I met Sarah at a weekend barbecue one of my friends was having. I had broken up with my girlfriend a few months ago and they were trying to fix me up. Gary's wife worked at a bank of some sort. She was having a good time picking out suitable candidates for me. Sarah was the third one they tried to fix me up with.
Gary's wife, Marcie introduced us and a little later were sitting off to the side talking. I noticed that Gary and Marcie were watching us. Once when Sarah looked away I gave them a thumbs up. Gary did a few fist pumps and then they did a high five.
Sarah had a nice personality and was easy to talk to. She was definitely easy on the eyes. Not the Hollywood beautiful, more like 'the girl next door' pretty. After a few sneaky looks I guessed she had B cup breasts. What caught my attention was her ass. It was a little wide for most men, but I was an ass man. It looked perfect to me. She had nice legs with no thigh gap. Another plus.
We talked a while and she gave me her number. I called her on Wednesday and set up Saturday evening for dinner and dancing.
We had a great dinner and lots of fun dancing. She seemed to like the slow ones the most. I suspected it had been a while since a man had held her. I was definitely OK with that. She felt my half hard cock against her stomach and she never pulled away.
At the end of our second date we had a hot make out session on her front porch. She was breathing hard and had her tongue going for my tonsils. I was surprised she didn't invite me. Needless to say, I went home with a giant boner. I took a towel to bed with me.
The next Wednesday I called her to make another Saturday date. To my pleasant surprise she invited me to a home cooked meal. I figured I had a ninety nine percent chance of getting laid. Then I started thinking about her magnificent ass.
With a half hard cock I rang her doorbell. She stood there smiling at me. She had a long t shirt that came down to almost mid thigh. I could see two dark nipples and a dark patch showing through. I knew I was in.
"Hi, Eric. Come on in. Dinner is almost ready."
"Hi, Sarah. I love your outfit. You're a real knock out."
"I picked it out just for you."
I took her in my arms and she went for my tonsils again. My hands found her ass cheeks and I knew the dark patch wasn't panties. The way we were kissing it would have been OK if we had dinner later. I guess she wanted to impress me with her cooking skills because she finally pushed back and led me to the kitchen.
The table was set and all the side dishes were there. There was also a bottle of red wine breathing. I discreetly adjusted my hardon as she sliced the pot roast. It turns out she cooked as good as she looked.
We finished and together cleared the table. I topped off our glasses and we made out way to the sofa. Of course I watched her ass the whole way. She knew I was watching and gave it a little extra action.
"I rented a movie. I hope you like it. I didn't know whether to get an action one for you or a chick flick for me so I got a comedy."
"Good choice."
She click play on the remote and snuggled next to me. I put my arm around her and she moved closer. I knew then that I had a cuddler on my hands. Oh, woe is me. NOT.
Twenty minutes into the movie my hand was on her breast. I don't remember if I put it there or she did. It really didn't matter. My finger tip was gently circling her nipple. She held my hand in place.
She picked up the remote and clicked pause. She turned around and sat astride may lap. Our lips met and the tonsil hunt started again. The next thing I knew we were both taking my clothes off. We added her t shirt to the pile. She squealed as I picked her up and carried her to her bedroom.
She rolled me on my back and grabbed my cock. With a big grin she took almost half of it down her throat. She played a little, looking up at me. She definitely knew what she was doing.
"Give me some cum, big boy. It's been way too long for me. The we can get down to business."
In about three minutes I blasted her tonsils. She hung on and took every drop. She sat up and leaned her head back. I watched as she swished it around in her mouth. She shivered and swallowed twice.
"mmmm good stuff. I'll be wanting some more before I let you go."
We cuddled a while kissing and nibbling. Her hand never left my cock. After a few minutes she went to work on it. In no time at all it was back up at full attention.
She pulled me on top and she used both hands to get it in. After a few minutes I pulled her on top. She rode me cowgirl and reverse cowgirl. She came twice in every position. I decided I wanted to finish doggie. I got behind her and slowly gave it to her. She pushed back burying it. I was in heaven. I finally got a good view of her ass. It was all I had dreamed about.
She came twice and I decided to see if she was skittish about he asshole. I reached down and got my thumb wet in her pussy. I started stroking hard and got her right to the edge. I rubbed my thumb over her little pucker. I flexed in her and when she started to cum I quickly stuck my thumb in. Her growling turned into a blood curdling scream. Her pussy and asshole clamped down on me as I filled her. We fell into a pile of bodies and limbs.
Almost immediately she plastered herself against me. Legs hooked over mine and both arms around my neck. Her ass was still twitching and she kissed and sucked my neck. She let out a little whimper every few minutes. She hung onto me like I was a life preserver and she was drowning. I just held her close and enjoyed the after glow. I smiled to my self. I knew I would be in her magnificent ass before the weekend was over.
Finally she spoke.
"Oh my god, Eric. What did you do to me. I've never been fucked like that."
"Just a little sample of what's going to happen the rest of the weekend."
"Oh god. I'll be in a wheelchair."
An hour later we made the grand tour again. Her ass was twitching for twenty minutes after I filled her. She had a death grip on me as we fell asleep. As I drifted off to sleep I knew she was the one for me.
The next afternoon we were having a naked lunch. She cleaned up and I led her to the bedroom. It was time for me to take her ass.
"I pushed her on the bed and fell between her legs. After ten minutes of sucking and licking she went off big time. I turned her over and lifted her hips. I wet my finger in her pussy and stuck it in her ass. She squealed but didn't pull away. Two fingers went in and she was still with me. I worked her pussy juice all around and then coated my cock.
"Go easy, baby. I've never done this."
"Just relax and go with me. Nice and slow."
Ten minutes later I was buried in her. I let is soak for a few minutes till she got comfortable. I felt her squeeze me and I started moving. Before long she was moaning and groaning. She came twice before I unloaded. When my cum hit her she came with me. I fell off her and pulled her to me. It took us a few minutes to recover.
"Oh my god, baby. That was wonderful. We need to do that some more."
"OK, but I don't want you to start chasing cars and barking at the mailman."
She looked at me, smiled and said, "woof woof". There were many times later that she stuck her ass in the air and said: "woof woof".
*****************
Six months later we were married.
********************
Five years later:
One evening after dinner we were snuggled up on the couch watching a movie on TV.
'Honey, I forgot to tell you. A couple of girls at work invited me to stop after work on Fridays for some 'girls only' time. Will you be OK without me for a few hours?"
"What, you mean I have to cook my own dinner?"
"Boiled water and toast isn't dinner. You could order pizza or take out."
"I'm pretty sure I'll survive. I'm just curious. What goes on at these 'girls only' events?"
"We'll eat dinner and have a couple of drinks. Just a few of us talking work gossip, good places to shop, and husbands. Maybe a few dances. All the usual stuff."
"Be sure and take a club with you. Then you can keep all the lounge lizards away."
"What's a lounge lizard?"
"They're guys who prey on hot unescorted women like you on girls nights out."
She chuckled.
"Don't worry, baby. I can keep them away."
"Be sure and call me to pick you up if you drink too much. We don't need any DUI's or wrecks."
"You know I don't drink that much. Just a couple of glasses of wine with dinner. I'll be fine."
***************
The second Friday I noticed she wore a skirt, blouse and a light jacket. Her usual dress was pants and a blouse. I just assumed she wanted to look nice for girls night out.
When she came home I asked where they hung out. It was a place called Romano's. Apparently they had a four piece dance band along with the restaurant.
For the first six weeks everything was normal. She would come home between nine and nine thirty with a slight smell of alcohol on her breath. She didn't appear tipsy. I was usually in bed watching TV. She would go through her usual 'getting ready for bed' routine. Sometimes we had sex and sometimes we didn't. She seemed to be having a good time out with the girls.
The next Friday something new happened. It took me a while to figure it out because it was just different. She came home a little after ten. I was about half asleep watching a boring movie. She came in, undressed and came straight to bed. Immediately she grabbed my cock and started sucking it. If I had been unwilling it would have been rape. She got me full hard and mounted me. Of course all my blood went to my little head. She rode me hard and came three times before I unloaded in her.
"Wow, babe. What was that all about?"
"On the way home I was thinking how much I love you and got all excited."
She turned on her side, backed up and we spooned each other to sleep.
The next day I got to thinking about her jumping me last night. Something was not right about it. Usually when she wanted to fuck we started out with lots of kissing and sucking. I almost always went down on her first. This was like some kind a a guilty fuck. I needed a plan to get us both to their watering hole. I wanted to she how she acted with me there.
I finished mowing the lawn and went in the kitchen.
"Ready for some lunch, babe."
"Sounds good. How about a big Dagwood sandwich and a cold beer."
I grabbed a beer and watched as she made my sandwich. She put it in front of me and sat across from me.
"Hey, babe. How about we go out for dinner and some dancing tonight. It's been a while."
"That's a great idea. It's been way too long. I hope you haven't forgotten how to dance."
"Let's go to that place you and the girls go to. I want to hear that band you guys like so much."
She got a startled look, but she recovered quickly.
"Ah, sure. It's a great band."
Her response was way less than enthusiastic. I knew then that a guy was working on her and she didn't want me to meet him. I wondered it he would show his hand. I gave her a kiss and went to the garage. I spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning up.
At about five I walked in.
"Let's go soon, babe, before the crowd gets there. We may not get a good table."
"OK, I'll start getting ready in a few minutes.'
"Wear that little black dress I like so much. I want you to make all the other women crazy."
'The one that shows off my legs and boobs?"
"Yeah, that's the one. You look really hot in it."
*******************
The drive to the bar was quiet. I knew she was hoping her lounge lizard wouldn't be there. Of course I hoped he would be. I wasn't planning a confrontation. I just wanted to see if I could spot him.
As we walked in I watched her. Her eyes were quickly scanning the room. I steered her to a table against the wall with a good view of the entrance and the bar. We were one row of tables from the dance floor. She seemed a little nervous as she kept scanning the room. Finally she relaxed. I knew he wasn't there. It was still early and I suspected the band would start up at about eight. He would probably make his entrance then.
We had dinner and were chatting, just killing time till the music started.
Just before eight the band showed up.
"Get ready, twinkle toes. It's almost show time."
She chuckled.
"Twinkle toes, huh? Just be sure you don't step on them."
"Ha, it hasn't been that long. I still remember all my moves."
I kept my eye on the door for the next few minutes. Then I saw him, or at least I thought it was him. He was wearing a expensive looking beige suit, and walked with a confident stride. He was wearing a lot of gold and his shirt was unbuttoned enough to show some chest hair. He was the classic lounge lizard.
He walked down the bar, acknowledging several people. He found a spot and pulled out his wallet. He pulled out a credit card and laid it on the bar. The bartender brought him a drink without asking what he wanted.
The guy next to him leaned over and said something to him. He slowly turned and looked at Sarah. He smiled, showing his perfect lounge lizard teeth. I glanced at Sarah and she was shaking her head back and forth. I looked back at him. His eyes met mine and his smile faded. After about two seconds he turned back to the bar. I made him and he knew who I was. I looked at Sarah and she was looking down at her hands.
We danced for a while, and I noticed that no one asked Sarah to dance. Every other time we had gone out guys from the stag line had asked. I never objected and it was never a problem. It was just a normal part of being married to a pretty woman. I guess everyone knew he had her staked out and stayed away.
After about an hour Sarah wanted to leave.
"Let's go, babe. I'm all danced out."
"Yeah, me too. You guys were right. That's a great band. Good dance music."
**************
She was more talkative on the way home. I suspected she was happy her cover wasn't blown and there was no confrontation. We got home and I stripped down to my boxers and got in bed. She removed her make up and put on her favorite Mickey Mouse t shirt and panties and got in with me.
"Thanks for a nice evening, babe."
'You're welcome. I had a nice time too. We should do it more often."
She kissed me, turned over and went to sleep. I laid there for a while wondering how far she had gone with this guy. I didn't think he had gotten into her pants yet, but he was well on the way. I thought maybe she would stop after what happened tonight. I know she knew me well enough that I wouldn't put up with her cheating. I also didn't think she knew I had made him.
Over the next week things were pretty much normal, except now and then I saw her looking off into space. One of those times I said something.
"Earth calling Sarah."
She came back and just smiled.
"I was just thinking about work. A couple of new girls are having trouble grasping what their job is about. I may need to let them go. It's the hard part of my job."
"That must suck. Having to look them in the eye and send them packing."
The next two Fridays she came home at her early time. Between nine and nine thirty. I may have spooked her a little by showing up at the watering hole. I suspected she was on her good behavior. We had sex a few times but her normal intensity wasn't there. Her mind was somewhere else. I decided to check up on her on the next Friday.
******************
I waited till about eight thirty before I left home. The fifteen minute drive seemed slow, probably because I was running all of the worst possible scenarios through my mind. There was a small ball of ice was forming in the pit of my stomach as I walked in.
There was a pretty good crowd by the time I got there. All the better. I paid the cover and went straight to the end of the bar.
"Hey, guy. What can I get for you?"
"What's on tap?"
"Bud."
"That works."
I took my beer and moved around into the crowd, looking for a table away from the dance floor. I stood a minute looking for Sarah. I finally saw her in a booth near the dance floor. Slime Ball and his buddy were on the outside. Sarah and another gal were between them.
They all seemed to be having a great time, laughing and joking. Slime Ball had his arm around Sarah and was leaning in close. I found a table where I could sit and watch.
The band started a slow set and SB got up and pulled Sarah out of the booth and onto the floor. He pulled her close and put both hands on her waist. Her arms went around his neck. She settled in against him and laid her head on his chest. His hands slowly slid down till her was holding her ass cheeks. She didn't seem to mind and kept her head on his chest.
"The ice ball got bigger and colder.
I watched as they danced through three songs. When the music stopped he held her and kissed her and they returned to the booth. Out of the corner of my eye I caught some movement and a pretty redhead sat down.
"Hi, big guy. Mind if I join you?"
"No problem. Have a seat."
We both looked each other over. I wondered if she was a working girl or just on the make.
"I'm Monica. What's your name?"
"Call me Eric. Nice to meet you."
"I haven't seen you here before. Your first time here?"
"Yeah. Nice place and a great band."
She looked at me for a minute.
"You don't belong here. You're more the beer bar, jukebox box type. What's going on?"
"Not much. Just stopped in for a brew."
She looked at me for a little longer.
"Oh fuck. I know why you're here. Your old lady is here and you're checking up on her."
"Is it that obvious?"
"Yeah. You stick out like a sore thumb. Which one is she?"
"In the booth there. Two guys, two girls. The blonde next to the guy in the tan suit."
"Uh oh. That's Brian. And I've seen her here before. He's been working on her for quite a while, but she's a tough one. I don't think he scored yet, but he's close."
"You know him?"
"Oh yeah. I did him once. Worst fuck I ever had. He's all ego. Just laid there and made me do all the work."
"So, what's the story on this guy?"
'He's good at seducing women. He knows exactly what to say. It's like a hobby to him. He likes the married ones. Less entanglements. He can dump them after a few times and they just stop coming in."
'Just what this world needs."
'I was gonna hit on you, but I can see you aren't here for that."
"You're right. Don't waste your time on me."
"I gotta run now, a nice looking guy just came in. Please promise me you won't do anything stupid. You won't like being in jail."
I just shrugged my shoulders. She patted me on the shoulder and walked away. I went back to watching.
The other guy leaned over and kissed the girl next to him. He whispered something in her ear. She looked at him for a minute and then smiled. She reached down and lifted her hips. I saw a flash of blue as she handed him her panties. He held them up to his nose and sniffed them. The all laughed.
All three of them looked at Sarah. Brian whispered some in her ear. She hesitated and did the same thing. I saw a flash of red as she handed hers to Brian. He did the same thing with them.
The ice ball exploded and anger hit me. I stood up and made my way to the booth. As I walked up I saw Brian's hand was up my wife's dress. It was obvious he was going for her pussy. I slipped my wedding ring off as I got to the table. When I slammed it down on the table, Sarah make eye contact with me.
Her eyes bugged out and I heard her mumble, "No. No. No."
SB pulled his had our from under her dress and looked at me. He laughed and held his finger under his nose. Without thinking I hit him as hard as I could in the nose. He went out like someone flipped his off switch and fell in Sarah's lap. Blood had splattered on her and he was bleeding on her lap. I turned and headed for the door.
Girl's Friday Nights Out (a little flash story about the end of a great marriage.)
Re: Girl's Friday Nights Out (a little flash story about the end of a great marriage.)
The bouncer tried to grab my arm as I went out. I brushed his arm away and pushed him against the wall. He stood looking at me as I walked out the door.
*****************
Somehow I got home without killing myself or someone else. I was so angry I almost tore the front door off it's hinges. I sat on the sofa trying to get my mind working. I finally calmed down enough to think. I knew the cops would be here soon. I looked down at myself and saw some blood. I went into the bathroom and washed it off. I changed clothes and waited.
Thirty minutes later the doorbell rang. I got up and opened the door. Two cops were standing there. I showed them my empty hands.
"Are you Eric Jensen?"
"Yes. I've been waiting for you. I'm unarmed and I won't resist."
I slowly turned and put my hands behind my back. I felt the cuffs go on. As they were walking me to their car I saw Sarah standing on the lawn. Tears were running down her cheeks. She walked up to me.
"I'm sorry, Honey. I didn't want this to happen."
"Did you ever find your panties?"
Her hands went to her mouth and she started sobbing
The cop and I stepped around her and walked toward his car.
On the way to the police station the cop riding shotgun turned.
"You really fucked that guy up. The took him away in an ambulance."
"Yeah. He ran into my fist with his nose."
The both laughed.
The booking process didn't take long. They took all my possessions and gave me a nice bright orange jump suit to wear. The put me in a cell by myself. I guess they thought I would be a threat to the others.
***************
Monday morning they took me to court. It was some sort of waiting room with a TV screen and a camera. I waited my turn. The judge told me what I was charged with and asked me if I wanted to plead guilty, innocent or no contest.
"No contest, your honor. I hit him. I'll take my punishment."
He looked at me, probably waiting for me to beg for mercy. I didn't. He didn't know it was worth whatever I got. I remembered his nose bone crunching against my fist. It felt real good.
"In that case I find you guilty of assault and sentence you to ninety days in the county jail."
***************
The second day I was sitting at a table. An older guy sat down and looked at me.
"You're new here. What you in for?"
"Assault."
"Ninety days?"
"Yep."
"Must be you're first time."
I didn't answer.
"You'll probably be out in thirty if you keep your nose clean. The best way to do that is to keep your mouth shut and mind your own business.
"That should be easy. I don't give a shit about anyone in here."
"They'll probably test you. They do it to every new guy. Don't back down and you'll be OK."
The test came the next day. I was sitting with the old guy. He looked up at a guy walking toward us.
"Here comes the test."
I watched the guy as he walked up. He stood beside me and put a heavy hand on my shoulder.
"Hi, bud. I'm the man here so I'm gonna explain how it works."
I didn't wait for any more. I grabbed his wrist and twisted it. I stood up quickly and pulled him off balance. I swung him around and let go. He slammed into the wall hard, bounced back and landed on the floor on his back. His head hit pretty hard and he didn't get up.
I looked around to see if he had any back up. No one made a move. The just stood there looking at me. I sat back down and the old man chuckled.
"Looks like you passed the test. You're really strong. What do you do on the outside."
"I'm a carpenter. It's pretty hard work; keeps me in shape."
In just a few seconds the guards stormed in and hooked me up. They quick walked me out and put me in a holding cage. Two hours later is was in an office in front of a desk. A guard walked in and sat down.
"You haven't been here long and you're in trouble already. What's your side of the story."
"I passed the test."
He chuckled.
"With flying colors. The guys is in the hospital with a concussion and a lot of bruises. I can't let you off completely, but I know how it works in here. You get three days in solitary confinement."
I didn't say anything.
I had plenty of time to work through my issues with Sarah. I got through the anger and hurt. I did cry a few times during the night. Now, I just wanted a divorce and to move on down the road. I never did get to the forgiving part.
*********************
My sentence ran for forty days before I went before the parole board. I guess I answered all of their questions the way they expected. It was over in about ten minutes.
Two days later I was standing on the front steps. I saw Sarah walking toward me from the parking lot. She looked different. She had cut her hair and had lost a little weight. She had a worried look in her eyes.
"Hello, Eric. Come on, I'll take you home."
It was four miles back to town. I could have probably walked it but I decided to ride with her.
"Hi, Sarah. Thanks for coming."
She took my arm and we walked to the car. I got in and we pulled out of the parking lot.
"Are you OK, Eric. Was it bad in there."
"I just spent six weeks in jail and you ask if I'm OK? What did you think? Maybe I would be farting rainbows?"
I was sarcastic with her and I didn't really care. I just wanted to get to my truck. I saw a tear run down her cheek.
"Will my ATM card still work?"
"Of course. It's our money. I wouldn't do that to you. I want you to come home so we can figure out how to get past all this. I'm so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. I certainly didn't want to be the cause of you going to jail.'
'You didn't cause me to go to jail. I caused it and it was worth every minute. By the way, how is lover boy's nose? Did he get it fixed?"
"I don't know. I haven't seen him since that night. I quit going in there."
I quit asking questions and we rode the rest of the way in silence. She pulled into the driveway.
"Where's my truck?"
"It's in the garage. I pulled it in so no one would steal your tools."
She clicked the remote and the garage door opened. I got out and pulled my keys out of my pocket. She started for the front door.
"Come in, baby. I'll make some coffee and we can talk."
"You never did answer my question."
"What question?"
"Did you ever find your panties?"
*****************
Somehow I got home without killing myself or someone else. I was so angry I almost tore the front door off it's hinges. I sat on the sofa trying to get my mind working. I finally calmed down enough to think. I knew the cops would be here soon. I looked down at myself and saw some blood. I went into the bathroom and washed it off. I changed clothes and waited.
Thirty minutes later the doorbell rang. I got up and opened the door. Two cops were standing there. I showed them my empty hands.
"Are you Eric Jensen?"
"Yes. I've been waiting for you. I'm unarmed and I won't resist."
I slowly turned and put my hands behind my back. I felt the cuffs go on. As they were walking me to their car I saw Sarah standing on the lawn. Tears were running down her cheeks. She walked up to me.
"I'm sorry, Honey. I didn't want this to happen."
"Did you ever find your panties?"
Her hands went to her mouth and she started sobbing
The cop and I stepped around her and walked toward his car.
On the way to the police station the cop riding shotgun turned.
"You really fucked that guy up. The took him away in an ambulance."
"Yeah. He ran into my fist with his nose."
The both laughed.
The booking process didn't take long. They took all my possessions and gave me a nice bright orange jump suit to wear. The put me in a cell by myself. I guess they thought I would be a threat to the others.
***************
Monday morning they took me to court. It was some sort of waiting room with a TV screen and a camera. I waited my turn. The judge told me what I was charged with and asked me if I wanted to plead guilty, innocent or no contest.
"No contest, your honor. I hit him. I'll take my punishment."
He looked at me, probably waiting for me to beg for mercy. I didn't. He didn't know it was worth whatever I got. I remembered his nose bone crunching against my fist. It felt real good.
"In that case I find you guilty of assault and sentence you to ninety days in the county jail."
***************
The second day I was sitting at a table. An older guy sat down and looked at me.
"You're new here. What you in for?"
"Assault."
"Ninety days?"
"Yep."
"Must be you're first time."
I didn't answer.
"You'll probably be out in thirty if you keep your nose clean. The best way to do that is to keep your mouth shut and mind your own business.
"That should be easy. I don't give a shit about anyone in here."
"They'll probably test you. They do it to every new guy. Don't back down and you'll be OK."
The test came the next day. I was sitting with the old guy. He looked up at a guy walking toward us.
"Here comes the test."
I watched the guy as he walked up. He stood beside me and put a heavy hand on my shoulder.
"Hi, bud. I'm the man here so I'm gonna explain how it works."
I didn't wait for any more. I grabbed his wrist and twisted it. I stood up quickly and pulled him off balance. I swung him around and let go. He slammed into the wall hard, bounced back and landed on the floor on his back. His head hit pretty hard and he didn't get up.
I looked around to see if he had any back up. No one made a move. The just stood there looking at me. I sat back down and the old man chuckled.
"Looks like you passed the test. You're really strong. What do you do on the outside."
"I'm a carpenter. It's pretty hard work; keeps me in shape."
In just a few seconds the guards stormed in and hooked me up. They quick walked me out and put me in a holding cage. Two hours later is was in an office in front of a desk. A guard walked in and sat down.
"You haven't been here long and you're in trouble already. What's your side of the story."
"I passed the test."
He chuckled.
"With flying colors. The guys is in the hospital with a concussion and a lot of bruises. I can't let you off completely, but I know how it works in here. You get three days in solitary confinement."
I didn't say anything.
I had plenty of time to work through my issues with Sarah. I got through the anger and hurt. I did cry a few times during the night. Now, I just wanted a divorce and to move on down the road. I never did get to the forgiving part.
*********************
My sentence ran for forty days before I went before the parole board. I guess I answered all of their questions the way they expected. It was over in about ten minutes.
Two days later I was standing on the front steps. I saw Sarah walking toward me from the parking lot. She looked different. She had cut her hair and had lost a little weight. She had a worried look in her eyes.
"Hello, Eric. Come on, I'll take you home."
It was four miles back to town. I could have probably walked it but I decided to ride with her.
"Hi, Sarah. Thanks for coming."
She took my arm and we walked to the car. I got in and we pulled out of the parking lot.
"Are you OK, Eric. Was it bad in there."
"I just spent six weeks in jail and you ask if I'm OK? What did you think? Maybe I would be farting rainbows?"
I was sarcastic with her and I didn't really care. I just wanted to get to my truck. I saw a tear run down her cheek.
"Will my ATM card still work?"
"Of course. It's our money. I wouldn't do that to you. I want you to come home so we can figure out how to get past all this. I'm so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. I certainly didn't want to be the cause of you going to jail.'
'You didn't cause me to go to jail. I caused it and it was worth every minute. By the way, how is lover boy's nose? Did he get it fixed?"
"I don't know. I haven't seen him since that night. I quit going in there."
I quit asking questions and we rode the rest of the way in silence. She pulled into the driveway.
"Where's my truck?"
"It's in the garage. I pulled it in so no one would steal your tools."
She clicked the remote and the garage door opened. I got out and pulled my keys out of my pocket. She started for the front door.
"Come in, baby. I'll make some coffee and we can talk."
"You never did answer my question."
"What question?"
"Did you ever find your panties?"
Re: Girl's Friday Nights Out (a little flash story about the end of a great marriage.)
"Where's my truck?"
"It's in the garage. I pulled it in so no one would steal your tools."
She clicked the remote and the garage door opened. I got out and pulled my keys out of my pocket. She started for the front door.
"Come in, baby. I'll make some coffee and we can talk."
"You never did answer my question."
"What question?"
"Did you ever find your panties?"
I turned and walked into the garage and got in my truck. I put the key in and noticed the dash didn't light up. I tried to start it and the battery was dead. I got out and hooked up the charger.
'Fuck. I'm stuck here till I get enough charge to start it.'
I went in the house and started packing some clothes. Sarah walked in.
"Eric, can we talk. I want to make this right. I've missed you so much. I feel terrible about what happened."
"Yeah, I guess you do. You destroyed a pretty good marriage."
"Please, tell me what I can do. I don't want to lose you. I love you with all my heart. Please."
"After what I saw in that club and you want to make it go away. You have to be kidding."
"I know it was wrong, but I never had sex with him. Can't you find it in your heart to forgive me."
"Forgive you? Let's run you behavior by the smell test."
"What's a smell test?"
"Would you do it if you husband was watching?"
She put her hands to her mouth and more tears ran down her cheeks.
"What was the first thing that didn't pass the test."
"Oh god. Please don't make me do this."
"Tell me. Was it when he grabbed you ass and you didn't push his hands away?"
She didn't say anything, just cried.
"Was it when he kissed you and you gave him some tongue? Was it when he pulled him against his hard cock and you didn't pull away."
"Please, Eric."
"Was it when he grabbed you tit and you didn't stop him? How many times did you fail?"
"I'm so sorry. I just got caught up in it. He was saying just the right things to me. He made me doubt your love for me."
"That's what he does. I warned you about his type the first time you went out. You said I shouldn't worry, you could handle. If I hadn't lost my temper you would have been out in the parking lot fucking him in the back seat of his car."
"I'm sorry, Eric. I never meant to hurt you. I'll do anything to get us past this. Please don't leave me. I love you."
"Get yourself a lawyer, Sarah. I'm divorcing you."
I picked up my stuff and walked out. I tired to start my truck and it fired up. I tossed the charger in my truck, backed out and drove away. I stopped at a mini mart and took all I could out of the checking account. Then I drove around till I found a motel.
****************
Over the next two days I contacted my former boss and he told me to come back when I was ready. I contacted a lawyer and told him my sad tale. It was a no fault state and he told me everything would be split down the middle. He asked about the house and I told him I owned it before I met Sarah. He said it wouldn't be involved in the divorce and asked why I moved out. I didn't really have a good answer other than I didn't want any contact with Sarah. He suggested I make her move out. After all it was my house.
Live and learn.
The next day after work I went back home. Sarah was still at work so I decided I would take over the master bedroom. I moved all of her stuff into the guest room. and waited till she came home.
"Eric. You're back home."
"I'm back and you're gone. I want you out of here. This is my house and you have no claim on it. I moved your stuff in the spare bedroom. You can sleep there till you move out. And, I contacted a lawyer. You'll be served in two days."
"Eric, please. Don't do this. I love you. Maybe we can go to counseling and work this out."
"Try to get this through your thick skull. I'm divorcing you."
She started sobbing as I shut the bedroom door in her face.
I went to work the next morning. I got a few strange looks from the guys that knew me. At lunch time I told them what had happened. They asked a lot of questions about what it was like in jail. I told them some enhanced stories just to entertain them.
At quitting time I stopped off and had some dinner. I sat wondering if Sarah had packed up and moved out. I finished and headed home. I wasn't really surprised that her car was in the garage.
"Why are you still here?"
"I don't want to move. I want us to work this out. I know we can."
I didn't say a word. I just walked into the bedroom and locked the door. I called my boss and told him I needed tomorrow off. He told me to take all the time I needed.
I woke the next morning and waited till Sarah left for work. As soon as she drove away I started my plan. I packed everything of hers in boxes and garbage bags and put it in the garage. I called an outfit called Two Guys and a Truck. I told them I wanted some extra help and wanted everything moved out and put in storage. I promised them each an extra fifty bucks each if they finished by 2 pm. The showed up in thirty minutes with four guys.
In two hours everything was packed in their truck. All that was left was my recliner and big screen TV. I had them put my recliner and the TV in the bedroom. I left the kitchen intact so I could cook. The rest of the house was empty except my bedroom. They followed me to the storage yard and unloaded everything. On the way back home I stopped off at the bank and took half the savings account. I didn't need the money now so I got a check. I went back home and parked in front of the garage so she couldn't get in. I walked in and surveyed everything.
Now, see if you want to stay, bitch. You can sleep on the floor.
I fixed a light snack and went in the bedroom. I left the door open so I could hear her come in. I was ready for the drama.
An hour later she showed up and the shit hit the fan. I heard an, "Oh my god."She appeared in the bedroom door. I didn't even make eye contact with her.
"Eric, where is everything. The house is empty.'
"I packed all of you stuff and put it in the garage. When you get your place let me know and I'll give you the gate code to storage place and a key to the unit."
She started crying and walked out. I had to smile. My eviction worked.
******************
The next day she was served at work. I knew this because I got a nasty text from her. She suggested that my parents were never married and a few other things. Four days later she signed the papers.
Over the next week I got to thinking about what I was going to do with my new single life. Every night I went home to an empty house. Even though it was what I wanted, I didn't like it. There were lots of memories there; good and bad.
I decided to make some changes. Being just thirty on years old I still had some good years left.
I called a real estate agent and put my house on the market. Two months later I walked out of the escrow office with a two hundred forty thousand dollar check in my hand. I was ready to start my new life. I just needed to decide where I wanted to go. I thought about it for a while and decided I wanted to take a look at the Pacific Ocean.
I bought a two year old Dodge turbo diesel truck. Next, I bought a twenty eight foot fifth wheel travel trailer. I set it up with solar panels and a satellite TV antenna. After putting all of my personal belongings in it I laid in some food. I was ready to go.
My attorney had my hot mail address and instructions to email me when the divorce was final. I would let him know where to send the documents.
That evening I stopped by Gary and Marcie's. Sarah never came up in the conversation and I was fine with that. I had just dropped by to say goodbye. It was a pretty emotional evening. We had been friends for a long time. I promised to keep in touch. Marcie was crying and Gary and I were pretty choked up when I left.
The next morning I was west bound on I 10 with two thousand dollars in my pocket and a check for the balance of my fortune in my glove box. I had no plan, no schedule and no destination other than stopping when I came to the Pacific Ocean.
One of the bad spots in my trip was driving across Texas. I remembered someone saying, "I spent a week crossing Texas one day." I knew exactly what he meant. It was miles and miles of nothing.
The next bad part was trying to get through Los Angeles. What a fucking nightmare. It was like being in a huge parking lot. I got stuck in the wrong lane and couldn't get over. I ended up in Santa Monica. I finally got turned back around and back on I 5 north.
I had checked on Google Maps and decided I wanted to go up the coast so I crossed over on the I 580 to San Francisco and to hwy 101. I made that part OK. It wasn't nearly as bad as LA. I was disappointed that I didn't get to cross the Golden Gate Bridge. It was across the bay from where I was. The Pacific would have to wait.
The country side from there north was beautiful and completely different from what I was used to seeing. There was lots of open fields with groves of trees. The farther north I got the more trees there were. It was a beautiful drive.
I was low on fuel and I stopped in a little town called Garberville. I found a gas station and filled up both tanks. While the pump was running I looked around. I felt like I was on another planet. It was a sleepy little town and no one was in a hurry. Small town life was way different. I decided to stay there for a while and look around.
I asked the cashier where the nearest trailer park was. He gave me directions and I paid up for a week.
The first thing I noticed was that I was dressed way wrong. Most every guy was wearing Levis and flannel shirts. I only saw two women wearing dresses. I wondered if I would survive the culture shock.
I dug out an old pair of jeans and took off exploring the little town. From what I could see the main street was about a mile long. I saw a little cafe across the street. It was called the Eel River Cafe. Right away I figured out the nearest river was called the Eel.
It looked like it was straight out of the fifties. A counter with tables along the wall. Little juke box consoles on the wall by each table and some scattered down the counter.
A pleasant lady greet me with a menu, a glass of water and some silverware. I ordered coffee while I looked over the menu. The coffee was strong enough to be used for paint remover. I normally drink my coffee black, but I had to step on it with some cream and sugar.
I ordered a cheese burger. It turned out to be big enough for two meals. I managed to get most of it down. It was the best burger I ever ate. I knew I would be back for another one. I left a dollar tip and resumed my explorations. I saw one store that was called Hemp. I wondered what that was all about. I would find out later.
It was getting towards evening so I thought I would have a beer of two and check out the local talent. I found a place called the Branding Iron. It was a beer bar with little baskets of peanuts on the counter. Peanut shells littered the floor. I ordered a draft. The lady behind the bar gave me a good looking over. I suspected she knew all the beer drinkers in town and I wasn't one of them. I smiled and thanked her. I had one more beer and went back to my trailer.
The place had basic cable for an extra fee. I paid at the office and they hooked me. I wanted to sample the local flavor so I figured that the local news channel would give me a hint. It was pretty mellow. Some drunk guy rolled his car on the freeway, Myrtle Haskins' dog got ran over, Bert Johnson was arrested for being drunk in public again and there was a brush fire up in the hills. The rest was just noise.
I decided I would hang around here for a while longer. I wanted to meet some people. I thought maybe the best way was to use my carpenter talent. I fired up my laptop and made a flier. I put a picture of a hammer at the top. Below that I put, "Have Hammer, will travel" in big block letters. Under that I put, "I can fix anything but a broken heart." My hot mail address and cell number finished it off.
The next day I walked up and down the street asking the merchants if I could put my flier in their windows. Most of them let me.
Over the next few weeks I got some calls. It was mostly little old ladies that needed their sagging door fixed or a window that wouldn't open. Just small fix it stuff. Most of them I didn't even charge unless there was material involved. I got some from women that had useless husbands. The husbands were glad to see me.
I had just finished fixing a leaky sink drain and went back into town. I wanted another one of those delicious cheeseburgers. I had to park about a block away. I walked by two guys standing under an awning and my mouth fell open The were standing there talking and passing a marijuana cigarette back and forth. They were right out there in plain sight. Any cop coming by would be able to see them. They didn't seem concerned. I walked on by and into the little cafe. All the tables were full so I sat at the counter. I was sipping my chocolate shake when a woman sat down on the stool next to me. I looked at her and smiled.
"Hi, Paladin. How ya doing today?"
"Hi, my name isn't Paladin. I'm Eric."
"OK, I'm Cassie. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too."
"You busy hammering stuff?"
"Ah, my flier. Click."
"If you're not busy, I have some work for you. The grapevine says you're OK."
"The grapevine? You did some checking on me?"
"A little. It's a small town. Everybody knows everybody."
"Ah, I see."
Are you interested in some work?"
"Sure. What do you have for me?"
'I need you to build me a house."
"Wow, that's quite a project. Probably cost quite a bit depending on what you want."
"Let's take a ride and you can look the site over. Then we can make up some plans. Sound OK?"
"Sure, let's go."
"You follow me."
We headed North from town on the freeway. We got off at the Miranda, Phillipsville exit and went north along the river to Salmon Creek road. We started up the hill and I knew we were in the boonies. The first part was paved, but it soon gave way to a gravel road and I was eating a lot of dust. I dropped back a little so I could see where I was going.
Finally we pulled off that road and down another road around the side of the hill. We pulled up to a broken down single wide mobile home. I could see why she needed a house built. A huge, mean looking Rottweiler dog met us. I wasn't about to get out with that monster looking at me. He ran up to my door and put his paws up on my door and smiled at me.
"Sarge. Heel."
He jumped down and went over next to her and sat. I lowered my window a little.
"Have you fed him lately? He looks like I would be a Twinkie for him."
"It's OK, you can get out."
"You sure?"
She laughed and waved her hand for me to get out. I got out real slow, not wanting to appear a threat to Dogzilla.
"Come over here. I'll introduce you."
I put my hands behind my back and slowly approached.
"Hold out you hand and let him get your smell."
He sniffed my hand. I wondered if he would take it off at the elbow. I was about to piss my pants.
"Now, scratch behind her ears. He likes that."
I gently scratched as she told me.
'You're OK now. He knows you're OK. He won't hurt you."
I scratched him a little more and he licked my hand.
"See. You're friends now. He'll protect you now."
"Do I need protecting?"
"Probably not, but you never know. I'll explain later."
"OK."
"As you can see, I need to improve my living conditions. This piece of crap needs to go."
"It looks about used up. I need some idea of what you want me to build."
"Let's go inside and we'll talk. I'll put on some coffee."
As we walked to her front door I noticed a small fenced off spot. I figured it was her garden spot. I heard a rooster crow and saw some chickens in a pen. I had noticed that the the garden spot had a fence about twelve feet high around it.
"What's with the high fences?"
"Keeps the deer out. They can jump an eight foot fence real easy."
We walked in and I looked around. It looked clean enough but it was clearly falling apart. I sat down and watched her as she put on the coffee pot.
She looked like she was in her late twenties or early thirties. Long brown hair in a pony tail. Nice ass and a slender waist.
"I don't see a mans touch around her. You live out here all alone?"
"Yep, just me and Sarge. He's my baby."
She poured two cups of coffee, dropped a couple of sheets of paper on the table and sat next to me. We spent the next hour rough drawing plans for her new house. I got out my phone and opened the calculator and gave her a rough price for the materials. She smiled.
"I think I can beat that price for the lumber. We'll check with Dennis later."
"Dennis? He sells lumber?"
"Yeah. He lives down the hill a ways. He has a small sawmill. He cuts lumber for everyone on the creek."
'On the creek. It sounds like a community of some sort."
"It is. We help each other out."
"I don't mean to get too personal, but what do you do for a living?"
"I'm the nurse and I grow stuff."
"Stuff?"
"Come on and I'll show you."
We went outside and started down a trail.
"Sarge. Point."
He ran ahead about fifteen yards, looked around and then walked ahead of us.
"Sarge is pretty well trained."
"He is. He would die for me."
"Did you train him?"
"No, Jerry does that. He had to train me too. He's an old Vietnam vet. He raises dogs for us."
'You have a guy with a sawmill, a dog trainer and you're the nurse. Anyone else with specialties?'
"Yeah. There's spook. He does security. He's an ex special forces guy. We don't see him much. He keeps to himself. He shows up if he needs something. I sewed up a cut on his arm a couple of weeks ago."
"You know. I feel like I landed on another planet."
"There's more just around that big tree there."
We stopped under a big tree and my mouth dropped open. I saw about fifty marijuana plants. It had a real high fence of chicken wire around it just like her garden plot.
"Holy shit. Is that what I think it is?"
"Yep. That's my income for the year."
"Isn't that illegal?"
"It's legal if you grow for medical reasons. You can grow it for the stores that sell to the public.
"Almost every one up here grows. In fact, everyone living in the hills around here grows. Most anywhere there is a water source. The economy here is based on it."
"What's all that worth?"
"On a good year, I get two pounds per plant. I put in fifty this year."
"What's it sell for."
"Depends on the quality. Mine goes for two thousand a pound."
"Wow, That's two hundred thousand dollars."
She just smiled.
"Six more years and I can retire."
"You've been here a while?"
"Four years total. I've been growing for two. I worked at the local hospital for a while.'
We started walking back. Sarge was leading the way.
"How do you sell it?"
"I have a buyer. He come here and picks it up. I just send them an email on how much I have. Gary vets all the buyers for us."
"You guys have it all set up. Do the cops ever come up here."
"We had a deputy sheriff a year ago that was gonna clean up the area. He was going to arrest everyone that didn't have a medical permit. Everyone warned him but he was out to make a name for himself. He disappeared and his car was found at one of the rest areas. They investigated it but nobody was talking. They gave up and left. "
"Spook?"
"Don't know and don't want to know."
"Damn. I feel the cross hairs on my back. Is he watching me?"
"He could be. You won't know if he is or not. Like I said. We don't see much of him."
"It's in the garage. I pulled it in so no one would steal your tools."
She clicked the remote and the garage door opened. I got out and pulled my keys out of my pocket. She started for the front door.
"Come in, baby. I'll make some coffee and we can talk."
"You never did answer my question."
"What question?"
"Did you ever find your panties?"
I turned and walked into the garage and got in my truck. I put the key in and noticed the dash didn't light up. I tried to start it and the battery was dead. I got out and hooked up the charger.
'Fuck. I'm stuck here till I get enough charge to start it.'
I went in the house and started packing some clothes. Sarah walked in.
"Eric, can we talk. I want to make this right. I've missed you so much. I feel terrible about what happened."
"Yeah, I guess you do. You destroyed a pretty good marriage."
"Please, tell me what I can do. I don't want to lose you. I love you with all my heart. Please."
"After what I saw in that club and you want to make it go away. You have to be kidding."
"I know it was wrong, but I never had sex with him. Can't you find it in your heart to forgive me."
"Forgive you? Let's run you behavior by the smell test."
"What's a smell test?"
"Would you do it if you husband was watching?"
She put her hands to her mouth and more tears ran down her cheeks.
"What was the first thing that didn't pass the test."
"Oh god. Please don't make me do this."
"Tell me. Was it when he grabbed you ass and you didn't push his hands away?"
She didn't say anything, just cried.
"Was it when he kissed you and you gave him some tongue? Was it when he pulled him against his hard cock and you didn't pull away."
"Please, Eric."
"Was it when he grabbed you tit and you didn't stop him? How many times did you fail?"
"I'm so sorry. I just got caught up in it. He was saying just the right things to me. He made me doubt your love for me."
"That's what he does. I warned you about his type the first time you went out. You said I shouldn't worry, you could handle. If I hadn't lost my temper you would have been out in the parking lot fucking him in the back seat of his car."
"I'm sorry, Eric. I never meant to hurt you. I'll do anything to get us past this. Please don't leave me. I love you."
"Get yourself a lawyer, Sarah. I'm divorcing you."
I picked up my stuff and walked out. I tired to start my truck and it fired up. I tossed the charger in my truck, backed out and drove away. I stopped at a mini mart and took all I could out of the checking account. Then I drove around till I found a motel.
****************
Over the next two days I contacted my former boss and he told me to come back when I was ready. I contacted a lawyer and told him my sad tale. It was a no fault state and he told me everything would be split down the middle. He asked about the house and I told him I owned it before I met Sarah. He said it wouldn't be involved in the divorce and asked why I moved out. I didn't really have a good answer other than I didn't want any contact with Sarah. He suggested I make her move out. After all it was my house.
Live and learn.
The next day after work I went back home. Sarah was still at work so I decided I would take over the master bedroom. I moved all of her stuff into the guest room. and waited till she came home.
"Eric. You're back home."
"I'm back and you're gone. I want you out of here. This is my house and you have no claim on it. I moved your stuff in the spare bedroom. You can sleep there till you move out. And, I contacted a lawyer. You'll be served in two days."
"Eric, please. Don't do this. I love you. Maybe we can go to counseling and work this out."
"Try to get this through your thick skull. I'm divorcing you."
She started sobbing as I shut the bedroom door in her face.
I went to work the next morning. I got a few strange looks from the guys that knew me. At lunch time I told them what had happened. They asked a lot of questions about what it was like in jail. I told them some enhanced stories just to entertain them.
At quitting time I stopped off and had some dinner. I sat wondering if Sarah had packed up and moved out. I finished and headed home. I wasn't really surprised that her car was in the garage.
"Why are you still here?"
"I don't want to move. I want us to work this out. I know we can."
I didn't say a word. I just walked into the bedroom and locked the door. I called my boss and told him I needed tomorrow off. He told me to take all the time I needed.
I woke the next morning and waited till Sarah left for work. As soon as she drove away I started my plan. I packed everything of hers in boxes and garbage bags and put it in the garage. I called an outfit called Two Guys and a Truck. I told them I wanted some extra help and wanted everything moved out and put in storage. I promised them each an extra fifty bucks each if they finished by 2 pm. The showed up in thirty minutes with four guys.
In two hours everything was packed in their truck. All that was left was my recliner and big screen TV. I had them put my recliner and the TV in the bedroom. I left the kitchen intact so I could cook. The rest of the house was empty except my bedroom. They followed me to the storage yard and unloaded everything. On the way back home I stopped off at the bank and took half the savings account. I didn't need the money now so I got a check. I went back home and parked in front of the garage so she couldn't get in. I walked in and surveyed everything.
Now, see if you want to stay, bitch. You can sleep on the floor.
I fixed a light snack and went in the bedroom. I left the door open so I could hear her come in. I was ready for the drama.
An hour later she showed up and the shit hit the fan. I heard an, "Oh my god."She appeared in the bedroom door. I didn't even make eye contact with her.
"Eric, where is everything. The house is empty.'
"I packed all of you stuff and put it in the garage. When you get your place let me know and I'll give you the gate code to storage place and a key to the unit."
She started crying and walked out. I had to smile. My eviction worked.
******************
The next day she was served at work. I knew this because I got a nasty text from her. She suggested that my parents were never married and a few other things. Four days later she signed the papers.
Over the next week I got to thinking about what I was going to do with my new single life. Every night I went home to an empty house. Even though it was what I wanted, I didn't like it. There were lots of memories there; good and bad.
I decided to make some changes. Being just thirty on years old I still had some good years left.
I called a real estate agent and put my house on the market. Two months later I walked out of the escrow office with a two hundred forty thousand dollar check in my hand. I was ready to start my new life. I just needed to decide where I wanted to go. I thought about it for a while and decided I wanted to take a look at the Pacific Ocean.
I bought a two year old Dodge turbo diesel truck. Next, I bought a twenty eight foot fifth wheel travel trailer. I set it up with solar panels and a satellite TV antenna. After putting all of my personal belongings in it I laid in some food. I was ready to go.
My attorney had my hot mail address and instructions to email me when the divorce was final. I would let him know where to send the documents.
That evening I stopped by Gary and Marcie's. Sarah never came up in the conversation and I was fine with that. I had just dropped by to say goodbye. It was a pretty emotional evening. We had been friends for a long time. I promised to keep in touch. Marcie was crying and Gary and I were pretty choked up when I left.
The next morning I was west bound on I 10 with two thousand dollars in my pocket and a check for the balance of my fortune in my glove box. I had no plan, no schedule and no destination other than stopping when I came to the Pacific Ocean.
One of the bad spots in my trip was driving across Texas. I remembered someone saying, "I spent a week crossing Texas one day." I knew exactly what he meant. It was miles and miles of nothing.
The next bad part was trying to get through Los Angeles. What a fucking nightmare. It was like being in a huge parking lot. I got stuck in the wrong lane and couldn't get over. I ended up in Santa Monica. I finally got turned back around and back on I 5 north.
I had checked on Google Maps and decided I wanted to go up the coast so I crossed over on the I 580 to San Francisco and to hwy 101. I made that part OK. It wasn't nearly as bad as LA. I was disappointed that I didn't get to cross the Golden Gate Bridge. It was across the bay from where I was. The Pacific would have to wait.
The country side from there north was beautiful and completely different from what I was used to seeing. There was lots of open fields with groves of trees. The farther north I got the more trees there were. It was a beautiful drive.
I was low on fuel and I stopped in a little town called Garberville. I found a gas station and filled up both tanks. While the pump was running I looked around. I felt like I was on another planet. It was a sleepy little town and no one was in a hurry. Small town life was way different. I decided to stay there for a while and look around.
I asked the cashier where the nearest trailer park was. He gave me directions and I paid up for a week.
The first thing I noticed was that I was dressed way wrong. Most every guy was wearing Levis and flannel shirts. I only saw two women wearing dresses. I wondered if I would survive the culture shock.
I dug out an old pair of jeans and took off exploring the little town. From what I could see the main street was about a mile long. I saw a little cafe across the street. It was called the Eel River Cafe. Right away I figured out the nearest river was called the Eel.
It looked like it was straight out of the fifties. A counter with tables along the wall. Little juke box consoles on the wall by each table and some scattered down the counter.
A pleasant lady greet me with a menu, a glass of water and some silverware. I ordered coffee while I looked over the menu. The coffee was strong enough to be used for paint remover. I normally drink my coffee black, but I had to step on it with some cream and sugar.
I ordered a cheese burger. It turned out to be big enough for two meals. I managed to get most of it down. It was the best burger I ever ate. I knew I would be back for another one. I left a dollar tip and resumed my explorations. I saw one store that was called Hemp. I wondered what that was all about. I would find out later.
It was getting towards evening so I thought I would have a beer of two and check out the local talent. I found a place called the Branding Iron. It was a beer bar with little baskets of peanuts on the counter. Peanut shells littered the floor. I ordered a draft. The lady behind the bar gave me a good looking over. I suspected she knew all the beer drinkers in town and I wasn't one of them. I smiled and thanked her. I had one more beer and went back to my trailer.
The place had basic cable for an extra fee. I paid at the office and they hooked me. I wanted to sample the local flavor so I figured that the local news channel would give me a hint. It was pretty mellow. Some drunk guy rolled his car on the freeway, Myrtle Haskins' dog got ran over, Bert Johnson was arrested for being drunk in public again and there was a brush fire up in the hills. The rest was just noise.
I decided I would hang around here for a while longer. I wanted to meet some people. I thought maybe the best way was to use my carpenter talent. I fired up my laptop and made a flier. I put a picture of a hammer at the top. Below that I put, "Have Hammer, will travel" in big block letters. Under that I put, "I can fix anything but a broken heart." My hot mail address and cell number finished it off.
The next day I walked up and down the street asking the merchants if I could put my flier in their windows. Most of them let me.
Over the next few weeks I got some calls. It was mostly little old ladies that needed their sagging door fixed or a window that wouldn't open. Just small fix it stuff. Most of them I didn't even charge unless there was material involved. I got some from women that had useless husbands. The husbands were glad to see me.
I had just finished fixing a leaky sink drain and went back into town. I wanted another one of those delicious cheeseburgers. I had to park about a block away. I walked by two guys standing under an awning and my mouth fell open The were standing there talking and passing a marijuana cigarette back and forth. They were right out there in plain sight. Any cop coming by would be able to see them. They didn't seem concerned. I walked on by and into the little cafe. All the tables were full so I sat at the counter. I was sipping my chocolate shake when a woman sat down on the stool next to me. I looked at her and smiled.
"Hi, Paladin. How ya doing today?"
"Hi, my name isn't Paladin. I'm Eric."
"OK, I'm Cassie. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too."
"You busy hammering stuff?"
"Ah, my flier. Click."
"If you're not busy, I have some work for you. The grapevine says you're OK."
"The grapevine? You did some checking on me?"
"A little. It's a small town. Everybody knows everybody."
"Ah, I see."
Are you interested in some work?"
"Sure. What do you have for me?"
'I need you to build me a house."
"Wow, that's quite a project. Probably cost quite a bit depending on what you want."
"Let's take a ride and you can look the site over. Then we can make up some plans. Sound OK?"
"Sure, let's go."
"You follow me."
We headed North from town on the freeway. We got off at the Miranda, Phillipsville exit and went north along the river to Salmon Creek road. We started up the hill and I knew we were in the boonies. The first part was paved, but it soon gave way to a gravel road and I was eating a lot of dust. I dropped back a little so I could see where I was going.
Finally we pulled off that road and down another road around the side of the hill. We pulled up to a broken down single wide mobile home. I could see why she needed a house built. A huge, mean looking Rottweiler dog met us. I wasn't about to get out with that monster looking at me. He ran up to my door and put his paws up on my door and smiled at me.
"Sarge. Heel."
He jumped down and went over next to her and sat. I lowered my window a little.
"Have you fed him lately? He looks like I would be a Twinkie for him."
"It's OK, you can get out."
"You sure?"
She laughed and waved her hand for me to get out. I got out real slow, not wanting to appear a threat to Dogzilla.
"Come over here. I'll introduce you."
I put my hands behind my back and slowly approached.
"Hold out you hand and let him get your smell."
He sniffed my hand. I wondered if he would take it off at the elbow. I was about to piss my pants.
"Now, scratch behind her ears. He likes that."
I gently scratched as she told me.
'You're OK now. He knows you're OK. He won't hurt you."
I scratched him a little more and he licked my hand.
"See. You're friends now. He'll protect you now."
"Do I need protecting?"
"Probably not, but you never know. I'll explain later."
"OK."
"As you can see, I need to improve my living conditions. This piece of crap needs to go."
"It looks about used up. I need some idea of what you want me to build."
"Let's go inside and we'll talk. I'll put on some coffee."
As we walked to her front door I noticed a small fenced off spot. I figured it was her garden spot. I heard a rooster crow and saw some chickens in a pen. I had noticed that the the garden spot had a fence about twelve feet high around it.
"What's with the high fences?"
"Keeps the deer out. They can jump an eight foot fence real easy."
We walked in and I looked around. It looked clean enough but it was clearly falling apart. I sat down and watched her as she put on the coffee pot.
She looked like she was in her late twenties or early thirties. Long brown hair in a pony tail. Nice ass and a slender waist.
"I don't see a mans touch around her. You live out here all alone?"
"Yep, just me and Sarge. He's my baby."
She poured two cups of coffee, dropped a couple of sheets of paper on the table and sat next to me. We spent the next hour rough drawing plans for her new house. I got out my phone and opened the calculator and gave her a rough price for the materials. She smiled.
"I think I can beat that price for the lumber. We'll check with Dennis later."
"Dennis? He sells lumber?"
"Yeah. He lives down the hill a ways. He has a small sawmill. He cuts lumber for everyone on the creek."
'On the creek. It sounds like a community of some sort."
"It is. We help each other out."
"I don't mean to get too personal, but what do you do for a living?"
"I'm the nurse and I grow stuff."
"Stuff?"
"Come on and I'll show you."
We went outside and started down a trail.
"Sarge. Point."
He ran ahead about fifteen yards, looked around and then walked ahead of us.
"Sarge is pretty well trained."
"He is. He would die for me."
"Did you train him?"
"No, Jerry does that. He had to train me too. He's an old Vietnam vet. He raises dogs for us."
'You have a guy with a sawmill, a dog trainer and you're the nurse. Anyone else with specialties?'
"Yeah. There's spook. He does security. He's an ex special forces guy. We don't see him much. He keeps to himself. He shows up if he needs something. I sewed up a cut on his arm a couple of weeks ago."
"You know. I feel like I landed on another planet."
"There's more just around that big tree there."
We stopped under a big tree and my mouth dropped open. I saw about fifty marijuana plants. It had a real high fence of chicken wire around it just like her garden plot.
"Holy shit. Is that what I think it is?"
"Yep. That's my income for the year."
"Isn't that illegal?"
"It's legal if you grow for medical reasons. You can grow it for the stores that sell to the public.
"Almost every one up here grows. In fact, everyone living in the hills around here grows. Most anywhere there is a water source. The economy here is based on it."
"What's all that worth?"
"On a good year, I get two pounds per plant. I put in fifty this year."
"What's it sell for."
"Depends on the quality. Mine goes for two thousand a pound."
"Wow, That's two hundred thousand dollars."
She just smiled.
"Six more years and I can retire."
"You've been here a while?"
"Four years total. I've been growing for two. I worked at the local hospital for a while.'
We started walking back. Sarge was leading the way.
"How do you sell it?"
"I have a buyer. He come here and picks it up. I just send them an email on how much I have. Gary vets all the buyers for us."
"You guys have it all set up. Do the cops ever come up here."
"We had a deputy sheriff a year ago that was gonna clean up the area. He was going to arrest everyone that didn't have a medical permit. Everyone warned him but he was out to make a name for himself. He disappeared and his car was found at one of the rest areas. They investigated it but nobody was talking. They gave up and left. "
"Spook?"
"Don't know and don't want to know."
"Damn. I feel the cross hairs on my back. Is he watching me?"
"He could be. You won't know if he is or not. Like I said. We don't see much of him."