But, she didn't dare do it. What if the man were an enemy warrior? For now, she simply stopped all motion and waited.
At last, she heard the man's voice say in English, "I see I have frightened you. I did not mean to do this. It is I, Gray Falcon, and you may safely leave the water now."
Gray Falcon…thank goodness it was he. She didn't respond back to him since he already knew who it was in the water.
But, he was treading toward the shoreline, and, reaching it, he trod toward the pile of clothing she had left behind.
"What have we here?" he asked. "Are these your clothes?"
"Yes, thank you very much. Now, please turn around with your back toward me, so I, too, may leave the water."
"Why should I do as you ask?" he asked. "Are you without any clothing at all, there in the water?"
"Of course I am undressed," she answered. "I do not swim with my clothes on. Now, please, turn around."
"I will do this at once," he said as he complied. Except, instead of turning and presenting her with his back, he made a full three-hundred-and-sixty-degree turn, and she found herself again looking at him gazing back at her.
"No," she said, "I think you misunderstood me. Now, do not turn around all the way, just enough so your back is toward me."
He turned as she had asked, yet then looked at her from over his shoulder. She was certain she saw him smile.
"Stop teasing me," she ordered. "I need you to not look at me so I can come out of the water."
"You should have thought of this possible problem before you undressed. Did it occur to you before you threw your clothes to the ground that someone might come upon you?"
"Mr. Falcon, did you follow me here?"
"I did not. Does it make a difference to you?"
"Of course not."
"Soká'pii. It is good I am still here, then, so I can protect you, if needed. Also, since I have never seen you naked, I feel I should stay here and give you all the admiration you are certain to deserve."
"Oh, stop it."
"What?"
"You know what. I wish to come out of the water without an audience—you—so I might dress without being self-conscious."
"What does this mean, 'self-conscious'?"
"Oh, cease this at once. You know very well what it means, and I do not intend to leave here until you either leave or turn your back so I might come out of the water."
She could swear the man grinned at her. And, then he sat down upon the blanket she used as a towel and said, "I am a very patient man."
"Gray Falcon, don't do this to me. If I come out of the water naked, and there you are almost naked, what do you think might happen?"
"Hmmm… Let me give your question a good amount of thought. I am sure I know the answer. But, I must think upon it. Come here and sit by me that my thoughts might become clearer to me."
She giggled, but tried to contain it. "Gray Falcon, stop this at once. Go away."
"And miss the display of your beauty?" He shook his head. "How might I then properly bestow upon you my appreciation for your loveliness?"
"I don't know," she responded, "but I am certain you will find a way."
He laughed. "That I will." He sat for a moment, and it seemed to her as if he might be considering the problems of the world, so serious was his contemplation. At last he said, "I know what I shall do. I will come to where you are and help you to come out of the water. Perhaps I might even pick you up and carry you to shore."
He stood up.
