not taken it off to swim.
There was no consideration of similarly stealing a lavalava and using it to replace his own. That was out of the question. He was Chen.
There was no place on the beach selling lavalavas where he could buy one. That was probably a business opportunity, he thought. That or some sort of locker or checking system.
He had several lavalavas at home, of course, which did him no good here. At the same time, others had ridden the bus to the beach nude, and would presumably ride home the same way, so it must be OK.
Besides, he had seen children playing nude in the parks and streets in Arcadia City, and JieMin looked even younger than he was. He would have fit right in playing with those children.
There was a steady stream of people onto and off of the beach as the buses came and went. JieMin shrugged and headed for the bus.
There were a lot of others on the bus who were nude as well, both men and women, most wearing their communicators on their arm, like JieMin.
It was much different after the beach bus stopped at the transfer station and JieMin got on the Arcadia Boulevard bus. He was definitely in the minority being nude on this bus, although there were a couple of others. No one else said anything or acted as if anything were at all unusual, however.
JieMin was the only person to get off the bus at Fifteenth Street. He walked down the street feeling very exposed. On the way he considered his options. Market, to buy another lavalava, or straight to his apartment?
Apartment, he decided. The Uptown Market was the family business. He didn’t recall seeing anyone there nude, though there might have been. With all the people wearing lavalavas topless, it was hard to say whether any of them had been nude or not. He simply hadn’t noticed.
But the apartment was Chen. Not a public place. Not the family business.
When JieMin got to Market Street and Fifteenth, he crossed Market and walked in the front door of the apartment building. ChaoLi was still on the reception desk. She didn’t bat an eye at his unclothed state.
“Hi, JieMin. How was the beach?”
“Wonderful, ChaoLi. The water was much warmer than a mountain pond.”
“I bet. I hope it’s this nice tomorrow. I haven’t been to the beach in three weeks.”
JieMin had been nude and surrounded by nude people for the last several hours, but he found the thought of ChaoLi being nude disturbing. He headed for the elevator before his body betrayed his thoughts.
Back in his apartment, JieMin put on a lavalava. It was his last clean one. He had to figure out how to do laundry here.
JieMin also got a note from his aunt MinQiang, inviting him to dinner. He sent a short reply, thanking her for the invitation but saying he already had other plans.
JieMin went down to the lobby. It was nearly five, and ChaoLi was getting ready to go off shift.
“ChaoLi, how does one do laundry here?”
“Oh, didn’t anyone tell you, JieMin? There’s a laundry for the building. You just drop everything off here, and then pick it up here later. Four-hour turnaround usually. I think that’s in the building guide for residents.”
“Ah. I should probably have read the guide.”
ChaoLi laughed her little bells laugh.
“Yes, well, I think that’s the only big thing you probably missed.”
“OK. Thanks, ChaoLi.”
JieMin headed across the street to the market. He bought several more lavalavas and another pair of flip-flops, then went to the restaurant. He kept his eyes open this time, and he did occasionally see someone nude in the market. He shook his head. Arcadia City was certainly a strange place.
JieMin was hungry from the fresh air and swimming on the beach. Tonight he had the second soup, the second appetizer, and the second entree. The soup and the appetizer he scored as threes, but the entree tonight was a four.
The next day was Saturday. JieMin would start in on his studies on Monday, in his office with the projection display, but he decided he would take the weekend off.
JieMin had a breakfast sandwich from the cafe in the Uptown Market again, but
