Totally Unexpected

by Lloyd B. Abrams

They started bumping into each other on the pool deck at their seniors-only low-rise condo in Boca Raton.

“Excuse me. Is this lounge chair taken?”

“You see anybody on it?”

“Ha, ha … funny. I’m Sol … and you’re? … ”

“Getting hot. It’s almost lunchtime.”

She’s a live one, he thought and laughed to himself.

“Well, Hot … you come here often?”

It was her turn to smile.

Soon, their mutual attraction and their effortless ease together took them both by surprise.

And before they even realized it, they were a couple.

“Rina, I’ve been wondering … how come you’re always wearing sandals … even in the pool?

“It’s personal, Sol.”

“How long have you known me?”

“Obviously, not long enough.”

“C’mon, Rina …”

“Okay, okay. It’s my toes and my toenails … they’re disgusting. And then there’s also the arthritis. Small children – even lifeguards – run away shrieking in horror.”

“Ever thought about getting a pedicure?”

“I tried, but the chain saw got jammed and they cursed me in Spanish.”

“Good one, Rina. But what if I offered to trim them for you?”

“Why? You some kind of sicko? Or wait … maybe you got a death wish?”

“Yeah, maybe I do. After all, we’re still together … and you’re killing me with your jokes.”

“So listen, for a moment, Rina. I’ll do you if you do mine …”

“What?”

“I mean yours … you know what I mean.”

“I never cut a man’s toenails before.”

“Well, it could be very therapeutic … and sexy as hell … depending on how you do it … and how much lotion you use.”

“Yeah, well … maybe. Sounds like something we could try …

“Okay then, Sol … I’ll go get the poultry shears …

…and I’ll put 9-1-1 on speed dial.”

Rev 3 / June 7, 2025

Up to the beginning of the story

June 7, 2025 … Copyright © 2025, Lloyd B. Abrams