Aluminum Boat

There wasn't any need to.

She had already told me one of her clients was a policeman, it kept her from being pestered, she said.

We explained what had happened, they told me that two or three people were lost each year doing about what I had done, sometimes what appeared to be a placid lake became as rough as the Ocean.

"You are lucky." One of them told me.

"That's for sure!" I answered, holding Ava's hand. He glanced down at that and grinned.

Carl was tickled when we walked in.

"Hell, Roy. I had you figured for fish food by now." He grinned, shaking my hand.

Ava asked him to have the film developed. His eyes opened in disbelief when I described the fish and what I had caught it on. He still didn't act like he believed it when Ava backed me up.

"Them lake Trout eat these big plugs here. I can sell you three of them for the price of two." He told me.

I just laughed at that, some things never change.

"Wait until you see the pictures." I smiled at him.

Then I turned and kissed Ava.

"Well, I'll be damned!" Carl muttered.

+++

"I promise, I will be back." I told her as I climbed into my rig. I had unhooked the trailer and hooked it onto her bike, she already had a hitch since she used a little trailer on her bike sometimes, all I had to do was change the ball.

I saw her in my rear view mirror, looking forlorn as I drove away. I very nearly stopped and went back.

But I had told her what I wanted, I had told her that even though we had only met a few days before, that I was in love with her.

I could tell she wasn't sure. We had made love at least a half dozen times, but even at that, I was a stranger. I had washed up on her shore, things had just happened.

"I will wait then and see." She said simply, but she did not say she loved me back. I think she half expected me to return to my life and that would be it.

I was a tourist. Tourists always leave. Had she heard something like that before? I didn't know, I thought she was telling me the truth, but really, I just did not know.

"Men always leave." Were her exact words.

And here I was, leaving.

I didn't want to go at all, but I had to. I did have a former life, things to deal with.

There was a period in there when I really did think I was out of my mind. Give up a very well paying job, all of my life to go to a woman? I had done that once before, made a woman my entire life, and look how that ended up?

Then I thought about Ava, that was all it took.

Three short days, was it real or was it just sex, an opportunity for her? I did not know, but I was going to try.

It took me over six weeks, I quit my job, cashed out all of my securities except for the IRA accounts. No point in giving the government 10%, besides, I had plans on living that long.

I put all of my money into accounts that sent out a check every month. It wasn't a hell of a lot, just $500 per month but it would last for nearly 30 years.

The stock market had been pretty good to me.

I did call Ava's message service, I couldn't talk to her of course but I liked hearing her voice. I called every single day.

She didn't call me back. But she did tell me before I left that she was going to wait, and see.

"If you want to relax while on vacation, leave me a message and I will call. I will come and give you a nice full body rubdown, just fifty dollars." Her voice said in the message. Her voice sounded mildly sultry in that message.

When the tone sounded, I told her I loved her every single time. I meant it, too. Three days with a woman, and I was in love with her.

By then I knew all about what she did for a living, she kept fairly busy working Carl's rental cabins. It didn't even upset me, not one bit. In fact, I could just imagine what some thought when Ava showed up on her Harley, a trailer with a table hooked on behind.

But I had plans of changing that, too. That was the other thing I wasn't sure of. I wanted her, but I wanted it to be for just me. I could find a job, maybe even become a guide and take people fishing.

That last message I left for her before I headed back was different. I told her I loved her, and I wanted her to be my wife. I told her when I would be there, asked her to meet me at Carl's resort.

I even told her that I would understand if she didn't come, although I knew I would not understand.

She had to make that gesture, I knew I could not just show up. I was totally ready, but I needed her to commit also.

+++

The Sun was shining the day I got off the bus. It was a six mile walk down to the resort. I had sold my vehicles and about everything I owned. I had only a suitcase and the clothes on my back.

Old Carl greeted me, happy to see me.

"Hell, I figured after the last trip that you would never come back." He told me.

"I left something here." I told him.

I heard Ava's Harley long before I saw it, grinned to myself at that. Then it made the turn into the parking lot where old Carl and I sat on the porch having a beer.

He had been telling me about the one that got away from him, it hit that pike minnow plug he had for sale in there.

"Thing had to weigh 60 pounds, you should maybe buy one of them and give it a try!" He bragged.

Just then Ava pulled up and stopped, she bailed off the back of the bike and piled into my arms.

"I love you too, Roy!" She told me. She had tears in her eyes, I kissed them away.

Carl sat there in surprise.

"Hey, Carl! You need someone else to come in and take care of your clients, OK?" I called out as I climbed onto the bike behind her.

"Well. I'll be damned." He said with a grin.

"I got the boat fixed." She told me over her shoulder, as I reached around and got a solid grip on her braless tits. I didn't really need to, I just wanted to.

"Get a good grip, we don't want ya falling off!" Old Carl was roaring with laughter.

"Let's sell that damned boat and get a wooden one." I said into her ear as we headed home.

We pulled up and put the bike away, went inside.

"I wasn't real sure you would come back but I wanted you to. It helped me a lot that you called every night."

"You never called me back." I said.

"Nope. I figured if you meant it, you would come back on your own."

Then she pushed me down on the mattress and started kissing me. That was great, I started kissing her right back.

"Got something to tell you." She whispered in my ear.

"What's that?" I asked.

"The school bus turn around is right past the bridge out there." She said with a grin.

"The school bus turn around? What's that got to do with...OH!" I was busy tugging at the buttons on her blouse.

"Yea, I think I figured out why I was so fussed up at you when you was standing there all naked that first night. By the next day I couldn't help myself. Now I went and missed my time." She laughed.

I hugged her, nothing in the world would have made me happier. I started working on getting her jeans off.

"I was shameless, wasn't I?" She giggled.

"Yes, and I loved every minute of it."

"We are gonna need to build on a little bit." She said, leaning back as I buried my face in her.

"Worry about it later." I told her.