Peolotonia

On Saturday night about half past ten, Nick is settled in with windows open, lights low, and had a full day helping Ned with some staining they finally got around to. Once again he's the good kind of tired, having bathed. The dial on the 25-watt Scott shelf receiver says 91.7 as it provides jazz at a sleeping volume.

He dials her number and it rings 3 times, then a recorded male voice, not Bart's but a different one says leave a message. Nick is usually thrown off by machines but figures he'd just take it slow and see what comes out. At the sound of the beep,

"Just me...had the jazz on and thought-"

Phone picks up, "Hey you."

"Well hello."

"Yeah I usually let that pick up, especially at night."

"Smart girl."

"If you say so."

"I know so."

"Well I'm not in the tub but I did turn on the radio, was doing some reading."

"I was on my feet most of the day, helped Dad with some woodwork he'd been promising my mom for a while."

"Well at least he's getting some use out of you for once."

"Hey you'd be surprised."

"Nick you never cease to surprise me."

"So how's our favorite jeep?"

"Believe it or not still sitting there like a lame duck, he had a big job in the shop already."

"Ahh."

"Yeah, he's been giving me shit about breaking it, told him I'll break his ass next time."

"Siblings."

"You can pick your nose but you can't pick your family."

Nick makes a snort, smacks his mouth,"Tastes like chicken."

"Alright you sicko, did you get to talk to your future employer yet?"

"Well I went against orders and checked his office, wasn't in yesterday so I'll try Monday."

"Suspense."

"Gotta have something to balance out the lazy hazy crazy days of sum-mer," with Noreen joining about halfway through the chorus there.

"I just hope it works out sweetie, I'm still excited for you."

"So I was wondering..."

"Uh oh."

"Oh relax, would you like to take a bike tour of my wonderful town?"

"Oooh, love to, but I don't have a bike."

"Well we have several, and we can mix and match parts to do whatever."

"Can I have a banana seat?"

"Only if I'm the banana."

"Hmmm."

"As for the bikes, we have a nice seat that has pads for the inner hip bones, very comfy, and my mom's old bike has one of those wide comfy seats."

"That might be the ticket - is it a speed bike with gears or the reverse-pedal to brake?"

"It's a coaster brake, no gears, I think they won it in a contest and she barely rode it."

"Sweet."

"Yeah we can adjust the height if needed then we can ride then I'll sniff your seat."

"Good lord..."

"Miss me?"

"Well I was missing you...but now I don't know."

"Could you come out in the morning when it's cooler?"

"Maybe."

*****

Noreen arrives Tuesday morning to find Nick in the garage cleaning up the old Hawthorne, chain is lubed and pedals are nice and spinny. She gets a big welcome and just as he notices her goosebumps, she says,

"Let's get going, but just one request."

"Anything."

"Can we not go past that parsonage today?"

They laugh, he promises, the bike is just right for her frame, they embark.

Although most of the commerce has grown out on the main drag, the middle of town has kept the usual mix of barber shops, a bakery, and a few other curiosities, but those will have to wait. They explore vacant school yards, play on the swings. Nick is a bit disappointed none of them have the big tiles like that campground, but doesn't feel like mentioning or explaining that.

The grain elevator is where it's always been, has a few tubs to load up, Nick had always subconsciously wondered whose money built those elevators. Farmers in ball caps roam about in pickups, as they always have. There's the stretch near the tracks with the nondescript buildings with garage doors, surrounded by high fencing to protect piles of half-rusted I-beams, weathered crates and classic cars showing more vegetation than metal. Seems someone should be welding in there but there never seems to be any activity. Rows of two-story houses with a brown exterior, people on plant-filled porches just staring or reading, a few kiddie pools with a few kiddies in and about, free of most concerns of the headlines.

No tour would be complete without a stroll past his old leaf-raking haunts, Mrs. H has moved out but they try Deke's place to no avail, seems he takes an extended trip this time of year, guess that's the perks of being somewhat retired.

They get to a city park which does have the tiles but there's too many people around. They ride along the riverside walk and stop to gaze a while, he leans on a tree and she on him.

After just over a couple hours they get back and head inside.

Irene greets, "How was it?"

Noreen pipes up first, "Well I'm not sore!"

Nick remembers the bikes are still standing in the garage and puts those away, then comes back to find them both on the couch just gabbing away.

"Hey why don't you go upstairs and play, I want to talk to your mom a bit."

Nick just looks at her. She smiles with an expectant plea. Outnumbered, he heads upstairs and flips on the PC, might as well see if anything's new with the chess club. He also flips on the Icom to see what's on the distant shortwaves, deep down he really doesn't want to hear any of the conversation downstairs, things will be a lot better the less he has to try and understand about it all.

The paper's BBS hasn't changed much since the last visit, although the chess club are holding an open night soon. Might be tempting at some point, nerds are nerds. That other private one rings busy. None of his games sound good, and the airwaves are sparse, but he finds some music from who knows where with a host speaking who knows what. He lies down.

"Hey..." Noreen perches next to him. "Oh you dozed off, I'm sorry babe."

"Must have."

"We're making sandwiches."

"Is it safe down there yet?"

"Stop it. I just remembered how hard it was on my mom, well, from what I gathered, I'm the youngest and all...but when boys get a girlfriend it can be hard on the mom. And I am a bit older and don't want her to think I'm trying to pry you away"

"Well I didn't hear anything."

One-beat kiss. "Well we didn't just talk about you. Did you know she's thought about going back into teaching?"

"Seriously?"

"You need to talk to her more, dork," then looks around, "so this is where it all happens."

"It hasn't happened here yet that I can recall."

She lowers her voice, "I'll have you know I'm not going to deflower a young man in his poor mother's house."

"Well where then?"

Noreen grabs his thigh, Nick finds some ribs and she quickly folds his arm and puts the kibosh on further escalation, "get your (lowers voice into Queen's English) blooming arse down those stairs before I give you a proper what-for, " then flies out of the room before he can chime in.

Nick goes down there, finds a sandwich, piles on some chips and fishes out a dill slice. As the gals have already started back in, he turns to head upstairs,

"Sit!" Noreen commands in her usual tone. He hesitates a second then realizes this round is a wash, then plops at the other end of the table and digs in.

Irene is beyond impressed, "Honey we need you around here more often."

After lunch Nick is back at his desk with Noreen siting next to him on an old milk crate. He's fiddling through the bands on the Icom, finds a net on the 14 MHz segment and they listen a few minutes.

"They sound like they're on helium," she observes.

"Single sideband does that, it's like AM but without the carrier, the receiver basically has to reconstruct the signal."

"Why don't they use FM?"

"The idea is to use less bandwidth down on the lower frequencies. They only use AM on certain frequencies here and there, seems to be a special interest. But for local stuff they use FM, sometimes I listen to repeaters on a scanner."

"Oh we always had a scanner growing up, I kinda miss it."

"I'll have to see what's in Paps' stuff, haven't made it through it all yet."

She allows a pause. "Is it still hard to do?"

"Yeah it's different. I have his keyer here," and points to a side-swipe paddle key with a small metal box.

"So you're named for him..."

"Oh God she told you."

"Nick remember I saw your license, I knew your middle name."

"Maybe some other time you can help me go through the other boxes."

"It's a date."

She looks around and locates a guitar case, "what have we here."

"Yeah that's gotta be majorly out of tune."

Pretty soon she's strumming and trying to find at least one true pitch to go on. "Will she mind if I use the piano for this?"

"I always did."

Nick turns back to the PC and hears her plinking and picking through the lower strings, he decides to try some pinball. Before he knows it she's back through the door and situating on his bed.

"You'll make my pillow smell nice tonight."

"Shut up or I'll fart on it. Have you ever played a classical? They have those thick necks like a boat oar."

"Nope, just some electrics over at Duggard's and a couple pawn shops, shared that one with my brother."

Noreen strums a familiar tune, and after she kicks in with the arpeggio he blurts, "Oh, Yes...from Fragile I think, the instrumental by Steve Howe."

"Mmm hmmm, got this stuck in my head as a kid then bugged people to teach me."

"Not bad, for a fiddle player."

She pauses strumming and glares. "Show me what you got, hot shot," and hands it to him.

Nick heads to the woodshed for some 12-bar, then fumbles through Mary Had a Little Lamb on the low frets, a F-G bar-chord vamp with some pinky-notes that make it sound kinda jazzy, and then the riff from the Bangle's treatment of Hazy Shade of Winter.

"Don't quit your day job," as she reaches for the instrument.

She goes back to playing and him to his pinball. Eventually she sets it back into the case and takes her hair clip loose to re-secure things. He watches her do this and she sticks her tongue out.

"Can I try that game?"

He tries to get her to sit on his lap but she flushes a tad and makes him move, "you know what that gets us." In about three rounds she blows away his highest score.

"Lady luck."

"I ain't no lady."

"You're my lady."

This wins her over to putting her legs on his. "Nick I'm really glad we got to do all this today, thanks for asking me."

"Yeah it was nice."

She leans on an elbow, smiles that way she does and goes into thought mode.

"What's going on in that little blond head?"

"Um...there's a drive in about 15 minutes from where I live."

"Is that so. What's playing."

"They do some kind of matinee on Friday nights, if you're interested."

"When do I pick you up?"

She leans on him and they just sit there a while, to the tune of the music from who-knows-where.

Coffee Machine Coffee

Monday, January 21, 1991

Nick sits in a section of the wide hallways in the Tech building, in the rear part near the mechanical equipment labs such as hydraulics, testing, machining, and things he hasn’t needed to see. This is known as the smokers' lounge being one of the few indoor spots on campus designated to allow it, such as the snack bar beneath Gelding hall and he's noticed that some of the mech labs allow smoking as well, by default, given the open, ventilated space.

No lines or anything demarcate the smokers' lounge, it's evidently an honor system. Maybe you have to be within normal conversation distance of the chairs. That works.

There's one other occupant a few chairs away quietly reading a paper that someone left, no telling how old it is. Cork boards with announcements that Nick hardly reads are along the wall that heads to the front door, about 200 feet away. From this corner he can see the heart of the engineering technology labs, as his EET labs are to his left down the shorter hall toward another side corridor.

There's a snack machine and one of those Servomation hot beverage deals, the coffee had always smelled good so he gets a cup, it's 5:45 PM and he'll be around till almost 9. One of the required labs meets once per week for 4 hours and it's self-paced, so one is free to take a break whenever it seems best.

After a full quarter under the belt he's gotten a good taste of world life. Many of the folks in his GS classes are close to finishing up their degree, some working on two degrees. Seems it's about 4:1 non-traditional students, those who had been 10, 15, 20 or more years in a career and starting over, or else laid off from one of the nearby factories and getting incentives to pursue here.

This is when you realize all the things that adults never told you before. Most of the women talk about their families and come across as motherly or sisterly, at least to a young green fellow. Others make it clear they would be a sure thing, tell of their exploits with male 'friends', how some of the reciprocating machine tools remind them of a porn pic someone had brought in to work with the same model machine rigged with a phallus.

To a high degree, the men are worldly and inspiring, in a lab situation they make one believe we can solve any technical problem that comes along. Quick with a joke and have been around, been there, albeit, sometimes offering advice no one asks for. Then there are some that look like they crawled out from beneath a rock or wondered out of the hills and can't find their way back.

Is this is what it's really like at Dad's plant? Some of them had worked there.

One of the non-trads had come to tech writing class in a suit, been interviewing but not finding much success, surprising to Nick since Dwight seemed like the cream of the crop: seasoned, confident, hard working, dependable; the affable yet capable everyman with qualities that seem unattainable. It's tempting to think that this is the way it will be: cold weather, cold world, few opportunities.

Nick is thankful for the ones that are about his own age, since he was an oddity in his high school it's refreshing to be funneled in with those more like-minded, granted, a lot of them have a more rural and farming background.

So he sits at the apex, leaning back, the halls converging at each end, one where he entered, one where he'll be for a while, then eventually, somewhere where the long hall's lines finally intersect, he'll start whatever. Wherever.

This is not some prestigious back-east institution whose importance never made sense to Nick. A school is a school. People are realizing their fulfillment here, some bound for leadership or other high-functioning occupations, at a school founded in the latter 20th century as the result of legislative action.

Yet the halls are timeless. Names and dates on the corkboard change, the walls go on.

The stories these walls could tell. They go on.

At unseen hours there must be crews that sweep these floors. They go on.

The perpetual fluorescent lighting which seems purposefully too dim for much reading, and sometimes you'll see folks nodding off through here, Nick has never seen those shut off, and he hates that this has to share image space with Orwell's Minitrue.  

Nevertheless, It goes on.

The stories told in and around these chairs, god how they go on. And on.

At work this past weekend, an affable fellow, Lucas, who's engaged to one of Nick's coworkers said he'd heard they were enlisting the draft, which he had half-believed. During a half-hour mid shift lunch Nick walked to Taco Bell, then while venturing through a quiet parking lot through a light snow had visions of riding in a transport truck with other GIs. It has the allure of adventure, to a point, but not the life for him. They hadn't even deployed Tim's unit yet, and was almost sure they don't conscript all siblings.

This didn't stick in his mind long, especially after the positive press over the weekend, SCUDS v. Patriots, seems there always has to be conflict in the world. It goes on.

The small cup of coffee has gone from sips to gulps to empty. Time to empty the bladder and get back to wire wrapping. Thankfully, for now, it goes on.

Daytrip V

The phone rings before either of them are close to awakening. Noreen picks up in the middle of the third ring.

"Hello...well it's about time...yeah it's the motel right off 258....right, on the main drag...lemme make sure..."

She puts down the receiver and hops over to look out the window. Nick is barely awake and still facing the wall.

"Yeah plenty of room to load up, we pushed it, easily, yesterday, from across the lot....OK, we'll be ready and then check out when you get here, we might - huh? Yeah, and we might run and get something to eat or whatever, if I can wake his butt up-"

"I'm awake," Nick groans.

"Well howbout that, OK, you know the way...alright, byes."

"Yayyyyy. What time is it?"

"Crap, yeah that might be helpful to know." She rummages through her purse and finds a watch, "looks like it's somewhere around 20 after 6. We better be ready to roll just after 7:30.

"Sounds about right. Coffee sounds about right. Is it daylight yet? If we take a walk I'll get a little hungry, unless we'll stop on the way."

"Yeah it's light enough to hoof it soon, lemme get ready then we can go whenever."

She disappears into the bathroom and Nick dozes off again, to awaken to feel her towel get whisked off the bed.

"OK I'm up."

"No hurry there."

"Well no use holding up the show, early to bed early to rise and all that."

Nick gathers up his things into his bag, including what's left of the shampoo for some reason, goes ahead and brushes the teeth. "I think that's everything, so we can grab n go."

This time she whips around and points a warning finger.

"What?" he asks knowingly, and gets a two-beat morning kiss.

"Ready for a stroll to get the blood pumping? We can always doze off along the way, Bart's not a big time yapper."

She's back in her suit, tank top and shorts, plus her watch, and keeps track of the hotel key again after they lock up. It's shaping up to be another nice morning, fewer clouds than yesterday.

They continue hand in hand and decide to try the little bakery behind the row, surely they are about open by now.

"You know..." Noreen purrs.

"Yes dear?"

"Well...when you were asleep earlier I got dressed out in the open."

"Damn."

"I know I promised but...it just was different to get to do that with someone in the room."

"Glad I could help. Do you know how to grunt or whistle?"

"You just put your lips together, and -"

Nick pulls her about and plants a good one on there, akin to the way they put the punctuation on graduation day nearly a week ago. They embrace for a good while in front of a vacant storefront while a couple early risers drive by in their own universe. After a quick squeeze they are back on their way. He finds his hand on her opposite hip and she doesn't bother to move it.

"I kept expecting someone to tell us to get a room."

She punches his ribs, "Ba-dum crassshh. I have to ask..."

"Anything."

"How sure are you, about us."

"Sure enough to know I'll call you before long."

They walk on a little bit before she replies. "The crazy thing is, we're, what, six years apart and both late bloomers, if you don't mind me saying."

"That's fair. Anyone else saying that I might mind, but I think you nailed it."

"Um, and if you don't mind, you last had someone in your life, what, a year or two ago?"

"Sheesh, yeah, that was when I started on campus. She worked at the snack bar, where we talked, but ended up quitting and I think she moved over to Indiana, family stuff. It wouldn't have really worked but, you know."

"What was she like?"

"Well, quite beautiful, she had asked me to help out with some things at her house and we ended up watching a movie I rented. It got pretty...interesting, then we talked about it later, but then I couldn't get a hold of her for a while, then things got busy with classes and I wasn't going to ask about her where she had worked, she just wasn't there anymore."

"Was she your first?

"In some ways yeah, we had that one night, and she was older - and I mean, slightly older than my parents."

"Wow, Nick..."

"Well I never really had much interest in girls at school, we didn't have much to talk about, and Rosie and I just clicked."

"Did it hurt?"

"It was confusing, when it just faded out like that, but then it became clear that things would have gotten, you know, weird or awkward, maybe she knew that too and didn't know how to say it."

"Well she was lucky."

"I'm lucky now."

They walk on and find the bakery already open and serving, coffee smells great, they get a bag full of fresh goodies and head to a bench to consume.

He asks, "Who was your last interest?"

"Nick it was probably a guy I met through my freelance writing gigs, he would call me once in a while but I could never tell what he wanted. I'm not sure if he even knew, we would talk about going out then he'd never ask, and I wasn't going to. He didn't really stir anything in me, so I eventually just stopped answering and returning his calls, and that was that."

"I could have been that guy, to someone else."

"Now it just feels like I'm in a whole new season, a renaissance, professionally and otherwise. Nick you know I don't have expectations for us, just hopes, and I don't know what shape or form, just...just know I look forward to more."

"More will hit the spot."

They gaze for a while, Nick caresses her hair, then he stands and takes her hand, they start back.

The walk lasts just as long as their coffee, then MST3k is somehow back on the TV again, She has the curtain pulled back. Nick calls home like a good son, then before long a red full-ton pickup rumbles in towing a two-wheel hauler. "Our chariot awaits."

They grab their stuff and head to the truck and Noreen throws it onto the truck's passenger floor. Bart introduces himself to Nick with a firm handshake, he's a tall, tan, boisterous king of the backwoods with a hard-working build.

"You boys get that thing ready and I'll go settle the room."

"Don't worry, dude, she's always this bossy."

Before long they are pulling out of the lot, windows down, Bart holding a lit Swisher Sweet between two left fingers, never minded the smell of those, but Noreen insists on opening the back pane to keep clear of it. She doesn't hesitate to put her legs on his and sit facing the window and they settle in.

"So did you two kids just talk last night?"

"No we got down with whips, chains and Great Danes."

"Hey you're too young for that shit."

A couple intersections along, Bart tries again, "So Nick, see that rig there holding up those stop lights, how it stretches out over two lanes?"

"I reckon I do."

"So, uh, if you were to drop your breeches how would things compare to all that?"

"Well, maybe in colder weather..."

That's as far as he gets before Bart explodes into a fit of coughing guffaws and eye rubbing and the whole bit. "Son you're all right and sis you're all set to go with this'n, Lord, almighty."

Somewhere in all that Noreen just shakes her head and pleads not to encourage him.

From here they pick up to highway speed, Bart asks, "Did you guys hit all that construction yesterday? Hell of a mess."

Noreen answers, "No, nothing, they must have just started."

"Oh Nick, you should have seen this critter back in high school, with the lime green hair, wanted to be a Talking Head."

Noreen: "So I idolized Tina back then, even got a bass for Christmas that year but Mom couldn't stand it, even on low, just set her off so I put it away."

Nick: "Are there any pictures?"

Noreen: "What? You say you wanna walk home?"

Nick licks her nose.

Gradually things quiet down save for the low big-block rumble and rush of the wind. Nick is just about to doze off again when she whispers,

"Do you have any idea what I was thinking about last night."

"English accents?"

"It has nothing to do with the English language...more body language..."

"You may have to teach me that language."

"I think you have already taught me more than I can teach you, but I'm willing to try...I'll try anything, give you anything..."

"Noreen you know I'm just glad to be here with you."

"I know you are, but...(sighs)...we've proven we can behave and respect each other's space, and when a man can do that, you have absolutely no idea...the effect that has on me..."

"Well, it seems neither of us are in a hurry, I hope I'm not holding you back-"

"Nick...(kisses his cheek)...Nick you've treated me with immeasurable respect, you know when to say things, when to listen, and...you just...sometimes a girl runs out of words, and then...."

"Body language..."

"So do you have any idea...Nick until we met three years ago I had thought I had dried up...do you know what i mean?"

"Interest?"

"Think what you were playing with in the water yesterday...."

"Oh..."

"Yeah that...back then I had just started feeling tingly here and there, but I didn't have anyone in mind, then I saw you that night, you did what you did and it hit like a tidal wave..."

"Well, I remember...if I can say it..."

"Say it...."

"I remember it sounded sloshy down there, when you were, you know..."

"Nick it was a freaking mess down there, sloppy, slippery, slidey..."

"Wet banana."

"Oh I'd get your banana wet alright."

"I'm still not used to the idea that girls...women really like that kind of thing."

"Nick if it's the right guy then we want it ten times, a hundred or thousand times more..."

"That's not fair."

She muses, "you're sweet for saying that but fair or not, I could really put you through the paces if you don't watch out, those boxers, I wanted to reach in there and get it ready and jump on and ride, just ride, and bounce and ride into the sunset."

"Ride 'im cowgirl, but I wouldn't have lasted long."

"Then I'd ride your face."

"That would work."

"Nick you would drown under there, god...have you ever seen an orange juicer, the kind where you push the orange onto it over a glass..."

"I'd love to be your juicer."

"Oh I could grind on you for hours, we'd stick to everything, just remember if you get too close it might squirt you in the eye."

"I have an eye that might squirt back."

"Your eye can squirt anywhere, inside me, outside me, I'll take you in my mouth and then have something of yours to keep."

"There's lots of cream in the filled stick."

"Mmm I want your cream. I could have jumped in the shower with you last night, sucked all the cream out of your stick, or maybe, I'd drop the soap and pick it up for you, let you do what you want..."

By now she's fidgeting with his shirt, he presses on, "I love your cupcakes, with the candy on top, seems nice and chewy."

"I want your cream all over my cupcakes, chew on the candies, squeeze my cupcakes, give 'em everything you-"

Bart fires up, "HAND CHECK!"

Nick raises up his hands, Noreen just holds up a middle finger. She readjusts to get her mouth closer to his cheek.

"Where were we...oh, yeah...your beard is always just right, I'd let you rub it all over me."

"I'll rub it in your beard, down in the promised land."

"What else you gonna do in the promised land."

"I hear there's some great pie there."

"Honey I got all the pie you'll ever want, fresh and tangy."

"Like a grapefruit, might get a squirt if I'm not careful."

"I'll squirt in your mouth if you're not careful."

"Fair is fair, you can squirt anywhere anytime."

"You have no idea how bad I want you inside me, right now, if we were alone, you'd be all mine, I'd melt all over you."

"I'd eat your cupcakes and pie first, I'd eat you all over, even around back."

"You can have around back whenever you like, but you know what I really want."

"I really want you to squirt for me."

Right about then they hit a series of bumps and the truck slows down, Nick opens his eyes to see the construction crews ahead. The flagger is waiving them through, more bumps, more bumps, Noreen gasps and he things he felt something against his left leg, like a twitch, and it had gotten pretty warm down there. After a couple miles they clear the work area and she's sound asleep, Nick tries to settle in place despite the dire need to readjust his hardware.

After a couple short dozes, Bart asks, "Are we dropping Nick at the schoolyard?"

Noreen stirs and clears her throat, "Yes."

They take a turn toward familiar skies.

She gradually stretches and comes alive, and Nick realizes he's picking up a slightly sour, earthy aroma he hadn't known for over three years, almost too subtle to detect.

A bit too soon they are pulling up next to the Cordoba, Bart motions, "Does it rock?"

"Not bad for a 318 but needs love."

"Bring it our way sometime we'll see what's what."

Nick grabs his things and exchanges a up and down hi-five with the driver, "Catcha down tha road."

"Later days."

Nick forgoes the better lays part given the circumstances. He and Noreen step out next to the truck. "Did you get your keys," she motions to the poor jeep.

"Yeah all set. You look tired."

"Just very....relaxed."

They hold a gaze, she says, "You go home and tell your mother that you were the perfect gentleman, and-"

HOONNNNNNNNNK

Noreen turns to the open door, "FUCK OFF!"

She closes her eyes and draws breath with the look of about to murder a fool, then pulls it together,

"Nick you were beyond my wildest dreams, seriously, tell your mom I said that, you are wonderful and she should be proud."

"I will. Do you have a lot to do today?"

"Just get home and try to salvage these shorts," as she subtly brings his left hand to meet with the promised land, which feels like an oven-fresh buttery roll. She raises an eyebrow coyly.

Nick's eyes get huge once he puts it all together.

She grabs a two-beat smooch. "Do like I told ya," then smacks his ass, hops into the truck, slaps the dashboard, "Home, Jeeves," as she pulls the door shut.

He just steps back and watches as the truck goes into gear, she turns his way with a commanding look, points at the car, at him, then the road.

As they drive off he gets into his car, well rested, feeling more human than ever, starts it up, fastens his seatbelt, thinks a minute, takes a long whiff of his hand, then drives over to the other lot to see if Goody is around.

Daytrip IV

 Nick dials home after Noreen checks in with her sister-in-law.

"Hi...yeah...turns out her brother is at a drag race and won't get home till later. Yeah Noreen figures he'll come to rescue the jeep and we get to ride along...yeah, we checked in and then walked to a KMart...oh about, less than a mile, got some toiletries and then grabbed something to eat...yes I'm minding my manners and no I haven't been making body noises, sheesh. She's just over there reading one of those auto trader things they had at the desk...oh, yeah, says she's gonna find a jeep that runs..."

Noreen just shakes her head and tries not to laugh.

"She's geeked that we get to watch Start Trek later...yes she knows I'm the bigger geek, alright... do you want the number? OK lemme see..."

Nick hangs up, "Think I'll hit the shower."

"Don't drop the soap," then watches her turn away and cover her mouth.

He enters the bathroom to find she had hung up her swimsuit on the hook that came with her mermaid T shirt, and he can't look away from it, until he realizes it's been a long-ass day, he's the good kind of tired, takes a long soak and uses half of the remaining half of the little shampoo bottle.

After drying off he has to ask her to fetch the boxers, she tosses them so they land about three feet from the door. He uses his towel to reel them in, then emerges wearing those plus his T-shirt. "You make one hell of a roommate you know that?"

She finally explodes laughing, to the point of tears and buries her face under an arm.

He spreads out his beach towel on the further bed and fires up the ol' tube, finally settling on reliable NBC Thursday Night Musty TV, deep in the throes of summer reruns. They had been running the wall AC on low and he asks if they still need the noise, she says try it off for a while, so far so good, might be OK with the sun going down. 

Nick just closes his eyes and lets the TV become noise of familiar cadence, the day is now its own rerun, he feels like he's known her all his life, or at least for every day of the past three and a half years, same span as the tribulation preachers preach about. He thinks he dozes off a couple times. He looks over and she had found a handout in the motel office that had a blank back page, she seems to be drawing and in her own world. Good for her.

He hears the Cheers cold opening and repositions to give it a college try, hadn't seen many of these. In the early years the Diane character drove him nuts most of the time, now he is starting to understand why, having a similar caliber of babe on the next bed, she just gets under your skin in all the right ways, keeps you guessing, and when you untie one knot you find another inside it and you can't wait to start all over again. 

Thinking out loud, he says, "I wish we'd grabbed candy bars or something."

"I think there's a machine close by, I'll go with."

Between his loose change from the day and cajoling a dollar bill they each got a Snickers.

"What are you drawing?"

It's the face of a rugged looking man, white and eastern, maybe Siberia. Thick brows and mustache. 

"Boy he'd kick your ass soon as look at ya. Is that Big Brother?"

She looks up at him, "No more than I'm Julia."

He picks her up and jostles her around, they embrace, she says, "Did your mom sound OK with all this?"

"Yeah she was having fun with it."

"You know, with you out of the house there's no telling what they'll be up to..."

Nick winces, "Please-"

"Maybe even in your bed."

He reaches for his forehead.

"OK I'm gonna get sleep ready before TNG."

He pinches her bum, "Make it so."

Nick throws away his Snickers wrapper and takes a drink of water since he'd already brushed, good thing for those wrapped plastic cups they leave in here. He secretly hopes the tap water doesn’t come from the lake.

He plops back down as she emerges from the bathroom and kills her light. He's hesitant to look. All of a sudden she's standing next to his bed with her towel, "Scooch."

"What are you doing?"

"We're gonna watch Star Trek, right?"

He just looks at her for a second, then gets up to move his towel. After they get situated he realizes he can no longer bend to see the screen, gets up and grabs a pillow from the other bed, then lies straight. 

She must have thought this a good idea and follows suit. Night Court is finishing up, never one of his favorites but, hey, Markie Post. It seems these last seasons have gotten a lot better than when he was in high school, some of those were embarrassing to watch with the 'rents.

When he reaches for the remote to switch channels she grabs his left arm and puts it beneath her head so she can put her back against him and see the screen. 

The cold open starts, she says, "Ahh, the Crystalline Entity." Nick had remembered one of the early ones dealing with it. About three commercials in he hears her doze off. His arm is thankfully not falling asleep too but he's not used to this, kinda needs to move it a tad, but this is not the time.

Eventually she stirs and flips around, head on his shoulder. Funny how if she were across the room he'd have a hard time not ogling, but this somehow takes the view of her legs, and the bralessness, not to mention soft buttocks beneath the long mermaid shirt out of the equation, it makes her a someone again. 

About the time that the visiting scientist completes her plot to destroy the entity, she lifts her head up, looks at the screen, "Sorry, didn't mean to fall asleep."

"That's usually the best sleep you'll get."

"I know, but -"

"Noreen, this is as good as good as I've ever had it."

She just looks at him, plants a kiss, holds a gaze, then finally, "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Is it OK if I call you babe?"

"Um, yeah. I guess I let it slip a couple times today."

"Thank you." She then touches his face, then snuggles back onto his shoulder. 

TNG wraps up, bum-bum-bum-bum. "Well it's pretty much reruns or bad news at this point. I'm ready to call it a night if you are."

"Turn it off if you want." So he does, and she repositions so she's just holding his left arm.

"Noreen."

"Yes."

"Did you ever intend to sleep in the other bed?"

"Go to sleep."

He drifts off fairly quickly, then awakens, has to pee already, does that, back down in his spot and lies facing the back wall this time. This is still strange in a way, but good company has it's way of transcending just about anything. He drifts off again.

"BANG BANG BANG" on the door. They both jump up, she whispers, "shit." 

Another round of bangs. She gets up and a few seconds later the bathroom light comes on. She fiddles for her knife, and Nick unplugs a lamp and stands with it in front of the bathroom door, his heart pounding in his throat. 

Next there's an unintelligible voice from behind the door, then a cough. 

Noreen whispers, "some goddamn drunk."

Nick rolls his eyes. The sound of dragging steps, more slurred speech. After a couple of quiet, seemingly endless minutes a car pulls up, then a clear voice, "Hi there Charlie, made it this far tonight did we?"

Another voice, "get him over here in case he has to yack."

"God I hope he doesn't yack," Nick says to her as they stand down the alert. 

She uses the bathroom as he goes back to his original position, this time with pillows surrounding his head.

He faintly hears a flush, then shortly thereafter, "You OK?"

"Yeah, that was a bit much though."

She pecks his cheek, spoons in behind him and rubs his forehead and part of a temple. Once his breathing slows down she rests her hand on his head and they drift off. 

Nick awakens at one point with an understandable log in his boxers, but it's mostly just that time of the night, plus the fact that he had an accompanied discharge yesterday, almost as intense as their original encounter, and it seems lucky boy always expects an encore at a certain point thereafter. 

He can think of voices he's heard, asking why you don't just go for the gold. After a few distraught minutes he concludes, shut the hell up, this is the gold.

She's sleeping soundly and he finds that reassuring, soothing. After the hydraulic situation calms down Nick has he best sleep he's had since the month-long holiday break before last Christmas.

Daytrip III

After their umbrella-shade lunch they take a drive around the lake, to fill in the blanks from the previous limited vantage, and see the beach from the side they were staring at from inside the water. Nick finds out what it feels like to be the one riding in a jeep with a babe, a cool babe. A thinking babe. A someone. The slightly humid air feels like the water did earlier, it bathes and gives buoyancy. Everyone about seems carefree as they are. Summer is supposed to be this.

She parks it and powers down near a pier, in the shade and they take a short walk.

Then they return to the beach and get back into the water, there's more activity now, prime time, but plenty of room for everyone, they just float, play tugboat, and let innocence take center stage.

"So were you a feisty girl?"

"What do you mean were? So, WERE you a stubborn child?"

She floats to his side, he holds on to her, she launches off and swims a few yards, then back, repeat. The clock moves when you don't watch it, but at some point the sun's angle taps you on the shoulder.

"Nick what do you think? I was hoping we could take our time getting back, grab another bite, then see the sun setting again from campus."

"I think you have something there."

They slowly make their way to shore. "Oh," she adds, "I wanted to stop by the drug store for something, then we'll come back here for a few for the restroom."

"Everything OK?"

"Yeah, but just to be careful, lake water and all."

"Ohh, OK."

"Yeah."

So they pack up once again and head back over toward the main drag, which has a Walgreens or such.

While in the turn lane the jeep starts to stutter, and she guns it to get into the lot, where it nearly stalls out. They get to a spot and it dies before she can shut it off.

"Rut Roh." she says. Tries to start it up but it won't catch. Battery seems fine.

Nick gets out and pops the hood, removes the intake. "What's the gas gauge say?"

"Just over half, was gonna stop on the way back."

"Wish I had something to stand on to see down the throat, but can you tap the gas?"

She does. Nick doesn't hear anything flow from the jets. "Are there any tools on board?"

They find two screwdrivers and a pair of channel-lock pliers. Perfect. He's not entirely comfortable with this, but does it anyway, takes off the fuel line from the carb. "OK, can you try turning it over, just for a few seconds?"

She does that and his instinct was right, unfortunately, "Shit. There's no gas coming from the pump."

After a few quiet seconds he finds her just head down against the wheel. "Noreen? Hey..."

She just shakes her head slowly.

"Come here," and he scoops her off the seat.

She draws a breath, forlorn, "I wanted this day to be perfect."

Nick puts everything back where it was and closes the hood while she thinks. He puts his arms around her. "Hey these are older machines, it happens."

Slight smile, "glad you see it that way." Then thinks a bit. "Is there a pay phone around here?"

Nick locates one outside the drug store. "Yep straight ahead six O'clock."

Noreen grabs her purse and they proceed, digs out a calling card and punches in numbers, waits for ringing, "Hey, is turdball there?" She listens for a bit, looks around, then finally, "OK, well the fuel pump in this thing is out. I don't think he'd want anyone else working on it, so...yeah, well, we're at a pay phone right now, should I try in an hour? OK, thanks hon, will do." Hangs up,

"Well he's not around and she's not sure when he's getting back."

"I can see if my folks can come get us, but I guess then we'd have to leave it."

"Nick I'm so sorry."

"Hon don't be sorry, this is an adventure, it's nice out, we're here."

She kisses him for the untold time today. "Well, that's a last resort, " pointing to the motel across the lot. "I'd put it on my card, of course, and settle up with my brother later."

"I've got some cash too if we need it."

"Nick, this isn't your problem to solve."

"Still."

"Feels like we're stuck."

"I'm gonna call home."

She insists on punching in her card number first, it rings, Irene answers.

"Hey."

"Hi Honey, are you two having a good day?"

"Yes we are, just hit a snag though, fuel pump went out."

"Oh, is someone coming to get you?"

"We will find out in about an hour, she borrowed her brother's jeep."

"I can see why on a day like this. Is there someone you can stay with if he can't get to you?"

"Well, we'd have to stay in a motel."

"I understand sweetie, these things happen. Just keep us in the loop, it will all work out."

"I know, we aren't worried, she just wanted the day to be perfect and is kinda down."

"She seems like a good lady Nick, just be a gentleman, I know you are."

"I will Mom-"

"Oh, before I forget, your professor called today, about the job, said he wants to set up a meeting with you and the dean, what's her name?"

"Sue Richards, wow, cool."

"Yes I agree. Well I won't keep you, just call when you find out."

"I will, love you."

He hangs up.

"That was sweet, Nicholas."

"Well, she seems cool if we have to check in over there, told me to be a gentleman."

She hugs him. "We might as well take a walk around the storefronts."

They change into better shoes and take a stroll within eyeshot of the jeep, holding hands, not saying much. The world around them is still bustling, people making supper in the surrounding homes, grilling out.

"So, if he can't make it up tonight, we can just check in then hit the drugstore for some things, to brush our teeth and stuff."

"Think we could make it clear to KMart?"

"That's a good idea, they might have a cheap T-shirt to sleep in."

"I'm liking this more and more."

"Nick you're incorrigible. I'm going to try to behave, I can't speak for you, but I didn't plan it his way."

"I know, let's just relax and watch some tube. You know what's on later..."

"TNG!!"

"And we won't have to be over the phone."

"Here we are colluding...I still need to call him one more time to be sure he's not on his way already."

When they make it back to that phone it had been just shy of an hour, and of course Bart was nowhere to be seen. "OK, we'll go ahead and check in and I'll get you the number, OK, thanks, bye."

"Should we push it closer to the motel?" he asks, then they do just that, under a light and snap the cover on. She re-deploys her knife before they go any further.

They find the motel clerk next to a fan, feet on counter, and staring glass-eyed at a small black and white TV. He asked to see Nick's ID, even though his beard had come back, and Noreen grabs it and says, "thanks for telling me when it was your birthday dork."

"It never came up."

She just rolls her eyes and asks for two beds, then adds she's a restless sleeper before making a goofy face back at Nick. They are pretty much all vacant ahead of the weekend but choose closest to the office with a clear view of the vehicle.

Before they get a look inside she muses, "I'll probably sleep on my beach towel nomatter what."

Nick agrees. They unlock to find the expected, drab walls, institutional drapes, that timeless dank formaldehyde aroma, but everything seems to have been cleaned since the last use.

"Hey I'm gonna go ahead and shower, do you mind?"

"Knock yourself out."

She disappears into the bathroom so Nick lies back on the furthest bed and clicks the TV on.

About 20 minutes later, after he's dozed off a couple brief times, she emerges to find him staring at MST3K. "Oh I love these, they're such smart asses. Hey I'm ready when you are."

"I'm all set babe."

She gives him a wry smile. They head out, hand in hand. Once past the drug store, she asks, "Have you hacked any Pentagon stuff with that modem yet?"

"Well I found a few utilities here and there, and that Jameson has a vibrant underground Chess club that exchanges barbs on the newspaper board. I keep expecting something dark or pervy but I suppose they'd put the kill on that."

"One would think."

"So could two home users with modems connect to each other?"

"Absolutely. Yeah you can exchange files, albeit small ones, and slowly, and type back and forth for what it's worth."

"Hmmm. Can you connect to anything at the campus?"

"I think the VAX has a modem line but I haven't logged into that for months, might - OH, did I tell you what Mom told me? Goody called and wants me to meet with Sue Richards about the lab tech."

"NICK!!" She jumps on him and they nearly fall over.

"Don't take it so hard."

"Shut up you dick, that's freakin' awesome and you know it."

"Well I don't know if it's an interview or what, I'll talk to him after we get back."

She just keeps her hand on his arm. "I don't have to say how proud I am of you."

"We'll see how it goes."

"I know you aren't the excitable type, it's just so cool. They gave me a solid 80% plus of having a couple lectures in the fall."

He kisses her forehead. "So what got you into English Lit?"

"Just always loved the accents."

"I can tell."

Sticks out her tongue. "It has a fairy-tale kind of quality, and so much of later fiction and life as we know it are based on those works."

"Holy Grail."

"Oh Holy Grail...yes, and even more subtle things, similar to the nursery rhymes we all know, stuff like that, it's impossible to separate out from our culture, it's so ingrained."

"Wish I would have had you in high school."

"Umm..." and she raises an eyebrow.

"You know what I mean."

"Who all did you read?"

"Senior year I had Mrs. Walloughby, from, well, a few counties south of here. I got along with her great outside of that class, but, God...got off to a rough start with BAYOH-wulf."

"Oh my, that would tend to let the air of of things."

"I couldn't tell you a thing about the story. Ended up pulling a B+ out of the semester. MacBeth was a little better but I think we had hit on that in an earlier year."

"Yeah love Shakespeare of course, you always catch something new. Howbout Hamlet?"

"Ahh, Hamlet was the year before, different instructor, she was awesome, we did some parts when this drama group came in."

"That always helps."

"Well it's about an angry young chap so I could get into it, he was pissed and someone had to go down."

"I'm impressed with that synopsis, Nick, umm, should I be concerned?"

"I think we covered that this morning,"

"Uhh, yeah, fair point."

Nick just looks ahead at the sidewalk.

"You OK?"

"Just remembered, before Hamlet we did Orwell."

"Oh GOD, Orwell is so depressing, I avoid him like the plague."

"Humanity at it's worst, but...Julia...."

"Julia?"

"That was just after our encounter...they were sneaking around, finding, well, the only love they would ever know."

Noreen pauses a bit. "Nick, I don't know what to say. That's...wow, never thought of it that way."

"It brought some hope to the story for me, well, for a while..."

"Do you see any scars up here?"

Another peck on the forehead and they press on, KMart within sight, then they move over for a couple juveniles on bikes, one who shouts, "WHY DON'T YOU FUCK HER? I DID!"

Noreen whips around, "Hey you better get back to your mommy I bet she's horny again by now!"

Nick is blown away, "Oh my GOD!"

She's still looking backward, and before he can look for himself she covers her mouth, busts in laughter, and has to kneel on the sidewalk, "oh that dumbass."

Nick looks back to see one of the kids lying on the sidewalk, next to his bike, and the other one riding around waiting for his buddy to get up.

"That little shit turned around to flip me off and ran right into that post," and she can't stop laughing.

He gathers her up to her feet, "let's get the hell outta here."

They continue on to the Mart of K, where the air conditioning hits the spot. They grab cartage and head toward HBA. Tooth brushes, Colgate, deodorants, he asks her if she still wants to fulfill the drug store visit and she does, can't hurt, he resists the urge to ask to watch. They stroll toward the softlines and she finds a $3 clearance T shirt with a mermaid.

"Will this do? And why did the suggestion peak your interest?"

"Those legs..."

"Whatever, although they have gotten me this far I guess."

"Back in junior high track it was a treat to see a girl running in a t-shirt long enough to hide her shorts. We called it: inspiration."

She pokes his left rib and he jumps. "Did you want to look for anything besides inspiration?"

"Think I'll grab some boxers."

They head back to the men's and he finds standard red/black scotch pattern. "Eh?"

"Will it all fit in there?"

"Both of us?"

She grabs the boxers and throws them in the cart. "By the way, all this is getting charged to my brother, no arguments."

"I'm still getting us dinner."

"’Kay."

After checkout they still had to pick something from ye olde restaurant rowe. He points to Taco Bell just because it's closest, but

"That always gives me the shits," she warns.

"Well there's the little Chinese place,"

"How about some other time, I have a wok by the way."

"There ya go. Didn't we pass a Wendy's?"

"Oh I could go for a baked potato. Are we gonna just grab n go?"

"I'll grab you go," and she jumps clear before he can get a hold of her.

There's no blood or carcass at the scene of the bike wreck, and they agree in hindsight they – supposedly being adults - should have waited around to make sure the kid got up. They gradually find the parking lot, the jeep, and the motel just where they'd left it, just not as well lit and maybe a tad cooler.

"I didn't see a sign, does our fine hostelry even have a name?"

"We'll make one up if we have to."

Daytrip II

They head toward the water as Nick tries to stand back and inconspicuously take her in some more. Toes indicate the lake is still in springtime mode, but they ease into it. She develops goosebumps, at some point she looks down her swimsuit top, "down, boys."

He gets the feeling life will never be the same after today.

Noreen looks up to see him looking her way through his shades and splashes him with the water. He returns fire by scooping with both hands. This eventually gets them further off shore. Once about waist high she gets behind him, back to back and locks arms, 

"Carry me onward my fiery and vicious steed."

Nick takes them further from the shore, "What's that from?"

"I dunno, just sounded good," as he tries to assess exactly what he’s feeling against his back.

A few more beachgoers have come and gone, about half a dozen other towels on the beach at this point and there are just some kids playing at the other end.

"Where to m'lady?"

She lets go and Nick turns around to find her doing a backstroke. "I never learned to do that."

"We always had a pool."

"They tried twice to get me through swimming lessons, just didn't like my face going under."

"You'd probably do better to teach yourself, Nick."

"Story of my life."

He starts lifting his feet but it's too shallow to tread water. Gradually he realizes how relaxing this is, the breeze is gentle and there hasn't been any boat wake yet. The opposite shores that are visible are lined with docks, roads, some mobile homes, and the commercial row appears to be right past some of it.

Noreen is just making little circles with the back stoke, eyes closed.

"This was a great idea," he observes.

She reaches out her hand and he grabs it. Not sure what else to do, he just pulls her along and heads out a bit deeper, till it's at his collar. She pulls herself closer, and he holds her as if carrying, she leans on his shoulder.

At some point the kissing begins, no one knows who started it. Nick has his hand behind her neck and gradually she turns and embraces him full astride. He feels her back, massages the back of her neck, pretty soon he feels the warmth of her promised land against his counterpart.

She pauses the kissing and takes down her straps, holding her shoulders beneath the water. With one hand he massages her breasts, still firm as he remembers from that fateful night, generous nipples are quite angry.

"Don't be shy," she whispers, eyes still closed.

He explores her hips, what some might call breeders, she's a bony girl after all, then under her swimsuit, more goosebumps. He wants to touch her anus but doesn't want to give the wrong signal.

Nick navigates her long pins, symmetrically, and despite being gentle finds out her feet are quite ticklish. "Sorry."

"Don't ever be."

Now there's one thing left, the unseen. He makes his way there with the thumbs first, she wiggles her hips and keeps her head leaning on him. It seems she keeps things groomed down there, Nick hadn't thought about taming his own lands, oh well. After pulling the isthmus of her swimsuit aside he begins massaging, exploring, trying to keep it gentle, so far so good. It seems the hood of the little nose thingy is where it's at for her, so we'll rub that a while, then underneath.

"That's it."

After a little while of this and a few gasps, she reaches for his trunks and finds it has a front hatch. Gently she finds what she's looking for, takes his member in one hand and firms it up just a bit. Her other hand finds his sack, "now these I remember."

"Mmmmhmmmm."

She repositions and touches the end of his to the part of hers that he was just warming up, and starts rubbing. And rubbing. "Sweetie it's OK, just let it happen."

The rubbing continues and it was going to happen, no doubt. Nick looks out at the newly familiar shoreline, cars going their way, some boats in the water, did they have any idea how powerful-

They both moan softly as it lets loose in a gentle sting, and she gives him a final squeeze then tucks it back inside the trunks. "How was that?"

"Let me hold you some more."

Still topless, she turns around to face the other shoreline and reaches around to support herself against the back of his neck, and he holds her midsection.

A few clouds go by and she turns her head for a kiss, then Nick starts kissing her neck.

"Nick that will land you in trouble."

He reaches for a breast, massages it back to the enraged state, then reaches downstairs and picks up where he left off. Eventually they reach an equilibrium where he can hold her and she can let her legs float, he just rubs where he had been, and eventually with the other hand he can find the back door, massage it gently, start to penetrate just a tad.

She turns to her side and holds onto his shoulders, "Put your fingers inside me."

And so he does, gradually exploring the depths, reaching the nub the end, can't remember the clinical term but still, there it is -"

"Right there," she admits through clenched teeth. He hits the same spot best he can, then is able to probe once more at her puckered anus, and then he feels a twitch down there, she gasps then melts into his arms.

Nick feels a bit wiser as he peers at that shore. Noreen dozes off for what seems like just a couple minutes, then kisses his cheek.

She stretches her neck a bit then moves to get back to her feet, then replaces her straps, then finds his hand and they head to the shore.

Back on their towels he sits facing her, she re-applies lotion, has him refresh the same as before, then stretches out on her stomach. Eventually Nick does the same thing.

"You are going to spoil me, aren't you?" She asks from beneath her shades.

"I just want to get things right."

"You did it right, no doubt about it."

"Haven't you had better?"

"Nick, it's not been like that at all...I haven't had good luck, guys don't really seem to get me...back in college I was around music and artsy types, one of them turned out gay, at least the one that I’ve confirmed and some others were just weird or...kinda pervy. It seemed I should be having more fun, or enjoying something, girls seemed to like giving hand jobs and other stuff, but then, a lot of them just liked the power it gave them. I would get alone with a guy and he didn't seem interested, then one time I gave this guy a boner and it kinda freaked me out, i tried it in my mouth and almost gagged, finally was able to finish him off with my hands and then, it was awful, we didn't have any chemistry, I just cleaned things up and he drove me home without saying much." Her voice started to break as she spoke.

"It's hard to believe, you're amazing."

"You are so kind."

"I mean it, your body, you have such a confident posture, like nothing can stop you."

She turns his way and kisses him. "I'm serious, after a while I just gave up, even wondered if I wasn't, you know, into other girls, but that wasn't it. I just wanted to teach and play, did some craft show stuff for a while, my brothers were married and having kids so I got to be Aunt Nori, and that seemed to be it."

"So three years ago..."

"Yeah, it was a weird time, and things started stirring inside me. I had gotten to the point where I didn't think about guys, or really feel, you know the needs, and I couldn't remember the last time I had, well, done anything in the shower -"

"Not sure what you mean, can you demonstrate sometime?"

"Hey that's not a spectator sport, it requires audience participation."

"That works."

"AHEM as I was saying...for whatever reason, around Christmas that year I started getting twinges, wondering if a new season was approaching, maybe I'd meet someone and then, who knows."

"Well you kinda did then."

"Yeah...and, like I said, my mind was swimming and I just went for it, that night."

Nick pauses a second. "Noreen, I have no idea why I did things the way I did, everything was right there and, well, you're nice and tall..."

"It was different, that's for sure, but I would have stopped you if I weren't comfortable, I was pretty curious."

"To be honest, actually..."

"Go on."

"Well, I've never had the desire to impregnate a female, or even risk it, if that makes sense."

"It does, some of us are just not into starting a family."

"Back in the grade school years, a bunch of us would run around the church parking lot after service. At some point the other guys would disappear and I'd go back in, and there they were in the nursery holding these little kids. I would just, like, stop right at the door, couldn't understand how it took that kind of turn."

"And do those guys have their own kids yet?"

"One of them got a girl pregnant early in high school, the other one is with a gal who already has a couple."

"I've been waiting for the right time to tell you something..." then she flips over and pulls her swimsuit up at the hip to revel the lower tummy. "See the scars?"

"Oh yeah." as he tries not to let on that he can see a wee bit of patch.

"I had to have surgery last year."

"Are you OK?"

"Yes, I'm fine now, had some cysts, not malignant thankfully, but it knocked out my chances. Nick, I am open for business."

"You mean-"

She giggles, "you know I'm not trying to pressure you, but yeah, I can't conceive."

"Oh." He thinks a minute. "So are you, I mean, OK with that…um…psychologically? Or -"

"Yeah I am, like I said, after our first encounter, something just told me that was a sign that I should just settle on the fact that I wasn't going to have kids, and that was very liberating, I felt I could go on with life, figure out what to do with it."

"Teaching."

She taps his nose. "Doors have started opening up. And then, of course, once I started feeling like shit and got the diagnosis, that all seemed to fall in line with what I already knew."

"Funny how that works."

"Do we have the craziest story ever or what?"

"I never mentioned, to anyone, even meeting you before, feels like a betrayal."

"I think it's nice we have a little secret, I'd say things are working out nicely, at least for me."

"Same here."

She looks out at the water.  His stomach starts to growl.

"Did you wanna get lunch?"

"Yeah, shortly, howbout we get out of the sun for a bit then head to that dairy stand?"

So they pick up and flip flop back to the jeep, still shaded.

"By the way," Noreen says, "remember when we were back to back?"

"Of course."

"Um, I did that so I could pee."

"You could have done that while we were front to front."

Her eyes get huge, shimmering in the shade, "You are a bad bad boy Nick Swanson."

"Complaining?"

"Get in your seat."

And they proceed over to Daisy's Dairy, decide on splitting a shredded chicken, fried mushrooms and mozzarella sticks, Nick gets a lime slush and she does a mocha shake.

Daytrip I

Nick arrives at the near-desolate campus lot with a beach towel, trunks beneath his shorts, a small bag with some tennis shoes, an extra t-shirt and standard issue low-rise briefs. They had agreed on 7:30 in order to soak in all the daylight that could be squeezed out of a summer day. He also had stopped for donuts for the trip, leaving about 77 bucks in his wallet.

Just as he stands up he can hear a mild roar approaching, sees a dark jeep with top down and a driver with flaxen locks blowing all around. Somehow the doubt actually grows as the jeep makes its way right next to him, Noreen just grins beneath dark glasses, and he remembers to grab his shades from the Cordoba as she powers down.

"Whacha think?"

Nick just shakes his head. "Did you somehow plant that little vision into my head subliminally?"

"Would you believe me if I told you?"

"Alright lady, I'm all yours, sorry 'bout your luck."

She had walked around to meet him and he picks her up in a hug.

"OOOHH that's good for my back."

"Glad to be of use."

"Stop it. So, the engine is a bit loud and you know it'll be blowing, here's the deal - ever been to Grant Lake?"

"Heard of it, we used to camp up at Sangchris a time or two."

"Splendid, well this is to the south and east, just over an hour, not quite into Indiana."

"Got it. Can't believe we finally get to get away."

She leans in for a two-beat kiss, "ready? ...set..."

"Oh, does it have a cover?"

"Yeah, its tucked away back there just in case but I think we'll be OK."

They get going, munching on donuts. Nick had been part of this way at some point but most of it was new, all his relatives are along other vectors. Just a few passing clouds so far. He's starting to wonder if there's a V8 in the doghouse, it has the feel of someone's toy, decent sound system too. Noreen had put it on an oldies station at first, eventually they whip out the Stones' Tumbling Dice, one that he'd never really caught before, but sure is perfect for cruising in this weather. Eventually she motioned him to shop around the dial if he wanted, dangerous to offer that to a radio geek type.

At some point he finds En Vogue's recent hit, Never Gonna Get It and she cranks it, he can't tell where the bass is coming from, must be a sub hidden somewhere, but damn it's thick as a poured wall. She grooves and teases the words at him.

The commercial hits quick and he is the first to cut it down, then eventually finds that new Poison track starting up, So Tell Me Why, turns it up some, and she again bumps it the rest of the way. Nick waits for the one line...girl i'm gonna do to ya things that ain't never been done, then runs a finger down her arm. She just reacts to the tickle then squeezes his hand.

After that track he just looks for somewhere to park the dial, finds oldies again, wealth of scenery to take in. He's ever inspired by rides like this, even in flat lands, to some it's all the same but there's always a nuance, a lonely bobbing oil rig, remains of an ancient tractor, rolling fields. He could do without some of the dairy-air from the huge cattle farms but ain't that America. The radio hasn't played that particular Mellencamp tune yet but he sure wouldn't mind.

Noreen has on tan plaid shorts over her navy blue one-piece and a white tank top, and they're both wearing flops. She appears to have gelled her hair as usual, but again, who's noticing. He wonders what she's thinking about, probably in high English accents. Every once in a while she glances over and smiles. One thing's for sure, she's no stranger to a stick shift, jams it around like a senior enlisted base chauffeur. Nick had always wanted to drive a stick but hasn't yet gotten the chance, seems those are less maintenance than an automatic but no one in his family wants to fool with it in town with a lot of starts and stops.

Eventually he sees the brown sign for the public beach access, and she grabs a spot right by the sand, in the shade even. This is why you do this on a weekday, beach has just a woman and her small kids wading a few feet into the water, seems a bit early to get in yet.

"It's a pretty lake," he observes as soon as the engine is off.

"Yeah we used to come down here a lot. There's camping on around that way, and places to eat, hell you could almost walk from here."

He takes a deep breath and gets out. Trunks are sticking to the cheeks just a bit already.

"Anything you want locked in the glove box?'

He sticks his billfold and keys in there, not wearing a watch.

"You'll love this..."

Noreen looks around, then stands between him and the jeep, reaches under her tank top and produces a good size knife in a sheath, probably 5 inches of blade and slips it into the glove box. "Hey, you never know."

"You can take da girl outta da south side..."

"I'm sayin', honey." She puts her small leather purse in there, locks it, snaps the key ring onto a looped rope and puts that around her neck, makes a comical grin to Nick, "ready Freddie?"

Nick can't resist a quick Elvis via Freddie for the chorus, Crazy Li'l Thing Called Love, then doesn't wait for reaction, "By the way what's under the hood?"

In a sultry purr, "Why, you scoundrel."

"We'll get to that, but how bout this beast?" and smacks the hood. It's 70s vintage, not babied but well cared for, plenty stories left to tell.

"Pop the hood and take a gander."

So he does, 8 cylinders, dual exhaust.

"I think it's a 304."

"That sounds right, AMC's five-liter, this could have come from a Matador or such."

"I drove this puppy to high school, but with the original engine, again, my brothers..."

"Well hell of a job, I'd love to redo the Cordoba but you know, too many things with wires, " and then takes several angles of views at the doghouse.

"Are we gonna stand here and yank it all day?"

He slams the hood, "Alright alright, where to first?"

They take slow stroll along the land-pier that extends out next to the beach. Seagulls are in full-on mode.

"Do they have boat rental around here?"

"Yeah but they all have motors I think, I'd rather canoe or do the foot paddles."

"Could rent a pontoon."

"But then how many times would we get buzzed by some stupid water skiers."

"Yeah I spoze. Canoeing is better in a small lake or a river. We did that a couple times with the church."

"That reminds me. Do you still go, to the church?"

"My folks go to a different church than they, well we, used to. Another long story."

"I got time, and I'm curious, I'm supposed to be Catholic but my parents didn't stick with it. They put us kids through catechism but then we just had our own traditions that we try to keep going."

"Yeah my folks started going when I was in grade school, and I never really got it. In fact, well..."

"Tell me."

Nick spots what must be an ill-fated fish that was partially gobbled up by gulls, but pushes that aside and continues, "I ended up in jail a few years ago."

She stops walking and takes off her shades. "Nick?"

"Yeah...it was my sophomore year, our youth pastor Kevin was frustrated with the leadership and the elders, the board...the way he saw it they were just worshiping the status quo - that's how he put it. They couldn't handle new ideas and basically equated those with sin, or communism, or wherever the fuck."

"Nick we don't have to talk about it if it's sore -"

He reaches across her shoulders and draws her close. "It's fine, I should probably get it out in the open, don't think about much anymore...and you're great to talk to about things."

"I'm glad."

He holds her hand. "So, we got to talking and he knew a guy from college with access to some sound equipment, and figured we'd shake things up a bit."

"And how'd that go?"

"We snuck everything in on a Saturday night, didn't get to test it, pastor was out of town so we could keep it all hid. During the service we put in a CD of some sound effects, rushing winds, thunder - we were back there with our heads between our knees it was so freaking loud. Then his friend, had put on a sheet - and this was just plain dumb, but he was going to go out and we would kill the lights and he'd just show up looking like a, well, a returning Christ."

"You didn't."

"Like I said, the idea was to shake things up. Unfortunately it damaged some windows, and - oh, Kevin's friend, who had access to those subs, he had just taken an allergy medicine he'd never taken before, so he was pretty loopy, didn't even get fazed by the sound....OH, and the best part, Jameson's police chief lived two doors down, thought a damn bomb had gone off -"

She had her mouth covered, "Nicky...I know you’re not a radical, but this is so hard to believe."

"Well it's a bunch of idiots getting what they deserved, and, well, I mean the four of us involved, we didn't intend for it to go that far. Some lady had to go to ER with chest pains but she was OK, and...this is awful, but we had a man who isn't all there, if you know what I mean, pissed his pants -"

"Hold on a sec," and she leans against a tree.

"You OK?"

"Yeah, just, wow...."

Nick looks around and hopes he hadn't freaked her out too much. "It's a lot, yeah, and we got picked up and questioned, I called a lawyer friend of mine. After about two hours they told me to go home, I just walked, took my time. Mom and Dad were driving around looking for me, they were just freaked out and worried."

"Oh I bet." She reaches for his hand. "Nick, I had no idea. It seems you and your folks get along wonderfully now."

"Yeah, it was weird at first, they didn't go to service for a couple of weeks, Kevin was dismissed by the board, no surprise, and I, well, I think some of the folks blamed my parents for me being involved, or else it kinda got nasty. They started attending another church and didn't expect me to go, they would ask and sometimes I would, but it's just not my thing, not really into people."

"Well we all have different needs and comfort levels. Sounds like your folks stood up for you and did the right thing - I mean, if I can say so."

"Yeah they really did. And Tim was pretty close to going after the chief asshole on the board who was trying to throw us under the bus, Dad had to stop him. But Tim wasn't really involved at that church, he pretty much ended up wherever...this or that girl went, and then he was off to Uncle Sam soon anyway."

"Your brother?"

"The one and only."

They stroll back toward the jeep and get their towels and sunscreen from beneath the seats.

Nick asks, as they head to the sand, "So, any notable drama in your life?"

"Can't compete, was engaged about 10 years ago, his family was very religious and conservative, I think I was a bit too free spirited, he sent me a letter and called it off. Last I heard he'd gone into the Navy."

"Aren't there all kinds of trouble to get into in the Navy?"

"Yeah don't think about it too hard, I'm pretty sure it was his way of getting out of the house. Nick I'm not really good at talking about myself, but just ask me questions, I don't mind, and if I do mind I'll kick you in the shin and run."

"I thought that means a girl likes me."

"That's if she gives you a wedge. Well, sometimes."

They spread the blankets, she turns away from him to release the beast, first the tank top, then the shorts. He tries not to stare but he's waited so long, she's just fascinating, and, yes being with an adult woman is still a novelty. She starts to turn around and he whips his shirt up and drops his outer shorts.

She smiles and hands him the sunscreen, "I don't think you'll mind," turns around and sits down. He tries to be gentle on her shoulders and neck, top of the exposed back, down both arms as he leans in, and manages to sneak a peck at the nape of her neck while she's still facing downward.

After a slight jerk and ghasp, "Alright sport I'll take it from here, then you need some, that's an order."

"Yes m'aam. Yeah I bet you'd crisp up pretty quick, are you full Irish?"

"Irish, Scots, some German, the usual."

"I think we are British and Irish, maybe some Welsh."

"Anglo-Celtic."

"And then there's Dr. Stone."

"Oh that one, yeah he's the real deal, tepid eyes, but never an unkind moment, I think he taught at my undergrad for a while, but after I was done."

"Where was that?"

"Main campus of the U."

"OHH OK, so you just did the half and half."

"Yeap, I'm a total geek, just kinda blew through it."

"And learned the violin."

"Well that started when I was young, Mom's idea, she loves when I play."

"Should I ask?"

"Yeah...well, Mom is still alive but in a home. She has dementia."

"I'm sorry babe."

She scoots closer and takes his arm. "Us kids take care of things, the way we've always known. Dad passed a few years ago."

"I can't imagine."

"Well, don't, just don't be thankful. Remember I'm the baby and my parents are older."

"So you all took a trip last summer?"

"Yes we did, late summer actually, it was awesome, we got a group rate and we took Mom, probably the last - shoot, I don't want to dwell on that, sorry, but yeah a sister in law took that picture when we were all there, I didn't really want her to but now I'm glad I had one to make for you."

"We both are."

"So do you all live close?"

"Oh too close, some of us are still on the property, it's in a trust, my brothers keep the shop going and I took the cabin."

"Cabin?" Nick lights up.

"Yes, Dad built it back when I was a kid, just to have a place for guests or to hang out. Since my marriage plans didn't work out, for the better, I just gradually took it over and had the phone line put in."

"Is that where you paint?"

This gets a fresh smile. "Sometimes, when I get inspired," and offers another peck. "So, do you have anyone you hang out with very often?"

"Not so much anymore. I used to hang with Vance quite a bit, but then not so much after the, well, what I told you about over there."

"Oh was he part of it?"

"Yeah it sounded fun, but then when shit got weird, things weren't the same. He started playing varsity hoops right after that, I went to some of the games with Dad. We didn't hate each other or anything, just didn't have as much in common I guess."

"Sometimes that happens. Are you close to your brother?"

"Ehh, in all seriousness we keep in touch through Mom since he enlisted. Just started another hitch, he must be worth the space he takes up, wants to make sergeant I guess."

"Sounds about right. Has he made it back yet to visit?"

"I think in a couple weekends. I dunno, with school and stuff, it's all just happening, you hang out on campus -"

"Do you know how many parties there were Friday night?"

"One of the MET guys from one of the towns, I forget, said there was one at some bar."

"Yet both of us went home and got comfortable, at least I did."

"I showered and watched Star Trek on the couch."

She lights up, "The Next Generation?"

"The one and only."

"Oh Nick I never miss it!"

"Maybe we can watch over the phone sometime. I need to catch up on those, all this school stuff kinda threw me off the wagon."

"Maybe we shall, one of these crazy ol' nights. Hey it’s getting, um...wanna cool off?"