Camping

*****

An hour later we were making a left at the closed park sign. Laura had loosened up and relaxed. She had turned in her seat and was leaning on the door with her left leg drawn up on the seat. The tight cutoff jeans were showing off her great legs to perfection and the halter top left her flat stomach bare. I hadn't noticed until she turned to sit that way that she had her belly button pierced with a small diamond stud. I found that to be very sexy.

When I said something about it, she chuckled and replied. "It makes me feel sexy and a little naughty. My younger sister had hers done and talked me into doing it. At the time I felt silly and too old to be doing something like that but now it gives me a little thrill to see someone staring at it." She laughed and continued, "I guess I'm a little kinkier than I thought I was. That's a strange thing to find out as you're going over forty."

"Forty? No way, I figured you at around thirty four or thirty five at the most." I said as I made the next left.

She laughed and said, "Well thank you kind sir but I'll be forty three in December."

"Hey my birthdays in December too, the forth. I'm a little older than you though, I'll be fifty five."

"Bullshit." She said. "There's no way you older than I am." She leaned forward to study my face. "Well, maybe my age but not over fifty. You're going to have to prove that one buster."

After I made the first right turn I slowed and got my wallet out of my back pocket and passed over my drivers license. She looked at it a moment and said, "Well, I'll be damned, you are going to be fifty five." Handing it back to me she smiled and said, "You're not in bad shape for an old fart."

I laughed as I put the wallet away. There was a small housing tract at the end of the road and we cruised all of the lakeside roads but didn't see Glen's car.

As we headed out and got back on the main road she asked, "Your license says you're not married. Is that still true or just out of date?"

I chuckled and answered, "Sorry to say its true. I'm still single and no I'm not seeing anyone." I went on to explain about my job and the amount of time I was gone.

As we turned into the next road she asked, "Well, why don't you find a lady that will go along with you or even work with you? Sounds to me like the perfect thing for a couple. If my ex and I had spent more time together, we would probably still be together. It wasn't his job or the time that he was gone that was the problem though, it was his roving eye, if you know what I mean."

I nodded as we started to check out the scattered lakeside homes along this road that ran out onto a point. "Yeah, my wife worked with me after the kids got grown and it was a wonderful time for us. Since she passed away, I haven't found anyone who could or would give up what they were doing to go with me. A couple of them did for a while but they ended up not liking the job or maybe me enough to stay at it."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear about your wife. I didn't mean to bring up a sore subject. How long ago did she pass away?" She asked.

"It's been a little over eleven years now. It was a long time ago and all things heal with time. I find that I don't think about her as much any more. Things like my kids and a couple of songs still bring back a rush of memories but they're just the good ones."

She interrupted me, "Whoa, back up. His car is parked down by that boat house back there."

I stopped the truck, backed up, and pulled down into the driveway we had just passed. As I stopped, she got out and walked to the car and looked in through the side window. Giving me a grin and a thumbs up she headed for the back door of the house. She knocked on the door and after a minute someone came to the door. They talked for a while then she headed for the truck.

Opening the door she said, "Him and his buddy left a little while ago to go into town. The lady didn't know when they would be back. She said they were dressed like they were going partying so she doesn't expect them until after the clubs close, if then. She said she would tell Glen that I came by and she'd get my bags out of his car. I didn't tell her we were camping around here because I don't want Glen to come looking for me. If there's a place to camp around here, can we do that so I can get my stuff tomorrow?"

I nodded and said, "According to the map there's a camp grounds at Sandy Creek. We can check and see if there's an opening there; if not I'm sure there are others close by."

With a smile and a "thank you." She climbed into the truck.

*****

Five miles down the main road we hit Sandy Creek road and made a right. Three miles farther was the park entrance with a map of the place posted on a board. The boat launch ramp was the first road to the left; the group camp area was the first road to the right. The second road to the right was the camping area which ran out on a point and had twenty or so spaces. The main road went on down to a picnic area, trailer camping area, and swimming area. It also showed that there were showers there.

We drove on into the park and made the right to the camp grounds. I expected it to be crowded but there was no one there. We had our choice of sites. This point was actually a ridge that stuck out into the lake. The road down the middle was about twenty feet above the lakes surface and the camp sites were evenly spaced down each side. I drove down to the turn around at the end of the road and turned around.

Looking over at Laura I asked, "Well, which one do you like?"

She chuckled and shrugged. "I've never had my choice of sites like this before. Let's get out and walk back down the road and check them out closer."

"Sounds good to me." I said, as I got out of the truck.

Looking around at the way the point stuck out into the lake, I liked the first one on the left, but it didn't have much in the way of shade. The water went farther back on the left side than the right so I was more inclined to that side. The second site was right next to the rest rooms and very open.

The third one caught my eye and I told Laura, "I think I like this one. It's a little farther back off the road and on two levels. The tent can go on the lowest level where there's a good flat area and the picnic table is above it. We'll have a good view of the water but won't be right out in the open like some of the other sites are."

She walked over and looked it over closely. "You have a good eye for camp sites. If it rains most of the run off will go around us. We'll have morning sun and afternoon shade along with a good lake breeze. I agree, lets get set up, it'll be dark in an hour or so."

I drove the truck down to the site and backed it in. With Laura's help it didn't take long to get things set up. I realized she had done this more than once in her life. Just as dark was falling we were done. I lit one of the lanterns and hung it up near the table. Lighting the other I hung it down near the tent.

Laura had left camp going up the hill. I assumed she was going to the rest room but when she returned she carried an arm load of firewood. Dumping it next to the fire pit she said, "A fire will feel good in about an hour or so. If you have a flashlight, I'll hunt up some more wood while you fix us something to eat." With a grin she asked, "You can cook can't you?"

Chuckling I opened a box and got out the flashlight. While searching through a couple of shopping bags for the new batteries I said, "Cook? You mean there's not a restaurant around here?"

Her mouth opened then closed and then opened again. When I laughed she said, "You're kidding right?"

"Yes, I'm kidding. I think I can whip up something that will be eatable. Here's your flashlight, just don't get lost in the dark." I said with a grin. She stuck out her tongue at me and then grinned back as she headed out into the dark.

I had cheated on the meal, as I had picked up a frozen chicken stir fry, when I did the shopping. Everything you need for a meal all in one bag. I left it simmering on low heat and went to help her find some wood.

I could see the light up by the first campsite and headed that way. "Can you use some help?" I asked as I got near to her.

Laura yelled and jumped, dropping the load of sticks and limbs she had been carrying. Swinging the light around until it centered on me, she yelled, "You scared the shit out of me. Next time, whistle or make some kind of noise before you sneak up on a person."

"Uh, sorry. I didn't mean to spook you." I said softly. "I just wanted to help you with the wood."

She dropped the light beam away from me and said almost to herself, "For a big guy, you sure do walk quietly." Shining the light on a stack of split firewood she continued, "Someone left us a present. If you'll get those, I'll pick up what I already had, that should be enough for tonight."

With my arms loaded with the wood, we headed back toward camp. She was shining the light so we could both see as I said, "I'm part Indian."

From the dark, I heard her say, "Huh?" and then as she remembered what she'd said earlier she add, "Oh, you mean about you walking so quietly. I was wondering there for a minute, if I had missed something." I chuckled as we continued on toward camp.

I dumped the wood next to the fire pit and went to check the stir fry. Laura busied herself making a fire. After a few seconds, she looked up toward me and said, "Hey, you can cook. At least it smells good."

I laughed, "The marvels of modern life, frozen stir fry, just like Mama San used to make."

I loaded two plates with Chow Mien Noodles and covered them with the sweet and sour stir-fry. "Soups on, want a beer or a coke, with it?"

She had the fire going nicely as she answered, "Hey, a beer would be great. I'll be right up."

After a bite or two she said, "Hey, this ain't bad. An Indian, cooking and eating Chinese, how international." She ended with a chuckle.

"I've had better, especially in Hong Kong or even San Francisco, it just tastes good out here in mother natures land." I said with a grin, letting her remark pass.

She stopped eating for a moment and looked at me, "Hong Kong? You've been to Hong Kong?"

I nodded and explained that most of my work was in the states, but I had worked over most of the world, from time to time over the last twenty-five years.

She ate a couple of more bites and said, "I've hardly even been out of Texas. I've gone gambling in Louisiana several times and went to Florida once, but that's about the extent of it. I'd love to see more of the world, or even more of this country."

I chuckled and told her, "The hours I work, makes it hard for me to see much even when I do travel. Oh, I occasionally have some time off, a few days here and there, so I do get to see a little. I can't complain, I guess. It wouldn't do me much good if I did." I ended with another chuckle.

Looking at me as she took a swallow of her beer, she seemed thoughtful. When she sat the bottle down, she said, "You seem a little cynical about what you do. If you don't like it, then why do you keep doing it?"

I thought about her question as I ate the last couple of bites of my meal. By the time I had pushed the plate back, I still wasn't sure about an answer. As though she could see the wheels turning behind my eyes, she sat quietly and finished her food.

About the time she pushed her plate back, I said, "I quit. Well, I think I did anyway. My boss will probably give me a few days to cool off and then he'll call to see how I am. He knows me well enough to know that I've been working too much and that going to South America on short notice was a bad idea."

I stopped and thought some more. "That doesn't answer your question though, does it?" Not waiting for an answer, I went on. "I guess it's because I've done it so long and wouldn't know how to do anything else. Each job is the same, but no two are alike. It's boring most of the time, until you hit gas or oil, and then it's fast and ferrous. You only have one chance to get it right. Does any of that make any sense?"

She nodded but didn't say anything; she seemed to be waiting. I looked at her as I took a swallow of my beer. "I guess the answer is that I like the job. It's just that as I get older, I'm having a problem with the loneliness, the long hours, and the time away from home." I paused for a moment as what I said sunk in.

Looking over at her, I said, "I haven't even admitted that to myself, but it's true."

She smiled and said, "Maybe you just needed someone to talk to, someone to listen, that didn't have a vested interest."

I nodded and smiled, "Smart lady." I said almost to myself.

She grinned and replied, "Since I'm so smart, why am I sitting at a table on the other side of nowhere with no clothes and no way to get home for three days?"

I laughed and answered, "Just lucky I guess." This made her laugh. "If you weren't here, then who would listen to my problems?"

She grinned and stood up, "You cooked, so I get to do the dishes." She said. "Why don't you grab another beer and go sit by the fire. Rest and relaxation are the orders of the day for you. Anyway, a women's work is never done, you know that."

I chuckled and stood up. "Thank you for listening. I needed that."

With a shrug, she replied, "Hey, no problem. Where would I be, if you hadn't stopped? A little listening is the least I can do. Now, go on and get out of my way."

I got two beers and sat one on the table near her as she put on a pot of water to boil. She smiled and took a sip. With a grin she asked, "Are you trying to get me drunk?"

"No, I just don't drink alone. When I'm by myself, it's coffee, tea, or water." I said as I moved over to the fire and set up the two chairs, I had brought.

"Sounds familiar." She said. "I'm a social drinker myself. Although lately, Greg has tried to turn me into a party animal. That's what I get for robbing the cradle." She ended with a chuckle.

While waiting for the water to boil, she moved over to the end of the bench and sat down. "Don't get the wrong idea though, he's just a friend. A young friend, I admit, but just a friend. He wants it to be more, but I just don't see a future there, if you know what I mean. I was married to one party animal and I don't need another. I do all right by myself, I don't necessarily like it, but I get by."

"I know the feeling." I said. "There have been a couple of young ladies, with the emphasis on young, that have shown an interest, but I learned that lesson a long time ago. The sex may be great, but what do you talk about afterwards?"

She laughed and shook her head, "That is a problem, isn't it?"

I looked up at her, to see her grinning. With a grin of my own, I replied, "Yes it is."

The water had started to boil so she got up and filled the small pan. After a few minutes went by she said, all of a sudden, "I think you're right. I hadn't ever thought about it that way but I can see what you mean."

After a while she asked, "Do you have many of these youngsters chasing you?" When I laughed, she looked over at me. "I guess that means, it's none of my business. Okay, I'm nosy, I come by it naturally, I am a woman after all."

"No, it's not that. It's the mental picture of some old fart in a wheel chair, with a bunch of teenyboppers chasing him around. I may be in my mid fifties, but I see myself as late thirties, or early forties." I told her.

"In that case, what do you consider young?" She asked with a grin.

I sighed, grinned, and shook my head before I answered. "Anyone my daughters age, I guess. Although, lately, anyone under forty, is closer to the truth. I was to young to be a beatnik and to old to be a hippie, so I'm part of that lost generation that no one talks about."

She tossed the dishwater out in the woods and rinsed the pan before she came over to sit down in the other chair. "I was a hippie, well, sort of. As much as east Texas and a small town would let me be anyway. I have nothing against a little something to smoke, but that's where I draw the line. I tried being a wild child, but somehow that didn't seem to be me, so I lost interest and went back to being a country girl."

We sat there and sipped our beer for a while; I got up and added some wood to the fire. After a while, she asked, "Well, what have you got planned for the weekend?"

I glanced over at her and replied, "I brought my fishing rods, so I guess I'll fish. Maybe take a walk, but mostly I had planned to relax."

After a long silence, I asked, "Is there anything you want to do?"

Following another long period of silence, she replied, "I would like to go swimming. That is, if I get my suitcase with my bathing suit in it, back."

I chuckled and with a mischievous grin said, "Well, you could always go skinny dipping."

She laughed and said, "I love to skinny dip, but I'd scare all the fish away, among other things. Anyway, the way my luck has been going lately, I'd end up in jail."

Without thinking, I said, "Well, its dark and there's a lake somewhere over there, what do you think? Is it safe enough?"

First a grin and then a frown chased each other across her face. "Part of me says, hell yes and then part of me says, hey wait a minute, you don't really know this guy to well. Talk about confusion."

She paused a moment and then looked over at me. "Can I trust you?"

I looked at her seriously for a moment and then replied, "I think so. Actually I hate to admit it, but you're as safe with me as you want to be." I chuckled and added, "Damn, there goes my bad reputation, foiled again."

She laughed and shook her head. "I don't know why, but I believe you." After a short pause, she said, "Okay, where's a good spot?"

I grinned and replied; "You're asking me? This place is as new to me, as it is to you. I'd think somewhere down near the point. There's no one else here, so it doesn't seem to really matter does it?"

She laughed, "Good point. Do you have a couple of towels or do we drip dry?"

"That much, I have covered. You grab the flashlight, while I round them up." I said.

*****

A few minutes later found us walking down the road toward the point. We each had a fresh beer and I carried the towels, while she used the flashlight to light our way. We found a way down the steep bank to the sandy and rocky shoreline. After a short look around, we found a sand area back near the side of the point that looked like a good place.

I laid the towels on a large rock and pulled off my shirt. Laura turned off the light and laid it with the towels, and then stood there looking around. There was a small slice of moon hanging just above the trees across the lake from us, enough to see by once our eyes adjusted.

With a shrug, she stepped out of her sandals and said, "Looks good to me, let's get wet."

I pulled off my tennis shoes as she pulled off the halter top. I had been right about her boobs, not overly large but very nice. They sat high on her chest and didn't sag at all. Not bad for a woman over forty. As I slipped off my shorts, I realized I was semi hard. She unbuttoned and then unzipped the short Levi shorts, and then she glanced over at me as she slipped them down over her hips.

Her eyes wandered over my body for a second and came to rest on my manhood. My eyes were roaming over her body also. She stood sideways to me and when she bent to take the shorts all the way off, her ass was stuck out at a provocative angle. Very nice, my mind whispered to me as my manhood twitched. When she turned to lay the shorts on the rock, I could see a vee of hair on her mound. I grinned and wondered if it was as red as the hair on her head. My manhood raise another notch.

When my eyes returned to her face, she was grinning. "What?" I asked with a grin of my own.