It had been a good long day. Friday. They insisted he leave the 'Doba inside a garage bay and they had neighbors keeping an eye on the place since the whole family takes off for this. There was only one year that it didn't work out, due to surgeries and a hurricane, but generally two or three weekends into school they would take in some cool nights at the lake.
Nick lies on his back staring at the folds in the canvas of a tent that looked like army surplus, Noreen says it's just old. Smells old, but not a musty old, more of a...hallowed old. Rich in history. She's lying on her side staring at him by the same dim light from the fire outside. Some are still sitting around talking but Noreen excused them to get some rest, not that anyone seemed to believe them, not that Noreen gives a shit.
Cuddled in one of the chairs round the fire, Edna just mostly stares on when not dozing off, it felt funny heading to a tent with her youngest offspring.
They've been quiet since getting situated, she in her night shirt and he in the boxers they'd bought at the nearby Kmart on his first visit to the area. After an early start and getting set up, she was able to get them away to sit on the desolate beach where they'd gotten reacquainted, sitting in the same spot and her grinning a lot.
After dogs and beans and campfire-pies they hit the shower stalls that had surprisingly warm water to offer, usually by evening those are tepid at best. Nick is always blown away at how big the daddy long legs and mayflies that hang around those yellow-lit shacks with their eternally institutional, almost Orwellian feel.
One of the gang had said that if the showers are too cold just piss in a fan.
Nick bit, "How do you wash your back then?"
"Turn around and have a friend piss in a fan."
"Sounds like last night." This got a smack from Noreen and much a bigger laugh than he was ready for.
Bart brought his 25-foot popout camper that he had power-washed a couple Sundays ago, according to recollection, but without the help of a fan. Other than that there were four other tents here and there, one just for kiddos. Tomorrow they might go out on the boat someone tugged along, but Nick was keen to just renting a canoe and she sounded interested in a nice peaceful row around the inlets.
She breaks the silence, "Whatcha thinkin' 'bout."
"Been having these 70s flashbacks lately."
"Utoh, all the partying you did?"
"Just...dunno...everything had a brown, orange, earthtone kinda hue."
"Yea seemed like it...wow, wallpaper, Naugahyde, drab carpeting-"
"Carol Burnett was always on TV."
"OH Carol, LOVE Carol, would love to have some of those on tape."
"Sometimes I picture your family back then, your dad smoking a pipe and this skinny freckled blond, quiet most of the time but then she grins-"
"Better watch out bucko."
"See what I mean?"
"Those were good years. Miss 'em."
"The other day I had some kind of dream, like, the afterlife is a golf course with three other guys bantering all the time, guess you shoot 18 then start all over again."
"For some it may be just that."
After a few moments she sighs. "Mom seems really happy that you came along, she doesn't come out and say it, but I can tell."
"It's good she can still come with you guys."
"Yeah it is, not the same as she used to be of course, but you know."
"Still want to get a canoe tomorrow?"
"Maybe. They'll take Mom out on the bass boat, she always loved it."
"Can we hide from their waves?"
"Oh there's got to be plenty quiet nooks and crannies we can explore."
Nick just stares at the canvas, as the flickering fire and occasional shadows light up the tent, it might take a while to relax.
After a few more moments Noreen asks, "You OK?"
"Yeah, just a different tent than I'm used to."
"Mmm hmm. Speaking of tents..." as she reaches for his place of business. He just now realizes he hadn't thought of any sort of carnal relations with her for several days, this is family stuff, but her hand is warm and slightly sweaty and he hadn't noticed his own semi-readiness.
"My but you are....um...honey I've never known you to be so wound up, feels like you've been storing it up for a year."
"Just haven't thought about it lately."
"Sweetie I don't think it's healthy to build it up too long, I know I've been busy and we didn't spend much time together -"
"It's OK, I'd rather be with you when it happens."
"Oh Nick..." she continues to explore, Frank, one bean, other bean, back to Frank, "So....what's the craziest thing you've imagined us doing?"
"On the couch in my living room."
"Really now."
"You know how the drapes are never closed, it's daylight and you're riding on top, we're buck naked."
Before he knows he's in her mouth and she's going at it like an cream cone on the hottest day ever, she's caught on about the "chin", right below the tip, being akin to her own front parts and mixes that in.
"My you're good at that," he grunts out in a hoarse whisper. That earns him a quick bite that makes him jump, kind of a split-second guillotine reaction.
Naturally it doesn't last long and she takes in every last drop, feels like his toenails must have passed through there at some point.
"Mmm" she coos, barely above a whisper, then climbs on top of him with her head on his chest.
Nick finally feels like keeping his eyes closed and the flickering seems to stop, even though it really doesn't, he rests a hand on her flaxen mop. His mind goes back to the canoe, youth trips that were a pain in the ass, he wanted to keep ahead of the obnoxious rest of the group and avoid getting tipped although Vance kinda wanted to stay with them. Vance always had that easy-going nature and things didn't bother him, Nick had to admire that in the midst of his own exasperation with the seemingly endless immaturity of most of his so-called peers.
Oh well, tomorrow could be redemption, he and the gal could see those once-distant shores close up. Somehow he floats back onto dry land and into that eternal golf game with smartass semi-yuppies with no backstory, completely in the moment, everyone has 60 bucks cash for wagering and winner buys umbrella drinks at the club. There's a club?
Suddenly he realizes his shoulders have sunk about an eighth of an inch which usually indicates dozing off. He rubs her head some more and she inhales.
"Did you doze off too?" He asks.
"Nope just listening to you breathe."
"I get lots of practice."
"This is the life."
Nick starts rubbing her back and she adjusts slightly. He pushes down slightly to squash her bosoms into his belly.
"You have 24 hours to stop rubbing my back. Go."
"Sit on my face."
She lifts up her head to confront him. "Excuse me?"
"Saddle up, your turn."
She looks to the side and draws a breath, "OK I'll try."
"What's to try?"
"Holding myself up."
"Just bring me some tang, woman."
She pauses and gives him a look he can barely see or could hardly bear if he could. "I'll tang YOU."
"That's what I'm talkin' about."
She fidgets to get into position, he tries to be gentle with his hands, finds her back, around front to the twins, gets them interested, then down the tummy, around the hips, blows on her pubis.
"Sweetie I don't know if my legs can take this."
"You're fine in the shower."
"Yeah but that's different."
He brings his fingers around to where his mouth will go, massages, spreads, gets close enough to taste the warmth, gently kisses -
She sighs hard, "OK, can I be on my side at least?"
"Honey be where you want."
She flops onto her back with knees in the air, "How's this?"
"A meal fit for a king."
"Do I get to be your queen?"
Nick answers by continuing where he left off when inverted, gently, tries not to repeat the same moves as the drive-in, he doesn't think he's done this since then. She has a wonderful flavor, like a cool spice.
She gasps and coos, "Put...put your fingers in me."
And so he does. She's incredibly agitated, must have been building up with all the prep for this trip and the forthcoming term, two classes, all to herself, Nick kneads and prods at the depths, he can never reach her cervix nor could he remember what to call it right now to save his life.
Noreen sits up and touches his shoulders, starts to slide toward him and he moves aside. She kisses him and grabs his dumb-dumb once again to find it responding once again. "This....this is what I want."
He takes his place on top of her and she whips off the shirt finally. Between gasps, "Sometimes a girl just wants it hard from her man. Can you do that?"
He just brushes the hair from her face.
"Sit up with your knees toward me." He obeys.
She plops her rear end on his thighs, "Give it to me."
So he finds the position and inserts, she anchors her knees over his shoulders, tries to support her hips but she grabs his hands and they ride on. Thankfully the earlier release set this up perfectly, he can just drive, drive, drive, drive, she squirms, gasps, he can tell she appreciates this tonight, she moves her hips in a circle, this is the tempo to some song, but who cares, and all good things-
The release creates its own time, space, spacetime, those scifi shows where they go through a wormhole.
Heh, wormhole.
Reality never really returns. She's happy to just rest half-propped on his bent knees with a groin full of mush. After a few moments he feels around for his boxers and cleans them both up, then gently moves her back onto their sleeping mat and covers them both up.
The flickering really has died down but the world still smells like campfire, at least for a few fleeting moments, the last of Friday.