Chapter 7

It seems like I had just climbed into bed when the alarm clock started going off and I had to get cleaned up and out the door to meet up with Mary in the check-in area and catch my flight.

After waiting for Jerry to get ready and dressed, we were out the door. As he pulled up in front of the departure area, I grabbed my tote and cosmetic bag, gave my husband a big kiss and hug, and I exited the car to meet Mary.

As I walked into the terminal, I just happened to look down at myself after workers carrying some luggage gave me a funny look. What I saw was kind of embarrassing. I must have rubbed up against something this morning because on top of my right foot is a dark smear. Now I don’t remember rubbing my foot against anything, but whatever it was, I was pretty sure it would wipe off when I got to the ladies’ room.

Once I was in the check-in area I saw Mary sitting there reading some magazine waiting for me. When I realized that she still hadn’t noticed me as I was walking toward her, I kept on telling myself ‘Kim, do not be upset that she is dressed, maybe there will be others there naked.’ It wasn’t until I was almost at her feet that she looked up at my naked glory and put the magazine down and got up.

Then as I noticed her spending some time looking at the two very small bags that I was holding. When she said, “Kim, in this Regional Real Estate Conference, that I invited you to attend with me, it does say in the brochure that it is clothing optional. It’s just that I just wasn’t prepared to see you naked and from the look of your luggage or the lack of it, I see you have dedicated your life to living that absolute naturist lifestyle you told me about two weeks ago.”

After hearing what Mary had said as I just stood there with a stony look on my face, staring at her, thinking about that contract that I had signed. I was just about to say something when I saw her secretary, Jan, walking toward us. “Kim, you are one of the top agents at my agency, and the day after you checked what I believe was the last piece of clothing you have had on your body, you have managed to close on a few properties. I cannot allow you to attend this conference being the only one naked there. So I have asked Jan to take back with her the clothes I am wearing along with my entire luggage and donate it to a local charity of her choice.”

Some of the other passengers were staring at us as I watched Mary pull her business suit off her shoulders and then with the rest of her expensive outfit until she was standing there before me as naked as I was, with the small exception that she was fully shaved down there.

Then, as I watched, her naked secretary, Jan, push the cart containing the majority of her old stuff out the door I came in. I turned to Mary as she said, “Are you ready to get our tickets and have fun at the conference?” I could only smile at her as I pulled my identification out of my purse and after we both had our tickets, we were off to the airport security screeners’ counter.

Once we glided through the security check, I started noticing all of the eyes that were looking at me and especially down at my feet when I realized that I had forgotten about that mark on my foot. I excused myself as I walked to the bathroom looking for which of them was the female’s restroom. I guess it wasn’t until I looked down at my watch that I noticed the time, so I walked into one of the shops and asked the clerk where the female restroom was.

All I know is after she told me, “Unisex”, all I could say was, “You have got to be kidding me!” as I walked out of there and back toward my gate. By the time I was finally back to the first restroom that I passed, I noticed the time and I kept on walking until I was in the line with Mary as the clerk was taking her ticket stub.

Then as I was walking down the gangway to the craft, we both were stopped by one of the attendants and handed a small bag with the airline’s name on it that said, ‘For sanitary reasons, please use the enclosed provided seat protection while flying with us.’

After we both finished covering up our chairs with the provided paper and a towel to sit on, we both started getting ourselves situated in the seats. Mary said, “I see you still have what looks like some kind of dirt or chalk on your foot where you must have rubbed against something on the way to the airport.” I just looked down at my foot and shrugged my shoulders and said, “I would have had time to clean it off if I didn’t walk past two perfectly good unisex restrooms before I stopped to ask where the lady’s room was.”

After I told her that, she gave me a smirk of a smile and she said, “I’m sorry, I thought you knew. Four or more months ago there was an article in the newspaper that read that the airport would be removing all the gender signs and over the next year, they will be fully converting both old gender-specific facilities to a full unisex. I believe that decision to do away with all of the gender-specific bathrooms goes back to the Equal Rights Act that allows everyone to be given the same access and will not be discriminated against, along with that Supreme Court ruling that stripped away all of the nudity laws around the country that we are both enjoying now.”