Gabby

When I turned 16, I started working at a small independent grocery store. Once a year, the owner would choose a Sunday and close the store to hold a company picnic. Everyone and their families were invited, and it was held in a state park that had areas set aside for such occasions. No one needed to bring anything unless you wanted. The owner spared no expense to satisfy even the most discerning appetite. There were hot dogs, hamburgers, ribs, steaks, and chicken. He even had shrimp on the barbi. There were clowns, piñatas, and a man-made lake built for swimming for the kids. There was softball, volleyball, badminton, and horseshoes for the adults. There were also more than enough lounge chairs for the weary. Booze and soft drinks of all kinds were served and the best part was that he chartered shuttle busses for everyone to come and go. (We all lived right by the store.) It was one of these annual company picnics that this story takes place. Let’s see, I started working there on July 12th, 1971. I graduated in ’73 so that would make this the summer of ’76. In fact, it was my 21st birthday. Sunday. July 11, 1976. Exactly one week after the Bicentennial.

************

It was 11:30 and I was standing in the parking lot with several fellow workers and their families, waiting for the boss and the busses to arrive. This was going to be the sixth year in a row that I was going alone. All the other clerks that worked there had their girlfriends in tow. Even the part timers that were still in high school had their young sweethearts along. There were about 40 people employed in the store, and with their wives and kids, (and in some cases, grandkids,) there were well over 150 people waiting for the busses.

It had started to become a running joke about me going stag all the time. I wasn’t strange, or fat, or have a serious acne problem. I had several girlfriends on and off over the time I had worked there. I just always seemed to be unattached at company picnic time. Most of the cashiers didn’t laugh at me, but the clerks had no mercy. They wouldn’t say anything today. They would wait for tomorrow morning to start on me. This was going to fuel weeks of hilarity at my expense. I had approached the owner earlier in the week about bowing out this year. He was a good man, a good businessman, and a great judge of character. I valued his opinion second only to my father. He told me that if I wasn’t there, he would feel that the picnic was incomplete. He said that I was his best clerk and didn’t care if I came alone. He just wanted me there. I didn’t know he thought that highly of me and I didn’t want to disappoint him.

Janice, from the produce department, arrived with her six kids. She walked up to me and asked whom I had brought. Janice herself had no one with her. That was nothing unusual since she was the store skank. Every kid she had was fathered by a different past employee of the store. I could never figure out what the attraction was with her. She was skinny, had no body shape to speak of, and her face rivaled the wicked witch of the west. I suppose her allure was that she was ready, willing, and able to take on all men that paid her any attention. It was rumored that she could retire on the child support she received alone.

“I’m going stag, Janice,” I replied.

“Oh, what a surprise,” she said, as she broke out in her trademark cackle that was her laugh. It made a shiver go down my spine.

As I watched her wander off with her brood, four busses pulled into the lot. In the lead bus were the boss, Hal, and his family. The busses pulled to a stop and the door opened. Hal waddled down the steps. He was a short man in his late 40’s with graying wavy hair, toothpick arms and legs, and a 60” waist. He gave a new meaning to ‘elastic’ waistband. He stood there with his Hawaiian shirt, short white pants, black socks, and penny loafers on, looking at us with a huge grin.

“Who’s ready for some fun!” he shouted.

Everyone broke out into some kind of cheer. He greeted everyone as they piled into the busses. If he didn’t know your girlfriend or boyfriend’s name, he asked and he didn’t forget. That man had a mind like a steel trap. I waited till everyone had gotten on the buses before I started to get on the last bus. I wanted to make sure that couples or families could sit together. I was going to sit in an open or odd seat. Hal grabbed my arm and pulled me to the first bus where his family was.

“Let’s go!” he said, as he pushed me up the steps.

In the front of the bus sat his lovely wife, Helen, his youngest child, Maureen, and his son, (who was my age) Jeff. Jeff also worked in the store and had his girlfriend, Mary, (that worked in the deli) with him. There was a seat behind Jeff and Mary that had a girl in it that I didn’t know. Hal pointed to the open seat next to her and I sat.

“You two get to know each other,” he said, as he sat next to his wife, two rows ahead.

I looked at the ceiling, then my hands, and then at her. She was busy looking at the ceiling, then her hands, and then out the window. Then she looked at me and gave me a forced smile. She was 20ish, had mid length blonde hair, gray eyes, but was kind of plain looking. She had on a very bulky tee shirt and long pants combo.

“Hi,” she said. “I’m Gabriella.”

“I’m Matt,” I replied, as I held my hand out to shake hers.

She looked at my hand, but didn’t respond at first. Finally she gave me a limp fish handshake. I cleared my throat and just stared ahead. It was only a ten-minute ride to the park. I could sit with her that long.

There was silence for the first few minutes, and then she said, “Uncle Hal said that you’ve worked for him for five years. You don’t look old enough for that.”

“I started working there the day after I turned sixteen. That would be five years tomorrow,” I said.

She was silent for a moment. Then she said, “So today is your 21st birthday?”

“Yep. It’s a great day for a birthday, don’t you think?” I asked, with a smile.

“I guess,” she said, as she turned to look out the window.

‘Almost there,’ I thought to myself.

The busses pulled into the parking area and rolled to a stop. Hal was the first off and pointed everyone to the pavilions we would be using. I stood to get off, but waited for the families to get off first. When the last of the people behind me in the bus passed me, I entered the aisle and stepped back to allow Gabriella to enter.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said under her breath, as she stepped into the aisle and left the bus.

‘Thank God we’re here,’ I thought to myself.

As I stepped off, Hal grabbed me. “Well?” he asked.

“Well what?” I asked in return.

“What do you think of Gabby?” he replied.

“Aw, Hal. Is this a set-up? She doesn’t even want to talk to me,” I said.

“She’s my sister’s girl and she’s a good kid. Give her a chance. She just doesn’t warm up to people right away,” he replied.

“I’d say that she doesn’t warm to people at all,” I quipped.

Hal stared at me.

“Oops, sorry,” I said, as I walked off toward a pavilion.

************

It was turning into a pretty hot day. The last thing I wanted to do was to start drinking and get skunked so early in the festivities. A few guys were already three sheets to the wind and making perfect asses out of themselves. I grabbed a coke and walked around a bit. I noticed a few of the kids had wandered over to the lake and were already swimming. I decided to drift in that direction. Several of the ladies/girlfriends had also tagged along to keep an eye on the swimmers. Some of the younger women had worn bathing suits under their clothes and were showing off their bodies a bit. As I got closer, I noticed one woman in particular, that had a pretty nice looking butt and legs. As I reached the lake, she turned a bit. She had nice breasts too. Then she turned a bit more. It was Gabby. She sure hid that body well under her clothes. It suddenly hit me that she would probably think I followed her there. I turned and started walking back to the pavilion.

“What’s the matter? Didn’t like what you saw?” asked Gabby, as I stopped in my tracks. “Did my uncle send you down here and you chickened out?”

I turned to look at her. Although she was plain looking, she more than made up for it with her body. “I was just coming down to check out the kids, that’s all. When I noticed you were here, I didn’t want to bother you. It was obvious on the bus that you’d rather not be around me.”

“What are you talking about?” she said, shaking her head.

“You just seemed like you wished I wasn’t there,” I replied.

“You’re weird, you know that?” she asked, as she sat in a chair.

One thing I knew. I wasn’t weird. “What do you think is weird about me?”

“That ‘gentleman’ routine you pulled on the bus. Who do you think that was going to impress? Not me,” she replied.

“I wasn’t trying to impress anyone. That’s just the way I am. Sorry if that offends you.”

“What I find offensive is that act. I’d be more than willing to talk to you if you would just act yourself,” she said, leaning back in the seat to soak up some sun.

“This is as real as I get, Gabriella.”

What that, Janice came by with her brood. “Hey, Matt, will you watch my kids a second. I have to powder my nose,” she said, as she pointed to a row of porta-potties lined up along the walkway. She cackled at her own joke as she walked off without waiting for a reply. Gabriella got up and followed her.

Janice’s kids were ready to jump into the lake, but I corralled them in case Janice was going to have a fit. Janice soon returned and said, “Thanks, Matt! Come on, kids!” as she walked right past me. Gabriella sat back down in her seat.

“Seems I owe you an apology. Janice says you’re the ‘Boy Scout’ type,” she said, as she sat back down in the chair.

“Boy Scout?”

“Yeah, you know, ‘yes ma’am, yes sir, thank you very much, sir’ type of a guy. In other words, you’re not putting on an act. So, I’m sorry I said what I said to you. I want you to call me Gabby. Gabriella is for strangers and people I don’t like.”

I suppose that was an apology, so I sat down on the ground next to her chair. That put my head at about the same level as her breasts that were protruding from the top and sides of her suit. Nothing was said for a while, as we watched the kids and a few adults swim around the huge lake. Only the lake edge was safe for the little kids, as the bottom dropped off after a few yards in. There were a few people floating on rafts and a few just treading water a little further out. The water, although murky from the heat, was totally safe for swimming.

Janice came back with her kids. They were ready to swim, and Janice looked like she could drown a few of them. She walked into the water and the kids all jumped in right behind her.

“All of those kids are hers?” asked Gabby.

“Yeah, all from different guys,” I replied.

“Really?” said Gabby, sitting up in her chair to get a better look at the kids.

“I’d keep that to yourself. I doubt any of the kids know yet.”

“Who’d want to fuck that?” she asked, pointing to Janice.

“My thoughts exactly,” I replied.

Gabby started to laugh. The kids splashed and played right at the edge, as mommy went a bit deeper to put some distance between them and herself.

“Are you going to college?” I asked.

“No. I took a few years off from school after I graduated. I’m going to enter the beautician academy in the fall. I don’t need to know Shakespeare to cut hair,” she said. “I got a job cutting hair and applying make–up to the stiffs in the local mortuary. It’s great practice and they don’t move and mess you up.”

I looked at her, waiting for the punch line or smile. She just looked back at me. I guess that was the truth. As we continued to sit, a few more people decided to take a dip to cool off. One of them was Erik. He was the reining Casanova of the store. He had successfully bedded nearly half of the single women in the place.

“Asshole,” said Gabby, as Erik passed by.

“Why’d you call him that?” I asked.

“He hit on me right after we got off the bus.”

“Isn’t he with someone? I thought he was,” I said.

“He is. Her name is Bonnie, although I don’t see her right now,” she replied, looking around for her.

Erik swam out a bit and started to float. Janice’s kids were still going strong and Janice herself was drifting further and further out. I was busy watching the kids and daydreaming a bit when Gabby tapped my shoulder.

“Look,” she whispered, as she pointed out to the water.

Erik and Janice had somehow met in the center of the lake, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out what they were doing. The water was deep enough so that it came up to Erik’s chin. Janice had her arms around his neck and was bobbing up and down in the water. Erik wasn’t moving at all. I looked around the edge of the lake. It seemed that the only ones to have noticed was Gabby and me.

“You watch, this is going to be over in seconds,” she said, obviously referring to Erik’s staying power, or lack thereof.

“I don’t know. Her face is like an orgasm killer.”

Gabby tried as hard as she could to stifle a laugh. The kids were playing merrily away while their mother was humping a stock clerk 50 feet away from them. Janice put her hand over her mouth a few times as it seemed that she had an orgasm or two, but Erik was still going strong.

“I told you so,” I said to Gabby, as she stifled another laugh.

After another few minutes or so, I said, “What that man needs is a bag to put over her head. Oh God man, just close your eyes,” I said, not loud enough to be heard by anyone other than Gabby. I thought she was going to fall off her chair laughing.

“Here we go,” I said. Janice was moving much quicker and Erik indeed had his eyes shut. “I hope he doesn’t open his eyes again.”

Gabby fell out of the chair laughing, as Janice stopped bouncing up and down.

“He should have closed those eyes in the first place,” I said.

Janice was floating back in toward her kids. She seemed to be having trouble rearranging her suit. Erik was already out of the lake and heading back to the pavilions. When he was about halfway there, a woman, (Bonnie I suppose), met him halfway, put her arm through his, and walked back with him.

Janice finally walked right past her kids splashing away and sat in a chair next to Gabby. She looked a bit spent.

“Refreshing?” I asked.

“Oh yeah,” Janice replied.

“So, was that some new floating technique you were showing Erik?” asked Gabby.

Janice started to laugh. She leaned toward Gabby and said, “That was the best I’ve had in a while. I have no idea how he held out that long.”

“I guess I’ll have to get his secret from him,” I said, looking at her horse face and feeling another shiver go down my spine.

When she fully recovered from her lake rendezvous, she hustled her kids out of the water and sent them off to the porta-johns. Hopefully we wouldn’t see her for a while.

“Now that Janice is gone, I think I’m going to take a swim. It is hot,” she said.

Now that mid afternoon had hit and the sun was out unabated, it had to be close to 100 degrees. I watched her wade out in the warm lake. She really did have a nice ass. She stopped when she was about hip deep and turned to look at me. “Aren’t you coming too?”

I didn’t have a suit on under my cut-off jeans, but what the hell. I emptied my pockets on the grass and took off my shirt and shoes. By the time I got in the water, Gabby was already out pretty far. I pointed myself in her direction and started floating that way. After a few minutes, my head hit something. I flipped over and stood up. The water came up to the top of my shoulders. Gabby was standing as well, but her chin was just barely above the water line.

“I think this is where they were doing it,” she said.

I looked toward the bank and if she was right, I could see why they thought no one would notice. Everyone looked so small and far away.

“I believe this is how they were doing it,” she said, as she wrapped her arms and legs around my neck and thighs, bringing her crotch right up against mine. She looked at me, waiting for some kind of reaction.

“Would you say that this is an accurate reenactment of what they did?” she asked, bouncing up and down on my restrained cock.

“I’d say this is exactly what they were doing,” I said, as I swallowed hard.

She smiled at me. “You really are a Boy Scout. Any other guy would have had my suit off by now.”

I looked away, turning several shades of red. I was getting very aroused and uncomfortable at the same time. I began to think that she was screwing with my head.

“Why am I getting the feeling that you’ve never done this before? Matt, are you a…?”

“No,” I answered quickly.

“Boy Scouts don’t lie, Matt,” she said, looking me in the eyes.

“That’s Vulcans, not Boy Scouts. I’m neither,” I replied.

“Well, if you’re not a virgin, I bet you’re not too far from it.”

She had me there. I had only done it once and it was so fast, I almost missed it. It wasn’t even my idea. It was done on a dare. But that was several years ago and I hadn’t seen the girl since that night.

“Don’t worry, I won’t corrupt you anymore for now,” she said, as she let go of me and started swimming back to the bank.

I had to wait a while as my excitement waned. I watched her walk out of the lake and pick up her clothes. She waved to me as she headed to the pavilion. The smell of grilled food was wafting though the air. My stomach growled. I knew this was meal number one for Hal. He always fed us twice. The first time was to dilute the booze and the second, later in the evening, was to tire everyone out. I had calmed down enough to head out of the lake and up to the pavilion.

************

I had lost sight of Gabby, so I had no idea what pavilion she went to. I just picked one and ate a hamburger. Janice was sitting at the table next to me with her mob of kids. I couldn’t help wondering if another one was already in the making. Erik was seated on the other side of me with Bonnie. She was cute, but seemed rather stuck up. Hal walked by with a huge plate of food.

“What are you doing here? Gabby is looking for you over in that pavilion,” he said pointing to one further away.

“Thanks Hal,” I said, as I finished my plate and headed over.

She was seated alone, picking at a piece of chicken. The pavilion itself was rather empty. Several of the smaller children were asleep either in strollers or playpens. She still had her suit on. Her clothes were neatly folded on the bench seat next to her.

“I lost sight of you, sorry,” I said, as I sat facing her.

“That’s alright. I knew I’d find you sooner or later. We’re the only ones here alone,” she said, picking at her chicken.

“How is it?” I asked.

“Really good. I can’t stand burnt or bleeding chicken. This is perfect,” she said, as she pulled some more meat off the breast and placed it in her mouth. For the first time, I noticed her hands. They were perfect. But of course they would be. She wanted to be a beautician. She would know how to do manicures. She noticed me looking.

“I do them myself,” she said, holding her hands out to me for inspection.

“You do a real nice job,” I said. “You’ll make a great beautician.”

She jumped up. “I’m thirsty. Do you want a beer? I do,” she said, as she headed to the open bar.

I looked at my watch. It was 4:30. These things were usually over by 8:00, and there was going to be another round of food. “I’ll take two,” I replied, holding up two fingers.

“A Boy Scout after my own heart!” she said, as she dug through a trashcan full of ice for the beers. She produced four cans of Ballentine for us. “Do you want to sit here or go for a walk?” she asked.

“Let’s walk,” I replied.

We walked a path sipping our beers that led us to a wooded area.